The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1913-02-22

opened fire upon them with his light
rifle aud they disappeared like rab-
bits into the standing crops.
Grogan hurried on to the huts from
which he had seen these people come;
but they were too quick for him. and
fed A cloud of vultures lowering
over the spot gave him an inkling OF
what he was about to see. but. as Gro
gan told me, the realization defied de-
scription. He cannot speak Of the
awful events even to this day with
out shudder; it haunts him in his
dreams; at dinner it sits on his leg-of-
mutton; 1t bubbles in his soup-in
fine. even the Watonga followers of
Grogan went forty-eight hours with
out food rather than eat the potatoes
that grew in that country! And ne
groes have not delicate stomachs.
Loathsome. revolving, it was hide
Gus nightmare of horrors.
Every village had been burned to
the ground, and in every direction lay
skeletons. nothing but skeletons; and
such postures-what tales of horror
they told!
Kishari. beautiful and well-wa-
tered country. had been converted into
bowling wilderness. Kameronse
had suffered to the same extent.
Thus a tract of country fully three
thousand square miles in extent had
been depopulated and devastated
Grogan estimates that barely two per
cent of the inhabitants had survived
the massacre and famine. In Kishari
and Kameronse he did not see sim
gle soul
After this followed two of the worst
days in Grogan's life. Rapid move
ments alone could save him and his
party from utter humiliation. and
they travelled from sunrise to sunset.
camping in patches of forest, and con-
cealing their route by leaving the
paths and forcing their way through
the grass. Mummies, skulls. limbs,
putrefying carcasses, washing to and
fro In every limpid stream. marked
the course OF the fiendish horde of
Baleka- An insufferable stencil filled
the land, concentrating round every
defiled homestead.
Fear Of being rushed at night made
sleep well-nigh impossible. tired as
they were. The country was exceed
ingly beautiful. Wild stretches of un-
dulating hills, streaked with forest and
drained by hundred streams, each
with its cargo of bloated corpses,
made terrible combination of heaven
and hell. Grogan says that. seeing
all these things. he wondered whether
there were God. Flights of gor-
geous butterflies f1oated here and
there. and. settling on the gruesome
relics, gave a finishing touch to the
horrors of the land.
In Kameronse, in skirting along
large papyrus swamp. they came
across fresh spoor of natives. Grogan
had only just seized his gun. when>a
woman. girl and two small boys APP
peared. These his followers captured.
and the woman offered to lead them
to her relatives. Grogan followed
cautiously in her wake. the way lead
ing through very tall grass. AS he
turned a corner, the guide flashed
past him, and Grogan found himself
confronting dozen gentlemen of an
thropophagic proclivities on supper in
tent!
The unexpected appearance of q
white man checked their rush, and
doging a spear. he got his chance and
dropped one of the Baleka with shot
through his heart. The others turned
and fed, with Grogan and his men in
hot pursuit. In the cannibals' camp
they found the remains of two unfor-
tunate natives, captured the day be-
fore. stewing in cooking pots. Every
where there were the same gruesome
relics.
The Journey With Mailman.
After reaching Bugoie. Grogan
joined forces again with Sharp and
travelled to Uganda with him. But at
Toro, Sharp was forced to leave the
expedition and return to England on
account OF urgent private analrs,
Grogan decided to continue his jour
ney down the Nile alone.
Skirting Mount Ruwenzor, he
struck out for the Semiliki valley.
which is the true source of the Nile.
His adventures on his march to Kero
in the Lado Enclave of the Congo. to
say the least Of 1t, were exciting.
Everywhere he had to overcome diff
culties which might appear insur-
mountable to most At times he had
to bluff the unruly natives and so
save the lives of himself and his few
native followers; and other adven-
lures by the score made up the pro-
gram of almost every days progress.
At Kero the Belgian official In
charge offered Grogan passage in a