The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-12-23

The Coopers' Honeymoon Trip
Up the Congo.
A WEIRD TALE OF TRAVEL

Elephant TenderI0in Instead OF
Turkey, While skulls Near BY
Cause Fears OF Cannibais---The
Day Of All Days spent iii a Dense
Jungle IN the Dark Continent.
Christmas is Christmas the world ever.
but in the heart Of Africa naturally you
don't expect such conveniences as
Christmas trees Christmas carols and
lother little details that belong to our
style Of celebrating the day Yet Christ
mas can be celebrated even in the Dark
Continent
1T was in 1884, said Barbey Coey,
who in real life is known as William
Feninapre. Cooper, the African traveller
and Mexican onyx miner and has sus,fi
that Mrs. Cooper and myself started for
Africa on our wedding trip
We had only been married a few
bound for the Congo regions, and we
were probably the first American couple
VINO made q honeymoon trip TO that re-
gion. / also intended to do some trad
ing in skins and ivory.
I'm December we had gone $50 miles up
the Congo. and were then in the higher
portion OF the Lower Congo region, and.
in fact on the edge of the upper and
less known region.
Christmas Day found us among the
Unbasas. and having finished our trad
that vi" lv oa For 9ser vIiae N
had heard a number of fine tigers had
bees4 lately killed
That wasn't particularly enjoyable
place. I had had no trouble with any
of the natives, but our path led near a
region where had been warned, there
were cannibaa tribes. so that we did
not feel very vivacious when we started
away.
Our party consisted of about thirty
bearers, an interpreter, Mrs. Cooper and
myself, and two trained elephants. On
one of these elephants we rode. The
other elephant carried part of our stock
and baggage and the bearers ran along
with the rest of 1t.
The start was made in the early
morning, and we travelled Through q
fine country until about 3 o'clock, when
ordered a halt, and we prepared to
make ready a Christmas dinner.
I'VE had selected a fine open spot an
small stream There was no turkey TO
stuff, but what was really a deiicacy
to US was a loin of elephant, which was
to take the place OF turkey.
{ You don't find the recipe for cooking
elephant in any book that know OF,
and it is hardly likely anybody will ne
Quire il On New York this season, but
elephant is real good eating.
1--WE larded it with Wild spices That
were to be had for the gathering. A
kind of wild pepper grew about there,
with long fine leaves, and wild sage was
plentiful.
s'Thea I dug a two foot hole in the
earth. filed it with wood and built a, hot
fire Then we sccoped out the ashes :
burn until the earth inside the hole was
ca1cfned.
"The elephant loin was wrapped ssn
banana leaves and plantains, and hung
cid ilaf11c Frx-11i
piled. In two hours we had the finest
dish of roast elephant you ever saw.
Shoot the elephant?' No, got 1t at
the village we left that morning. The
foin is the finest part
Christmas Menu on the Congo.
IF the bin of fare had been printed 1T
Roast Ffilet of Elephant.
Dried Hippopotami Meat Broiled
Dried Hippopotsni Meats:
Scraps of Plum Pudding.
Hard Tack. Coffee.
Not much about that feast to remind
US of the Christmas dinner in our own
Virginia home, was there2
Nevertheless, elephant is much pref
cradle to some of the roast beef served
in New York, and as to hippopotamus
meat, it isn't the worst kind of eating
after all
Mrs. Cooper wanted to try it broiled.
so we stuck some on a. bayonet and
brofled it the best we could over the
fire. It was an Improvement over the
cold dried stuff
did the natives know what day you
were celebrating?"
while the elephant was roasting. I
explained, through the interpreter, that
the day was called Christmas, because
of a man Manned Christ, who was born
on that day. Then 1 told them how the
day is celebrated by children and grown
folks over the world, and the stories
of Santa Claus. They listened as if 1T
were a. fairy story.
Some of them had been with Stanley
ana one or two had even seen Living
stone, and one man knew several Eng
iish words that Livingston had taught
him. but they had not been taught by
the missionaries, and some of them for
the first time heard that day of Christ.
mo. we didn't invite them to eat ele-
pllant. In fact, they prefer fruits, gen
and butter fruit. 1 gave them hard tack:
but it didn't seem to strike them at all
favorably.
lone Of the things I never shall forget
about that dinner was CHASTITY.
''All through that region were found
soSos, which are bigger than even the
gorilla and nearer to human beings.
They walk upright, and are terrific
them sometimes.
''While Mrs Cooper was not timfd
generally, L was not ait all easy in mind
that day, because of my belief that we
were running close to a cannibal coun-
try. The guide had assured me we
were all right, but still 1 wasn't con-
tented.
Human Skulls on the Sideboard.
while we were at dinner ] noticed
what looked to me like a skull in
portion of the clearing 1 hadn't exam
ined before. I picked up one skull from
among others l found scattered about,
and asked the guide why he had lied TO
me, when he had said there were no
cannibalS about.
Z" Those are not mems skulls; but
so5os' skulls, that the animals them
selves have eaten he replied, and had
Quite treasured me when l picked up
couple of smaller skulls, that L was
sure never belonged to a soko.
THE guide ADM tied that those were
human skulls.
And how did they come here?' in
sisted.
"'But you said they did not eat hu-
man flesh?
No. they don't; but those were enc
mics they captured in war. and they
eat those with whom they fight
Now If that wasn't a cheerful course
in a Christmas dinner! Of course, 1T
only made US more cautious.
After dinner, Mrs. Cooper got out my
harmonica, and while we waited for the
heat of the sun to pass over, 1 played.
The bearers liked music. When played
Home, Sweet Home and thought of
those skulls, it did seem as If there were
pleasa1ter places through which to make
a bridal tour, than the Congo regions of
Africa.
''At in the afternoon we started again
on the way to the next village, and three
hours travel brought US there. l was
rather fearful about the kind of, recep-
ton we might get; but when the head
men came out to meet US, l explained
my business and gave, them beads and