Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-11-03

which slGty-four canoes loa led with tho
fiercest Of Congo fighters were precipi-
tated into the little land Of travellers. and
had not spears been pitted against fire.
arms StanIey's party would never have
reached the sea. A while ago Muele, one
of the officers Of the chief Of the Ba-
Ngala, gave to Capt. Coquilhat the ma
tive version uf that memorable day. The
white men on ihe Congo bring home few
stories that surpass in interest those the
natives tell Of the time when the un-
known whites first came among them,
ana OF the commotion these strangers.
with their wonderful trade goods and
their still more astonishing weapons,
everywhere produced.
1--WE had never seen a white man, {"
said Muele, whose tribe, thickly populat-
ing the river bank for many miles, num-
bers over 100000 people. 1--WE had not
the slightest idea that such beings ex-
isted. One day, some dozen moons ago
III was on Feb. IA, 1871, at the moment
when the sun stood night above our
heads, a hotilla Of canoes of form
We had never seen before, pre-
ceded by a canoe of extraor-
dinary size, suddenly came into view.
In the Swiftest part of the current
they were quietly passing il front OF our
villages. We were astonisha,l TO see that
the men, even to their heals were COW
cred with white cloths, ard We thought
It very singular, for the richesl chiefs we
knew wore only a little ra, made of
banana fiber; and fact that was abso-
lutely new to us, and that upse5 all our
notions Of humanity, was the sight Of
two white beings, yes, as white as our
pottery clay, who appeared TO command
the expedition They seemed 10 have
about the same form as other men, but
their hair, their eyes and their color were
very strange to us.
"We asked one another, Were not these
men ENJOYS from Ibanza, the mysterious
/ spirit. and why did they so suddenly ap-
pear upon our river? Their purpose could
only be bad, for suddenly they landed on
an island opposite us, instead of coming
to cur shore as all people did whose in
tenti0ns were not hostile At first. before
we were able to see them distinctly. we
thought they were an expedition from
our enemies Of Mobeka. Our alarm
drums sounded, and we crowded TO our
canoes, all ready for a fight. But the
clothing Of the warrors, the strange form
OF their weapons, and the unheard Of
aspectof the white men soon undeceived
US. Still, we launched C'r canoes ana
rapidly approached those Of tie unknown
strangers.
The older Of the two white men had
straight gray hair, and his eyes were the
color Of the water. He stood upon his
canoe and held toward us a red cloth and
some brass wire. We still approached
him. discussing excitedly the meaning of
his strange attitude. The other white
man Frank Pocock, who was drowned a
few weeks later in the cararacts Of the
lower Congol aimed his weapon at us.
and the older man talked to him rapidly
in language we could not understand.
Those of our friends who were nearest
the strangers thought the actions of the
white men boded Us no good, and so they
judged il best at once TO attack these
mysterious whites, who had come from
no one knew where.
Then the battle began, and II was the
most terrible we ever fought. Our spears
fell fast among the enemy and we killed
some Of them, and their bodies 10y half
over the sides of their canoes. But, oh,
what fetch gave their weapons such won
derful power1 Their bullets, made OF q
heavy gray metal we had never seen
before, reached us at enormous distances.
Women and old men who were following
the combat from the shore were hit The
walls Of our huts were perforated. Some
goats. which were wandering far off In
the fields dropped dead Of their wounds.
As for US who were on the water. our
stout shields were pierced as though they
had been bananas. Many Of us were
killed and wounded and others were
drowned, for the bullets knocked
holes in some Of our wooden canoes,
which filled and sank. Still we kept
fighting desperately, and we followed the
white beings some distance below our viii
lagos. Their band finally escaped us and
raised loud cries Of triumph a. we ended
the pursuit. We could not understand
what they said.
Muele added that Mata Bulke, the
chief Of the Ba-Ngala, exerted every
effort to dissuade his ardent people from
approaching the whites, who, he de-
clared, could not be human beings. II
was this same chief who, three years ago
this month, wept as he babe farewell TO
Capt Coquilhat, the founder of the Ba-
Ngala station. who was about to 20 back
20 Europe. Return soon, he said, for
l am old, aud wish TO see you again
before die" A few days over a year
later Coquilhat was again among the Ba-
Ngala, who, with their powerful and
aged chief, are now among the most
faithful and useful friends Of the whites.
New York Sun,
An Old Marriage Custom.