The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-01-08
A WHITE MAN A CURIOSITY.
Intrepid Explorer Ringer the First On
to Enter the City of Kong.


Kong. Mohammedan city. far up
the Akba River, which flows into the
Gulf OF Guinea, had never been seen
by white man before Capt. Binger. the
intrepid French explorer. entered it in
February. 1888. On the coast there
have been for years vague stories of
Kong aud its people, Mohammedan
negroes, and Capt. Binger found that
these accounts had more basis than
most of the reports of cities in in
terror Africa. In his narrative he
says:
Several hours before we reached
Kong there were evidences that we
were approaching great center.
Everywhere all the timber had been
cut down, and the soil, impoverished
By long cultivation, was barren. |
saw not even a hiR anywhere. The
Kong mountain chain. which appears
on all the maps. exists only in the
imagination of some incorrectly in
formed travellers. Soon | saw rising
among the bombax and palm trees far
ahead the minarets on the mosques
and the flat roofs of Kong. As | en-
tered the city. modestly mounted on a
steer, l saw large crowds Of people.
who appeared neither friendly nor hos
tile. but only eager to See 4 European.
The roofs, the trees, the streets, the
cross roads were full of people, and |
would not have been able to force my
way through if the slaves of the Chief of
Kong had not cleared way for me.
They were armed with whips and Wig
orously lashed all who Jagged in their
path. In chairs under two great trees
in the market-place were seated, on
the right King Karamokho Oulo and
his friends, and on the left the Diara-
wary, Chief of Kong. and his officials.
There was perfect silence in the two
groups, which l estimated TO number
about thousand persons. 1t was an
assembage of the patriarchs. for near
ly all were bearded, elderly men.
They were fully and neatly dressed in
Arab costume, though they are full
blooded negroes. After had sue
cessively presented myself to the chiefs
of the two groups the King conducted
me to his palace and placed at my dis
position some of his attendants, who
endeavored with only partial success
TO shield me from public curiosity.
confess that when l saw Kong, which
| was first to visit. did not feel any
of the emotions which some other trav-
elers on the Niger and at Timbuctoo
have described. And yet Kong and its
suppositious mountains have greatly
perplexed geographers, and have given
rise TO many hypothesis. Kong is a
large, unwalled town, whose buildings
are of clay, with fiat roofs. 1t is built
in most irregular manner and its
narrow tortuouS streets radiate from a
large place about 700 feet square. which
serves as a market. The town has
population of about 10, 600, all Moham-
medaus. and there are five large mos
ques, surmounted by minarets and
seyelal others of smaller dimensions.
Education is well advanced in this re-
gion.
In Kong there are few who cannot
read. They all write Arabic, are well
versed in the Koran, and to my sur
prise | found that they are not fanatical
like the Peuls and Arabs. They recog-
nize three great religions. which they
call roads-the road of Moses, that of
Jesus, and that Of Mohammed. In
conversation on religious topics no one
attempted to demonstrate that Islam
was superior to the other religions
Many of them told me they considered
the three religions to be practically
identical, because they all led TO the
same God. They said there were great
and holy prophets among the cham
pions of all these religions, and there
was no reason to proclaim one better
than another. The commerce of Kong
is very tiourishing. The market is
veritablc fair Besides all sorts of
provisions, one may procure there Eu-
ropean articles coming from the coast,
such rs cloths. guns, powder, and
hardware. There are also many do
mestic products in the market. The
money consists of cowry shells and
gold-uust.