The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-01
KONGO CANNIBALS.
DESCRIBED BY A MISSIONARY WHO
KNOWS THEM WELL.
Their Appetite Nor Human Flesh Illus
trated by Scenes That Father Allaire
Has Witnessed "A Lilo That Is Con-
stantIy Beset. With Dangers.

6tantIy Besct. with hangers.
Father Allaire, missionary apostolic
to the French Kongo, was recently III
France to order small ircn steamboat
to be used i'll visiting the mission sta
tions, and was persuaded while there
to contribute to lie Correspondence an
account of his work and its field. Tho
courageous fathers Of tho French Catl:o-
lie missions in Africa visit regions hitb-
erto scarcely known to white men, and,
living habitUally far beyond the bounds
of the new African civilization, have
peculiar opportunities of studying UNI
modified savage life. Father Allaire has
been for ten years III tho French KoDgo,
and for the last six years at Liranga.
His homo station of Lirapga is sur
rounded by cannibal tribes, aud not On
ly has he time and again declined hos.
pitable invitations to take part in can-
nibal feast, but more than once he has
discerned among his neighbors han
kering after his own flesh.
"You are wrong" said cannibal
when the father turned in disgust from
an offer Of human flesh. "You should
taste it, and after that you'd never turn
away; it is SO good.
A cannibal, bearing aloft bloody
human head, said to the father:
THAT is the head Of one you knew
we'll. We ate him three days ago. He
was delicious. You should have come
earlier SO as to have a TASTE
Cannibalism is a veritable passion
with some of the fathers black neigh
bors. Rescued slaves tell him, and he
believes it, that there are in the interior
chiefs who eat no flesh save that of girls
and boys from 10 to 16 years Of age.
He made journey up the Kongo to the
land of the fierce Bondjos, strangers to
him, with the hope of buying children
out of slavery and taking them back to
the mission station. When he reached
Ngomboc. an agglomeration of six or
seven large cannibal villages, he was
constantly saluted with the words:
Sell us children. We will buy, but
not sell them"
The cannibals had EVIDENTLY heard
of his mission. and the journey was in
vain. When he was about to return, n
chief invited him to anchor opposite
village, saying:
"Show your goods there. and my peo-
pie will fetch down the slave children
10 SELL"
The father accepted the invitation,
climbed with difficulty the steep EN-.
bankment. more than 80 feet high, up
on which stood the fortified village, and
entered the place with an interpreter
and few followers. Sixty savages sur
rounded the priest. and he and the chief
went through the famous form Of blood
brotherhood, each making O slight
wound in his arm and permitting the
outfiowlng streams of blood to mingle.
The father then discovered that there
were no women or children in sight,
and that the points Of spears were trem-
bling behind the houses. The chief sud-
denly demanded gifts for himself and
all his men.
There was silence in the village,
while the blacks babbled ceaselessly in
the sun, and the lances peeped out here
and there from behind the huts. The
father answered that he would be glad
to pay handsomely for any slaves that
should be brought to the boat At this
the chief seized his left hand and babe
him begone. When the father was ready
to make the steep descent of the bank,
he saw stealthy giant just ready to
lance one of the men from the steam
boat. His left hand still grasped by the
chief, the father aimed his uncharged
rifle at the negro below. and the latter,
dropping his weapon. drew back
The next instant the chief had pushed
the father over the bank. He Law stun
ned for second, but rose unhurt to find
the savage lancers attacking his own
men, and the latter casting themselves
into the river for safety. Quickly load
ing his rife, he turned upon the attack
ing party, but at sight of the loaded
weapon the negroes fled. Once on the
boat the father found that none of his
men was wounded. One, the black in
terpreter, was missing. and he was soon
discovered making ready to storm the
village. He declared that with two ri
fes the missionary party could sack the
place, and was Disguised when the ia
Their refused to undertake the task.
lit is curious" said the interpreter,
"that when these people were making
ready to eat you you arc unwilling to
he revenged on Them
He then explained that as the mis-
sionary party clambered up to the town
the negroes were vowing to have the
goods as presents or by force, and that
when the caunibal chief took the priests
hand the savage said significantly to his
men:
''It is we'll; he has no skin and his
hand is fat. -
Father Allaire says that slavery in
his part of Africa is not thing of con-
slant blows. Its worst feature is the