The Eastern Congo 



From the foregoing it will be seen that the BabaU are 

 indeed a curious mixture — ^intelligence and barbarity, vanity, 

 cruelty and superstition are mixed up with such likeable 

 qualities as politeness, good nature, cheerfulness, unlimited 

 patience, and dog-like trust in the white man, with no real 

 malice or vice in their composition. One takes a hking to 

 them as one would to a good dog and in spite of oneself. 

 Dog eats dog sometimes but nevertheless they may still 

 be likeable. The fact is one cannot judge the Babali by 

 human standards. If one attempts to do this one is filled 

 with loathing at their barbarous customs and cannibal 

 propensities. 



The sinister streak of extravagant superstition in their 

 natures has been appealed to in some way by the cannibal 

 sect known through West Africa as the Society of Human 

 Leopards — but known amongst the Babali as the Anioto 

 — ^which claims many devotees amongst them. 



As far as I am aware, until the last few years, this sect 

 confined its unhuman practices to the west coast of Africa 

 — Lagos, the Gold Coast, Liberia. The sect was hunted 

 down and stamped out in the British Colonies some years 

 ago, but would seem to be rampant in the negro state of 

 Liberia as will be seen from the following cutting, out of 

 The African World : — ■ 



" The Society of Human Leopards. 

 " The artificial civilisation of a superstitious race never 

 altogether eradicates their superstitions, but it may modify 

 them. Man in this respect is like the performing dog escaped 

 from the circus ; he readily goes back to nature. There 

 is a savage side to certain African aborigines which is only 



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