Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-06-19
AN AFRICAN KING.
AT ONE TIME A MONARCH, HE IS
NOW A IONGSHOREMAN.

Capt. Farrell Tells the Story in the Pres
ence of the King-He Ate the Ears and
Tongue of a Missionary Brought to
This Country as Slave in 1857.
The party boarded the Lord Of the
Isles and were soon discussing some
good Santa Cruz in the cabin Of Cant
Farrell
Il was midshipman in the English
navy" said the captain, Serving on
board her ma jesty's good ship Scorpion
thirty years ago, when slavery was still
an institution of this country. The
Scorpion was dispatched from the Med
iterranean to join the Atlantic squadron
in the Blight of Benin, and had orders TO
put down the slave trade, then unusually
active. Before we had been three months
on the coast we captured half dozen
dhows. We were informed by a mis-
sionary that there was a camp or denot
about a mile inland, where slaves and
ivory were exchanged for rum and
money, and as our instructions were TO
extirpate the evil wherever it was to be
found, 500 marines and blue Jackets of
the squadron were marched to attack
this depot. The resistance we encoun-
our small force could have taken all
Central Africa.
"Now it happened that Carambo ".
king or sultan of western Foulah. had
died a few days before the attack and
his son-(permit me to introduce to vorr
majesty a reporter of The New York
Star)-his son, | say, succeeded him as
Carambo v"
Carambo smiled in a melancholy sort
of way at this recital, and tears came
into his eyes, which he turned away his
head to conceal.
Take another drop of Santa Cruz,
Carambo," suggested the captain. The
king complied, and the captain con-
tinued his story.
THE KING IN BATTLE.
Intelligence of the breaking I'D of
camp, and Of the consequent stoppage of
supplies in cash, rum and muskets,
reached Carambo by carriers early next
morning, and burning with ardor to
have revenge, and signalize the begin
ming of his reign with a victory, he
marched an army down to the coast,
which reached our camp four days later,
and promptly began an assault. To do
his majesty nothing but justice, STRIPPING
as he then was, he led his savage Iegions
like hero, and though his warriors fell
tk;cli and fast around him, lie jumped,
spear ard bucEler il hand, right into our
line Of rife pits with his weird war cry
of 'Am0o! hai! hal! hal! khail Amoor
lie was wounded on the right temple
with a sword. and captured after a des-
perGte struggle, while those OF his party
who did Lot dispense were also taken
prisoners. 1t was an ugl y cash you got,
Carambo:'
Eyes, Massa Farrl," said Carambo,
turning the right side of his face toward
the narrator, and showing q scar stretch
ing from the outward corner of the eye
down to the jawbone. The mark was
barely perceptible, but it was there, and
no mistake.
''Defore Carambo left his capital for
the attack" the captain continued, ''he
had ordered the roasting and eating of
Portuguese missionary priest. Did you
eat any of him, Carambo:"
eyes" answered the king, simply, 81
ate his ears and his tongue"
eyes, | remember. 1t was for this
that, while we released his subjects after
a day or two, we took the fch him
self prisoner to the Island '-2nsion.
We also learned that he ,z----5rIficed
fifty Of the late kings wives on his tomb,
and was about as sanguinary young
man generally as might be picked up in
Central Africa"
u was the Napoleon" spoke up Ca
rambo, proudly, as he gulped down an
ether snifter Of Santa Cru.
CHECKING ROYAL CAREER.
POSSIBLY. | visited the island two
months after, and found Carambo hand
and glove with the royal marines who
garrisoned the place. He had learned to
smoke, and drank all the rum he could
get with great gusto. He wore pair Of
long Wellington boots and grenadier's
big shake, which were all he did wear,
and enough, too, in that hot climate.
The shake was distorted into the shape
Of a crown, and with this on his royal
Uranium he staiked about the island and
accepted the title of king with infinite
grace. l saw him dozens of times after
this when calling in for coal and water,
and found him growing so demoralized
that | wrote to the admiral, who, in turn,
represented his case to the government,
with the result that he was released and
sent home, on swearing allegiance to
Queen Victoria. That was the last of
him l saw until l met him on the wharf
half an hourag running cotton truck.
Perhaps Carambo can tell us how he
came here"
This Carambo did in very bad, but
still ineligible, English.
1t appears that in his absence his sub
jects chose another king, who marched
poor Caranbo down to the coast with
1900 others and sold him to American
slavers. He was again sold for 81 200 at
auction in Richmond in 1857 to planter,
who treated him kindly. He was among
those arrested by Gen. Butler as contra
band of war in 1862, and of course made
freeb by President Lincoln's proclamation.
For the rest, he came north after the
war, worked in various capacities, but
being a man of great strength he finally
decided to work along shore until he
could make money enough to run kali
somining establishment.
''But your name is not Carambo noW?"
| queried the reporter.
"My name is always Carambo," an
swered his Foulan majesty with dignity,
''but they call me John Howard, and /
live at as High street"
Here" said the captain, 1,1lilosoph-
ically, ''you have king in your midst,
and yet you do almost royal homage to
every lord or soi-distant lord that comes
along. 1t is very singular. New York
Star.