St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-09-23
SAVED FROM cANNlBALs.
An Old NeEro.s Appeal for Help q
HIS Capt0Fs Bore Hin To-
ward the Congo.

ward the Congo.
The Etories that missionaries send
home often throw q Wild light upon the
dark and savage conditions that encom-
pass them. One of the teachers OF the
American Baptist Missionary union. in
his annual report, tells of a recent in
cident that occurred far up the Congo
river among the natives living around
the shores of Lake Tumba. only short
distance south of the big riveT.
Early one Sunday morning, as the
missionary and his wife were prepar-
ing for the duties of the day. they heard
a shout from the lake. An old man was
seen seated in a canoe, which number
of stalwart fellows were padding as
fast as they could toward the little
river that carries the waters of the lake
to the Congo, few miles north. The
old man was crying in . frantic and
despairing voice:
"Mpebe ma Monkasa."
These were the names by which the
missionary and his wife are known tc
the natives. The old fellow called them
again and again, till he saw the white
man and his wife standing on the beach
Then he shouted to them:
"Oh, come and save me! They are
taking me away to kill and eat me-.
The missionary understood the situa-
ton at once. The place is not more
than days travel from the mouth OF
the great Mobangi tributary of the Con-
go. The banks of the Mobangi are
lined with cannibal tribes, and it is one
of the greatest hotbeA Of cannibalism
Explorers have often told of the canoes
lsent out from these tribes to the dis
tricts little south of the Congo for nc
other purpose than to buy slaves or
steal men to carry away to their homes
for their cannibal feasts. Here was an
old friend of the missionaries who had
fallen into the power of these savage
foragers. Not a moment was to be
lost, for the canoe was shooting pas!
the station and rapidly approaching
the foot of the lake.
At u word from the white man half
dozen young blacks launched canoe
in the lake and piled their paddles with
all their might. 1t was an exciting
chase. The cannibals. seeing they were
pursued, redoubled their energies tc
reach the river q few miles north OF
them. 1t was boat race in dead earn
est, and the stake was a human life.
There were six of the pursuers and
only four of the fugitive canoemen.
The chasing party had a larger sum
total of muscle, and this advantage be
gan to tell. Slowly the missionary boat
gained on the cannibals, who saw at
| last that they would certainly be caught
before they reached the river. Then
they padded like mad for the shore,
and the pursuers were only few boat
lengths from them as they ran their
canoe up on the beach.
The cannibals jumped out and three
of them made their escape into the
woods, carrying with them consider
able quantity of brass wire. the form
of money they use in buying slaves.
The fourth man was made prisoner
and was taken back to the missionary
settlement with the poor old captive,
who was now trembling with joy as
few moments before he had quaked
| with fear. The missionary says that
If he.had not called for help he would
probably have been killed before night.
The expected then happened. Oh
course. the savages did not relish the
idea of returning 10 their people with
out any victim and with one OF their
party missing. The white man felt GER
tain they would try to ransom their
comrade and, sure enough, the crest
| fallen maneaters after little while ap-
peared within hailing distance. They
had brass wire, they shouted, and how
much did the white man want in ex-
change for their friend. He wanted all
they had, and after considerable parley-
ing a lot of wire was brought half way
to the station. The old man said he
was sure this wire was all his captors
had in the canoe. and finally it was ac-
| cepted and the prisoner released. The
men probably made their way as best
| they could back to their tribe. The
| wire was worth only 81, but the mis-
sionary says this was enough to keeE
| the old man in food for over nine
months. and the fair inference is that
the cost of living on the upper Congo
has been reduced to a bedrock basis.
The Congo State is vigorously sup
pressing cannibalism as far as its in
fiuence extends. and therefore the ma
tives who indulge in the practice no
longer dare. in accordance with their
former custom, to send large expedi-
tions out to buy slaves. Now and then,
however. small party engage in the
hazardous business, hoping by the
smallness of their numbers to escape
the attention of the whites.-N. Y. Sun.
| Do AnElo-Snxons Talk Too Much:
| Carlyle thinks Anglo-Saxons tall
too much. He belittles speech. exalts
books, and unveils ideas as the gian,
forces. Yet no great reform was ever
ushered in through an idea bound in
calfskin and placed upon a library
shelf. 1t was an idea flaming in the
fiery speech of Bernard that kindled
ardcr in the crusaders. When the old
hero stood forth before the host j,
was as il the skies, long silent. had al
last broken into speech. The Reforma.
tion also represents not simply the
lightning of Luther's thought. but the
thunder of Luther's throat. The ora.
| tions of Clay and Webster lent posi-
ton to these statesmen. Just as Lin
coins speeches made him president
The great abolition movement pro
gressed but slowly as long as it's sole
instrument was 'Garrison's printing
press. II was the eloquent voice ol
Wendell Phillips that made the idea o.
freedom invincible. Rev. Newell
Dwight Hills, in Ladies' Homo Jour
nal.
/ pftchtnE Pennies.
| Our Filipino proteges have a new
i <xf v,sA A.I F. -