The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-10-20
EloHrlNoA AeRlcANs.
me Story native Tells or the Bs.Nsals
Attack on 9tanlsv.

The bloodiest and most furious battle
Stanley had with the Congo natives
during his first descent OF that river
was with the Ba-Ngala. Every body
has read his graphic account OF that
combat, in which sixty-four canoes
loaded with the fiercest OF Congo
fighters were precipitated upon the little
band Of travellers, and had not spears
been pitted against firearms Stanley's
party would never have reached the
sea. A while ago Muele, ono OF
the officers OF the chief OF the
Ba-Ngala, gave to Captain Coquilhat
the native version OF that memorable
day. The white men on the Congo
bring home few stories that surpass in
interest those the natives tell Of the time
when the unknown whites first came
among them, and Of the commotion
these strangers, with their wonderful
trade goods and their still more aston
ishing weapons, everywhere produced.
1--WE had never seen white man."
said Muele, whose tribe, thiclSly popu-
lating the river bank for many miles,
numbers over 100, 900 people. eve had
not the slightest idea that such beings
existed. One day. some dozens moons
ago Tit was on February IA, 1871, at
the moment when the sun stood right
above our heads, fotilla Of canoes OF
q form we had never seen before, pre-
ceded by canoe of extraordinary size,
suddenly came into view. In the swift
est part of the current they were quietly
passing in front OF our villages. We
were astonished to see that the men,
even to their heads, were covered with
white cloths, and we thought it very
singular, for the richest chiefs we knew
wore only a little rag made Of banana
fiber; and fact that was absolutely
new to US, and that upset 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 to have about
the same form as other men, bat their
hair, their eyes and their color were
very strange to US.
1--WE asked one another: Were not
these men ENJOYS from Ibanza, the
mysterious spirit, and why did they 80
suddenly appear upon our riverP Their
purpose could only be bad, for sud-
denly they landed on an island oppo-
site US, instead Of coming to our shore,
as all people did whose intentions were
not hostile. At first, before we were
able to see them distinctly, we thought
~, ox, u,ouo ~, ovDo1;%;o,, f,o,,, o,,,, av,o
mics of Mobeka. Our alarm drums
sounded, and we crowded to our canoes,
all ready for fight. But the clothing
of the warriors, the Strange form Of
their weapons, and the unheard-of
aspect of the white men soon unde-
ceived US. Still, we launched our
canoes and rapidly approached those
of the unknown strangers.
"The older of the two white men
had straight gray hair and his eyes
were the color of the water. He stood
up in his canoe and held toward us
red cloth and some brass wire. We
still approached him. discussing ex-
citedly the meaning of his strange at
titude. The other white man Frank
Pocock, who was drowned few weeks
later in the cataracts of the lower Con-
go1 aimed his weapon at us, and the
older man talked to him rapidly in q
language we did not understand.
Those of our friends who were nearest
the strangers thought the action of the
white men BODIED US no good. and so
they judged it best at once to attack
these mysterious whites who had come
from no one knew where.
"Then the battle began, and it was
the most terrible we ever fought. Our
spears fell fast among the enemy and we
killed some of them, and their bodies
lay half over the sides of their canoes.
But, o, what fetch gave their weapons
such wonderful power! Their bullets,
made OF a heavy gray metal we had
never seen before, reached us at enor-
nous distances. Women and old men
who were following the combat from the
shore were hit. The walls Of our huts
were perforated. Some goats who
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
filed 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 as we
ended the pursuit. We could not un-
derstand what they said"
Muele added that Mata Buike, the
chief Of the Ba-Ngala, exerted every
effort to dissuade his ardent people
from approaching the whites, who, he
declared, could not be human beings.
1t was this same chief, who, three years
ago, weptas he bade farewell to Cap
tain Coquilhat, the founder of the Ba-
Ngala station, who was about to 60
back to Europe. Return soon," he
said. "for am old, and wish to see
you again before 1 die" A few days
over 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.-N Y. Sun.
>e-
Concerning Old Maidhood.