Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-06-01
EAT THEIR PEOPLE.
AFRICANS WHO THUS DISPOSE OF
THEIR AGED AND CRIPPLED.
Two Thousand skulls In {" rave
mcnt-The Drum signals by "hie"
N...,vc. Were sent In the Recent
.rab war-Forcsts of Coffee.
Mew York SUM


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New York SUM
CAPTAIN s. L. Hlnde was in the Sonso
medical service during the recent war
which has resulted in the expulsion OF al
the Arab slave-,raders from the congo
state. In this campaign he traVelieu
through a part Of the Congo oasin '"a'
was almost unknown, and since MS
turn home he has told some ne" "'''
striking things about tribes that nave
meyer been studied before. and live ABOUT
SEQ miles directly south OF the ho' 'i'e''
bend OF the Congo.
There is a region here, north OF l"e
sanluru river about 5000 square iin'S
IN extent. that Is almost blank o" ''''
mans The Arabs knew the country very
wei. however. for here they had puisu1u
the slave chase. using part OF the h''iFes
IN nrev upon the others. 1t was one "a
the most densely peopled parts OF Ail I.'
until the Arab forays, within the pas
years made desolate a part OF IL, 80
cantain Hinde thinks he found III vi.
pota,sIa neonle OF this region the most
,er,arLabIe cannibals he mas I'll
Throu shout the whole OF their CouI.is ,'
he va the traveller sees nelther siaS
hairs nor halt, nor blind. Inc uiiio
twrafa who IS marked by any ph!slcdi
,rnnerfection is killed and eaten Even
rarents are eaten by their children up"
the first sign Of approaching uecl -
These people are probably the oh,S rSo
in Africa who eat their own peop'e'
effect. however, is not 10 uepi,'e - -
numbers, but to make ththi -,
physically to the tribes AROUND 'nv -
they do away only Win ms. -, oid
nbvsicaIlv imperfect or upon whonh oiu
acc is stealing. Captain Hinde says 'hsy
a.. a snlendid race. and all the hneT III
ornearance because they do not ulsnsute
,har,saIves with tattoo marks nor by
filing their teeth.
The Batetela are very NUM- iouS -
nile About 1000 Of their Warriors "eIc
in the service Of the great slave raluer'
CONGO I,utete. who helped the Arabs cap
tire a large part of their slaves. rms
long-headed chief made up his mind that
II would pay him to cast his fortunes
Win the whites. and so he turned his back
ON his former employers and with his
cannibal brlgands helped to drive the
Arabs out OF the country.
PAVEMENT OF SKULLS.
Congo's capital, NGandu. is a sight to
behold II Is a fortified town on the Lo-
mani river, and each Of its four gates Is
apnroachcd by a handsome pavem mt OF
human skulls. the bregma, or front part
OF the skull being the only part showing
above the ground. Captain Hinde counted
more than 1900 skulls in the pavement OF
one Of the Gates Every tree in the town
is crowned by a human skull. The prac-
tice Of adjoining the trees with Skulls
IS very common among the more savage
tribes throughout the Congo basin.
Captain Hinde participated in nearly all
tho big fights with tn. Arabs. and IN
some Of them several thousand OF lhe
Arab forces, chiefly armed slaves "elS
killed. After the battle the calh'Udl
canp-followers and fighters among the
States allies would have a great Ieast,
In one battle over 1909 men Tell, ana
captain Hlnde had the direction Of the
burial parties. He found only few nun
drcd heads and bones The cannioals had
carried off all the meat, and IN many
cases the whole body, for food. African
cannibals. apparently, never eat flesh raw
They always boil or roast II.
The white explorers have never been
able to trace the beginnings OF TINS nor
rid practice until during the Arab cam
paign. when they discovered that lhe
Baluba tribe, Of whom explorers nav
never spoken as cannibals' nave tahtn'
of late years to eating their enemies VINO
are killed in battle. only the men, now
ever. indulge in the new custom.
II is we'll known that throughout a large
mart of tropical Africa the tribes are ape
10 communicate with one dIo'lSt ~,
means of drum signals. There IS a ldliiS
well-known general CODE OF Sisna
tbnueh often two or three chiefs Will nave
their private codes, and can TANK Win VIle
another at distances OF nNe OF SIX uil.IS,
their enemies hearing every StIoke OF tiIe
drum. but without being able 10 uhuet~
stand anything OF the plots tnat are
Matching against them. In TINS war the
whites found the private slghai Coue3 a. 3l
considerable service. Ihey hdd no JIM
Guilty in talking at night to friendly ma
tives several miles away. sometimes tne
chiefs in the State service slgnaHed 10
some Of their own people VINO hdPpeiteu
To be prisoners in the hands OF the ARABS,
i'm order 10 reach the white encampment;
These instructions were usually carIleu
out with success.
REMARKABLE HEALTH
During many months Of hardship theIe
was scarcely death, except on the pat
tle-held, among the thousands OF nal!Ees
i'm the service Of the whites. and Captain
Hinde attributes this good fortune TO the
women who followed the army. As IS
usual in African warfare, the native SOL
1laTs were accompanied UN Aufli MDAAf.Ai
and these faithful creatures relieved the
men Of all the care they could assume
themselves. When camp was pltched II
WAS the women who reared the rude
huts and cooked the meal ana they
marched heavy laden with the camp
equipment. while the fighters had only
10 carry their guns and ammunition. me
women thus played an important part III
the year Of hard work while the Arabs
were being driven out OF the State ana
across Lake Tanganyikd.
Captain Hinde's caravan saw the Congo
dwarfs further south than they had pre-
viously been observed. one day ABOUT
hundred OF them, men and women, flock
ed to the camp from the surrounding for
est. 1t is a curious fact that they are not
afraid Of firearms; they drop when they
see the flash, ana then run IN ana spear i,
their enemy or shoot him with an arrow
before he has time 10 reload.
The two great Arab towns OF central
Africa, both Of them the result OF me
slave chase and the ivory trade, were
captured in this war. NyangWe. on the
banks of the upper Congo. was, until TINS
campaign. one OF the greatest markets
in Africa. When the Belgians attacked
II the town contained 5000 inhabitants,
but to-day 1t has ceased 10 exist, ana IT'S
site is occupied by a single house hason-
20, little further south, haq popula
ton Of about $1,000, and here the BeIsIahs
captured large quantities OF repeating
rifles and tons OF gunpowder. The town
has now been entirely swept away. 49,.
This war completely changed the pollt-
cal geography Of the upper Congo, for
the Arabs. who were masters OF the coun-
try. were driven out OF II. 1t also changed
the trade routes, for the traffic which
cnce followed the well-beaten track from
Nyangwe across Tanganyika to the In
dian ocean at Zanzibar now goes down
the Congo to Stanley Pool and the Allan
tic A very significant fact mentioned
by Captain Hinde is that in all parts Of
the virgin Congo forest which he visited
wild coffee is so abundant and so excellent
that his party left their tins OF imported
coffee unopened.
The City Pigeons Easy Adoption OF
the Ways of the World.
Chicago Daily Tribune)
The city pigeon affords an illustration OF