CURIOUS CUSTOMS OF CENTRAL AFRICAN TRIBES 



361 



doubt that in their 

 slave-raiding expedi- 

 tions they have 

 slaughtered them by 

 thousands, they cer- 

 tainly have taught 

 them many a good 

 thing. Itwasthe 

 Arabs who introduced 

 rice, Madagascar po- 

 tatoes, beans, and 

 many useful plants. 

 They have taught the 

 natives cleanliness and 

 established schools in 

 many centers. 



I had expected to 

 secure at Stanleyville 

 all supplies necessary 

 for my overland jour- 

 ney, but when I ar- 

 rived I found that the 

 natives themselves 

 were exceedingly 

 short of stores. There 

 were neither camp 

 beds nor tents to be 

 had ; and as for food, 

 I was able to secure 

 four pounds of flour, 

 some sugar and tea, a 

 few tins of preserves, 

 and a generous supply 

 of pickles. These 

 goods were expected 

 to suffice me for four 

 months. 



I crossed the river 

 under the famous falls 

 in a canoe, and then 

 my luggage was 

 carted by men to a place above the falls 

 where another boat was waiting for me. 

 It was only a dugout, but was of immense 

 size, being manned by 40 paddlers. At 

 every village the crew was changed, so 

 that the men were never taken far from 

 their homes. 



breaking a strike by kidnaping a 

 tribe's women 



In one place the men refused to work, 

 and it was only through strategy that I 

 was able to proceed. The women alone 

 were in the village, and the men, standing 

 at some distance, mocked me. 



PROOE OF" THE CATCH IS THE SHOWING THEREOF 



Like the grapes which Joshua brought back from the land of 

 Canaan, it frequently takes two men to carry one fish caught in the 

 Congo. 



I instructed my boy to put a number of 

 paddles into the boat, and then I invited 

 the savage ladies to come aboard and sell 

 me some food. I was relying upon the 

 universal eagerness of the negroes in this 

 region to trade ; and the scheme did not 

 fail me, for soon 30 women were in the 

 boat bargaining. 



Without attracting their attention, my 

 boy unfastened the rope by which the 

 boat was secured to a tree, and before the 

 saleswomen were aware of what was hap- 

 pening they found themselves floating 

 downstream. 



The effect of this maneuver was imme- 



