1 6 Central Africa. 
expedition which he led down to the mouth of the Congo, 
had, on more than one occasion, to battle over every inch 
of the ground with these bloodthirsty man-eaters. On one 
occasion he and his party were confronted by a tribe of 
savages who harked at them like dogs, and dodged them 
about in the attempt to wound and kill. A graphic quota- 
tion from the account given by Mr. Stanley himself, will 
afford the best picture of native savage life. " On present- 
ing myself, I attracted out of doors the owners and ordinary 
inhabitants of each hut, until I found myself the centre 
of quite a promiscuous population of naked men, women, 
children, and infant?. Though I had appeared here for the 
purpose of studying the people of Uhombo, and making 
a treaty of friendship with the chief, the villagers seemed 
to think that I had come merely to make an exhibition of 
myself as some natural monstrosity. I saw before me over 
a hundred beings of the most degraded, unpresentable type 
it is possible to conceive ; and although I knew quite well 
that some thousands of years ago the beginning of this 
wretched humanity and myself were one and the same, a 
sneaking disinclination to believe it, possessed me strongly, 
and I would, even now, willingly subscribe some small 
amount of silver money, for him who could best assist to 
controvert the discreditable fact. If the old chief appeared 
unprepossessing, how can I paint without offence my hum- 
bler brothers and sisters who stood around us. As I looked 
at the array of faces, I could only comment to myself, ugly^ 
uglier^ ugliest. As I looked at their rude and filthy bodies, 
and the general indecency of their nakedness, I ejaculated, 
' Fearful ! ' as the sum total of what I might with propriety 
say, and what indeed is sufficiently descriptive. And what 
shall I say of the hideous and queer appendages that they 
wore about their waists, the rags of monkey skins, and bits 
