Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1919-07-25
WOMEN SELL FOR
TEN DOLLARS EACH
Mining Engineer Has Strange aud
Gruesome Story to Tell
(By Edgar Funk in the July Pow
Vow

end tells strange and gruesome
things of the life that he has seen.
Women that sell for ten dollars each.
men sold for meat and into slavery
FOR a string of beads, fever that lays
the best man low, a jungle full of
deadly serpents and insects, beasts
untamed by man--all these he has
seen. His two years spent two thou
sand miles from the white mans
world make story OF absorbing in
terest.
Menagla left England August IS,
1916. Four months later he reached
his destination in the heart of the
Belgian Congo country. Excepting
a weeks stop in France he travelled
continuously during that time. BY
steamer he journeyed around the
coast of Spain, and down the coast
of Africa, touching at the series of
ports known as the gold jumps"
to the mouth of the Congo. He went
up the Congo to the little river port
of Matadi, 200 miles inland. From
Matadi he journeyed by railway, and
bumped around the S0-mile portage
made necessary by the rapids in the
river At the end of railway, Kin
shaska, his real journey began.
1t must be remembered that Men
agalia was about to enter a country
untrod by the feet of white men.
For two years he would see only
sayages. many of whom had never
before set eyes upon a white man.
For two years the nearest source
OF supplies would be 1000 miles
away. A period of four months
would expire between mails. Dur
ing these two years his main subject
of conversation, conjecture and
thought would be himself. Four
ether white men accompanied him,
but their territories were several
long days marches distance from
his.
All the clothing he would need
in two years all the '1uXuries" he
would enjoy during that time, all
the ammunition he would use, and
reading material to last for a long
period, were loaded into canoes and
the party started up the river on the
long, long, trail.
There followed an SO0-mile voyage
up the humid, fever stricken stretch
es of the Congo. Menaglia tells of
days when he lay in the canoe with
his body hot and cold at intervals,
while the river was dim and whirl-
ing before his feyered eyes. Each
night they made their camp on the
swampy shore. The black boys
would beat the grass and under
growth to drive away poisonous
snakes and lizards Around each bed
was draped a netting to keep deadly
spiders and scorpions from harming
the sleeper. The river was infested
with man-eating crocodles and the
forests were full of beasts of prey,
which before this time the white
mon had seen only in menageries.
In travelling through this wild
country the natives were relied on
for all labor and means of transpor-
tation. This led to difficulties
Since the different tribes were al
most unanimously addicted to can
nabilism, the bearers of one tribe re-
fused to go from the territory con-
trolled by their own people into the
land of an enemy. This made nee
essary the engaging of new carriers
or paddlers every few days of the
journey. The means of obtainable
help was unique. The white men
would approach village and first
call for volunteers for service. Those
who volunteered were at once en-
gagged and from that time on. the
white man, their master, had full
right to work them, beat them, OF
punish them in any way he saw fit
la case none volunteered the white
men would approach the chief OF
the village. and for few priceless!
articles, such as dozen matches
some masks from our modern com
edy stage, or the like, the tribe lead
er would give the number of mel
desired into service at whatever rat.
OF wage the white man was willini
10 pay The period of service wa.
set as the length of time the traveller
remained in the territory OF this par
ticular tribe. The blacks almost in
variably worked as long as required
In case they did not, however, AM
tried to escape a reward was offered