Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-11-18
KONGO CANNIBALS.
pEscA BED BY A MISSIONARY WHO
KNOWS THEM WELL

Their Appetite For Human Flesh Illus
trated by Scenes That Father Allaire
Has Witnessed "A Life That Is Con-
SANITY Beset with Dangers.
Father Allaire, missionary apostolic
to the French Kongo, was recently in
France to order small 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. Tie
courageous fathers of the French Catho-
lie missions in 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 IN
modified savage life. Father Allaire has
been for ten years iii the French Kongo,
and for the last six years at Liranga.
His home station of Liranga is sur
rounded by cannibal tribes, and not on
" has he time and again declined hos
pitable invitations to take part in a can
nibal feast, but more than once he has
discerned among his neighbors han
Eer1nS aIter ms own IieSh.
"You arc 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
4 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 taste.''
Cannibalism is veritable passion
with some CT the fathers black neigh
bors. Rescued slaves tell him, and he
believes it, that there arc in the interior
chiefs who eat 10 flesh save that Of girls
and boys from 10 to 16 years of age.
Ee 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, q
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. more than 80 feet high, up
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 the CHIEF
went through the famous form of blood
| brotherhood, each making q slight
| wound in his arm and permitting the
outflowing streams of blood to mingle.
The father then discovered that ther,
| We're 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 an6
| ali his men.
There was silence in the village
while the blacks babbled ceaselessly il
the sun, and the lances peoped out here
and there from behind the huts. Tht
father answered that he would be GLAD
to pay handsomely for any slaves th:.
should be brought to the boat. At thi.
the chief seized his left hand ard badi
him besone. When the father was ready
TO make the steep descent Of the bank
he saw stealthy giant just ready /,
lance one Of the men from the steam
boat. His left hand still Srasped by thu
chief, the father aimed his unchanged
rife at the negro below. and the latter
dropping mis- weapon, drew back.
The next instant the chief had pushed
the father over the bank. He lay stun
ned for a second, but rose unhurt to fiut
the savage lancers attacking his owl
men, and the latter casting themselve
into the river for safety. Quickly load
ing his rife, he turned upon the attack
ing party, but at sight CT the LOADED
weapon the negroes fled. Once On til
boat the father found the. none Of hi
men was wounded. One, the black in
terpreter, was missing, and he was 500,
discovered making ready to storm tn
village. He declared that with two ri
hes the missionary. party could sack tn