Evening star., 1926-05-16

swerved. it did not alter the infuriated
animals intention Of getting It's
charge home.
Thinking my number was up,
jumped aside for dear life and es
capped by n hairs breadth the up
ward thrust of the massive head with
its wicked horns. The charge of the
heavy beast carried II some dista nee
beyond me. but bringing itself up
with Jolt. 1t was soon nosing around
with every intention of delivering a
second assault.
by this time. however, I had re-
loaded and. placing another bullet In
it's shoulder. | was devoutlN tina nkful
To see the beast lumber away show
ing every sign this time Of being
vitality hit When had collected
myself sufficiently to follow him up,
| found the old chap nj his last gasp
and finished him off with little diff
Guilty.
on examination he proved TO he
very old. Of massive proportions. with
horns worn away almost To the core
and blind in the right eve. To the
latter fact | consider I owe my life
for It was its right horn that missed
me- The beast was rolling In fat.
and this came in useful for the
making of soap. our supply of which
had run out.
7 ATER moving westward. we
- passed through the regions Of
savage African tribes, especially the
Ba bali, with whose strange. and
sometimes revolving. customs | be
came familiar.
The sinister streak Of extravaga Mt
superstition IN their natures has been
appealed to in some way by the can.
nibal sect known through West Africa
as the Society OF Human Leopards-
but known among the Bahali as the
Anioto-which claims many devotees
among them.
AS far as I am aware. until the
last few years. this sect confined its
inhuman practices to the west Goa at
OF Africa Lagos. the Gold Coast. Lii
IBERIA. The sect was hunted down and
stamped out i'm the British colonies
some years ago. but would seem to he
rampant in the negro state of Liberia
1t Is curious TO note how the eradi
cation of this Leopard sect in one part
OF Africa has led to it's re.esta blish
ment elsewhere, and how the cult has
taken hold of the native mind. JudR
ing by the comparatively recent forma
ton of such society in Congoland
one Is led to believe there may even
have been some kind OF propaganda
at work.
The tale of the Anioto Leopards ot
the Aruwimi is enough to make the
blood run cold and keep the imagina
tive awake at nights. but fortunately
the prey Of this sect are blacks-prin
cipally Young and defenseless women
and children--not whites. When we
arrived in the part Of the forest-be
tween BAHAMA and Bomili-which they
frequented, their campaign of revolt
ing murders had reached it's height
when no less than 12s victims had
been killed and eaten by them. thus
terrorizing the neighborhood.
Eventually things came to such a
pass that the authorities at Stanley
Vile decided to take action and send a
punitive expedition to try and round
up this nest Of murderers, under the
guidance of certain natives who knew
their lair, and with NJ. A. Laurent,
the resolute administrators of stan
leyville as intelligence officer. The
expedition was quite successful as far
as it went. but it failed to stamp out
this pest--over 40 murders having
since occurred.
THE expedition consisted of Nj.
l. Laurent. Lieut.. Patfoort. Judge
Wauters. Roman Catholic priest and
IS native soldiers. The Anioto were