The Democratic advocate., 1874-05-02
VOL. Ix.-NO. 2B.

and many other things for tho laulastic ado1n,
ment Of their savage persona
Hardly inferior % the skill Of the Boneos
IN the working of iron IS their dextcrify in
wood.carving. In The villages there are found
very frequently whole rows Of figures carved
out Of wood, and arranged either nt the en.
frances Of the palisaded Enclosures, forming.
as 7 were, decoration for The gateway, Or
set up beside the huts Of the q Nya7en fchiefsl
as memorials, 10 iInmortalize tie renown of
some departed character In Moodee. dis
triet toward the west, there Is an erection Of
this sort, which has been reared above the
grave Of the Bong0 ehieftan Yanga Large
as life, the rough hewn figures represent tie
chief followed IN procession by has wives and
children, apparently issuing from the tomb.
lhe curious conception of the separate indi-
ylduals, and the singular mode IN which theg
are rendered BY the artist are Of keenest in
terest
These savages nre enthusiastic lovers Of
music, and although their instruments are Of
yery. primitive description, yet they spend
many hours strumming away, and chanting to
their own performances. Even the children
are ell musicians. They make little flutes
and little monochord guitars, npon which thew
produce great variety Of buzzine and hum.
ming airs. which are very pretty. PLAYING on
these rude instruments il 4 common uasfime
with the lads who are put in charge Of the
goats, and these wild listle shepherds often
make very harmonious tones, which show
that they have some idea of the occult the
ories Of sound. As appeals, however 10 the
sense OF hearing, the great festivals of the
Bongos abonnd with measures much more
thrilling than any Of these minor performan.
ees. On those occasions the orchestral results
might perhaps be fairly characterized as cats
music run wild. Unwearied humping Of
drums, the bellowings Of gigantic trumpefs
Tor the manufacture Of which great stems Of
trees come into requisltion, interchanged by
MS and starts with the shriller blasts OF some
smaller horns, make up the burden Of The I'm
earthly habbub, which re-echoes nilea awav
along the desert Meanwhile women and
children by the hundred ill gourd tasks with
little stones, and rattle them as IL they were
churning butter; or, again, at other times
they will get some sticks or dry faeots. and
strike them together with the greatest energy.
The apparel and general external aspect Of
Bongo do not materially differ from those Of
other savage Africans, but q few barbarnns
particulars serve to distinguish him. The men
do not 90 about in eendition 50 naked as
either tne Dyoors, the Shillooks, or the Din.
kas, 10 they wear an apron Of some sort of
skin but the women, on the other hand, and
especially those who reside on the highlands,
oDsunately refuse TO wear any covering what.
ever, either OF skin or stuff, but merely re-
plenish their wardrobe every morning bx
visit to the woods. A supple boue6 with
plenty OF leaves, or perhaps E bunch Of fne
grass fastened 70 the girdle, is all they consid.
er necessary. They delight in great auant,.
ues OF bead necklaces, and wear heavy iron
and copper rings on the wrists and ankles
The married women distinguish themselves
BY an adornment which is simply a hideous
mutlafion. As soon as q woman is married.
the operation commences of extending her
lower lip. This, ut first only slightly bored.
is widened By inserting into the ori6ce plugs
Of wood, which are gradually increased "a
size, until at length the entire feature i
enlarged 70 five or SIX times its original pro
portions. The plugs are cylindrical in form.
not less than an inch thick. By this means
the lower lip is extended horizontally til Il
projects far beyond the upper.
Inc bongos have no conception Of immor-
tally. They have no more idea Of the trans.
migration Of souls, or any doctrine AZ II,
kind, than they have Of the existence ~ N
ocean. Their superstitious dread Of ghosts.
however, is very strong, and no Bongo viii
venture into the shadowy thiekets Of the woods
after night fall Good spirits are quite unrec
ognized, and, according to the general negro
idea, no benefit can ever come from a spirit
Atali. They attrm that the only thing they
know about spirits Is that they do mischief.
and certain IL is that they have no conception
either of a Creator or any ruling power above.
After having made the serbia his head.
quarters for over seven months, DR.. Schwein.
iurth started on another long march farther
into the interior. The rains we're over, and
the landscapes was almost the same In char
acter as during the autumn in more northera
attitudes. Many trees were entirely destitute
Of foliage the ground beneath them being
strewn with yellow leaves or covered with
pale sere grass. One charming tree the
humboidta, was conspicuous amidst the
shadowy groves u has seed-vessels foot
long, the seed itself being rs large al dollar.
while its magnificent leaf ia q beautiful orna.
meni to the wood scenery wherever Il abouuds.
The gay eolors Of the young shoots, sproutinr
directly from the root, crimson, purple.
brown, or yellow, contribute in larre degree
70 this effective display. The forests were
alive with hundreds Of anfelopes and ali
manner Of fchattering birds. Snailsinvaded ali
the strubs and bushes the slender aossamer.
stretching is thin film over the rrass' sparkled
in the early dew. A few dreary reminders Of
possible misfortune were scattered along The
path, which had been the track Of many pre-.
vious caravans, in the shape of the bleached
skulls Of bearers and slaves who had fallen
BY the way exhausted aud beenleft to their fate.
The weather in Central Africa during the
months OF December and January is as de-
llcious as human imagination can conceive.
All day long the soft rays Of the sun, stream
ing from crystal-clear SKI, make an atmos.
phere fit to be breathed By fairies, which a
| purified and kept In motion by a breeze which
blows almost necessarily from the north. Al
night the stars giisten like gems in the clear
blue arch, the breeze dies away, gentle fan
Of dew moistens the air, while the cooinr Of
thousands Of ring doves fills the fields and
woods with plainiive melody.
The road Of the caravan lsy often across
wide gneiss fats, which not unfrcquent!y
exhibited the same uniformity for several
hundred yards together. From the surface
the stone broke OF in smooth laminn, often
as thin as the cover Of book, and Afforded
DIR. Schweinfurth q convenient material far
preserving his botanical collections. A her.
barium Of this nature may be said 70 possess
q twcfold interest, representing at the same
time specimens Of two distinct branches OF
science.
The Mittoos, tribe Of horrible savage..
whose territory was crossed By Schweinforth,
hold . much lower place in the human scale
unnh INT no18vs. ne passion lOr enlxrGiuH
and dishguriiig the lips . carried 70 4 terrible
extent By tho Mittoo women. Not satisfied
with piercing the lower lip, they drag out the
upper lip as well, and circular plates nearly
ss large Is crown piece, made variously of
quartz, Of ivory, or Of horn, are inherited into
the lips that have been stretched by he Growth
Of years, aud these often rest IN 4 posisiop
that Is all but horizontal; when the woman
want e drink they have to elevate the upper
l'p with their fingers and pour The dranrht
into their mouths. 1t is matter of carnsat
consideration how much . human brinr.
civilized or savage, is ready 20 suffer phy,icsl.
" for the sake Of fashion. These Nittoo<.
however, put their iron-clad lips ID soms
service, as in an outbreak Of anger they i've
avery powerful effect 70 their words by snap-
ping like IN owl. some OF these bsr6arians,
not content with the circle 81 iron. force :
cone Of polished quartz Of more than tso
inches in length through he lower lip, e.
though they were trying 70 make themselves
appear like rhinoceros-
No European tr.yslsr IL Central A1tic. has
ever been favored with such advantageous
conditions for pursuine his invcstiE4tions a.
| was SchweafofIh The caravan AZ vvhich liz