The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-25
WAS A CANNIBAL KIN
KING
THE REMARKABLE ADVENTURES
OF LOUIS DE ROUGEMONT.


Eating Tribe - Many Attempts TO
Return to Civilization - Repulsed
BY the whites Whom HE Sought.
Editors Note.-The sensation OF The
hour in Europe is NJ. De Rougemont, the
modern Robinson Crusoe,' who returned
to France a short time ago, more than
thirty years after the time when he disap-
reared, and was supposed to have been
lost Il appears that during this time NJ
de Rougemont ran the. gamut of savage
experiences, from that of the lonely casta-
way on a tiny island to the chief of
cannibal tribe in the interior Of Australia.
His story, the most remarkable of modern
times, has deeply interested such men
as Drs. Kettle and Mil, the eminent
eeographers, who have investigated il,
and are satisfied of its perfect accuracy.
NJ de Rougemontl attracts a great deal
OF attention wherever he appears, and has
received any number of invitations to ad-
dress geographical and scientific societies.
Last week he appeared before the Bristol
Congress of the British Association for
the advancemnt of science. His account
of his experiences is being published Sc
rally in George Newnes Wide World
Magazine, beginning with last month. Two
weeks ago the Morning News published a
summary of his experiences for the first
two years. The subjoined story takes up
the narrative where the former instament
left off. Altogether, NJ de Rougemont
may be called the man of the hour. The
Of modern Robin ('rIIGOP
which has been generally placed upon
him is in no way a misnomer, for the
weird and remarkable experiences which
he has been through have never been
equaled since Defoe wrote the story of his
famous hero.
The following story is the account that
NJ de Rougemont has given of his expert
ences. and covers briefly the whole ground
that will be gone over by the numerous
installments of his magazine story. 1t is
the same story that he related to the
British scientists, the truth of which has
been so carefully verified.
In the year 1863 1 left home a mere
youth and engaged in a pearl-hshing VEN
ture on board the Dutch schooner Veil
land. Our pearling 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 thirteen degrees south and
1875 degrees east, off the northwest coast
OF Australia. 1 was absolutely alone, save
that / had the captains dog with me.
On this island, or, rather, sand-spit, liv-
ed for two years, and underwent much
suffering. At the end of that time party
of blacks, who had been blown out to sea
from the Australian main, were cast upon
the island on native raft, such as Is
used in fishing expeditions. After a
further period of six months waiting for
h 10 min - cpf q
boat built from the wreck of the schooner,
and 1 landed with my companions on the
coast of Australia in the year 1S66-the
exact locality was Cambridge Gulf, on the
northwest coast. OF course, l made many
excursions I'm various directions, always
with the hope of reaching civilization,
either overland or by sea. Evidently
however, drifted into the center of the
continent, and only reached civil
lization in 1895 after an eX-
lie of upward of thirty years. When
first landed on the Australian main 1t may
be necessary to bear in mind that was
absolutely destitute-without clothes, tools
or instruments of any kind, except har-
poOn, stletto and a steel tomahawk. l
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 the time I 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 a quill from a wild boar as
pen. This book was, unfortunately, lost
after my return to civilization in the
wreck of the steamer Matura, which was
LOST in the Straits of Magellan in the
present year of 1898.
When I landed on the continent I be-
Heve vast tracts of it were unexplored,
and certainly my own knowledge of Aus
Ualian geography was very small and
vague. If l had known even the exact
outlines of Australia it would have saved
me many terrible journeys and years of
suffering.
As l have already said, landed on the
east side of Cambridge Gulf as nearly as
l 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 1 remained in the camp of their tribe,
where was received in a most friendly
way in consequence Of the introduction
ana representations of my native wife.
TINS woman was one of the family of
blacks that had been cast upon my islet.
Wnen We landed nearly all the members
OF the tribe and many individuals from
other tribes Were gathered to see the first
white man they had ever beheid They
We're not so much surprised, however, at
my personal appearance as at the form
oI my footprints, which differed very
greatly from theirs, and the few articles
/ possessed filed them with amusement.
especially my boat. This boat, which /
quit on the island from the wreck and
IN which l reached the mainland with
the party of natives, was, unfortunately.
lost in an encounter with whale and
with 1t disappeared my hopes of reaching
somerset at Cape York, a settlement Of
which l had often heard the pearlers
speak. Thus l was obliged to make the
attempt on land, and I started with nv
wife about October, 1867, intending to trav-
Ell due east TO the Queensland coast. Aft
or SIX or seven months travelling, at first
over a fiat coast land diversified by $50
Ialed nils, and then through an elevated
ana very broken country, 1 reached a
uesolate and water,ess region covered with
spinlfex, where we both suffered terribly
from thirst, and but for the skill of my
native wife in finding water and procur-
CHI