Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-05-15
AFRICAN PIRATES.
what the Captain of an American
Bark Learned az the Mouth OF the
Gab0Om River.
New York Herald.

The bark Cardenas, Captain Yates,
fiftY-six days from Gaboon, on the west
coast of Africa, consigned to Yates.
Poterfield & Co., 115 Wall street, laden
with cargo of Eastwood, ebony, rub
Der and ivory, arrived in port yesterday.
Captain Yates has been for years trading
with Africa and running along the west
coast for a thousand miles or so above
and below the equatorial line and pick
ing up trade with the natives. He has
seen many strange sights in his time,
but they became so familiar to him that
he seldom cared to relate anything about
them when he returned to New York.
This trip, however, he was tempted
to tell the story he heard at the French
settlement at the mouth OF the Gaboon
river of how cutter flying the French
flag was boarded by lot of pirates and
Quilted of everything she possessed. cit
was in the latter part of February, said
the Captain, that the pirates belonging
to the tribe known as the Pangawys and
the Bakellas sailed out from the coast
settlement and started up the Gaboon
river in canoes. Some miles up they
sighted cutter flying the French flag,
and being strong in number and armed
with guns sold them by the colonists they
made an attack upon the vessel, board
ing it with fierce and savage demon
stration of voice and manner and
completely overwhelming the crew
When the news of the outrage
reached the French colony a force
was sent out to capture the pirates
and take revenge. They went up the
Gaboon river as far as its junction with
the river Como, encOuntering on the
way an attack from the natives on the
banks, who were no doubt in sympathy
with the pirates. In this attack the sur
geon of the French force was killed and
three soldiers wounded. A fruitless at
tempt was made to penetrate the dense
woods in which the pirates took refuge,
and in their evaporation the French set
to work md burned down the village of
Ninga Ninga, a sort of trading post on
the Gaboon river. The result of this de-
struction was to ruin the trade of the
river for some time to come, and the ma
tives fully realized this fact and are con-
sequently down on the pirates, so that
the thing is not likely to be one of COM
mon occurrence.
The French colony has been estab-
IlSuCu at Iu6 mOuLu Vi Inc OaDOOQ IOf
the past thirty years. Other nationalities
are represented there, and, of course,
they all take common interest in pre-
serving themselves from attacks such as
that which has been related. While not
making regular practice of cannibalism,
the natives invariably eat up such vic
Tins as fall to them in war. There is a
king or chief at frequent intervals, the
removal of one or the other being effected
by instant decapitation. They can easily
take refuge from the vengeance of
a government like France or Eng
land by retreating to the impenetra-
BILE forests back of the settlements,
where they can live on plantains and
bananas and the fruit of the mango tree.
growing ready to their hands, for a
whole year. 1t is really impossible, ex-
cept at great trouble and expense, to
exact proper reparation for an outrage
like that perpetrated on the French.
The well disposed natives, however.
don't like it, for it breaks up business.
and the supplies they have been &C
custOmed to rely on are not forthcoming,
and they feel the lack greatly" Captain
Yates in the course of his narrative
mentioned the fact that he had brought
back from Africa the preserved body of
young gorilla and also of small chin
panzee, whose face so resembles that of
little human infant that it gave a pecu.
liar shock to the feelings