The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-05-09


EsEKIYAKA's SCARE.
we might discuss matters at our leisure
with the old chief. Esekiyaka, however
seeing the preparations for departure,
made rush for the side and was over
board into the first canoe before we had
time to stop him, while his suite fol-
lowed suit, many jumping into the
river in their haste to escape.
1t required our repeated assurances
that we had no intention of departing
suddenly with him on board, and the
present of an empty tin of Huntiey &
Palmer's "cuddy" biscuits, to induce
Esekiyaka to venture on the Florida
again.
He informed us that formerly Malin-
ga had been very rich in ivory, great
stores of it having accumulated from
different raids made up to the head
waters of the river, but that only two
years previously the men of Lulungu
had come up with hundred war canoes
and many guns; that his people being
only armed with spears and bows and
arrows, had been beaten, and numerous
captives taken by the victorious Lulun-
gus, who, after their victory, retired
with their prisoners to the island oppo-
site the village. From this point they
had opened upnegotiat with the rem
nant of Malinga in their retreat in the
woods for the purchase back of their
relatives by giving up all their con-
cealed stores of ivory to the raiders. So
it came about that Malinga was now
without any thing to offer us.
But" added the old chief, Il can
| give you slaves. l have no goats or
fowls to present you with, for we dare
! hardly leave our walls on account of the
Lufembe IN the forest back there; and
the river, too, is often barred to us by
the onslaughts from below-but if you'll
have few men and women to take back
with you down river, all right"
We endeavOred to explain to the poor
old savage that it was not the custom of
white men to keep other people in bond
age, 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 we'll
up there; but they want spears and
knives, too, and they won't sell you
single tusk, unless you have spear or
two to give in with the other things.
They have no iron in those countries to
make weapons, SO you had better buy
spears from u.s."
This was an eye-opener to us. Learn
ing that Esekiyaka's statement was per-
fectly true from Elenge Mimic, who got
his information 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
shutdown, and, night coming ON, settled
ourselves down for quiet, cool rest
out in the center of the river, little
dreaming of the horrible deed to be en-
acted on shore while we slept.
Many of our men slept ON shore, pre-
ferring the warmth and shelter OF a
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 arriving on board
Blonelo came up to me and said that
the head and limbs of woman had lust
been offered to him for sale. The man
offering the head had asked for white
beads in exchange for it. Mortified at
this story, we asked Elenge Mimic if he
knew any thing about it, and he an
swered that the same request 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. Our white
chalk beads, however, had proved
stronger even than the desire for hu-
man flesh; hence the offer of the head
| and arms to our men for some of their
| beads.
Utterly disguised with Malinga, its
dirt, its people and their hideous, re-
! pulslve 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 guess
work, to Judge Of what lay before us
for Elenge Mimic knew nothing of the
river beyond Malinga to which he had
made one or two canoe journeys on trad
ing expeditions of the Lulungu and
lower river people. Next day we con-
tinued our journey up broader stretches
OF river still between the interminable
lines of forest trees on each side, seeing
few strengthening wild ducks, whose
exquisite 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 thew
ever and anon rose at the steamers an
proach only to drop down again to the
water few hundred yards higher UP.
There were silver-tailed MONKEYS.
too, with black coats and a plentiful
crop OF white hair falling over the
cheeks and from the back of the head
behind and quite covering the ears
beautiful things, leaping away deeper
into the recesses of the forest from
some swaying bough overhanging the
river on which they had perched,
watching US until we came too close for
their tastes.
The long reaches of tle river opened
out bend after bend and turn after turn
without any sign of village, and we
were beginning to think of camping for