The Sunday Oregonian., May 16, 1915, MAGAZINE SECTION, Page 3, Image 71

THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, MAT 16, 19T5.
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STi' m:ftt THE FEATHER. "t-l l 't --l k t t V
CrfYWTi m X .Ss- r
h-r- v - jr J i - - - ' J w . ,
BY ERNEST DUPUT.
THREE! thousand miles of weary
tramping through fever-haunted
the Congo basin, strange encounters
with savage beasts and with human be
ing's almost as savage, the discovery
and clasification for science, under
enormous difficulty, of rare forms of
African flora and fauna in spots never
before trodden by the foot of white
man all these things belong in the ad
ventures of James Chapin, the Staten
Island boy. who, with Herbert Lang,
has obtained for the American Museum
of Natural History in New York City,
the most complete collection of natural
history specimens that has ever been
wrested from the mysterious depths of
the dark continent. Six years of work
of exhausting toll under the grilling
sun and teeming rains of equatorial
Africa were necessary before the
great task was completed.
Now Chapin is back with the first
Installment of the great collection,
while Lang, still in Stanleyville, is
superintending the final packing of the
rest of the fruits of the expedition 45
tons in all and consisting of more than
40.000 separate specimens. The rare
ckap!, the bongo, almost' asrare but
less widely known; the dwarf elephant
of the Congo basin, a species that for
many years scientists have : argued
about; black, square mouthed and
white rhinoceros, scaly ant eater, buf
falo, giant eland and heretofore almost
unknown varitles of dainty antelope
are represented in the huge packing
cases full of trophies that when at
last brought here will necessitate the
building of a new wing by the museum
authorities In which to display them
properly.
Chapin. a tall, loosely knit young
chap of 25 he was 19 when he left
Columbia University in his Junior year
to go to Africa with steady blue eyes
and a trick of frowning when he is en
gaged in thought probably learned in
the biasing sunlight of Africa does
to find that one of the shelter huts of
grass raised by the natives had caught
tire and the entile camp was in danger
of being swept away by flames did not
seem tovbe an adventure to him, either.
"That was only an incident," he de
murred. He told how the natives are
accustomed, because of the cool nights,
to light fires In their huts. It was one
of these fires that had set the hut
ablaze. The grass started and it was
only by energetic work and skWful
burning of back fires to obtain a clear
space across which the flames could
not jump that they were able to escape
the fire and , save their trophies. No
adventures!
They had one of their Dearers killed
by a lion, but he would not give any
of the details. He also told of lions
that were said to have killed a number
of the natives, but they did not. have
much trouble with them. They could
be heard roaring occasionally, he' said.
When questioned about the snakes in
the region through which the expedi
tion had gone Mr. Chapin admitted
that there were great numbers of them,
most of which were poisonous. The
water snakes, however, were not.
"Still," he added naively, "as one could
meet almost any kind near the water.
Jt was' not well to take It for granted
that they were really water snakes."
Of pythons they saw numbers and
killed many. "One could see them often,'
festooned in the branches of the trees.
Then the natives would come running
and tell us of a python and we
would shoot it. None of them were
more than six yards long." Imagine
tramping through a jungle where six
yard pythons hung looped from the
trees! The black cobra, a near relative
of the deadly cobra dl cap ell o of India,
is a very common variety of poisonous
snake in the Congo, he said.
The subject of crocodiles came up
when he said that he was so glad to be
able to get back to the swimming tank
at Columbia, where he has taken up
his studies where he left off six years .
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THE RARE . AND . ELUSIVE O&APL
not at first glance resemble a man who ago. "One cannot get much chance to
has hiked his way through the African swim in a country infested with croco
diles. I used to do the best I could, but
the very thought of the old college tank
fairly made me itch all over. I man
aged to get a few swims, though." He
wilds. His skin, while tanned, is not
of the hue that one would expect from
on who has lived and worked under
the equator. But for all of his youth
ful face he carries himself like one
accustomed to giving orders, while, as
for the tan, he has had his long sea
trip from Boma, via Liverpool, to New heat was so great that one would be
York, In which to get rid of the effects bathed in perspiration, he said. It was
The celebration of midnight mass on
Christmas eve, 1913, in the depths of
the African forests, was another expe
rience of Mr. Chapin. This was at the
mission church at Avakubi. The church,
not yet completed, was roofless.
