The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-07


upon the goat and couple Of pigs These animals
were cut to pieces and distributed round the market
place and not until general smash-up of gourds of
palm wine had taken place the pablic anger su-
1 ciently allayed.
| A little picture of Kemeh island. on the way
4 to Stanley Pool. is quite . pen-and-ink Wig
| nette:
Kemeh island the Holy Isle wherein the kings and
| queens of the Wabun,a sepuichered under the
shade of the tall deep grove was soon reached.
Clouds of roted above and made the air alive
with sound. Turte-doves eooed their love songs to
missing matess hawks scared in the clear air. conteni
fes and great CAD flies now and then bit vicously
Tsetse too. were not wanting to force us to des,st
| from romantic brooding over the histories of the
dead chiefs who in sweet oblivion lie honoraby IN
| TERED in the Holy Isle.
| MIR. Stanley has learned the art Of simplicity
| of style, which is very attractive when the sub
| ject is large enough not to need adornmenE In
| one of the UNEMPLOYED reaches Of the Congo.
| steaming in his launch, he comes upon party
of native fishermen. AT the first glimpse OF the
1 strange river monster all but one of the African
| anglers fly. Presently the last of the group be-
| comes conscious of the approaching steamer
Leaping to his feet with frantic energy. he takes
ashort glance around and realizes that he, insen-
| safe fool. while INDUCING in Waltonian reveries
| in midday, has been abandoned by his friends
| However. there is hope while there Is life; ne
| bends his back and draws, with long-reachlng
/ grasp the water sideways, this way and that. ana
the tiny pirogue, sharp as leaps over
| the water, obeying his will dextrously. After
| hard chase they come close up to the canoe
| when suddenly the native springs overheard,
and the steamer sweeps past the empty canoe
| They pull up. and Stanley directs two OF his
| natives to capture him and bring him on board
| The man was swimming in the vicinity of the
canoe and Stanley thus finishes the incident in
his quiet but interesting fashion:
As we up he Owed, and two sailors flashed
into the depths after him. 1t was pretty sight to
see the graceful bodies darling like sharks towards
their prey. They brought him up. each holding an
arm and swan with him to the boat. We lifted him
| up tenderly, and seated him the sail waiting
patiently for his pulses to beat less wildly end the
| cited heart to cease it's rapid throbbing
No answer was given to Ankoli's cooling tones and
''Try again-softer still. Ankoli"
And again Ankoli in soothing whispers, asked what
What did you pick me out fors There are many
| better than in village"
One WHAT" asked. s.How better. What does he
meant"
| slaves than he in the village"
,Ah. There have been save-catchers here. then.
Where do they come FRONT
How do know? / never this lake before.
Perhaps Gankabi. perhaps Ingya of Ngete."
| Having evidently obtained all the information the
poor fellow could give Duaa filled his two hands with
bright beads and laid dozen handkerchief by his
side then bringing the canoe alongside we asked him
to step in, and placed his cloth in the stern OF it.
with a small parcel of cowres After he had stepped
1
| and rich man until there was such a distance
between US that he thought it impossible for us to
small speck in the lake. we the figure rise to its
height, and then knew that he was conscious that
| his old life had begun again.
| NATIVE NOTIONS
| A subject of great interest among the NATIVES at
Irebu was what is it that turns the paddle
wheels of Stanley's steamers" This was diff
cult puzzle to them. Some would have it that
there were about twenty men concealed some
where in the bottom of the steamer. Others
doubted that, and hotly maintained that the Sc
cret was in that big pot" (boilerl, otherwise
| why should the cook (engineer) be always near
| it making up the fire inside. But what was it
the engineer was cooking so industriouslyY All!
| that was another puzzle. Whatever it is, said
| they. lit takes long time to cook. That engin-
| eer has been cooking all day. and it is not fin
ished yet 1t must be strong medicine, that;
| and all that large pile of wood has been used up.
| The two other boats have similar pots, into
| which their cooks shove fuel continually. Per
| haps if we had also big pots in our canoes. and
| we had some of the white mans medicine, we
need not toll any more with tired arms at our
paddles and suffer from aches and pains in our
| shoulders"
Navigating branch of the Congo called the
Black river. Stanley and his companions tried to
| open a conversation with the people of a pleas
| ant looking village. few of the principal men
advanced firmly to the edge of the river bank,
and one spoke unhesitatingly thus. ''We do not
know who you are, or whence you came, or
whittier you go. or what is your intent If you
| come near enough to the shore wo will begin
| fighting. IF you wish to go on-go. Ifyou wish
| to return, the river is free, but touch not the
| land Was there ever such candor, so beauti-
fully and clearly expressed, or was it the guides
| way of speakinga We returned the way we
came, our departure being accompanied by a
shower of sticks, clods. stones. ETC., which, how
| ever, did not approach within 200 yards of our
| steamer. 1t is probably in this way these eQua-
| torial people express their farewell"
| CIvILIzlNG GUN.
| At Bolobo or somewhere near that far distant
section of the Congo country, Mr.. Stanley had to
settle many serious difficulties with the natives,
and but for his tact and patience the whole land
would have been ablaze with tribal wars. He
had settled q peace which threatened to be of
short duration, when Krupp gun was brought
upon the scene. This is Mr.. Stanley's account
Of its operations.
1t was, therefore, decidedly necessary to FIRE the
Krupp. They turbulent through their
phisticated wildness. They knew better. brass
war If they have bad dream some unfortunate is
accused and burnt for witchcrat OF hung for being
accessory to it. chief dies from illness, and
froIa two to fifty people butchered his grave
When the chief of Moye-the next village above our
station-died, fortyfve people slaughtered and
only short time before Ibaka stranged lovely young
| girl because her lover had sckened and died. Two
slaves of Ibaka quarreled their beer and shot
the other the brother of the murdered man demanded
| twelve slaves two bales of cloth and 500 brass
rods of the male slaves beheaded, and fe-
male slave strangled, that their spirit might
company the spirit of the dead slave its dreary
journey to the unknown universe. That we had not
been more involved in trouble with such people as
these of Bolobo has been solely due to our anxious
care and large forbearance Notwithstanding their
professions of incredulty TO its power, it OBJ
served that the chiefs took great to keep At
the arerst after sighting the piece to 1000 yards
fired it. and the cannon systematically recoiled their
bodies also instantaneousy developed convulsive
movement after which they sat stupidity gazing at
another. A second shot fred to 5000
yards. end the appearance of the column of
heaved by it. satisfied the most skeptical that
| the implement gun of immense power.
| The sequel was a treaty of lasting peace, but
| it was not brought about without a long and