The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-11-13
A LITTLE CONGO HERO.
The Story of Boy Who Rescued
His Mothers Body From a croco-

l4Ns D. Duul
On the Congo, near the equator, live the
Ba Ngala, with whom the explorer. Stanley.
had his hardest battle when he floated down
the great river. They are the most power
full and intelligent of the Upper Congo ma
tives. and since Capt. Coquilhat, four years
ago, established station in their country
they have become good friends to the whites
A while ago, an exciting event occurred in
one of their many villages, and Essalaka, the
chief. went to Capt. .Coquilhat to tell him
about it,
"You know the big island near my town."
he said. 'Well, yesterday, soon after the
sun came up, one of my women and our little
boy started for the island in a canoe. The
boy is some dozens of moens old. [Capt.
Coquilhat says about II years old.] He says
that while his mother was padding she saw
something in the water, and leaned over to
look at 1t. Then he saw crocodile seize his
mother and drag her out of the canoe. Then
the crocodile and the woman sank out of
sight;
boy picked it up to paddle back to the village.
Then he thought, oh, if could only scare
the crocodile and getmy mother ibackP He
could tell by the moving water where the
crocodile was. He was swimming just under
the surface toward the island. Then the boy
followed the crocodile just as fast as he
could paddle. Very soon the crocodile
reached the island and went out on land.
He laid the woman's body on the ground.
Then he Went back into the river and swan
away. You know why he did this. He
wanted his mate, and started out to find her.
Then the little boy padded fast to where
his mother was lying. He jumped out of the
boat and ran to her. There was big wound
In ner breast. Her eyes were shut. He felt
could not lift her. He dragged her body to
the canoe. He knew the crocodile might
come back at any moment and kill him too.
He used all his strength. Little by little he
he pushed away from the shore and started
home.
''We had not seen the boy and his mother
at all. Suddenly we heard shouting ON the
river, e and and we saw saw the boy padding as hard
would look behind him. Then he saw
crocodile swimming fast toward the canoe.
II he reached it you know what he would do.
He would upset it with a blow, and both the
boy and his mother would be lost. Eight or
the boy. The crocodile had nearly overtaken
the canoe, but we reached it in time. We
scared the crocodile away, and brought the
canoe to the shore. The boy stepped out on
the ground and fell down. he was SO fright
ened and tired. We carried him into one of
my huts, and took his mothers body in there
too. We thought she was dead.
But after little while she opened her
eyes. She could whisper only two or three
words. She asked for her boy. We laid him
beside her on her arm. She stroked him two
or three times with her nand But she was
hurt so badly. Then she shut her eyes and
did not open them nor speak again. Oh lhow
the little boy cried. But he had saved his
mothers body from the crocodile"
AS Essalaka told his story the tears coursed
down his cheeks 81 have seen in this savage
tribe" writes Capt. Coquilhat, "men and
their wives who really love each other, and
veritable honeymoons among young couples.
The child feels for his father the fear and
respect which his authority inspires. but he
truly loves his mother, and has tender in
crest in her even after he becomes a man.