"The deep blue of the star-studded
sky above the walls of the church,"
said the young explorer, "brought to
mind the Paulist Church in this city.
The church was decorated with palm
fronds and canna lilies and the illu
mination was by candles and rude oil
lamps. It was most impressive and
beautiful. The only trouble was that
we were nearly frozen. The nights are
very cold there at times. After the mass
we were glad to sit by a roaring big
fire at the padre's house and warm
ourselves "up."
Interesting details of the hunting of
of the sun's rays. He was already an
ornithologist of some note in scien
tific circles before he left the United
States.
He was a member of the Staten
Island Association of Arts and Sciences
said that the natives were often eaten th kapi, which is found in ,the Uele
by crocodiles. As far as bathing went district and the Haute Ituri, were given
the hardest part was drying off. The y Mr- Chapin.
i ne Deasc is enner snot or trappea,
he said. "In the first method the work
Is done by one man, who must be a
skiLlful hunter. Armed with his old
muzzle-loading musket, the native will
roam through the forests until he picks
up an okapi trail.
"Sometimes the man will follow the
hard to dry clothing that had been
washed, also, on account of the humid
ity in the air, unless in a clearing by a
village, where the sun's rays had di
rect access.
During the years spent In Africa Mr.'
when he was 15 years old. and had Chapin became very well acquainted trail for days before he gets within ether was
brilliant. Ranging in color from golden
green to crimson and from steel blue to
yellow, some varieties are barred with
stripes of white. The trogon's colorig
stands out against the jungle foliage
with dazzling brilliancy.
The contour feathers, which furnish
the coloring, are so loosely attached to
the skin that unless handled with the
greatest care they fall out in tufts. It
was only by dint of the most skillful
handling that Chapin managed to ob
tain a perfect skin.
Mr. Chapin also said that they had
obtained a fine group of square
mouthed rhinoceros and of giant eland.
A huge white bull rhinoceros.' from the
vicinity of the Lado Enclave, was ob
tained In the Uele district and is. he
says, a magnificent specimen. The front
horn measures 10S centimeters, or a
little more than a yard.
"The white rhino is protected by the
Belgian government," said Mr. Chapin,
"and we had no permit to hunt It. But
they allow the natives much latitude in
these matters and when they had killed
one it was perfectly proper for us to
obtain the carcass by trade."
Of hippopotami they saw quite a
number, although Mr. Chapin said that
he did not see many at any one time.
The largest group be had ever seen to-
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2 THE. CONGO "WEEK;
.-i .barbers, ake
SCABCE,.
CHAPIN. BETOEE.
FTP. LEFT FOR
AFRICA-.
at that time one of the most complete
collections of North American bird life
in existence. Some of the rarest speci
mens at present In the American Mu
seum were presented to it by him.
Young Chapin is very modest and
refuses to believe that he has himself
accomplished anything wonderful, al
with numbers of the natives. The ex
pedition had all sorts of trinkets dear
to the savage heart, which they
were ready to barter for valuable spec
imens. This, in fact, was the method
through which they got their okapl.
which has never been seen by a white
man at large in Its habitat. Chapin
gunshot of the shy beast. There are a
few hunters, but they are rare. Some
of our specimens were obtained this
way. The common way, however, is
to trap them, either by deadfalls by
pits or by means of nooses which catch
their legs. Sometimes they are alive
when found and for a short, time Mr.
20.
He said that at times
along the banks of the Congo. In low
water, one may see them by the hun
dred. I asked him what he considered the
greatest obstacle to Congo traveling.
