The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-10-04
SAYS HE RULED CANNIBALs.

NldlOlls
 SAYS HE RULED CANNIBALs.
 Rougemont's Strange Story Which has
 Interested England-Invited to Tell
 His Adventures of Thirty Years
 Among Australian Savages to Brit
 aims Great Scientific Society-Tales
 of Great Mineral Wealth.
 An account of some of the experi- ences of M. de Rougemont among the savages of northwestern Australia ap- peared recently in the Sun in it's Lon don correspondence. His experiences are alleged to have covered a period of nearly thirty years. During that time Rougemont became practically king of R cannibal tribe He says he escaped from his nomadio life and reached Mel bourne in 1885, He arrived in England this year, and on Friday, September g., told the story of his adventures and his return to civilization at the meeting of the British Association for the Ad- vancement of Science, at Bristol.
 M. Rougemont's tale has aroused un- usual interest. It is said that his story has been investigated by famous geo. graphers like Kettle and Mill and found to have every evidence of truth. It was probably because of this understanding that he received an invitation from so staid and distinguished a body as the British association. At the conclusion of the Bristol address M. Rougemont was questioned to some extent. He pleaded weariness and begged to be ex- cused after answering some questions of minor importance. One or two of the English newspapers have permitted expressions of doubt regarding the truth of the narration to creep into thetr columns, but in the main the story has been credited by the English people as not only true, but as revealing inter- esting information regarding the abo- rigines of their great island colony, Australia. They were inclined to look hskance at some of the assertions of tremendous mineral wealth that M. Rougemont says he found. Here is the story of his wanderings as prepared by M. Rougemont himself
 Tn the year 1863 I left home a mere youth and engaged in pearl-fishing venture on board the Dutch schooner velelland. Our pearling grounds lay between the Australian coast and ICAlCIl 1NtW STuliltb. tAlIcI dpouI tcI months the vessel was wrecked on a small coral island, situated about thir- teen degrees south and one hundred and twenty-five degrees east, off the northwest coast of Australia. I was absolutely alone, save that I had the captains dog with me. On this island, or, rather, sandspit, I lived for two years and underwent much suffering. 4A L Lr- 1p4 SNf blacks who had been blown out to sea from the Australian main, were cast upon the island on a native raft, such as is used in fishing expeditions. Af- ter a further period of six months waiting for favorable winds we set out Together in a boat built from the wreck of the schooner and I landed with my .conpanions on the coast of Australia in the year 1S66-the exact locality was Cambridge Gulf, on the northeast coast. Of course, made many excursions Tn various directions, always with the hone of reaching civilization, either overland or by sea- Evidently, howev- CT. drifted into the center of the conti- nent. and only reached civilization in 1895, after an exile of upward of thirty years.
 When first landed on the Australian main it may be necessary to bear in mind that I was absolutely destitute without clothes, tools or instruments of any kind, except a harpoon, stiletto and a steel tomahawk. I had no book except a New Testament in the French and English language; all maps and charts had been swept away by the heavy seas that preceded the wreck l had no writing materials whatever; 1t was therefore impossible for me, even if at that time had had the wish, to make any scientific observations or to record my wanderings. For a time, however, did make notes on the blank leaves and margins of the Testament, using blood for ink and quill from a wild boar as pen. This book was, un- fortunately, lost after my return to civ- 1lization in the wreck of the steamer Matrra. which was lost iii the Strait of Magellan in the present year of 189S
 When I landed on the continent. I be- Iieve vast tracts of it were unexplored, and certainly my own knowledge of Australian geography was very small and vague. If I had known even the exact outline of Australia, it would have saved me many terrible journeys and years of suffering. As I have al- ready said, landed on the east side of Cambridge Gulf, as nearly as I can now remember, that is to say, Queens Channel, which was the home of my native companions, who found their way back with me from the little islet by steering by the stars. For some little time I remained in the camp of their tribe. where was received in most friendly way in consequence of the introduction and representations of my native wife. This woman was one Of