Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1852-06-04
An american in Afica-A Jungle on Fire.

An american in Africa-A Jungle on Fire.
Bayard Taylor, in one of his letters to the New
York Tribune, dated ''the White Nile" Central
Africa, gives this graphic sketch:
yesterday morning there was strong head
wind, and the temperature so cold that was
obliged to wear my thick capote of cancels hair
while sat on deck, looking respectfully at the
beautiful islands was leaving behind me. Aeh-
met heated and strained the honey given me by
the Shillooks, which yielded between three and
four quarts of rich liquid. While the mon made
fast to the bank for breakfast, went on shore to
get "a glimpse of the country behind the forests
Paths trodden by wild beasts led through the
walls of tangled vines that elsewhere were impen-
etrabe, and | crept along them, under the boughs
of strange trees, and through thickets of luxuriant
shrubs.
At length l reached an open patch of grass four
or five feet In height and so dry and yellow that
it snapped like glass under my feet. 1t was dot
ted with clumps Of high shrubs knotted all over
with wild, Towering vines which formed admi-
rable lairs for the lions and eopards, There was,
strong smell of lions about the place. and deem
ed it prudent not to venture far, since the rank
animal odor peculiar to that beast grew more
marked the furtherI went. The Jungle in which
stood covered tongue of land inclosed between
two coves of the river, and through the openings
IN the thickets L that it led to others farth-
river. and as stood in the midst contemplating
the wild, awless grouping of the different trees
and shrubs, some imp of darkness whispered in
my ear: 6 hat magnificent confagration this
would make and then, perhaps, you might
have the satisfaction of burning out brace
of lions!" Without more ado, whipped out
box matches, and struck fire in one of the thick
est tufts.
The effect was instantaneous, and SO was my
4. ri
the explosion of POWDER and sheet Of red flame
leaped into the air. In few seconds it had spread
to broad swathe of fire, rolling rapidly before the
wind and leaving the earth behind it as bare as
the palm of my hand The rank grass roared and
Snapped as the terrible power had so thought
lessly awakened, licked it away and not the
grass alone. 1t seized the vines and bore
them down, swung itself by them into the boughs
of the trees, and found richer alirnent in their
gums and juices. 1t spread on both sides and
against the wind and the long spires of scar
let flame, twisting in the air, rose high and hot
above the dome like tops of the amback forests
Before we left the place, the volume. of smoke
reached nearly to the other side of the Nile AS
heard its relentless feet trampling down the
thlckets, tormented myself with pictures of the
evil which had perhaps originated. fancied
it spreading from day to day. tapping the woods in
coils OF flame, and finging their burning boughs
from island island till of all the glory Of vegeta
ton which had filed me with such rapture, there
was nothing but few charred trunks standing in
beds of ashes saw the natives with their 1ocks
and herds flying before it, the wild beasts leaping
into the flood for refuge from its red fangs and all
this glorious reg ion given up to terror and desoa-
ton. AS we moved slowly away against the
wind, watched its progress with troubled con-
science and an anxious heart. Now it paused
and fiattered myself that there was an end, but
the next moment the black clouds rolled up denser
than ever. Thus it wavered for some time, but
at last, thank God it seemed to fade gradually
away and gave myself the hope that it had not
extended beyond the jut of land wherein it was
kindled.