The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-18
An italian in Central Africa.

: of ENNIS old province, was caught In trap
like EMIN himself by tho Mahdst uprising
Q and so Joined the famous German ant
0 shared his fortunes until STANLEY brough
. them both to the sea.
( We have hardly heard OF CAsATT in all thC
story OF the STANLEY expedition; but he ha:
, held for years very warm place In the re
gard OF his countrymen, and rousing wei
come awaits him when he Is at home once
more We should take the sam g lively and
sympathetic interest In any gallant Ameri
can even though he achieved no wonders In
the fields OF science and exploration, II his
career in some dark land were as full of ro-
mantle interest and Of hardships and perils
bravoly met as that Of Capt CAsATI,
Eleven years ago, when CAsATI was forty
one years old, and Captain in the army,
the desire to become an African explorer so
str ongly possessed him that he threw up his
commission, and, in the service Of the Italian
Society for the Commercial Exploration OF
Africa, started for the Bahr ell Gazelle
region, then almost unknown to the world,
except in the writings Of SCHwEINFURTH.
He safely reached that region of many water
ways and interesting tribes, and there he
had a touching meeting with his country
man GEss1 Pasha. The explorer OF Albert
| Hyanza nursed the newcomer through a
dangerous fever, refusing to leave him till
he was fully restored to health; and then
| GEssI set out on that terrible journey down
the Nile, when his party was imprisoned for
weeks, many perjshing OF starvation, and
GEssI escaping at last only to die OF his pri-
vatons as he neared the Mediterranean.
CAsATI set out TO explore tho Welle
NIakua; for nobody knew where the great
| river which SCHwEINFURTH discovered
had its outlet, and geographers were
indulging in some very wild specula-
tons. We know now that this river. three
tfths as long as the Mississippi is the
greatest Congo tributary. For many months
CASATI's friends heard nothing OF him, but
at last came Il long letter which was
the talk OF Italy for weeks. CAsATI had
been prisoner for over Il year in the hands
OF Chief AZANGA, to whom he had applied for
carriers on his proposed trip down the Wele
Makua. The chief robbed him Of every
thing he possessed and barely spared his
life, compelling him and his men to pick up
their food around the village as best they
were able. OF course the people thought
themselves privileged to emulate the ex-
istence miserable for the white man, and his
life was often in danger. One day he COM
mitted the crime of bowling courteously to
the Kings mother, whereupon an angry
mob surrounded him, and one young fellow
rushed upon him with knife. CAsATI
caught the uplifted arm and wrested the
knife from the savage. He retained the
trophy to remind him that 1t was dangerous
to be too polite to African ladies OF rank.
A girl In this savage community on several
occasions was kind to the white prisoner and
stealthily supplied him with food. One day
she eloped with a slave. and all the men
started in hot haste after the fugitives. |
They were caught, and the slave was killed |
on the spot. The wretched girl was dragged |
back to the village and CAsATI had the misery |
of witnessing the tragic death of his benefac- |
tress, whom he was powerless TO aid. Her |
body was divided among the chiefs for food |
and CAsATI saw one OF them cooking q por-
ton of her flesh.
At last CAsATI made his escape and wan
dered with his few followers through the
wilderness, avoiding native settlements, I'M
til he reached an Arab camp, the Khartoum
Arabs being at that time scattered in con-
numbers through this region. They |
knew there was money behind CAsATI, and
they did not hesitate to take his draft in |
payment for the goods tn ey sold him. STAN
LEY and other explorers have obtained !
assistance in the same way from Arabs in |
Central Africa. 1t was with draft on Fan
zibar that STANLEY hired TIPPU TIB to ac-
company him considerable distance on his |
first journey down the Congo
The Italian explorer then started for the |
Welle Makua, entering the N1am-Nlam
where he met the powerful King |
KAUNA, with whom no made blood brother
hood. CAsATI's Italian friends think an
admirable poem might be made OF the |
Incidents in the life OF Nu- |
KAMA, the father OF King KAUNA. When
he was a helpless little boy. NTIKAMA saw
his father an important chief, killed before
his eyes. Tho boy grew up almost unnoticed,
and the slayers OF his father little dreamed
that the lad was patiently waiting till he
could wreak vengeance upon them. Making
'EIends with all the young men, he grew in
influence until he killed all concerned in
MS fathers death, and conquered chief after
chief. until he ruled all the great region
which, when CAsATI was there, acknowl-
edged KAUNA as King.
There was a great sacrifice OF poultry
when CAsATI left this friendly ruler. Tho
King had his men throw eighty hens into
he river. and he carefully counted those
hat sank and those that reached the shore.
The prognOsticatiOn was favorable, and the
great man assured tho traveller that he
would have prosperous journey 1t turned
cut, however, that as a medium of prophecy
hens are less trustworthy than certain
American weather prophets. CAsATI was
poorly equipped for his journey down the
river, and tho Welle Makua problem was re-
served for VAN GELE
Among other potentates with whom Ca
sATI scraped acquaintance was BAKANGoI,
who had the pleasing habit OF distributing
the cast-ofr favortes of his harem among
his dependent chiefs every two years. He
had five hundred ladies In his harem, and
provided himself every other year with an
entirely new set.