The Portland daily press., 1895-12-28
(From The London Times. }

Liverpool on Saturday by the steamer
Bahama. She left Liverpool last Decem-
bor for the second time TO visit West
Africa chiefly fer the purpose of collect
ing piscatorial specimens and of studying
the "feeish" customs of the natives. Miss
Kingsley's collection of fishes on her first
visit was Of a marine description, but the
present collection, most Of which is de-
stined for the BritishH Museum, is OF
fresb-water specimens
After reaching Old Calabar, Miss Kings
ley proceeded to the French settlement OF
the Gaboon, and made it known to the
authorities that she wished to explore the
gorilla country in the interior of the
Gaboon territory, and also TO go up the
Ogowe River to N'Djole. N'Djole is 2o6
miles up the Ogowe, but safe navigation
could not be guaran teed beyond Lambar-
enc, which is 130 miles up.
After much difficulty, Miss Kingsley
got together a canoes crew of eight
natives, and started for the rapids. The
canoe journey was long one, and nearly
a dozen times the craft was upset and its
occupants were thrown into the water
The current was strong, and Miss Kings
ley had several narrow escapes, being
saved more than once by olutching the
rocks in the rapids and by holding Oh to
them until the natives righted thu canoe.
1t was remarkable that none of the crew
lost their lives, but once one man WAS
missing for few hours and was found
perched on one of the pinnacled rocks in
the rapids.
Miss Kingsley had the most remarkable
adventures in the Eangwe country while
travelling overland from the .Ogowe River
to the Rembwe. The Fangwes are canni-
balls Of the most pronounced type, always
at war with each other, and are one of
the few tribes in Africa who eat their
own dead. Miss Kingsley had with her
three elephant plen,' or hunters, of the
Fangwe tribe, and four Djuma men. AS
the little band approached each Fangwe
town it was found to be ID a state of de-
fense, and the leader of the band very
eften fell into some trap which the inhab-
1tants had laid outside the town for
the enemy. As the expedition had no
proper bandages, when one of the carriers
was injured, he had to have his wounds
bound up with leaves.
When the journeya was resumed, Miss
Kingsley found the traps numerous and
every kind of obstacle placed in the paths
AT almost every town the Fangwes
stopped the expedition and wanted to eat
fNn oI1v Ell.
were enemies. Miss Kingsley had guar
anteed the elephant men safety, so some
times by persuasion, sometimes by
threats of punishment and sometimes by
o little present the men were each time
saved. Miss Kingsleysdid not come across
one burial place in the Fangwe country,
but she found that in N ost of the native
mud huts fpieces of human bodies were
being kept just as civilized people keep
eatables in their larders. On one occasion,
when Miss Kingsley was turning out the
contents of sack to find out the origin
of q sickening smell, hands, feet, eyes,
and other human remains tum mbled out
on to the ground. The Adjumas, on the
other hand, bury their dead in the forest.
This was discovered by Miss Kingsley in
a gruesoine manner. While collecting
some botanical specimens she came across
several mounds composed of earth and
leaves. Thinking they weresaynew form
of antnill. she removed the upper Elayers
with her stick, when the dead bodies of
natives came to view.
Miss Kingsley refused to relate any
gorilla stories, saying that too much
doubt was cast upon all{such accounts by
the public. She saw manyElarge gorillas.
but these invariably made off on the ap-
proach of the band. One, however, per-
sisted in an attempt to molest them, and
was finally dispatched by the elephant
men. He measured feet inches In
height. Two ofShis teeth are now in Miss
Kingsley's possession.
The natives at the back of the Gaboon
colony spoke English, not Frcnch-of
couse, in broken style. Owing to tribal
fighting, Miss Kingsley had to make
detour and came on the as yet unexplored
Lake N'Covi. She crossed this lake and
passed night on one of the numerous is
4AEuo III IL. AS LOT dS NL4oS hIHgSlcy COulN
judge, Lake Meow was about ten miles
wide where she crossed and about Is in
the other direction. She also crossed the
littlo known range of mountains called
the Sierra del Crystal. These varied from
G, Geo to about 5000 feet in height At the
foot Of each group was mud swamp, in
which the explorers sank nearly up to \
their neebs.
Miss Kingsley returned to the Gaboon
by way Of the Rembwe. and when she in
form cd the French authorities and trad
ers Of her travels, they were astonished
that she bad returned alive. Had they
isHog'n ct he7 intention beforehand the
woul irsibably have prevented the jour
ney. Sire hid been about two months in
he intolica After this Miss Kingsley
explored CoriSco Island From N'Djole
there is stretch of counrry unknown,
jor 500 miles in tie direction Of Brazza-
eiiio- II is French, aud French officials
navo several times gone Hp Ike Ogowe to
f-s,s ,r,,,