The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-08-25
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AN EXCITING CHASE.
A CANOE RACE IN WHICH A HUMAN
LIFE WAS rAE STAKE.

LIFE WAS rAE STAKE,
The Adventure VI 4 M~.sa,aa~ry In
the Me- CSNNtrS and Naw Tie
sawed we Er0M NetRW Cooked
and Nat~M w tAe CMNMthMlH. /.
The storles that MlsstaNNries Sead
home often throw u vivid ,ight upoh
the dark and savage conditions tAat
encompass them. one OF thu teachers
Or the American Baptist Missionary
union, IN Als annual report, tells at u
recent lAetden, that occurred tar up
the keAg0 river AMeNg thu natives
living aFoNad the shevps Of lake TNM,
ba, only a short distance south Ut the
big river,
EaEly eAe sunday MerAinH, Al tAs
missionary aud his wife were plvpNr
ing FOR tho duties OF the day. they
heard a shout from the lake, An old
man was seen seated IN a eaAee, which
number OF stalwart fellows were
padding 40 fas, IA they could toward
the little river that carries the waters
OF the lake to the KoAge, a few niles
north. The old man was crying ia 4
frantic and despatrtMg voice;
"Mpebe M Menkasa,"
THESE wep thu names by which the
missionary aud his wife are known TO
the natives, The old fellow called
them again and again, ul he saw the
white man and his wife standing on
the beach, Then he shouted TO them,
"Oh, CONT and save me, They are
taking ne away TO KIN and cat mew
The missionary understood the situa.
tloA al once, The place Ia not more
than a days travel fram the mouth
Of the great MehMMgi tributary Of the
K0ngo, The banks or the Mobangi are
lined with eannibal tribes, and II IL one
Of the greatest hotbeds OF anAibaL
Ism,
Explerers have often told Of the
canoes sent out from these tribes to the
districts a little south OF the Kongo for
no ether purpose than 10 buy slaves or
steal men TO carry away 10 their homes
for their eaAAibal feasts, Here was an
old friend OF the missionaries who had
fallen into the power OF these savage
feragers, Not a moment was 10 DO
lost, FOR the eaNoe was shooting past
the station and rapidly approaching
the foet or the lake
Al a word frem the white man a
half doxen young blacks launched a
canoe In the lake ana piled their pad.
dies with all their might II was an
exciting chase, The Wnnihals, seeing
they were pursued, red9ubled their ~.
10 reach thu river 4 few miles
north Of them, II was n heat race Ia
dead earnest, and thu stake was
human life
There we've slX OF the pNrsuers and
Only four " thu fugutlve waaemen,
The chasing party had u larger sum
total OF muscle, aud this advantage DO,
gan 10 tell Slowly the missionary boat
gained on tho mnnlhals, who saw at
las, That they w0uld certainly be-
caught before they vaehed the river,
Then they padded like mad for the
shore, and thu purSuers were only Y
few boat leNgths from them IA they
ran their MNoe up 0A' the beach,
Tho eanAlhAla jumped cut and three
Of them made their escape Into the
woods, carrying with them u considers
Able quantity ut Apass wire, the forum
Of money they Nse In buying slaves,
The fourth MWA Waa made 4 prisoner
md was taken hack 10 the missionary
settleMeM with the poor old Qaptiva,
who wus now trembling with joy A. a
few moments before Ae had QuakedI
with fear, The missionary says that Il
no had not called for help Ae would
have been Killed before night
The expected then happened, OF
thu aMvAges did not relish the
Of vetupnlna 10 their people wlth'
put any victim and with 0ne Of their
party Misslng, The white maa' felt oeF'
lain they would wy 10 ransom their
poMWde, and, Aupe enough, thu crest
fallen man eaters after 4 little while
appeared within haillng distance,
They had hvNss wire, they shouted,
and how much did tho white man want
In exchange tor THEW friend,
He wanted all they had, and after
~pAplaytAg q lol OF wire
was brought halt way 10 tho station,
The old man said he was sure this
wire was al, hIs eaptops had In the
pAAoe, and 0nally " WAS accepted and
the prisoner released The men prob
ably made their way ~ hest they
could hApk ~ their tribe,
The wire wNs worth only Nj, hHt the
missionary SAYS this WAS enough to
keep tho old man In food faV over nine
months, and the falp Inference y that
thu o0sl NJ living on the upper koRga
Inns heen reduced 10 \ hedpaek basis
Vhp Kang0 state Ia vigorously sup'
pressing MnnihAlism ~ faF as IVA In
tiuenpe extends, and therefore the M
tiyes who indulge IN the practice no
l0nger dare, In accordance with their
farmer custom, ~ send large expedt-
tiaps out w hwy slaves, Now and then,
hnxVovnu n smnfl nnrtV 0nlnne In the