Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-23

there; and the river, too, is often barred to
us bv the onslaughts from below-but if
you'll have few men and women to take
back with you down river, all right.
PREPARING FOR TRAFFIC.
We endeavored to explain to the poor old
savage that it was not the custom of white
men to keep other people in bondage, but
that we should continue our journey higher
up river, where we heard plenty of ivory
was to be obtained.
"Oh! you'll get plenty of it up there" he
said, "but not with those things" pointing
to the beads and cowries lying on the deck.
''Those are all very well up there; but they
want spears and knives, too. and they won't
sell you single tusk, unless you have a
spear or two to give in with the other
things. They have no iron in those coun-
tries to make weapons, SO you had better
buy spears from u.s."
This was an eye-opener to us. Learning
that Esekivaka's statement was perfectly
true from Eienge Mimic, who got his infor-
nation from other sources on shore, we sent
out more beads and cowries for the purchase
of every spear and knife we could induce
the savages to part with.
We got rid of the old chief towards sun
down, and, night coming on, settled our
selves down to a quiet, cool rest out in the
center of the river, little dreaming of the hor-
rible deed to be enacted on shore while we
slept. Many of our men slept on shore, pre-
ferring the warmth and shelter OF friendly
natives hut to the iron deck OF the Florida.
AS got up next morning l observed them
crowding down to the beach and into the
canoes to come off to the steamer. On arriy-
ing on board Bionelo came up to me and
said that the head and limbs of woman had
Just been offered to him for sale. The man
offering the head had asked for white beads
in exchange for it. Horriied at this story,
we asked Elenge Mimic if he knew anything
about it, and he answered that the same re.
quest had been put to him and that the
people told him the murdered woman had
been one with "too much TO say" so they
thought the best thing to do with her was to
kill and eat her.
BEADS VERSUS APP ETITE.
Our white chalk beads, however, had
proved stronger than the desire for human
flesh; hence the offer of the head and arms
to our men for some of their beads. Utterly
disgusted with Malinga, its dirt, its people
and their hideous repulsive countenances
and still more hideous ways, we hove up
anchor as soon as all the crew had reassem-
bled and started up river once more.
We were now left entirely to guesswork,
to judge of what lay before US, for Elenge
Minto knew nothing of the river beyond
Malinga to which he had made one or two
canoe journeys on trading expeditions of
the Lulungu and lower river people. Next
day we continued our journey up broader
stretches of river still between the intermin-
able lines of forest trees on each side, seeing
a few strengthening wild ducks, whose ex-
qnisite green and blue plumage with
shade of gold running through it like the
sheen Of peacock's breast. lit up the somber
waters of the river as they ever and anon
rose at the steamers approach only to drop
down again to the water few hundred yards
higher up.
There we're silver-tailed monkeys, too,
with black coats and plentiful crop of
white hair falling over the cheeks and from
the back OF the head behind and quite cover.
ing the ears-beautiful things, leaping away
deeper into the recesses of the forest from
some swaying bough overhauging the river
on which they had perched, watching US
until we came too close for their tastes.
woMAN'S RIGHTS IN AFRICA.
The long reaches of the river opened out
bend after bend and turn after turn without
any sign of a village. and were beginning to
think of camping for the afternoon to get
plenty of wood for next day when the wife
of one of the men supplied us with food for
talk and few minutes excitement. She
had had several little family affairs with
her husband during the voyage, and had in
variably come off second best in them, for
he stood no nonsense in these matters, and
had ore final and effective argument for all
too prolonged conjugal diseussions-a good,
thick stick, which he generally took care to
provide himself with during wood-cutting
operations.
However, to-day she was rather emboId-
ened by the fact that her husband had ne