The Portland daily press., 1890-06-03
THOUGHT THE CANNIBALS HAD THEM.
The Adventures of a Night on the
Coast Of Africa.
savages Supposed to Have Captured
Two Parties of Scientists
Because a Meteor Had Been Mis-
taken for a Rocket.

NEW YORK, June 2-Dayid p. Todd's
party. which went to Africa on the United
States steamship Pensacola, to observe the
eclipse of the sun, December 22d, had some
interesting experiences. They landed at
Cape Ledo near the British camp. G. 4.
Van Gushing, who was with the party
says: "a day or two after we landed we
saw several cannibals, with sharpened teeth
and old flint guns, peeking over the hills
about 800 or 600 feet away. They were al
most naked, although some of them put on
a little cloth out of respect for US. One young
fellow finally crept down the hill and
through the grass to us. We gave him a
bread or two and some other trinkets. As
soon as the others saw what he had got they.
too, came down the hill
"The next day they all were there again.
with their friends and lot OF eggs and
chickens. They carried all the food on their
heads and their guns and other weapons In
their hands. We bought the eggs and chick
ems from them for four or five old fruit cans
and a little Portuguese money. One Of the
ships cooks acted as interpreter. About
every two days during all the time we were
there the canibals visited as to trade off ven
ison, honey and variety OF other things
"On one day there was great excitement
A gang of cannibals marched down to the
camp with loads of fruit and fowl. Three
of them carried big quarter of beef, which
was foul and full of maggots They put the
puffed and blew and looked about for tin
cans in exchange. When we found out
about the beef, we ordered them to take it
away and refused to buy any of their fruit.
They got huffy Immediately, and withdrew
more of them had gathered there under
their chief. They lighted their fires and
prepared to pass the night there. Jacoby,
Bartlett, O'Connor, Carbutt, Flint and
were on shore with guard of 10 marines.
"When the boat came ashore with food for
us late in the afternoon, told the coxswain
about the cannibals, and that the deck officer
had better keep lookout for us during the
evening. After dark, perhaps about 7.30
o'clock, a metsor fell behind the hill. An
officer on the ship saw the meteor Just as It
vanished, and mistook it for falling rocket
from our camp. We had arranged a signal
system with the ship, and according to 1t
the sending up of a rocket was sign Of dis
tress. The ship Immediately sent up rock
ct in response to the signal we were sup
We thought, of course, there was trouble on
the ship After the signalling had ceased
we put out the lights.
"They then thought TO a certainty that we
all had been murdered by the cannibals.
There was hurry and bustling on the
snip. -
"We could hear the officers calling out
orders and see the lights shifting. The first
and second cutters, and first, second and
third whaleboats were armed and equipped
Sailors and mariners with pistols and cut
lasses leaped into the boats and pulled to
the Shore"
When we saw the whole string Of boats
coming in we asked what the trouble was
They answered that they thought we sig
nailed, "Need boat" and Danger" Then
they turned around and rowed back and uu-
loaded themselves.
"They had hardly got aboard the ship
when Professor TAYLOR, of the English party
who was on the Pensacola that night, no.
ticed that the lights in his tent on the hill
had been extingushed. Then he was all
afire. Everyone decided Immediately that
the British party had sent up the first rocket
and that they were being murdered. So a
party of marines, with officers, were sent
ashore and up through the high grass and
bitches and underbrush to the English camp.
Everyone there was all right and wondering
what the excitement was about.