The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-08-01
The Cheerful Sound that Greets the Ear
of the Traveller on the Livingstone
River.
IFrom H. NJ. stanley's DARK Continent.

IFrom ID. Nj. Stanley's :" Dark Continent. J
Below Kaimba Island and its neigh
Dor the Livingstone assumes breadth
of eighteen hundred yards. The banks
are very populous; the villages of the
left bank comprise the district of Lua-
vala. We thought for some time that
we should be permitted to pass by
quietly, but soon the great wooden
drums, followed out of huge trees, thun-
dered the signal along the river that
there were strangers. In order to lessen
all chances Of rupture between US, we
sheered off to the middle of the river,
and lay quietly on our paddles. But
| from both banks at once, in fierce con-
cert, the natives, with their heads gayly
| feathered, and armed with broad, black
wooden shields and long spears, dashed
out toward us.
Tippu-Tib, before our departure, had
hired me two young men of Ukuska-
cannibals- Interpreters. These were
now instructed to cry out the word
"SennennehP' {" Peace!" y, and to say
that we were friends.
But they would not reply to our greet
ing, and in bold, peren1ptory MANNER
told us to return.
"But we are doing no harm. friends.
1t is the river that takes us down, and
the river will not stop or go back
"This is our river"
"Good. Tell it to take us back, and
we will go.'
eff yeu don't 60 back we will fight
you"
"No, don't; we are friends"
'We don't want you for our friends !;
we will eat you"
But we persisted in talking to them,
and, as their curiosity was SO great, they
persisted in listening; and the eonse-
quence was that the current conveyed
us near the right bank, and in such near
neighborhood to another district that
our discourteous escort had to think of
themselves, and began to skurry hastily
up the river, leaving us unattached.
The villages on the right bank also
maintained q tremendous drumming
and blowing Of war horns, and their
wild men hurried up with menace to-
ward us, urging their sharp proved
canoes SO swiftly that they seemed to
Unlike the Luavala villagers, they did
, they came within fifty or sixty yards
GACJ S1Ol OuO SpCd1S, yIhS OOU
t Meat! meatl All! ah! We shall have
/ plenty of meat. Bo-bo-bo-bo, Bo-bo-bo
} bo-o-op
r Undoubtedly those must be relatives
' Of the terrible "Bo bo-bo's" above, we
E thought, as with one mind we rose to re
f ply to this rabid man-eating tribe
D Anger we had none for them. It seemed
to me SO absurd to be angry with people
t who looked upon one only as an epicurt
D would regard fat capon. Sometime
e also faint sttspieion came to my mine
d that this was all but part of hideou
: dream. Why was it that l should b.
haunted with the idea that they wer'
e human beings Who regarded ME and m,
+ friends only in the light of meat
d MeatI We? Heavensl What al
atrocious ideal ..r.--4 -.
. "Meat! All! we shall have meat to
day. Mestl meat meatp'
There was a fat wretch iii canoe
whom I allowed to crawl within spear
s. throw of me; who, while he swayed tn
d spear with viger far from assuring Il
II one who stood within reach of it, leere'
IS with such clever hideousness of featur
IS that I felt, If only within arms lengtl
of him, / could have bestowed tipoh hin
e hearty thump on the back, and crie'
It ont applaudingly, Bravo, old boy
A You do it capitally"
IL Yet not being able to reach him, wa
l. rapidly being fascinated by him. TIL
is rapid movements of the swaying spea
s the steady wide mouthed grin, the bi
square teeth, the head posted on on
!. side with the confident pose Of a prae
/: tical spear thrower, short brow, squar
. face, hair short and thick-shall 1 eve
,r forget him? 1t appeared to me as if tn
a spear partook of the same cruel, ine1
Il orable look as the grinning savage
:. - Finally, I saw him draw his right arr
f back, and his body incline backward
,s with still the same grin ON his face, an
It felt myself begin to count one, two
N three, four-and aDhizs! The spear fe'
over my back, and Missed as it pierce
the water. The spell was broken.
ar 1t was only five minutes work cleal
m ing the river. We picked up sewers
re shields. and ordered that all shield
le should be henceforth religiously pr
r served; for the idea had entered my hea
E. that they would answer capitally as bu
u warkS for Our canoes