The sun., 1908-03-22
A MANS Arm ON THE BEACH
r0LD TALE or BLACK L6YALTY
IN AN AFRICAN FOREST.

Gave Their Lives TO Save Their Master.
I, was the Fourth Of July. We celebrated
Il nv little caravan and |, camped In the
grsar Baschlele forest at the foot Of Wiss-
nam Falls. on the banks Of the Kasai, in
central Africa.
We planted the American flag on the top
Of a lonely palm and fred volley from
the shotgun, revolver and Martini-Henry
which constituted our armament. There
were twenty Africans in the party besides
,helr .Nlukelenge,' who lives 10 tell about
,be,r devotion on that historic and fateful
day
We were bound on a canoe trip down tho
Easai 10 the place. distant about sixty
niles where the Lulua joins the Kasai on
their way TO the Congo. The men who were
with me we're friendly natives who had
attached themselves 10 me In my wander
ings and had become my most loyal fol-
lowers and companions. In fact, most Of
them we're runaway slaves who had escaped
from their oannlbal masters 10 the south
and sought protection.
In their slave condition they had been
fable to be sacrificed on funeral oocadons
or 10 be killed and eaten. Hence really
vas often embarrassed by the numbers
who had stolen away and come TO follow
nv fortunes but never turned one away.
Iplaced most Of them under the surveillance
Of mission or a trader, and the little band
had with me on this occasion was made
upo' those who had shown the most bravery
and attachment
That they we're loyal to the core ia illus
trated on this occasion. They. Of course.
knew the surrounding country better than
l. Yet in my explorations when | set out
for ary region they never asked the reason
Why Treated with kindness, they re-
sronded Realizing what they had escaped
in their own unhappy country and proud
in the enjoyment Of their new found free
dom. they never counted what other dangers
they mi ght incur.
We had come into this Baschilele country
nom the southeast and was more or less
ignorantofthe character Of the natives on the
hanks of the Kasai below Wissmann Falls
but they never enlightened me with their
fears As a matter Of fact the Baschilele
have long been one Of the most intractable
savage and inveterately hostile Of all the
Congo tribes. To this day their country is
practically terra incognita.
At the time Of my first expedition among
them they were rejoicing in having in
ficted fogging upon a Belgian military
officer and they had killed number Of the
employees Of a trader who had tried TO
settle in their territory. But / had been
in different part Of the country while all
this went on and arrived on the border
of these savages in ignorance Of their recent
exploits.
As our purpose in going down the KAsai
was TO look for a steamer which was eX-
pected, but could not get up to the falls
al that season, my followers regarded II as
of great Importance that / should get my
mail and supplies. and never tried to deter
me by reciting the dangerous character
Of the population hidden in the great forests
along the river. The nearest white man
was sixty miles away. We had left the
settlements Of friendly natives twenty
miles behind US and prepared TO embark
in two canoes which we had hired from them
on the morning Of that sunshiny anniver-
sary Of American freedom.
Well might the negroes shout on that
day--ior the echoes Of the first Fourth
had reached central Africa and freedom
was marching on. Even II some Of them
we're on their last march, it was in freedoms
cause, for they regarded my liberation
of them and their fellow slaves as new
dispensation, and they hailed it and meant
to speed Il on.
Il was wild scene Of wonderful natural
beauty and savage grandeur at the foot OF
those roaring cataracts named in honor Of
the great German explorer. The yellow
Kasai lay shimmeing in the bosom Of vast
green woods, reaching up above the waters
On the mighty hillGdes-a golden band set
in emerald borders. where a snow white
heron sat perched high on some dead limb,
or hocks Of shreking parrots darted and
ch.ttered, -rhile mcrLeys Aed .he st51..hy
approach Of the leopard. and the hippo
potamus roared defiance as the canoes sped
over the broad stream.
The picture in my mind as recall it al
ways carries with it. too sense Of the
vast silence Of a melancholy brooding over
water, woods and sky; where mans insi gnii-
cance in the face OF great untamed nature
pressed down on the soul. and reminded one
that. after ALL his conquests are only just
in the beginning.
Sometimes one would see break in the
forest, where a sandy plain came into view.
fanked by an occasional palm bringing to
mind the exquisite verses OF Heine by
Sidney LAuier;
In the Far North there stands Pine Tree,
lone upon a wintry height
It sleeps; around it SHOWS have thrown
4 covering OF white.
L. dreams forever OF Palm
That. far in the morning land,
Stands silent. In a most sad calm,
Midst heaps OF burning sand.
The crews OF the two boats beat lively
ts'toos to accompany the paddles and every
now and then broke into roll:cldng boat
songs, as they raced down stream, and
chered each other on the way. Some OF
their verses ran like this:
Ye, Ye, VI. vi. Yo. Yo.
Mukelenge Mua Kwa mauda;
White man is going down river)
Ho. Ho. Ha, Ha, He, He.
Tvetu Yonso Kua ne Haudi
I'VE are all going with himl
Tvetu KenA KuohinA,
Ysndi wuh ngudua.
Hs-A-a, H-o-o-o.
7 hear the last line one would think the
Apaches had come 20 AfHca-or the rebel
army was rising again.
II Ia notaun-4hv that kha African aiava