Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-11-12

the colony have fallen Off to such an
extent that it requires careful work to
make ends meet sometimes. Rubber
and ivory are still exported in large
quantities, and cocoanuts cultivated
along the coast.
: Firearms are not supposed to be
sold to the natives any more. How
ever, they are at liberty to buy gun
powder for those still in their posses
sion, although bullets are barred
They get around this by taking stee,
nails, wire and various things, cutting
them into bits and using these for bull
let's. You can imagine what happens
when human or an animal gets
charge of chopped steel nails in his
hide.
Excel American Indians.
"As archers the African natives ex-
eel the American Indian at his best.
thing that surprised me, while as
metal workers there is no comparison.
The Africans still use great numbers
three feet long, very heavy. and tit
ted with the most wickediooking
barbs of giant proportions that | ever
saw. If one of those barbs entered
! human, and he survived, it would be
necessary to cut him pretty well to-
pieces in order to get the arrows out
of his anatomy. They also use poi.
son-tipped arrows, which are fatal to
anything living that they strike.
Some of the finest examples of
metal working ever saw are pro-
duced by these natives in their crude
forges and with the primitive tools
they make for themselves. Their bat
tleaxes are positive works of art.
heavy, but carefully wrought and skill.
| fully finished. Their knives are the
| finest steel They have strange way
of keeping score with these same axes.
Whenever an ak has done its deadly
work, be it taking a human life or
merely looping off finger or ampu-
tating an ear by way of emphasis, an
other pair of eyes and another nose
are carved on one of the crossbars.
And when all the available space has
been given over to these CHASTITY re-
minders of bloodshed the ak is cast
aside. another is brought into play
and a new score started.
Antelope, hippopotamus, crocodiles
and other tropical denizens inhabit the
rivers and the forests, and leopards
are so common as to attract little at
tention.
Bona is 46 miles up the Congo riv
er from the coast. Matadi 25 miles
further, is the principal seaport From
here inbound cargoes are transferred
to railroad running to Stanley Pool
240 miles distant. beyond the rapids
that prevent navigation. Here the
freight is placed aboard river steam
ers for distribution along the 9,00t
miles of navigable waterways that ex
tend into the interior. That shor
stretch of railway happens to be ont
of the most remunerative enterprise!
in Africa in good times. Every pount
passing over the rails-and there /!
no other way to travels assessed
, heavily.
There are about 10 white RESIDENT
in Bona, most of them Belgian Off
cials. 1t is not exactly the place on,
J would select as a health resort. Liv,
stock carnot exist there, because |
|, contracts the sleeping sickness
Beeves are brought down the coast OF
sailing vessels, killed as wanted, ant
, when the stock is exhausted other
are imported, but no attempt is mad
! at breeding cattle. There being M
horses, carriages have no place. In
stead there is a single-wheeled chair
, called push-push, with a native ii
, front to pull and another at the hacl
J to maintain the equilibrium Tax
! cab rates are not exorbitant. 1t /
possible to obtain a push-push and tw'
; natives for six dollars a month. O
thereabouts.