Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-04-09
AMONG CANNIBALS.
TWO YEARS WITH THE MOST DE-
GRADED RACE IN THE WORLD.

The Uncivilized Black Tribes iu the Heart
of Australia They Are Lazy. Cowardly
and Treacherpus-P by Tobacco
and q Revolver.
A remarkably interesting lecture was de-
livered by DR.. Carl Lumholz, of Christiania,
Norway, before the Geographical society at
Chickering hall, New York DIR. Lumholz is a
Norwegian scientist who, few years since,
conceived the idea of penetrating the widest
parts of Australia in search of flora and fauna
Of the country He has returned from his
explorations, having passed two years and
more among the least civilized tribes of men
now existing, and having trod over land and
among nations never before visited by white
men
The most interesting part of his experiences
were with the cannibalistic tribes in the heart
OF Australia, of whom he saws;
"Of course, could not go at once and live
with them, but had 10 work my way gradu-
ally. l had, then, been in Australia more
than year, and, of course had acquired
some experience as TO how TO proceed with
them. l now first began 10 associate with
the so called civilized blacks, and through
them /, by degrees, became acquainted with
other tribes until at last lived with natives
who were in the most primitive state OF life
and had never come in contact with white
man. By civilized blacks we generally un-
derstand such of the natives have to some
degree been affected by European culture,
but the extent of the civilization NAV be
briefly summed up thus-that a civilized
black knows that he will be shot dead if he
kills European; that lie is greatly addicted
TO tobacco, and fond of wearing clothes,
which he considers more as an ornament
than as a useful article
THE POWER OF TOBACCO.
''The greatest trouble was to get the blacks
to take part in my excursions, for they are
born idlers and have fundamental objection
to any kind of work Luckily, in the last
six or seven months of my stay In that re-
gion l happened TO find really good ser
want. He stuck to me wherever / went, so
that my position from tho time of his advent
grew much more favorable. He was by no
means an ordinary black, but was possessed
Of peculiar vein of naivete, and so he often
blurted out ideas and information of the
greatest value. In spite of this, he was not
at all free from the treachery characteristic
OF all the blacks. Nevertheless, he was better
than the others and saved my life many a
time.
<ho Aoi 10 buio uitlU'Nt WIS ibNSlDI6 TOue
alone, whilst my blacks went on in front,
one of them leading my pack horse. At the
loot OF the mountains camp was pitched
and here the horses were left behind, whilst
the saddles and brides were placed in a tree
so that the wild dogs could not get at them
Then we went up the mountain ON foot, the
dense underwood there of course being i'm
passable for horses.
my provisions consisted of fourteen tc
fifteen pieces OF OK flesh, picked and dried
with small quantity of wheat -four to be
baked into bread in the hot ashes, and some
sugar. When these provisions were ex.
hausted, which occurred pretty quickly, we
lived, liked the aborigines on young snakes
lizards, larvae, eggs aud the like. My outfit
included a large white wooden blanket that
was d standing wonder and constant envy
OF the blacks. AS soon as I unpacked it they
made clicking noise, expressive of delight
with their tongues, and roared out: 'Tamiu
taminn Fat, fatD Anything that is very
good they call fat
"One of the most important things ]
brought with me was tobacco, greater ioy
to the aborigines than the very best food AT
Herbert river the blacks did not know. be-
fore the arrival of the whites, of any stimu-
lants at all The tobacco served me instead
of money, and for it they will do ANYTHING,
even to selling their wives Among these
people tobacco is always smoked, never
chewed, and have often seen mother car
rytng a child on her back, hand 1t a pipe at
which the child would take u couple of puffs
with apparent delight. They often used to
send in barter small bits of tobacco, wrapped
in gum, to other tribes, and in that way
tobacco Is known among remote tribes who
with Europeans.
Next to tobacco, my revolver was of the
greatest Importance to me. Very luckily,
the natives, who do not themselves possess
even bows and arrows, have the greatest re-
spect for fire arms. 1t is, however, necessary
to keep up your reputation as good marks
man, else you will soon lose their respect.
Their establishment is equally great when you
hit a kangaroo in a resting position, or when
you bring down bird on the wing. They were
especially afraid Of my revolver, which they
looked upon as inexhaustible. made it my
business TO keep this fear constantly awake,
and every night before creeping into my hut,
/ discharged my baby gun, as they called it.
just in order to refresh their minds as to the
existence of this dreadful weapon.
PRECAUTIONS
Happily for me, felt in the winter time
the cold at night, owing to the great contrast
with the heat of the daytime, and in couse-
quence / awoke several times every night and
had to wake the blacks TO keep the fire burn
ing before our huts. This gave the blacks
the impression that the white man slept but
little and that he was always on the alert and
had the baby gun ready. 1t was necessary
always TO be on ones guard, as the blacks are
Of a very treacherous and cunning nature,
and one of the most important precautions
that a colonist learns to take is, never to
have black fellow behind you
II had good deal of unpleasantness and
many troubles through their deceit and cum
ming, which often made me so tired and wor-
ried that was ON the point of giving up the
expedition, but the thought of perhaps being
able to make valuable discoveries in this
strange and interesting country always kept
my spirits up, and l must say that was not
disappointed, but have returned with inter
esting facts and specimens of natural history
new to science, and with an intimate knowl-
edge of the habits and life of the Australian
aborigineS-one of those unfortunate races
that are rapidly dying out. On the other
hand was checred in my work by the many
delightful impressions / received of the grand
and spaendid scenery around me Oh my
wanderings, sights shall never forget. When
the tropical sun rose in the early morning
above the trees of the lofty Australian forest
and awakened nature with its bright, daz-
cling rays, or when the moon appeared above
the mountain ridge and threw her pale light
over the vast plains below, while the mystic
voices of the night birds rang out on the still,
quiet night, there was a beauty over the
landscape which / could not possibly do
Justice TO II ! were to attempt to describe it,
and regretted only that had no companion
to share il with me-"
An Albany snow shoe club kept themselves
In practice during the open winter by put
ting lot Of spring beds in circle, covering
them with canvas, and tramptng over them