, 1896-04-14
KONGO CANNIBALs.
DESCRIBED BY A MISSIONARY WHO
KNOWS THEM WELL.
Their Appetite For Human Flesh Illus
tratcd by Scenes That Father Allaire
Has witnessed-A LILO That n Con-
stantiy Besct with Dangers

AAs ltucStSu- Liz An1k ~ NOu.
stantiy Besct with Dangers
Father A1lnire. missionary apostolic
to the French Kon2o, was recently in
France to order Il siAnll iron steamboat
to be used in visiting the mission sta
tions, and was persuaded while there
to contribute to LIE Correspondent an
account of his work and its field. The
courageous fathers of the French Catho-
lie missions i'll Africa visit regions hith-
erto scarcely known to white men, and.
living habitually far beyond the bounds
of the new African civilization, have
peculiar opportunities of studying un-
modified savage life. Father Allairo has
been for ten years in the French kongo,
and for the last six years at Liranga.
His home station of Liranga is sur.
rounded by cannibal tribes, aud not on
ly has he zine and again declined hos
pitable invitations to take part in u can
nibal feast, hut more than once he has
discerned among his neighbors u han
kering after his w flesh.
"You are wrong" said a caunibal
when the father turned in disgust from
an offer Of human flesh. "You should
taste it, and after that you'd never urn
away; it is SO good.H'
A cannibal. bearing aloft a 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 l6 years of age.
He nude a 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, a
chief invited him to anchor opposite a
village, saying:
"Show your goods there, and my peo-
pie will fetch down the slave children
to SELL"
The father accepted the invitation,
climbed with difficulty the steep EN-.
bankment, piore than 80 feet high, mp
OH which stood the fortified village, and
entered the place with an interpreter
and a few followers. Sixty savages sur
rounded the priest, and he and tho chief
went through the famous form of blood
brotherhood, each making u slight
wound i'll his arm and permitting the
outf1owing streams of blood to mingle.
The father then discovered that there
were no women OF 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 SUM-, and the lances peeped out here
aud 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 BECOME. When the father was ready
to make the steep descent Of the bank,
he saw a stealthy giant just ready to
lance nj Of the men from the steam
boat. His left hand still grasped by the
chief, the father aimed his unchanged
rife ut the negro below. and the latter,
dropping his weapon drew back.
The next instant the chief had pushed
the father over the bunk. He lay stun
ned for a second. but rose unhurt to find
the savage lancefs, attacking his own
men, and the latter casting themselves
into the river for safety. Quickly load
ing his rifle, he turned upon the attack
ing party, but at sight of the loaded
weapon the negroes fed. 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
fas the missionary party could sack the
place, and was disguised when the ia
Their refused to undertake the task.
1T 10 curious. " eaid the interpreter,
THAT when these people were making
ready to eat you You are unwilling to
be revenged ON them"
He then explained that as the mis-
sionary party clambered up to the town
the negroes were vowing to have tho
noe de M p%reSenta or nv force. and That