The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-10-09
A Strange Story Of Adventure in a
Wild Country.
THIRTY YEARS AMONG SAVAGtS'
The Interesting Tale Told by a French
man, Who Claims to Have Been
King of n Tribe of Australian
Savagcs for Many Years.

Gently in the Sun In its London CORE
spondcnce. His experiences are alleged
10 have covered a period of nearly thirty
years. During that time Rougemont be-
came practically King OF a cannipal
tribe. lie says he escaped from his nom
adic life and reached Melbourne IN 1870.
lie arrived I'm England this year, and
on Friday. September 9Th, told the story
of his adventures and his return 70 clNli-
ization at the meeting Of the brlu7h
Association for the Advancement oil
Science at Bristol.
NJ. Rougemonts tale has aroused un-
usual interest. IL is said That ms story
has been investigated by famous geo
graphors like Kettle and Mil and iound
TO have every evidence Of truth. IL 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 VI. ROugemont was
questioned to some extent. lie pleaded
WEAKNESS and begged 20 be excused az
ter answering some questions OF minor
Importance. one or two Of the Englsh
newspapers have permitted expressions
Of doubt regarding the truth OF the mar
ration TO creep into their columns put
I'm tho main the story has been credited
by the English people as not only true
but as revealing interesting Information
regarding the abOrigines Of their great
island colony. Australia. They were IN
cllned 20 look askance at some or the
assertions of tremendous mineral wealth
that II. RougemOnt says he found. Here
is the story OF his wanderings as pre-
pared by NJ. Rougemont himself:
A STORY OF ADVENTURE.
In the year 1869 I left home q mere
youth and engaged in a pearl-fshing ven
ture on board the Dutch schooner Neiel-
land. Our p~earling grounds lay between
the Australian coast and Dutch New
Guinea. After about ten months the yes
sci was wrecked on a small coral Island,
situated about. 10 degrees south and l25
degrees east. off the northwest coast Of
Australia. was absolutely alone. save
that I had the Captains dog with me
on this island. or. rather. sandspit'
lived for two years and underwent much
suffering. AZ the end of that time a
party of blacks. who had been blown out
TO sea from the Australian main. were
cast upon the island ON q native raIt'
such as is used iu fishing expeditions.
After a further period of six months
waiting for favorable winds We set out
together in "a boat built from the wreck
of the schooner. ANA / landed with my
companions on the coast Of Australia In
the year 1S5j-the exact locality was
| Cambridge Gulf. on the northwest coast
OF course. I made many excursions IN
various directions. always with the nope
Of reaching civilization, either overland
or by sea. Evidently, however. drlited
into the centre of the continent, ana
! only reached civilization IN 1895. after an
I 800 60 mum..LV 80 HhHHHHH wears
When I first landed on the Australian
main II may be necessary 20 bear I'm mind
that / was absolutely destitute-without
clothes. tools or instruments of any kind
except q harp0on. q stiictt0 and q steel
tomahawk. i had no book except a New
Testament I'm the French and English
language: an maps and charts had been
swept away by the heavy seas That pre-
coded the wreck. ! had no writing mate
| rails whatever: 70 was therefore impossl-
| BILE for me. even if at that time had
had the wish, 10 MAKE any scientinc
observations or 20 record my wander
ings. For q time. however. / did make
notes on the blank leaves and margins
Of the Testament, using blood Tor INK
| and a Quill from a wild boar as a pen.
This b0ok was. unfortunately, lost aiter
my return 10 civilization i'm the wreck
NJ the steamer Matura. which was lost
I'm the Strait OF Magellan in the present
year of 1898.
LANDING N AUSTRALIA.
When 1 landed ON the continent, I be-
licve vast tracts Of It were uneXplored,
and certainly my wi knowledge or Aus
tralian geography was very small ana
| vague. u had known even the exact
outline Of Australia. IL would have saved
1900. 4.u-HLHA HnHrHnIHHU and wears
! Of suffering. As I have already said, /
landed on the east side of Cambridge
| Gulf. as nearly as I can now remember
J that H. 10 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.
sVor some little time / remained in the
| camp of their tribe, where I was re-
| ceived IN a most friendly way in conse-
| ouence Of the Introduction and represen-
tations Of my native wife. This woman
was one Of the family of blacks that
had been cast upon my islet.
When we landed, nearly all the mem
beers of the tribe and many individuals
from other tribes were gathered to see
the first white man they had ever be-
held. They were not so much surprised,
however, at my personal appearance as
at the form Of my footprints. which
differed very greatly from theirs, and
the few articles I possessed filled them
with amazemcnt. especially my boat. This
| boat. which I built on the island from
the wreck. and in which 7 reached The
mainland with the party Of natives. was,
unfortunately. lost I'M an encounter with
a whale. and with il disappeared my
hopes of reaching Somerset. az Cape
York. a settlement of which I had often
heard the p~earlers speak. Thus l was
obliged to make the attempt by land
and ] started with my wife about Octo-
/ Der. 1851. intending 20 travel due east
10 the Queensland coast. After six or
seven months travelling, at first over a
fat coast land diversified by Isolated
hills. and then through an elevated and
very broken country. I reached a desc
late and waterless region covered with
spinifex. where we both suffered terri
bly, from thirst. and but for the skill
of my native wife i'm finding water and
procuring food, I should probably never
have come through IL.
HOSTILE TRIBES.
We soon found that we had come con-
siderably further south n we intend
ed. and so we struck due north and
eventually reached a flooded river flow
ing eastward. which presently led US 10
the sea. This river was probably the
Ropa. entering the Gulf Of Carpentaria.
but as did not know Of the existence
of such q gulf ! believed we had reached
the Queen Island coast. and / al once
inquired OF the tribes we met Tor the