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Calongo, Mayombe, Manikesocke, Motimbas: of the Ape Monster Pongo,
their hunting: Idolatries; and divers other observations."
"This province (Calongo) toward the east bordereth upon Bongo, and
toward the north upon Mayombe, which is nineteen leagues from Longo
along the coast.
"This province of Mayombe is all woods and groves, so over-growne that a
man may travaile twentie days in the shadow without any sunne or heat.
Here is no kind of corne nor graine, so that the people liveth onely
upon plantanes and roots of sundrie sorts, very good; and nuts; nor any
kinde of tame cattell, nor hens.
"But they have great store of elephant's flesh, which they greatly
esteeme, and many kinds of wild beasts; and great store of fish. Here
is a great sandy bay, two leagues to the northward of Cape Negro,*
which is the port of Mayombe. Sometimes the Portugals lade logwood in
this bay. Here is a great river, called Banna: in the winter it hath
no barre, because the generall winds cause a great sea. But when the
sunne hath his south declination, then a boat may goe in; for then it
is smooth because of the raine. This river is very great, and hath many
ilands and people dwelling in them. The woods are so covered with
baboones, monkies, apes and parrots, that it will feare any man to
travaile in them alone. Here are also two kinds of monsters, which are
common in these woods, and very dangerous.
[footnote] *'Purchas' note'.--Cape Negro is in 16 degrees
south of the line.
"The greatest of these two monsters is called Pongo in their language,
and the lesser is called Engeco. This Pongo is in all proportion like
a man; but that he is more like a giant in stature than a man; for he
is very tall, and hath a man's face, hollow-eyed, with long haire upon
his browes. His face and eares are without haire, and his hands also.
His bodie is full of haire, but not very thicke; and it is of a dunnish
colour.
"He differeth not from a man but in his legs; for they have no calfe.
Hee goeth alwaies upon his legs, and carrieth his hands clasped in the
nape of his necke when he goeth upon the ground. They sleepe in the
trees, and build shelters for the raine. They feed upon fruit that
they find in the woods, and upon nuts, for they eate no kind of flesh.
They cannot speake, and have no understanding more than a beast. The
people of the countrie, when they travaile in the woods make fires
where they sleepe in the night; and in the morning when they are gone,
the Pongoes will come and sit about the fire till it goeth out; for
they have no understanding to lay the wood together. They goe many
together and kill many negroes that travaile in the woods. Many times
they fall upon the elephants which come to feed where they be, and so
beate them with their clubbed fists, and pieces of wood, that they will
runne roaring away from them. Those Pongoes are never taken alive
because they are so strong, that ten men cannot hold one of them; but
yet they take many of their young ones with poisoned arrowes.
"The young Pongo hangeth on his mother's belly with his hands fast
clasped about her, so that when the countrie people kill any of the
females they take the young one, which hangeth fast upon his mother.
"When they die among themselves, they cover the dead with great heaps of
boughs and wood, which is commonly found in the forest."*
[footnote] *Purchas' marginal note, p. 982:--"The Pongo a
giant ape. He told me in conference with him, that one of
these pongoes tooke a negro boy of his which lived a moneth
with them. For they hurt not those which they surprise at
unawares, except they look on them; which he avoyded. He
said their highth was like a man's, but their bignesse
twice as great. I saw the negro boy. What the other
monster should be he hath forgotten to relate; and these
papers came to my hand since his death, which, otherwise,
in my often conferences, I might have learned. Perhaps he
meaneth the Pigmy Pongo killers mentioned."
It does not appear difficult to identify the exact region of which
Battell speaks. Longo is doubtless the name of the place usually
spelled Loango on our maps. Mayombe still lies some nineteen leagues
northward from Loango, along the coast; and Cilongo or Kilonga,
Manikesocke, and Motimbas are yet registered by geographers. The Cape
Negro of Battell, however, cannot be the modern Cape Negro in 16
degrees S., since Loango itself is in 4 degrees S. latitude. On the
other hand, the "great river called Banna" corresponds very well with
the "Camma" and "Fernand Vas," of modern geographers, which form a great
delta on this part of the African coast.
Now this "Camma" country is situated about a degree and a-half south of
the Equator, while a few miles to the north of the line lies the
Gaboon, and a degree or so north of that, the Money River--both well
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