The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-09-21
A MEETING WITH CANNIBALS.'
Adventure In New Guinea With Some Very
Tough Savages.

On the sixth morning from the start
we were treated to surprise party
which shall never forget. l suppose
l was the first to awake, and what
woke me was something whistling
over my face, as if it had come from
below. l opened my eyes and listened
1 could hear what sounded like the
hum of voices at no great distance, and
the next moment something whistled
past my face again, then another, then
two, then three, and then perfect
shower. They were arrows-there
was no mistake about that-and il they
were poisoned, the slightest scratch
from one of them, meant death in hor-
rible agony within an hour. / saw
that the three guides had already slid
noiselessly from their beds and were
lying fiat on their faces among the
creepers. with their eyes just peering
over the edge of the foliage. Ny mates
and did the same. There we saw our
surprise party. At the foot of the bluff,
cutting us off from our trail through
the forest. stood fifty or sixty of the
grimmest figures / ever saw. They
were immensely tall men. each with
great winged mask or helmet over
his head. and long hair standing out
like a fringe beneath it, cumbrous
cuirass of the same dark brown and
yellow color. and greaves or leg pieces
to match When the first shudder of
surprise had passed, recognized the
arrow proof armor of tortoise she'll
worn by certain warrior tribes of New
Guinea. a specimen of which had seen
n the British museum; and knew we
were face 20 face with some of the
most bloodthirsty wretches on Garth
They carried their testimonials with
them AS they came nearer and nearer
to us saw that each had string of
human heads slung around him, still
dripping with gore and smearing the
tortoise shell armor at each stride the
warrior took. i called hoarsely to the
guides to know what we were to do. I
felt my flesh creep all over when / saw
that they were gone We three un-
armed whites were at the mercy of
these CHASTITY monsters
How / knew what was the right
thing to do, or how l nerved myself to
do it, | can not tell. But I did it.
Whispering to my companions not to-
stir, slid down from under my bed
place. opened my white umbrella, and
walked slowly down the slope to meet
the mail-clad phalanx- 1 don't be-
lieve 1 was in my senses. but the effect
was just as good as If 1
-, II
visitors of that kind every morn
ing. They all stood still and stared at
me in blank astonishment- exactly as
have seen a mob of wild cattle do when
/ have suddenly turned and faced them
in the Australian desert Steadily adj
vancing. / gave them a loud salutz-
ton which they INSTANTLY returned
with strange, melodious cry like q
choric song. Il was neck or nothing
now. Marching straight up to the
foremost warrior, who had thrown
back his mask and displayed
his hideous face. i placed the palms
OF my hands against the palms of his
already stretched out TO meet me, and,
standing on tiptoe, / pressed my nose
firmly against his and my cheek
against his cheek Ny mouth and
nostrils and throat filed with stencil
so frightful that felt my very bowels
rise / knew only too well what it
was. 1t was the fetid smell of human
blood. with which the wretch was
gorged. But my own life and my COM
panions' were at stake, and / gulped
down my horror and completed the
loathsome embrace. 1t was quite sue
cessful. The huge, pOnderous bar
barians, with their rafting armOr and
their reeking trophies clustered round
me. paving me over like great dogs,
and indulging their speeches. Curl
osity by opening and shutting my UNI
brella and feeling the texture of my
flannel clothes.-Lippincott's Maya
zine