Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-08-20
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Iai11 Ea9le
SEEN on THE CONGO.
FACTS LEARNED BY SOME OF THE
LATEST TRAVELLERS.


in Which Women have the Best of 1t.
The ten or twelve explorers who have done
most to prove that the Congo basin, until re-
GENTLY almost unknown, is theseoond greatest
river system in the world, have Of course dis
covered many things Of surprising interest TO
the student of geography and its kindred
sciences. 1t is intended here to speak, not of
the great discoveries of sensational import
ance Alt of interesting facts which have at
ltracted less attention
! About 45O miles above the mouth of the
river the Congo widens into an almost sea
Hike expanse and for more than hundred
tn1ffes up stream il is from five to twenty
miles in width. It is curious fact that,
Though many Of the Congo tribes travel far
from home the natives along one bank of the
widened stream had hardly particle of in
formation about the jewellers on the other
shore when the whites first met them. The
great river was barrier that news rarely
crossed, separating the tribes almost as COM
lpletely as though an ocean stretched between
them. Here hundreds of lovely islands so
impede the view that travellers skirting one
bank cannot see the other for more than one
hundred miles. OF course the river is very
shallow except IN the channels, which are not
yet well known, and steamers often run
aground. 1t has occurred that steamers have
passed in broad daylight without knowing OF
each others proximity.
FREQUENT SAD SIGHT.
Many natives are eager ID learn the results
of exploring expeditions. When the more
intelligent chiefs understand thai the whites
are spying out the land, they are anxious to
learn whether the new facts can be utilized
to their own advantage. Thus when Gren-
fell returned to the Congo from his :60 mile
trip up the Lufongo, the big Chief Ibengo
and his head men were as inqlisitive as on
American interviewer. They wished to know
how far the Lulonge could be assembled in
canoes, whether the natives were numerous
and friendly, whether they had ivory and
slaves to sell, and SO on. Here, as In other
parts Of the Congo basin, tae discoveries of
1.-THE whites have largely stimulated the inland
trade of the natives. They now send canoe
trading parties far up tributaries where they
did not venture before the whites pioneered
the way
Native geographical information has been
rarely serviceahle to the whites. Coqnilhat
says that before native answers a geo.
graphical question he makes up his mind
what answer iSdAsired or expected and re-
piles accordingly. Won Francois found on
some of the southern tributaries that inform
alton given in ono village was contradicted
in tle9 next.
One of the saddest sights seen anywhere is
a common spectacle On some OF thu large
tributaries. The Bangsla and a few other
large tribes along the Congo have great de-
mand for slaves to be kilsed as sacrifices upon
the death of important persons, or to be used
TO furnish forth their oannibal feasts. Unless
they are at war the supply of slaves often
runs short, and they send expeditions UP tho
Lulongo, the Tctuapa and other rivers to
buy victims for their ceremonies. Another
reason why they seek the slave markets along
the Congo tributaries is that, as a rule. the
further they go from the main river the
cheaper they can buy slaves. So it is no un-
common sight for explorers, ascending tn,
tributaries, TO meet professions of Congo
canoes laden with slaves, usually male adults,
going to their own funerals, and often bound
hand and foot.
They understand full well the cruel fate
from which there is no escape. Tho richer
lor more important the faanily which has LOST
one OF Its members, the more numerous must
be the victims who follow him to the grave
This is one OF Africa's great crueIties which
the Congo state government is SuppresSing
wherever its authority is sufficiently estab-
lished to combat the ancint evil
/ The chief reason why natives on the tribu-
taries are wilder end more distrusifA than
on the Congo itself is because Congo pirates
do not take the trouble always to patronize
the slave markets, but seize any man they
can
WHY WOMEN ARE NOT BOILED
While women perform most OF the drUdg
cry of the field and house. there are certain
coinpenSattons for thestern fact That they be-
long so thefair sex Women are not regarded
as fit subjects for the boiling pot, ard through
out the Congo basin, where cannibalism is
doubtless practjced to greater extent chan
IN any other part Of tho world women as a
rule are not among the victims Then while
the lazy men are exchanging gossip in the
Village street the women are pounding grain
into -four OF delvfne IN the fields The result
is that in some tribes the women fully equal
the men in muscular development In the
great Baiuba tribe the harmful practice Of
hemp smoking, confined to the men, has
Ilado them conspicuouSly inferior to the
women in physiqpe. SO it happens that in
many a Congo household it Is not the man
who ''tusscS che ranch. " Many OF the women
:sre credited with great ability as scolds, and
having the muscle needed % back up their
voiuble complaints, they lord it over tbe
household IS completely Us though they were
sstrong minded CascasihnS
! Some very fpl'cibte methods are employed
for keeping up the price of commodities on
the Congo. A while ago a woman body
was found hanging from a tree on the river
hank near Irebu II was learned that tn,
crime of which she was accused was that OF
selling provisions too cheaply to white men.
II we happened 70 be on Congo steam
boat, which. rounding a sharp bend, cams
suddenly into view of SCORES Of people who
had never heard of q steamboat OF a white
nlan, we would probably regard the actions
of that asnounded crowd as among the
straaSsst spectacleS we ever saw. Explorers
say that every mode OF expressing astonish-
1neut is shown on such occasions, and that
actors would find among these awe stricken
blacks rare chance 10 study facial express
sion. Many stand and stare, with ewes burst
ing from their sockets, and with wide OPEN
mouths, which they presently cover with
their hands, common mode Of expressing
Nnbounded establishment. Others stand q
long time ulotionleSs, as though riveted to
the spot. Still others are seized with the
widest panic, and bound away into tie forest
as though bewitchel One day Grenfen,
on his little steamer, suddenly came upon
about fifty women. who were fishing along
the shore Of an isIapd With wild shrek
aA plunged into the water and swan with
frantic strokes to the mainland, whore they
disappeared n the underbrusb On another
occasion a woman, who suddenly ss<v the