Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-09-27
CANNIBALs OF THE NIGER.
They Discuss the Question Whether to Eat Ex-
plorer Johnson and Party.

They Discuss the Question Whether to Eat Ex-
plorer Johnson and Party.
The New York Sun gave a brief de-
scription the other day Of tie cannibals
of the Congo basin, who are numbered by
millions, and extend over vast extent of
country. Though the Congo region is
the home of most OF the oannibals of At
RIGA, some Tribes of man-eaters may be
found much nearer the sea than IN the
Congo country. Along the Delta region
of the Niger, and on some of the neigh
boring rivers emptying into the Blight of
B1afra, are some of the worst oannibals
in the world. Unlike many of the Congo
cannibals who have proved themselves by
their arts and tribal governments to be
among the most advanced of savage
peoples, the cannibals living near the
Gulf of Guinea are among the most de-
graded Of human beings.s
Mr.. FL. II. Johnston, the British Consul
at CAMERON, recently made a trip up the
Cross River, which empties into the Gulf
of Guinea, about $50 miles east of the
main branch of the Niger. Mr.. Johnston
is well known by his biographical work
on the Congo and his book On Mount
Kilima N jarO. He had not assembled the
river more than fifty miles before the
people he met began to be very wild and
excitablc. In communication just pub
lished in the proceedings of the Royal
Geographical Society, Mr.. Johnston says
the people are all ipveterate cannibals.
They are continually fighting with each
other IN order to supply their larders with
fresh food. In one hut which he entered
e smoked human ham was hanging from
the -blackened rafters, and above a
hundred skulls were ranged around the
upper part of the clay walls. One Old
chief who wished to convince Johnston
of his very kindly feeling took necklace
from his neck and presented il TO the
white man. The ornament was made of
human knuckie bones.
At one point on the river where the
traveller was received with great apparent
friendship, ne learned that the natives
were debating the question whether TO
treat the visitors as honored guests or to
eat them, Or at any rate to eat the Kroo
boys who had padded Mr.. Johnston up
the river. He decided that it would not
be safe to extend his explorations further,
and he started down the river while the
natives were still debating what to do
with him. AS he turned his canoe down
stream, however, the noisy villagers gave
chase, and there were a few minutes of
terrible anxiety when the canoe ran
aground, and hundreds of the yelling
savages attempted to wade across the
shallow water and seize the fugitives.
E ven little children, Johnston says, arm
ed themselves with knives, and, standing
ankle deep in the water, shrieked at the
top of their voices that they would like
to eat the white man. The explorer, how
.f@ all, {oha
of the savages, and to get away without
firing.
The cannibal tribes near the Niger Del
ia, in Angola and in the Congo basin are
probably the only natives of Africa who
habitualIy eat human flesh. Some tribes
in East Africa, however, Indulge in canni-
bal practices during religious exercises,
and the also sometimes eat the bodies of
enemies slain in battle. They believe
that they are thus imbued with the vir-
tues of the victim.