"The sun," he responded. "The sun
will get you if you do not take great
official sanction to the expedition and
had appropriated 6800 francs toward
the expense of Congo transportation.
In return it was agreed that the expe
dition should obtain for the'musuera at
Tervueron, Belgium, certain zoological
specimens of which it was not In pos
session. The scheme, as outlined, was for the
expedition to push into the center of
Africa, making headquarters approxi
mately 1000 miles frfom the coast In a
section at that time unexplored zoologi
cally, and make a zoological survey of
the entire Congo Basin, while at the
same time working upon other lines of
though he gives great praise to Mr. endeared himself to the blacks by glv- "S a young one captive, but It
Lang for what he has done. As for ad
venture, he shook his head and laughed
when I asked him If he had had any
unusual experiences.
"No, I never was in great danger,"
he said. "And I had no adventures."
"How about animals?"
"Well, the nearest I ever came to a
wild animal was when I shot a bird
that dropped in a thicket about 30 feet
away. As I walked toward ot what I
had taken for a heap of brush sud-
died at last.
"We obtained our okapl from the na
tive hunters by barter. Brass curtain
rings, salt, copper wire, cloth and gal
vanized Iron wire were our mediums
of exchange. We saw the snares and
also saw pits, but never were able to
see a pit prepared for the animal. Most
"M'toto na Langl," which, translated, ot our animals were obtained through
means "the son of Lang." was the the native hunters. We were not there
name bestowed upon Mr. Chapin by the to do all the' hunting ourselves, for we sun without a hat would, of course.
natives. Tne name stucK, and as inuuu omer worn w ao. so we ae- mean death.
ing them fishhooks. The Congo na-,
tive, he said, while an ardent fisher
man, has but the most meager equip
ment. A bent pin or needle or a piece
of copper wire Is his hook and he loses
more bites than he manages to pull In.
A real fishhook, therefore, is most high
ly prized
precaution,. Fifteen miles in five investigation for other departments of
hours of marching is a good day's Jour- ,1,. ..-
accomplished during the first two years.
The Mangbetu. one of the most intelli
gent of the Congo peoples, furnished
much valuable data. Okondo, King of
the Mangbetu, went out of his way to
give the expedition opportunity to
study tribal manners and customs. At
Dongu. Faradje and Abbas much more
material was acquired, including val
uable insights into the life and char
acteristics of the shy dwarfs of the
great forest.
At the outbreak of the war the ex
pedition was in Stanleyville. The Ger
mans, according to Mr. Chapin. at once
started to invade the Congo from Ger-
sent troops to the frontier and active
lighting occurred. Many of the wounded
were brought Into Stanleyville and Mr.
Chapin fcays that Mr. Lacs, when he
left, was preparing to furnish such as
sistance as lie could in the matter of
hospital supplies.
On October 29 the first shipment
went down the river from Stanleyville
on board the river steamboat Rol Al
bert. Other shipments were made at
intervals and Mr. Chapin himself start
ed on December 11, 1914. He arrived
at Boma too late to catch the Hawaiian,
of the Hawaiian-American line, which
had come from the United States with
foodstuffs for the colony. He was then
forced to wait, the museum having ca
bled him instructions to ship his ma
teria only under a neutral flag. At
last he was allowed to take a British
vessel and he started for Liverpool on
board the steamship Bornu. The Bornu
was twice held up on her way up the
ney. One cannot go far in the after
noon because of the terrible heat. Most
white men wear spine protectors, con
sisting of several folds of cloth, along
their backs, to prevent the bus from
sapping their strength. Even on a
covered veranda one feels the sun. I
Much In the way of anthropology was
man East Africa sending a column into coast. The first time ws when tba
the Kivu district and capturing a Bel- French bunboat Surprise, blockading
grian post on Lake Kivu. The Belgians the Kamerun. stopped har.
CANNIBAL KING BUILDS CASTLE OUT OF SKULLS
denly resolved Itself into a rhinoceros, M'toto na Langl he is known from one pended on the natives for much, of the "Quinine is necessary. We used to
who clambered to his feet, looked me
over, snorted and ran away."
