The times., 1898-10-02
AMONG THE Wild MEN
1.-The Most Amazing Story a
Man Has Ever Told"
IL Is HARD TO BELIEVE
The Adventures of Rougemont, n
FrcnchnBan- Among Unknown
Blacks Who Are Cunnibuis-His
Observations on Their Life, Beliefs
and Customs.

The following remarkable tale is
taken from the London Times. 1t is 4
report of the meeting of the British AS
sociation, in which the principal event
was NJ. de Rougemont's remarkable pa
per, which was read in the afternoon
in the Princes Theater, whittier the
Anthropological section migrated for
the purpose Of afording larger accom-
mediation The stalls, pit and two tiers
of galleries We're filed by an attentive
audience
His address was long, but very inter
esting and extraordinary, concerning
his enforced e>-ile of some twenty
eight years among the cannibal blacks
Of uneXplored Australia, in the Cam
bridge Gulf region. and in the interior
south OF that gulf. About the year
1863 he Joined pearling expedition, and
was wrecked on small sand spit in the
Sea Of Timor- Here he spent two and a
half years, and only reached the Aus
tralian coast through the instrument
mentality of a party of blacks who had
been thrown out of their course. To-
gether they reached the mainland Of
Australia, in the Cambridge Gulf re
gion, on the northwest coast Of the
continent. Here he spent several years,
making various excursions, but at
length he struck southwark into the in
terror Of the continent, where he spent
upward OF twenty years with the abo-
rigines. Commencing with a deScrip-
tion of the painting and decorating Of
the body. the lecturer said that practi-
cally the only clothing known to these
sayages consisted of a coating Of
grease, clay and powdered charcoal
sometimes scented with a kind of pen
nyroyal herb, and on which featheTed
tufts were often stuck. He then said
that their habitations arr not houses
in the ordinary sense OF the term, but
rude huts. oval or round, and merely
shelters or breakWindS made of bark Cr
bougEs, in front of which d fire was
kept burning. On the death of j person
his house is burned. SO that the dead
mans spirit may not be lingering
around. These houses are not perma-
nent, for when the occupiers have left
they never return TO the same dwell
inss, but generally leave them to de-
cay. The native crawls into his house
through hole measuring about fifteen
inches by ten inches. These people are
men, women and children-eXpert
divers and swimmers, as much at home
in the water as on land. They chiefly
adopt the side stroke. using both hands
alternately. Swimming is not taught
but is supposed to be natural action.
the children learning To swim as soon
as they can walk Metals are, for all
practical purposes, unknown. Thin
flint flakes are made, and large stone
axes are used for telling trees and cut
ting wood.
The lecturer here remarked that the
natives only fell trees with the great
est reluctance and apologies are of
fered TO the trees for taking away their
life. Another consideration, too, in this
matter was that the natives fear they
may loose the soul Of a low bad man
which has been imprisoned in the tree
Every man makes his own implements,
and only makes them for himself, al
though he may barter them away
afterWard. No articles are ever made
with the definite object Of barter or dis
pCsaI in any way. Stone implements
are not bequeathed as heirlooms, but
generally buried with the owner so
that when his spirit rises again all his
weapons will be found ready for use
Fire is produced by the fire-drill twirled
rapidly between the hands. and also by
the stick -and-groove process. The fuel
used is dry dead wood that has fallen
from the trees. No trees are felled for
firewood under any circumstances. 1t is
the duty OF the women to keeq the fire
alight. and generally their duty TO do all
the work. When a fire goes out the ma
tives believe that it has returned to the
sun whence il came. The people in NJ
RougemOnt's mountain home were very
conservative. having a general attach
ment 10 the habits of ancestors and a
deep-rooted dislike To change and re-
form. He frequently testd this in mat
tiers Of state, magic, weapons, war, fes-
tivalS and SO on. In respetct Of food
they. eat all kinds of wild animals and
fruits suck flowers for honey, eat high
meat-practically a necessity, for it is
often high on account of the climate
before they return from the hunt. A
certain kind of mamma falls al certain
seasons, and milk is unknown. IntOxi-
eating or Stimulating drinks are also
unknown. but the natives chew and
often swallow the leaf of a plant that
causes first eXhilaration and then obliy-
ion Great gorging feasts are fire.
uuently held. The lecturer said that
very mistaken idea of cannibalism gen
orally prevails He had never seen any
human being eaten for the sake Of food.
Cannibalism prevailed among his pzo-
pie to a very great extent. but was gov
erned by rules. Usually il is the slain
victims in battle that are eaten by the
victorious side, and, as the object
seems TO be TO acquire the yalor and
virtues of the person eaten, NJ. de
Rougemonr said he endeaVored to Wean
the tribes in his mountain home from
the practice by assuring them that if
they made bracelets, anklets and neck
laces out of the dead mans hair they
would achieve their end equally as
well
The natives believe in no deity, but in
a supreme spirit, who is not worshiped
but propitiated The soul is supposed
TO haunt the habitation after death and
10 pass into other bodies. Priests Of
any kind do not exist: but the medicine
man is a power in the land. for he has
power to depose even chief. which he
does by sorcery. He is maintained at
the expense of that tribe. and the i'm
pOrtant position Easses from father to
son. The natives have no heroes. The
names of the dead are never men
toned. but referred to in an indirect
way. A dead chief might thus be al
luded TO under cover of the name Of his
greatest battlefield. Their superstitions
are many and varied. and dreams they
believe in implicitly. Magic and witch
craft are practiced extensively, both
the white and black varieties. As to
crimes. homicide is criminal. except in
case of a general battle or a private