The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-08
TRADING WITH CANNIBALS.
RISKS TAKEN BY WHITE, MEN IN
THE SOLOMON ISLANDS.
The Fronts Great. but the Traders in Com
slant Danger Of Being Killed and
Faten-A Part OF the World Where
Natives stlli Practice tannlbalisDi.

Tho solomon islands lie east Of New
Guinea. The two northern islands belong
10 Germany and the others to Greo, Brit
ain.
Neither country has done anything 70
develop them. The interior of the islands
is almost unknown. The reason is that tie
natives are extremely hostile and exploring
parties have never dared TO venture far
from the coasts.
Traders take their lives in their hands
and live on the shores Of a few Islands but
rarely venture out of sight Of the sea As
ships approach Bougaip VILE the largest
island. they see many miles away the
great Kronprinz Range, extending through
the centre and rising TO 5000 feet but though
mariners have seen these mountains for
centuries no white man has ever visited
the range because the region between II
and the sea is densely peopled by the
most warlike OF sayages
Carl Ribbe, a German naturalist. has
had the courage to spend two years at
trading stations along the coasts. lie
has lust written book that bristes with
information about these islands and their
inhabitants. He sketches the land, the
people, and the vegetable and animal HE,
and his book "Zwei Jahre unter den Kan
nibalen der Salomon-Inseln.' is especially
timely because 80 little has been written
about this archipelago.
Rihhe saws that there is no more danger
Gus trade in the world than that with tho
Solomon islanders. The traders are liable
10 be attacked at any time Loaded re-
volvers are always in their belts.
..IW Ffala 10
whitemen could not be induced to live there
Thenatives gatherarge quantities of cocoa
nuts. and are anxious TO sell them. though
their commercial instinct does not keep
them from killing the white trader " they
catch him Of his guard
They sell their commodities fora song
in comparison with prices asked by other
Pc : g natives who know the whites better
Tue trader in the Solomons buys 100 cocoa
nuts for o piece Of cloth worth about Is
cents.
The natives are at the same ridiculous
disadvantage in exchanging other com
modities and 80 the traders continue bust
meas relations that are so profitable 70 them
They dry the meat Of the cocoanut under
the tropical sun, turningit into copra, which
vessels take away TO Europe, where the oil
l. expressed. for soap making and other
purposes
II must be highly exciting to live in a
land where day or night one may be the
target Of "A spear or bullet, The reckless
traders finding that the natives are almost
orazy for firearms sell them 10 every one
who can produce the many thousands Of
cocoamIs demanded.
Now and then they are killed by the
very guns that they have sold The same
blacks who traf,c peaceahly with the trader
Ia husires- hours are likely 20 mrk around
mis- house in the darkness in ne hope Of
shooting bun while asleep
Now and tben they are caught sp, IN G
around thf homes 20 End the exa. POSITION
o. ,he ped H. which th1 white ma sleeps
They are likely to mark the outside of the
wall near which the bel stan = for The
purpose Of killing the trader by shooting
through IT, 81 tie especially dangerous
stations raders move their beds every
night or else pile around them a wall Of
boxes
Ito trader smells smoke during the night
he u very careful about sticking his head
out The door or window. for he has learned
that 1t is favorte trick OF the blacks to
create q smudge so that the whites may be