Of course, it all depends upon the
point of view. So far as the writer is
concerned, if a perfectly good rhi
noceros should suddenly appear and
snort at him from a distance of 30 feet
end of the Congo to the other. Condi- hunting. They knew Mr. Lang want- take 10 rraln8 at A tim0t 80metlmes
tions are primitive In the Congo Basin, ed our specimens, so whenever they got
Everyone knows everyone else, and, al- anything they would bring It in."
though the posts are widely separated.
there is the same community of Inter
est and gossip as In a little village.
Mr. Chapin related some ludicrous
well, modesty forbids boasting of the happeings that resulted when a Bel-
Just how many okapl the expedition
got Mr. Chapin would not say, nor. In
fact, would he give the exact number
of any of the grdups. declaring that
the museum . would announce the de-
M AMELESS to history is that fierce was not ibova mrnurine- th h, 1 1 irii H 1. k,, v.., ,1 1 k-. . 41,.
have gotten headaches from being out cannibal king who lay dying in for the dead. Then. too. sacrifices to and this ig continued until the food Is
on a veranda without a hat. the rays the arms of his pious Christianized the depraved . appetite of the, mighty browned. At the proper time the fire
" -n-nu. KO KU out m IBS daurhtur. Tt nr nrirtvri hv !. fnr. Prtmnfh and hla follower woro nftxn I. .vln..l.v,. . ., l. i ,.
give all his enemies before passing secured through forays Into adjacent remainder of the cooking is done by
into the great beyond, the old chief- but peaceful territory. All hostages the heat retained In the compartment,
tain raised himself up and shrieked secured were driven back to the chief- This is accomplished by means of a
with his last breath: "My enemies? tan's domains, where they were herded timer which may be set to shut off the
I have no enemies. I have eaten all in stockades until such time as the fire at the end of any given time,
my enemies." royal appetite demanded their flesh. '
every other day. If a man should go
without quinine for any length of time
he would fall -a prey to fever, even if
acclimated."
That may have been some time ago,
but the doughty old .warrior was no
During his travels Mr. Chapin more fierce than cannibal kings liv
learned to speak the three dialects of ing in our own day. It was only re-
the Congo tribes Kiswahill. spoken by cently that the British government, in
Prempeh was also guilty of killing
and eating members of his own tribe.
All offenses were punished with death
and death meant eventual appear
ance on the chleftan's table. Prempeh
Motorcycle Milk Cm
Indianapolis News.
C. A. Kuntz, of Bremen, Ind.. an Indi
ana milkman, wen a prize from the
Technical World magazine under its
speed records that would be broken. No gian consular official traveling through tails at the proper time The writer tho Datives under Arab Influence; Ban- Us crusade to break the practice """hfhav ?AlZSTTv monthly offer of various prize" from
adventures! the Uele district, who had with him a was able to ascertain from other xt-, - x - . va !., i. might have gone his bloody and happy "n"ly oroi various prizes irom
He also told of now. while asleep in small cinematograph outfit, gave some sources, however, that the okapl group. th. LoW6r Cong0 of c0urB6 wlth 'th ,ons banlanftd to the middle of the VV?,?'!! w,thout tb8( ,nt"f'renC!
a village in the Iturl district, a hyena picture shows to the natives.
entered his room, ate a number of birds "One of the films depicted King Solo
be was going to stuff and ended by mon and his court, everyone bowing to
making away with one of his shoes the floor when the King put in an, ap
and a puttee. pearance. A native who had seen the
"I knew nothing about it until morn- film, arriving at a distant post ahead
Ing. when we found his tracks," he ex- of the Consul, informed the chef de
plained. "We hunted about and I even poBte that there was a white man corn
sent men along the trail to see if he Ing who had the Lord with him in an
could be found, for the hyenas are fond iron box."
which will be the best group of the
animal In any museum, will contain six
fine specimens.
