The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-01-27
THE AFRICAN pYGMY FOREST

Alfred J. Lloyd the young Englishman
who reached home the other day after
successfully traversing the African Pyg-
my forest. said to u reporter:
There are no Eur opeans in any part of
the forest, but there are few villages
containing tree or four houses which are
known as auxiliary Belgian stations.
They are occupied by so-called A rabs who
have been placed there by the Belgians.
| In parts l found fairly good track, per-
haps couple of feet wide. overhung and
crossed by boughs and enormous creepers,
but generally speaking 1t was easier TO
cut our way right through the tropical
growth. In places the darkness was very
great. Once l tried to photograph my
tent at midday, but even with nearly
half an hours exposure the attempt was
failure. Occasionally i came upon a
very small natural clearing, but generally
speaking the growth was very dense, and
ii was like advanced twilight In many
places 1t was impossible to read even at
noon. l walked during the three weeks
was going trough the forest, although
had donkey with me, for If had
ridden him l should have been continual
ly pulled Off by the oreepers. We had
several narrow escapes from falling trees
On one occasion my two boys and myself,
who were at the head of the party, had
juts passed under an enormous tree,
when it fell with crash between us and
the rest of the carriers. Had We passed
two seconds later it woul1 have fallen on
us measured one tree which had fallen
across the track, and found 1t to be TWEEN
ty feet in circumference. The deathlike
stiffness of the forest was continually
broken by reports like thunder rs these
giant trees fell crashing to the ground.
AT night times these reports were most
startling. The forest is literally alive
with elephants leopards, wild pigs,
buffalo, and antelope. Fires at night kept
of any leopards that might have been
proving round our little eEoampment
At night | used TO fasten my tent to the
trunks Of trees and surround the camp
with "a Zarlba of small trees. We never
had IA guard At night.
The first Europeans met after leaving
the forest were two Belgian officers at Ia
place called Mawambi. on the lturi river.
Just after reaching tina. place / again
struck Staplcy's route, and marched for
ten days along the banks of the lturi to
the village of Avakubi. Travelling here
was very difficult, in fact almost as bad
as in tho great forest. The tracks were
all oveIgrown and the country practically
uninhabiied, Its only occupants wera
cannibals. At Avakubi, which place l
reached on October 20, l got two large
dugout canoes and embarked ON the
Aruwimi. The natives rugged up a little
covering on one OF the boats for protec-
ton from the sun, and this nearly cost
me my life / Was in this boat, and wa
were just starting down strong rapid,
when the craft began TO sink, and was
unable to get free of the covering. / even
tually got to the surface IN an exhausted
condition but l lost large number of
photographs. len days journey down the
Aruwimi u2ht us to its junction with
the Congo at Basoko. Ibis was regarded
as a very quick journey, but we were of
course going down stream. During the
section passed through the country of
the canniDal Bangwa tribe. a very war
like people who are noted Tor their won
derful workmanship in iron. which they
make into spears knives, etc They are
at present more or less cowed by the BEL
gians, but / doubt ii this condition of
affairs will be permanent and l believe
the Belgians will have trouble with them
yet.
There are many Congo State posts
down the Aruwimi with white officers
and apparently they manage TO keep on
fairly good terms with the cannibals by
whom they are surrounded. Personally
| was received most kindly by these can.
nihals. They are. it is true, warlike and
fierce, but open and straightforward !
did not find them to be of the usual
cripCing type. but manly fellows who
treated me as an equal. l had no diff
Guilty with them whatever. AT one place
l put together the bicycle ! had with me
and, at the suggestion Of these people,
rode round their village in the middle Of
"a forest The scene was remarkable, as
thousands of men, women, and children
turned out, dancing and yelling, TO see