The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-01-02
cANNIBALs EAT TRADERS.
Natives of the MobnnEi River, AZ
ricu. Feast on Human Flesh.

Cape Town, Jan. 1.-The cannibals of
the upper Mohangi River are again maxi
ing white men the victims of their appe-
tite for human flesh. According to a dis
patch from Antwerp, four Belgian com
mercial agents. in the service OF the Ant
werp Trading Company, have recently
been killed and eaten.
The Mobangi River is the largest tribu-
tary OF the Congo, and no rivers of Eu-
rope. except the Volga and Danube, equal
it in length or in the volume OF water.
It's l.500 miles of river banks are densely
peopled, most of the way, and the inhabi-
the Congo basin.
In other parts of the Congo region the
first explorers were able TO buy food with
beads and brass wire, but along the Mob
angi these articles of trade were not de-
sired. Give us men 10 eat shouted the
natives, and We will give you all the
manioc. goats and chickens you want. We
don't want your trade goods, and we VIII
sell you nothing except for men"
Grenfell, Van Gele and the other pio-
neers on the Mcbangi used TO tell Of the
expeditions Of large canoes they met Hun
dreds OF men were padding up and down
the river bound for destinations sometimes
scores OF miles from their starting point
They were not on the warpath, but were
simply on their way to other tribes TO buy
slaves for consumption, and coming home
the bottoms Of their canoes would be COW
cred with poor wretches. bound hand and
foot, whom they had purchased.
About n dozen white men. thus far. have
been killed and eaten by Congo natives.
and most Of the victims have been French
men at the French stations on the Moban
gi- The natives have never made war on
the whites for the purpose Of eating them
Too often the Europeans have been the
aggressors. They have shot natives be-
cause they have not supplied the quantity
of rubber demanded Of them and for other
insufficient reasons; and at last the blacks
have sought revenge by killing white men.
Imperative orders from the governments
controlling the Congo basin have at last
secured better treatment Of the native
tribes at the hands of the white agents.
Many OF the Batetela tribe fought side
by side with the whites in the recent war
with the Arabs which resulted in the ex-
pulsion of all the Arab slave dealers from
the Congo State. The Batatsla cannitals
are splendid fighters, but are among the
worst savages who have been found in AZ
rica. During excursions in the neigh
borhocd Of their town, wrote Dr. Hinde,
Il on more than one occasion saw a public
execution When the chief of a town, who
is Of course an absolute monarch. decides
that a man must die. he hands him over
to the people. The man is Immediately
torn to pieces and disappears as quickly
es a hare is broken up by n pack OF
hounds. Every man lays hold of him at
once with one hand and with the other
whips off piece with his knife; no one
stops TO kill him first. for he would By
so doing lose his piece. More than once,
after a drumhead court-martial, when q
spy or deserter was shot, the onlookeIs
have said to us. Why do you bury him
It's no use; when you are gone We shall
| OF course, dig him up Hanging fetiches
] over the grave with a view TO preventing