Most curious, perhaps, of the many
strange birds that Chapin secured In
his exploration work is the trogon, the
tropical bird whose plumage falls out
when it is handled. The African va
riety, known in scientific terms as
Hapaloderma, is not uncommon in the
white men there the language most Indian Ocean three West African
generally used was French. chiefs, one of whom. Prempeh of
"It seems odd, sometimes, to speak Ashantlland. boasted that no man had
English." he told me. And at times he tasted more human flesh than himself,
does use a bit of a foreign accent to Prempeh glorified in his misdeeds,
his English words. He had built himself a castle of which
was in ioui inat teaiauve arrange- me material wa soieiy uie b&uub 01 Coast, on the lonely Island
menu were maae oy me autnorities OI nis victims, ino savage nan eaten me
the museum for an expedition to the flesh of every one of the hundreds
of the British government had he not
added to his menu the flesh of some
white traders who incautiously strayed
into his domain.
Now the fallen Prempeh is a pris
oner, with Cannibal Kings Kabanga.
of Uganda, and Assibl. of the Gold
of Sey
chelles, in the middle of the Indian
110 down for the most interesting orig
inal Items. The Indiana milkman shows
(with a picture to illustrate) how. ror
the price of a good team, 1170, a mo
torcycle can be made into a milk cart.
In the side car of a motorcycle he has
three milk cans and now makes his
rounds in half the time required by
horses, and his odometer shows an
average of 35 miles a day. Every evD-
rnnffn TCACnti Atlnnja with h Ralvl.n nf hanlesa natives whose hideous head
of using the trails when the grass is "Another film, I remember, showed a Congo Basin, but because of the great ended with th ni,iiinn formed hia residence. At all time.
upe of trained elephants. As the diftculty in preserving and mounting . .,. f ih. of th dv and the nleht was Premneh
It was only after much elephants coming into the foreground the skin and plumage, not a single pold. To nnanCe the expedition a group reminded of his prowess In battle.
mtnam 10 me lotjr wui o irenw Bpeuunen uai tier oeen orougiu. un- nf members and friends of the museum. Around the castle was a stockade
uarinra lo inia country oetore.
Several trogons were obtained by
Chapin, but despite his skill as an
ornithologist, he was able to mount
only one, which will be one of the
museum's most valued exhibits.
Ocean. Prempeh was allowed to take Jng h has to travel nine miles to gf,t
high. But I never got my shoe and troupe of trained elephants.
puttee
fencing that he would admit
hyenas have often attacked sleeping with resounding cheers by the natives.
men and that the natives barricade the One part showed an elephant emerging
entrance to their huts usually to keep from a tank of water after a plunge,
them out. No adventures! When I asked one of our workmen why
To be awakened in the middle of the the elephant grew so large after com-
Bight, while their caravan was camped Ing out of the water he at once replied
In an open space In the high grass, and that there was medicine In the water."
Including John B. Trevor, Charles La- built entirely of the bones of the limbs
nier. Cleveland H. Dodge. J. P. Morgan, of Prempeh's victims. These victims
Jr., William K. Vanderbllt, A. D. Jull- were obtained in various ways. All
Hard. Robert C Goelet and William prisoners captured in the native war
Rockefeller came forward. In, April, fare were slain and eaten. And should
lsuy, tne musuem was informed that prisoners be too scarce to provide
a dozen of his wives with him into
exile, but he is carefully guarded, so
that he may not destroy and have
served to him any of his queens who
may fall from grace.
Automatic
and Circles
Gas Stove
Cooker.
Automatic control is the principal
feature of a new combination gas
The plumage of the trogon Is most the Belgian government had given Its feast for the victorious tribe, Prempeh stove and tireless cooker. The cooking pigs.
home. He covers the distance In 10
minutes. In the days of horse travel
it took him two and a half hours.
When his mortocycle. is not In us
carrying milk around the country It is
put to other uses hauling products
from the farm and bringing back
freight and express packages and other
things from town. A special box turns
the little motor carrier Into a machine-
for hauling young calves and young