Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1889-01-26
A LITTLE CONGO HERO.
story OF BOY Who Rescued Hlx Mother
Body From u Crocodile.

Body From Crocodile.
On the Congo, near the equator. live
the Ba-Ngala, with whom the explorer,
Stanley. had his hardest battle when
he iloated down the great river They
are the most powerful and intelligent
of the Upper Congo natives. and since
Captain Coquilhat, four years ago, es-
tablished station in their country
they have become good friends OF the |
whites. while ago. an exciting event |
occurred in one OF their many villages,
and Essalaka. the chief, went to Cap
tain Coquilhat to tell him about it.
..You know the big island near my
town." he said "Well, yesterday. soon
after the sun came up, one OF my women
and our little boy started for the island
In canoe. The boy is some dozens of
moons old. [Captain Coquilhat says
about twelve years old He says that
while his mother was padding she saw
something in tho water. and leaned
over to look at it, Then he saw a
crocodile seize his mother and drag her
out OF the canoe. Then the crocodile
and the woman sank out Of sight.
"The paddle was lying In the canoe.
The boy picked it up to paddle back to
the village Then he thought %, II
l could only scare the crocodile and
get my mother baclsr He could tell by
the moving water where the crocodile
was. He was swimming just under the
surface toward the island. Then tn
boy followed the crocodile just as fast
as he could paddle. Very soon the
crocodile reached tho island and went
out on land. He laid the woman's body
on the ground. Then he went back
into the river and swan away. You
know why he did this. He wanted his
mate, and he started out to find her.
"Then the little boy padded fast to
where his mother was lying. He
: 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 to
the canoe. He knew the crocodile
might come back ut any moment and
kill him. too. He used all his strength.
Little by little he got his mothers bod y
+, into the canoe. Then he pushed away
from the shore and started home.
9 1--WE had not seen the boy and hi
S mother at all. Suddenly we hearC
shouting on the river, and we saw tn,
boy padding as hard as he could
Il Every two or three strokes he woult
Q look behind him. Then we saw
$ crocodile swimming fast towards tn,
r canoe. II he reached it you know
t what he would do. He would upset'i
n with a blow, and both the boy and hi,
mother would be lost. Eight or min,
3 of us jumped into canoes and started
), for the boy. The crocodile had nearl,
Q overtaken the canoe, but we reache,
: it in time. We scared the crocodile
! away, and brought the canoe to tn
o shore. The boy stepped out on tn
}, ground and fell down, he was s
% frightened and tired. We carried hin
r into one of my huts, and took hi
l. mothers body in there, too. w
d thought she was dead.
h "But after little while she opene
IL her eyes. She could whisper only tw
n or three words. She asked for tn
o boy. We laid him beside her on he
10 arm. She stroked him two or thre
e times with her hand. But she wa
'e hurt so badly. Then she shut her eye
o and did not open them nor speak agar
IL o, how the little boy cried! But h
= had saved his mothers body from tn
crocodile
As Essalllta told this story the tear
coursed down his cheeks. II hav
r. seen in this savage tribe" writes CAY
tain Coquilhat, "men and their wive
t. who really love each other, and veritt
e BILE honeymoons among young couples
Y, The child feels for his father the fea
" and respect which his authority IL
rt spires, but he truly loves his mother
ir and has tender interest in her eve
= after he becomes MANN Y. Sun
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