Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1893-07-13

} They had mistaken us for polio
escort on the nigh of the encoun
I. ter. These occasional invader
: under escort of black trackers' ar
t treated as their natural enemie
} and are attacked at all hazards"
J sHow did you suspect that th,
. tribe you were now friendly will
! were your enemies the day or 81
J before2 They'd be war like ]
should think"
aNot necessarily. These people
are shrewd. By their very friend.
]; Illness they throw you off the scent
I. They read in your face whether
they can trust you. And when
4 they don't want to fghtsyou they
succeed in making you think they
never did light you. They are true
|physiognomists. But how did ]
know them? I saw some of Ah
Sues clothes about. The blacks are
perfectly nude,so it was a bitludi-
crous to see All Sues coat used for
female trousers. I found that this
camp was q portion of a tribe
Whose dialect I could understand.
If they had spoken during the
tweird night of the battle, we could
lhave saved that encounter, but
ithese people fight in silence.
Approaching ahead of my men.
Icalled out Ugalza Wattoo. The
treaty man stepped forward and
|stood in front of me ir all the
strength of f-his naked magnif-
cence. l explained to him that
we were friendly and only travell-
ing through the country. The
tribe stood up and advanced un-
armed. Our squad advanced be-
hind them and took our seats. The
warriors had just resumed their
seats for the first rest in the feast
dance, and now moved off into the
second stage. AS the curiously
colored and Zebra-striped men
slowly moved out, their bodies
trembling and twitching all over,
and gswayed from side to side, then
twisting into a wild and fantastic
contortion, bounding the whole
body over the ground as if sud
denly impelled by erratic electric
batteries, my eyes rested patheti-
eaIly on a low fresh mound the
t6ooght this was;thes grave .of. Some
Of their dead. The foot steps and
contortions ofs this weird dance
kept time with the uniform beat
of leather and sticks on the ground
accompanied by the sad, low moan
ing chant of the women with now
and again a mad shrek of a war
rior, or group, denoting some
wild Joy or maddening delight OF
his soul. The dance had ceased.
Four stalwartmen advanced to the
little fresh mound and began un-
covering it. When down about a
foot a hot steam rose on the air.
But a little further and the smell
of the cooked meat foated up
wards.
The chief gave the command to
raise the feast. The four cooks
lifted from its earth-oven and laid
on straw mat the roasted body
of All Sue. The sight nauseated
and sickened me. 1t was my first
sight of a cannibal feast. 1 prayed
lit to be my last. But it was not.
This was no time for sentiment.
My heart was stronger than my
stomach, which I gradually mas
teredas the feast progressed. Dave,
one of my party, turned to me
with a pale face and said, Captain
I am SICK and vomited. Courage
my man. We are at their mercy,
and must simply look on at this
horrible thing The warriors
gathered around, and we were in
vited to partake. I declined. You
can safely decline to eat an Aus
tralian blacks food. He takes it
as compliment, and feels it is
more food left for him. The head
master Low began carving up my
late cook, using stone knives and
stone axes. The meat and limbs
were torn from the body, Certain
choice parts were parcelled out to
the chief men. The smaller limbs
and bones fell to the less impor-
taut warriors, while the head, feet,
and refuse went to the women. He
had not been disemboweled in the
preparation. Cleanliness is no
part Of their domestic economy.