The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1868-12-04
Du CHAILLU ON THE AFRICANS AND
TIE GORILLAS.

Du Chaillu addressed an audience of
deaf and dumb in New York last We'd
nesday, report of which we find in the
Herald:
M. Du Chaillu was interpreted to the
audience by Professor 9. J.. Peet, the
principal of the institution. After sta
ting the promptings which first sent him
into the wilds of Equatorial Africa, he
proceeded with an account Of the coun-
try, the manners and customs of the va
rious tribes of natives, etc. In Equa-
torial Africs, he said, the natives make
four kinds of drink from the palm tree.
One is made with honey and water,
ripe bananas, water, etc. Tho drink
they like the least is that made from the
sugar cane, for it made their heads sick.
In that country he had to beware of
E, erything-t the natives as we'll as the
wild beasts. Snakes of the worst kind
were abundant, scorpions and cent?
pedes. 1t was not nice country to
live in. He left there and travelled for
hundreds of miles without meeting a
human being. The forests contained
no game, and he was often days without
food. Population is sparse, and the few
people that are there fight continually
against each other, killing all young
and old Unfortunately.
The people wol ship idols. and the in
situations of the country hinge on slave
ry. Their wealth consists in the number
of wives, who are all slaves. lie got
friendly with King Bangbo, who has
three hundred wives. He inquired how
many children he had, when the King
replied between 600 and 700, the diff
ference being nothing to the King
The King died, when they sacrificed
100 victims to attend him. No one
is supposed to die a natural death. The
person dying is supposed to be bcwitch-
ed, and of course that somebody killed
him, and sacrifice is made of numbers.
lie reached arrange of mountains (point-
ing them out on the map). He found
here new race of men. When he
reached the place he heard loud shouts
the natives crying, "the spirit is
come" The natives surrounded him,
armed to the teeth and tatooed. The
people are cannibals, clothed in the skins
of animals. They carried large battle
axes and shields made of elephant hides.
The whole place was covered with skulls
erected on poles. He felt somewhat
afraid. The King did not want to see
him until three days, declaring that he
(DuChaillu)had come in whirlwind, and
that if it touched him he would be swept
away. 1t was a curious superstition
among the kings of this country that
none of them would sec him till he had
been three days in the country.
The village he now found himself in
was small, with long street, the house
not over six feet high !; the walls were
made of the bark of trees. The King
came to see him accompanied by his
Queen and a number of warriors. The
King at last said he was not afraid. In
the evening he invited tho King to come
and receive presents; gave him beads
and clothes and looking glass. At
this the King humblcd, he made faces,
put out his tongue he saw the tongue
come out and he swors the Devil was
there. They soon became great friends
with the King and his people. The can
nibals were brave and great hunters
When they kill men in battle they eat
the killed. They explained that the
women were the best eating, that they
were very tender; tho girls about cigh-
teen being the best. The old men, the
cannibals said, were tough and not much
good. They were the worst kind Of
cannibals for they eat the dead.
1t was in this country he killed the
frs. gorilla he ever met. When he
came to New York he had the skins Of
twenty gorillas. One day while hunt
ing he heard great noise and went in
the direction of the sound. Eio then
discovered an animal not seen since the
DAYS of Hannibal, the Carthagenian, in
whose day the first gorilla that any &C
count has been given of was seen. lie
saw the bush move and could hear the
paIpitation OF his own heart at the hor-
ribic sound of the unknown animal
Suddenly he heard the roar of the goril-
la, the king of the African forest, the
animal at tho same time showing his ter
rible teeth. His eyes were gray and
deeply sunk, and for a while he did not
know but he was face to face with the
Devil. The gorilla did not seem afraid,
but advanced towards him. thought
must kill him or he would me, and as he
came near l shot him in the chest and
he fell as man would who had been
similarly shot. He was dead at once.
The gorilla was six feet high; the arms
were nine feet two inches in length, of
great strength and full of hair; the
Al