The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1899-08-25
An EXCITING CHASE.
! CANOE RACE IN WHICH A HUMAN
LltE WAS THE STAKE.

Saved a Native From Being Cooked
and Eaten by the Cannibals.
The stories that missionaries send
home often throw q vivid light upon
the dark and savage conditions that
encompass them. One Of the teachers
Of the American Baptist Missionary
union, in his annual report, tells Of a
recent incident that occurred far up
the KOngO river among the natives
living around the shores OF Lake Tum-
ba, only a short distance south Of the
big river.
Early one Sunday morning, as the
missionary and his wife were prepar-
ing for the duties Of the day. they
heard q ShCdt from the lake. An CID
man was seen seated in q canoe, which
a number of stalWart fellows were
padding as fast as they could toward
the little river that carries the waters
Of the lake to the KOng0, i few miles
north. The old man was crying in q
frantic and despairing voice:
"MpCbe IA MOnkasa."
These were the names by which the
missionary and his wife are known to
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 q days travel from the mouth
Of the great MObangi tributary Of the
KOngO. The banks of the Mobangi are
lined with cannibal tribes, and it is one
of the greatest hOtbeds Of cannibal-
ism.
Explorers have often told of the
canoes sent out from these tribes to the
districts a little south Of the KOngO for
no 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
forage Not a moment was to be
lost for the canoe was shooting past
the station and rapidly approaching
the foot of the lake.
At a word from the white man q
half dozen young blacks launched a
canoe in the lake and piled their pad
dies with all their might 1t was an
exciting chase The canntbals, seeing
they were pursued, redOubled their en-
CrgieS to reach the river a few miles
north of them. 1t was q boat race in
dead earnest, 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 a
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 a prisoner
and was taken back to the missionary
settlement with the poor old captive,
who was now trembling with joy as Il
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. Of
course. the HavaIes did rot relish the
idea OF RETURNING to their people with
out any victim and with one Of their
party missing. The white nan felt GER
tain they Woull Try to ransom their
c0mradc, and, sure enough, the crest
fallen man eaters after a little while
appeared Within haili0g distance.
They EaN brass wire they shouted,
and how much did the white man want
in exchange for their FRIEND
,,.,;.7..,,1,7,, ,,a,.1,,.i,,,. 1o+ of WHO
H., I,,,,,,,,.I,+ 1,,1f ,,.o,, a. +ho sto+ion
49, -.