Harper's Round Table, September 22, 1896

by Various

BY PAUL DU CHAILLU.

Part II.

Now we must put our heads together and think of the outfit necessary for our explorations. It is not a small undertaking to explore the great equatorial African forest, and a great many things are required.

It troubles me when I think of our outfit, for I dislike luggage, and I have learned that the less luggage a man has with him the better off he is; the fewer wants he has the better off he is; the fewer people he has round him the more independent he finds himself; and the more he can help himself the freer and the happier he is. But when he has to buy the right of way in Africa, he cannot travel with little luggage, for he is obliged to get a lot of things and goods, not only to give to the Kings who send him forward, but also for the men who are to be his followers and carry his goods and outfit. He has to give presents to his hunters, who face dangers and sometimes death with him.

An explorer has also to take care of his followers, and to have a fellow-feeling for them when they are ill, so he must take quantities of medicine for his people and for himself.

If he expects to have some big hunting and to kill birds, he must have lots of powder and small shot and bullets. He must have shot-guns and rifles. If he wants to stuff the animals and birds he kills, he must have the instruments and other things necessary for the purpose.

If the explorer wants to astonish the natives and fill them with wonder, he must take with him articles that will surely help him to attain that purpose. The explorer should also have a careful personal outfit, so that he may not be in want of clothing or shoes before he can return.

So, dear young folks, we have to think a good deal about what we need, and be very busy before we sail from New York for our destination, the west coast of Africa, and we are to land somewhere on the Gulf of Guinea by the equator. We must first buy our goods; money in gold and silver coins is of no value among the savage Africans. A rod of gold or copper or brass is the same in their eyes, except that they would prefer the brass rod to one of silver. The gold or the brass rod would be of the same value. Friend Paul would have been a poor spirit in a short time if he had had nothing to give to the natives, and nothing to pay them with when they carried his loads. In fact, nobody would have carried his loads; no King would have sent him to another King, and in the course of time they would have become tired of giving him food for nothing. What made me a great spirit in their eyes was what I gave them, the strange things I carried with me.

Goods to buy.—We must have a lot of beads of different sizes and colors. They must be opaque—that is, not transparent—if not, the natives will not take them at any price. The beads are the most important item of the outfit. In many tribes the natives only wear strings of beads round their waists, and, if they are rich, also copper or brass rings, round their necks, or several round their wrists or ankles. White beads are very much prized by the cannibal tribes, among whom I have been; they string them in their hair and beards. One must have black beads—these are prized very much by non-cannibal tribes—also red, blue, yellow, green, and brown beads. Large beads of the size of our marbles, and even larger, are very much valued by some tribes. All these beads are manufactured in Venice, Italy, and nowhere else.

After the stock of beads, the most important item is that of copper or brass. You must have a good stock of brass and copper rods about the thickness of your little finger and 2½ feet long—these are used round the neck, ankles, and wrists; brass kettle; large shallow copper dishes about 2½ feet in diameter—with these they make hollow rings for the neck, wrists, or ankles; a little quantity of cheap cotton goods with gaudy patterns; a few gaudy coats with sleeves of different colors to the body of the coat—the natives like bright colors; a few cotton umbrellas of very bright colors—these and the coats are for chiefs, who also like opera-hats. No one but people of royal blood in some tribes can wear high hats, and often a hat is the only thing Kings or Princes wear.