Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-11-29
erANLEY's HARDEST BATTLE.
rhe Graphic Story a Native Tells of an
Attack on the Explorer.

during his urSt descent or that river
was with the Ba-Ngala Everybody
has read his graphic account of that
combat, in which sixty four canoes
loaded with the fiercest Congo fighters
we're precipitated upon the little band
NJ travellers, and had not spears been
nitted against firearms Stanley's party
would never have reached the sea. A
While AGO Muele, one of the officers of
tbe chief of the Ba-Ngala, gave to
Can't Coquilhat the native version of
nat memorable day. The white men
on the Congo bring home few stories
that surpass in interest those the ma
tives 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
sti1 more astonishing weapons, every
where produced.
ave had never seen a white man."
said Muele, whose tribe, thickly popu-
lating the river bank for many miles,
numbers over 100000 people. 1--WE
had not the slightest idea that such
beings existed. One day, some dozen
moons ago Git was on Feb IA, 1870,
at the moment when the sun stood
right above our heads. a hotilla of
canoes of form we had never seen
before. preceded by a canoe of extra
ordinary size, suddenly came into view.
In the swiftest 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,
we're covered with white cloths, and
We thought it very singular, for the
richest chiefs we knew wore only
little rag made of banana fibre; 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 APP
reared to command the expedition.
They seemed to have about the same
form as other men, but their hair, their
eyes, and their color was very strange
TO us.
1--WE asked one another: Were not
these men ENJOYS from lbanza, the
mysterious spirit, and why did they so
suddenly appear upon our river?
Their purpose could only be bad, for
suddenly they landed on an Island OPP
shore as all people did whose inten-
tons werenot 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 warriors, the
strange forms Of their weapons, and
the unheard-of aspect of the white men
soon undeceived us. Still, we launch
ed our canoes and rapidly approached
those of the unknown strangers.
THE older of the two white men
had straight gray hair and his eyes
we're the color of the water He stood
up in his canoe and held towards us a
red cloth and some brass wire. We
still approached him, discussing ex-
citedly the meaning of this strange at
titute. The other white man Drank
Pococ6 who was drowned a few weeks
later in the Cataracts of the lower
COugo) aimed his weapon at us and
the older man talked to him rapidly in
a language we did not understand.
Those Of our friends who were nearest
the strangers thought the actions 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.
"Dhen 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 oh, what fetch gave their weapons
such wonderful poWerl 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
}he shore were bit. The walls Of our
nuts 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 rs 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 flied and sank. Still we kept
lighting desperately, and we followed
the white beings some distance below
our villages. Their band finally cscap-
ed as and raised loud cries Of triumph
as we ended the pursuit We could
NOT understand what they said. -
Muele added that Malta Balko, the
chic; Of the Ba-2,gala, oxerted every
effort to dissuade his ardent people
from approaching the whites, who he
declared could not be human beings.
TWAS this same chief who three years
ago this month wept as he babe fare
Wen to Capt Coquilhat the founder
Of the Ba-Ngala station, whowas about
.o g back to Europe. Return soon, "
ae said, "for am oidand ] wish TO see
.ou again before die A few days
over year later Coqujihat was again
among the Ba-NgaIa, who, with their
powerful and aged chief, are now
among the most faithful and useful
friends Of f,o whites