The Democratic advocate., 1874-05-02

olstrlct are very large IN comparison TO what
are found in the northern regions Of Africa
at this season.
Here and there among the 6elds were to be
seen vestiges Of seribas which had been de-
stroyed by fire; for in this country, where
straw and bamboo are the building materials,
fire is great terror, and often whole villages
disappear in a single night, not unfrequently
iiyes being lost on account Of the difficulty Of
escape from the flames, which, among such
light material, run with the speed Of the wind.
A few blaekened remains and q hourishing
| grove OF plaintains are in many cases all that
mark the site Of the thriving settlement.
These clumps Of plantains remind one Of their
constant recurrence all through Cuba, South
America, and other tropical countries, where
they stand scattered here and there in little
| plantations, often far from any human habi-
tation, but always marking the spot where
some hut has stood, as in New England the
cluster Of lilac bushes met with often among
the lonely fields indicatet the cellar hole OF
home Of an early settler.
The Dyoors are q small tribe inhabiting a
territory Of isconsiderable area near the seri.
ba where Sehwenfurth made bis camp Their
number cannot exceed 10000 souls. They
are held in great contempt by the Dinkas on
account Of their giving their sole attention to
agriculture, and entirely neglectng the rails.
ing Of cattle. Like the Dinkas and Boueos,
they have a great fondness for iron orna-
Inents, and show much skill in the eonstruc-
ton OF furnaces for smelling the ore, which
they mould from common clay into the shape
Of cone about four feet high, widening At
the top like great goblet. The cup-shaped
aperture at the top communicates by very
small throat with the cavity below, which is
entirely filled with fuel. Into the uuper ra.
| "A re throufn fro. II -
u solid inch, till it is iull. The hollow tunnel
extends lower than the level of the ground,
and the melted mass Of iron, finding It's way
through the red-hot fuel, collects below in 4
pile Of Stag. At the base there are four open.
ings one Of these is much larger than the
Others, and is used for the removal of the SEQ
ri@ the other three are TO admit the long tewel.
irons, which reach TO the middle of the bot.
tom, and keep the apertures free for the
admission Of air. Without stocking, the tew.
els would very soon become choked. Bellows
are never employed, as too fierce Gre causes
loss OF metal. Aperi0d ofabout forty hours
Is requisite TO secure the product Of one kim
ding. When the flames have penetrated
right through the mass Of ore until they rise
above 1t, the burning is presumed to be fin.
ished.
The spot which the Dyoors inhabit is the
J inferior terrace Of the ierruginous formation
in the district. The consequence is they are
quite at home with all iron work Superficial
veins OF iron ore run through this portion Of
Africa for hundreds Of miles. Although they
differ little in their appearance, there are only
certain localities which produce an ore that
, under the primitive mode Of smelling Yields
remunerative supply OF geauine metal One
of these prolific veins is iound in the proxim-
! Ity Of kurshook Ali serbia. With an aston.
r ishing perseverance, the natives bave dug out
trenches some ten feet deep, from which they
have taken material very like ooIite. Con.
siderable quantities Of red ochre are discov.
cred, but 1t is not turned TO any account, thro'
{ Ignorance Of q proper way Of manipulation.
The wild tribes Of Africa all show tendency
to cultivate the arts Of civilization, but their
fear OF each other prevents them from com.
bining together to advance themselves in the
I construction and use Of agricultural and me
chancal implepenis. There is an utter want
OF wholesome intercourse between race and
race. For any member Of tribe which
= speaks one dialect to cross the border Of q
! tribe that speaks another is to make aventure
at the hazard OF his life.
The tribe with whom Schweinfurlh had the
most intercourse during his long wandering
in the interior Of Africa was the Bongo. HI
even TO q certain extent mastered their dialect
and was thus enabled to make careful study
of their habits and manners OF life. This Gu,
rious people, though yisibly on the decline
: may still, by their peculiarly and striking
. independence in nationality, language snc
customs, be selected from amidst the circle O.
their neighbors as genuine type Of African
life. Belonging TO the past as much as to the
present, without Constitution, history, or deti.
mite traditions, they are passing away, like
deeds forgotten in the lapse OF time, and are
becoming as drop in the vast sea OF the Cen.
trail African races.
. The present country Of the Bongos lies be.
tween latitudes u and - north, on the south.
western boundary Of the depression of the
Bahr- r-el. Uhazal basin, and on the lowest oil
the terraces, where the southern slopes ap.
pear 10 make transition from the elevated
ierruginous crust TO the uniathomed alluyial
Hats which are trasersed by all the aiiluente
OF the river. lhis country is about one hun
dred and seventy-tiye miles long by fifty broad,
and teenlng with ail the richness Of tropical
vegetation, but with regard to population il
Is deserted wilderness, averaging scarcely
IL people to the square mile. The countries
OF the Dinkas, Dyoors, the extensive MAN.
, MAN lands, and the territories Of various
Smaller tribes all unite in forming the VARIOUS
boundaries Of the Bongo country.
The complexion OF the Bongos is not dis.
similar 10 the red-brown soil upon whica they
reside, and their hair is perfectly black and
woolly. They are essentially an agricultural
people, and with the exception of occasional
hunting and fishing, they depend entirely up-
on the products of the soil for their sabsis.
tence. As the land is irayersed b, Ave i'm
portant tributaries OF the Gazelle, with which
are associated numbers Of smaller rivulets,
suiieringin consequence Of prolonged drought
appears to be unknown, as in dry periods wa
ter is easily procured from the extensive
marshes.
, There are no people who bestow SO nuch
pains upon the erection OF their dwellings as
the Bongos. ihey invariably adopt the con
, ical shape, and the diameter Of the dwellings
rarely exceeds twenty feet the height gener-
ally being about the same The entrance con.
sists OF hole 50 small that il is necessary to
creep through IN order 10 get inside and the
door is simply hurdle swung upon two post
so as TO be pushed backward and forwarded
at pleasure. The clay floor in the interior is
always perfectly level; il is made secure
against damp as well as against the entrace of
, termities by having been fattened down by
the women trampnng upon broad strips OF
bark laid upon It, The common sleeping.
place oil the parents and smaller children is
on the floor The bedding generally consists
only OF skins, the Bongos having little care
for mats For the pillow OF the family they
ordinarily use branch Of tree, smoothed BY
being stripped Of its bark. Their building
materials are upright tree stems, plated fag-
ots, canes OF the bamboo, ciay from the
iermes-hills, and tough grass.
Iron IS found in great quantities, through
out this region, aud the Inhabitants devote
much Of their attention TO It's manipulation.
They surpass the Dyoors in skill, and consid.
ering the primitive nature Of their tools and
apparatus, they produce very wonderful re-
suits. With their rude bellows, and ham
mer which generally is mere round ball Of
pyrites, though it may be little pyramid of
iron stone, the handle Of which has been forg-
ed upon an anvil of gneiss or granite, with an
ordinary little chisel and a pair Of tongs that
consist Of q mere split piece Of green wood,
they contriye TO fabricafe articles which would
bear comparison with the productions Of an
American smith. Their melting apparatus Is
structure Of clay, about Eve feet in height,
containing in its interior three distinct com,
partments. The centre chamber Is filed with
alternate layers of fuel and ore, and the high
est and lowest with fuel only. From the iron