Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1874-06-19
The Heart of Africa.

terror of Africa better equipped for the
task of exploration than Schweinfurth.
Hewas abundantly furnished with money,
supplies, and appliances for scientific
research, and he had, moreover, the ben
eft OF many years OF studious and intel
lgent preparation for the work. While
yet lad his reading awakened in his
mind an intense interest in the vast re.
gions of Central Africa of which little is
known beyond uncertain conjecture and
even at that early day he resolved to be-
come an explorer. The whole course of
his education was directed towards this
object. He mastered all that was known
of Africa and its peoples acquired sew
eral OF the native languages and dialects;
became an adept in science and in all
other branches of study which would
further the grand purpose of his life.
No explorer ever set out with more
thorough preparation. The results of
this severe training are evident on every
page Of his work. He possessed the ad-
vantage over many equally energetic and
enterprising explorers that he knew what
was known, and occupied himself only
with the task of fresh discovery. Hence
his work is one of the most valuable con-
tributions Of the day to our knowledge
of Central Africa.
The chief features of DIR. Schwein-
furth's book are his rediscovery of the
Pygmies the light he throws on the sys-
TEN of slave hunting, and the efforts
made for its extinction and his contri-
buttons to the photography of Central
Africa. In regard to the vexed question
of the Nile sources, DIR. Schweinfurth
contributes some very interesting and
important data. He crossed the western
watershed of that river, and having ar
rived where the Lualaha must come, if
it flows northward at all, and not into
enO t'yaHLa, He IOuHu the w ellie, Jne
Keebaly, the Gadda, and all the streams
of that part OF Africa running in west
erly direction. This fact, while it does
not entirely dispose of the Lualaha,
proves the existence Of a separate river
system, where Livingston thought there
might be found the continuous channel
of the Bahr-el-Ghazel.
As regards the natives of Central Af-
rica, DIR. Schweinfurth resided for a long
time among various tribes, and became
intimately acquainted with their habits
and characteristics. Some of the tribes
are quite advanced In the ruder element
of civilization and the mechanical arts,
while others are nearly ON level with
the brute creation. The Monbuttoos and
the Niam-niams practice cannibalism
and it is curious to note that this horrible
custom appears to be not incompatible
with many pleasant traits and good quail
titles. The Niam-niams for example, are
naturally afectionate and kind hearted.
The men treat their wives and children
kindly, and will part with their most
cherished possessions to ransom friend
or relative from bondage if captured by
slave-hunters or hostile tribe; yet they
will slay and eat captive with the
greatest zest. Their name signifies
"great eaters" They divide their time
between war, hunting and the cultiva-
tion of the soil, and, for savages, they
are very good farmers. Sweet potatoes,
yams and tobacco are their principal
crops. Of tobacco they raise large guam
titles, and it is said to be of excellent
quality. The Niam-niams have not vet
advanced to the practice of chewing to-
bacco but they are inordinate smokers
of the fragrant weed, using neat little
clay pipes of their own manufacture.
DIR. Schweinf nth remarks it as curl
GUS circumstance that all the tribes of
Central Africa cultivate the tobacco
plant, and that its foreign origin is in.
dicated by the fact that but one tribe,
from the Niger to the Nile, has native
word of its own to denote it. Through.
out all the districts over which DIR.
Schweinfurth travelled the Nam -niams
formed the solitary exception to this rule. |
They call the plant "gundeh :" but the
Monbuttoos know it by the name of
e-taboo," while other tribes ring every
change upon the root as tabb, "tab-
ba," or tabdeet." Although the Euro
pean traveller may not be able to eat the
food prepared by his African entertain
ers nor drink their curious decootion of
the herbs, he can sit down and smoke
with them, and in this way, at least, en-
joy sense of the universal brotherhood
of man.
The Niam-niams wear but little cloth
ing, spending all their energy and inge-
nuity on their head-dress. One savorite
and remarkable style of coiffure is made
with a hoop fastened to the outer rim of