Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-01-25
a LITTLE CONGO HERO.


Who rescued His Mothers
Body Prom = Crocodile.
On the Congo, near the equator. live
she pa gala, with whom the explorer.
oeaniey. bad his hardest battle when
ne Heated down the great river. Tbev
are tne most powerful and intelligent
OF the Upper Congo natives, and since
.aptain Coquilhat, four years ago, e.
laoiished a station in their country
they have become good friends Of the
whites A while ago. an exciting event
occurred In one Of their many Villages
and Essalaka, the chief. went to CAP
tam Coquilhat to tell him about ii.
lou know the big island near rny
town, he said. "Well, yesterday, soon
after the sun came up, one Of NV women
and our little boy started for the island
In a canoe. The boy Is some dozens of
moons old. captain Coquishat SAYS
about twelve years old.1 He says tina,
while his mother was padding she saw
something In the water, and leaned
over to look at it. Then he saw a
crocodile seize his mother and drag he,
out OF the canoe. Then the crocodiI.
and the woman sank out OF sight
'rThe paddle was lying 10 the canoe
The boy picked it up to paddle back tc
the village. Then he thought .. II
could only scare the crocodile and
get my mother backr He could tell b.
the moving water where the crocodile
was. he was swimming just under the
surface toward the island. Then til
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 bacs
into the river and swan away. Yor
know why he did this. He wanted hi:
mate, and he started out to find her.
Then the little boy padded fast t.
where his mother was lying. H
jumped out Of the boat and ran to her
There was big wound in her breast
Her eyes were shut He felt sure she
was dead. He is strong. but he could
not lift her. He dragged her body t.
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 got his mothers body
into the canoe. Then he pashed away
from the shore and started home.
I'VE had not seen the boy and hi:
mother at all Suddenly we heard
shouting on the river, and we saw tbs
boy padding as hard as he could
Every two or three strokes he wouiG
look behind him Then we saw {
crocodile swimming fast towards the
canoe. II he reached it you know
what he would do. He would upset i
with blow, and both the boy and hi
mother would be lost. Eight or nine
OF US jumped into canoes and startei
for the boy. The crocodile had nearl,
overtaken the canoe. but we reached
it in time. We scared the erocodil,
away, and brought the canoe to tn
shore. The boy stepped out on th'
ground and fell down, he was :,
frightened and tired. We carried hin
into one OF my nuts. and took nj
mothers body In there, too. w
thought she was dead.
But after little while she opened
her eyes. She could whisper only tw,
or three words. She asked for tn.
boy. We laid him beside her on ne
arm. She stroked him two or thre,
times with her hand. But she wa
hurt so badly. Then she shut her eye
and did moi open them nor speak again
o, how the little boy cried! But h,
had saved his mothers body from tn
crocodile"
As Essalaka told this story the tear
coursed down his cheeks. Il hav,
seen in this savage tribe" writes Cap
tain Coquilhat. men and their wiye
who really love each other. and veri q
BILE honeymoous among young couples
The child feels for his father the fea
and respect which his authority in
spires, but he truly loves his mother
and has tender interest in her evei
after he becomes a many. 7. SHA