The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-05-22
NEGRO LILIPUTIANS.
Bayard TaylOr's Description of the Pig
mics Of Naan, Equatorial Africa
Warlilxe Little Men.


The Khedive spoke of race of pig
mics which had been discovered in the
very heart of Central Africa, beyond
the land of the Nyam-Nyams, and ad-
vised us to look at two natives of the
twibe which had recently reached Cairo.
On leaving the palace of Aberdeen,
therefore, we drove Immediately to the
palace of the Nile, near Boulak, where
they are now kept. On making inquiry
the soldiers in the inner court immedi
ately pointed out two small boys (appa-
rently), wearing the fez, and dressed in
jackets and trowsers of white wool. I
should have taken them for children of
some Ethiopian tribe at the first glance,
and was not satisfied, until after a close
inspection, that one of them was full
grown man.
DIR. Schweinfurth saw some natives of
the tribe among the Nyam-Nyams but
did not reach their country, which lies
beyond that of the latter, and therefore
south of the equator-probably from
800 to 500 miles west of the central part
of Albert Nyanza. But after Schwein-
furth's return, the veteran Italian trav-
eler Miami, whose name, carved upon a
tree near Fatiko, will be remembered
by all readers of Speke's and Bakers
narratives, started on q new journey of
| exploration from which he was destined
never to return. On the 9Th of Novem-
Der last, some boats reached Kbartoum
with the journals and collections of
Miami, who died in a country cal ed
| Monbootoo. These were taken by the
governor of Khartoum, and three pig
mics, who were supposed to be slaves,
were temporarily imprisoned. When
the intelligence reached Cairo, the Khe-
dive ordered Miani's papers and collec-
tions to be given to the italian consul
and the pigmies to be sent to him. One
of them, a woman, died on tho way
the other two reached here few weeks
ago. They were the first of their race
which had ever been seen outside of
central Africa. The Khedive, who gave
me these particulars, seemed much in
terested in the people, and probably
intends to usa them, if they survive,
as medium of future intercourse with
their tribe.
The soldiers brought the pigmies
forward for our inspection. They came
half willingly, half with an air of def
ance, or of protest against the superior
strength which surrounded them. A
tall Dinka, from the White Nile, blacker
than charcoal, who accompanied them,
was one of Miani's men. He spoke a
little Arabic, and was thus able to get
a little additional information through
him. He assured me that the pigmies
were called Mann that their country
was journey of a year and a half from
Khartoum (probably the time. occupied
by trading expedition in going thither
and returning), and that the place from
which they came had the name of TAX
katikat. The taller of the two pigmies,
Tubbul by name, was twenty years old
the younger, Karal, only ten or twelve.
The little fellows looked at me with
bright, questioning, steady eyes, while
I examined and measured them. Tub
bull was 46 inches in hight, the legs be-
ing % inches, and the body with the
head "a, which is @ somewhat better
proportion than is usual in savage
tribes. Head and arms were quite sym
metrical, but the spine curved in re-
markably from the shoulders to the
hip Joint, throwing out the abdomen,
which was already much distended,
probably from their diet of beans and
bananas. Yet the head was erect, the
shoulders on a line of gravity, and there
was no stoop in the posture of the body,
as in the South African bushmen. Tub
bul meaured sc inches around the
breast ane % around the abdomen; his
hands and feet were coarsely formed,
but not large, only the knee-joiHts being
diDpronnrtionatelY thick and clumsy.
| The facial angle was July up TO the
average there was good development
of brain, fine intelligent eyes, and g
nose SO fattened that, in looking down
the forehead from above, one saw only
the lips projecting beyond it. The nos
trils were astonishingly wide and
square; the complexion was that of q
dark mulatto.
The boy Karal was 43 inches high,
with the same general proportions.
Both had wooIly hair, cut short in front,
but covering the crown with a circular
cap of crisp little rolls. TubbuIs age,
showed itself on nearer examination, in
his hands, feet and joints, as well as
his face. He had no beard, but was
evidently of virile years. [ lifted him
from the ground, and should not est.
mate his weight at more than 65pounds.
The soldiers stated that neither of the
two had learned more than few words
of Arabic, but that they talked a great
deal to each other in their own Ian
| guage. However, when ordered to
speak Tubbul turned and walked away.
| A soldier seized and drew him back
whereupon he stood still and sullen in
his former place At a recent meeting
of the Egyptian Institute it was stated
that the language of these pigmies has
no resemblance to that of any other in
Central Africa.
The country of Mann, or Takkati
kat, or whatever may be its correct
name, is reported to be an equatorial
table-land covered with low, dense
thickets, in which the pigmies hide.
The Khedive told me that they are
quite warlike, and by no means despi
cable foes to their larger negro neigh
bors, since they are active as apes and
difficult to find among their native jun
giles. DIR. Sehweinfurth supposes them
to be the pigmies mentioned by Herod.
otus. The Darwinians will hardly
find an intermediate race between mar
and monkey in them. Their curious
physical peculiarities, especially the
curvature of the spine, the wide mouth
with fiat but distinctly marked lips anG
the squareness and breadth of the nos
trils are not of a simian character. II
fact, they look less like the chimpan.
zee than several of the tall and athletic
negro tribes.
When I was on the White Nile, ii
1852, the Nyam-Nyams were spoken Of
by the people as frightful race of can
nibals, with tails. No one had evel
zen them the very name was a terror
to the natives of Soudan and an OBJ
stacle to the traveller. Now their coun
try has been reached and partially ex
plored, and specimens of the race have
ventured even as far as Khartoum. The
pigmies prove to be far more interest
ing than they seem from an chronological
point of view, and we shall certainly
soon learn more of them. I am moi
aware that any account of the race has
yet been published in Europe or Amer
lea.
High Feeding and Good Butter.