The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-05-21
NUMBER 90.
NEGRO LILTPUTIANs.
Bayard TayioF's Description OF the Pig
mics OF Naan, Equatorial ATrsca-
WariIlxe Little Men.


NarIIl<e Little Men.
Cairo Letter to the \. Y. Tribune.
The Khedive spoke of q race of pis
mics which had been discovered IN "a
very heart of Central Afric9, beyOn
the land of the Nyam-Nyams, and az
vised us to look at two natives of th
twibe which had recently reached Cairo
On leaving the palace of Aberdeen
therefore, we drove Immediately to th
palace Of the Nile, near Boulak, wher
they are now kept. On making iaquir
the soldiers in the inner court immedi
ately pointed out two small boys (appa
rentlY), wearing the fee, and dressed i
| jackets and troWsers of white wool.
| should have taken them for children G
some Ethiopian tribe at the first glance
and was not satisfied, until after a clos
inspection, that one Of them was a full
grown man.
DR.. Schweinfurth saw some natives o
| the tribe among the Nyam-Nyams bu
did not reach their country, which lie
| beyond that Of the latter, and therefor
south Of the equator-probably frO1
! 800 30 500 miles west of the central par
/ of Albert Nyanza. But after SchWein
furth's return, the veteran 1tolian tray
eler Miuni. whose name, carved upon
/ A
/ by all readers of Speke's and Bakers
narratives, started on new journey o
exploration from which he was destined
never to return. On the 9th of Novem
Der last, some boats reached Khartoum
with the journals and collections o.
| Miami, who died IN a country called
Monbootoo. These were taken by the
| governor of Khartoum, and three pig
mics, who were supposed 60 be slaves,
we're temporarily imprisoned. When
the intelligence reached Cairo, the Khe-
dive ordered Miani's papers and colleo-
tions TO be given to the italian consul
and the pigTni6s to he sent TO him One
of them, a woman, died on the way
the other two reached here a few weeks
ago. They we're 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 use them, If they survive,
as medium of future intercourse with
their tribe.
Tho 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, biacker
than charcoal, who accompanied them,
was one of AiiRni's men. He spoke a
little Arabic, and I 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 year and A half from
Khartoum (probably the time occupied
by trading expedition in going thitheF
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
examined and measured them. Tub
buI was 46 inches in hight, the legs be
ing % inches, and the body with the
head "a, which is a 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 20 the
hip-joint, throwing out the abdomen,
which was already much distsrded,
probably from their diet of beans and
bananas. Yet the head was eraaf. the
shoulders on line of gravity. and there
was no stOop In the posture Of the body.
as In the South African bushmen. Tub
bul meaured SO inches around the
breast ane 2S around the abdomen; his
hands and feet we're cOarsely formed,
but not large, only the knee-j joints being
disproportionately thick and clumsy.
The facial angle was fully mp to the
average there was a good development
of brain, fine intelligent eyes, and
nose SO hattened 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
dark mulatto.
The boy Karal was 43 inches high,
with the same general proportions.
Both had woolly hair, cut short in front,
but covering the crown with a circular
cap of crisp little rolls. Tubbul's 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. I lifted him
from the ground. and should not esti-
mate his weight at more than 65pounds.
The soldiers stated that neither of the
two had learned more than a few words
of Arabic, but that they talked a great
deal to each other IN their own Ian
guage. However, when ordered 10
speak Tubbul turned and walked away.
A soldier seized and drew him back
whereupon he stood still and sulien In
his former place. At a recent meeting
of the Egyptian Institute it was stated
that the language of these pignlies has
no resemblance to that of any other In
Central Africa
The country of Naam, 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 Khediye 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. DR.. Sehweinfurth supposes them
to be the pigmies mentioned by Herod-
otus. The Darwinians viii hardly
find an intermediate race between man
and monkey IN them. Their curious
physical peculiarities, especially The
curvature Of the spine, the WIDE mouth
with fiat but distinctly EaoEzed lifls end
the squareness and breadth Of the noe
trils are not of q Eimian character. In
fact. they look less like the ciimpan-
zee than several Of the tall and athletic
negro tribes.
When I was on the White Nile, In
1852. the Nyam-hyams we're spoken OF
bv the people as q frightful race Of can
nibals. with tails. No one had ever
seen them the very name was q terror
to the natives Of Soudan and an ob.
staele 70 the traveller. Nov their conn
Try has been reached and partially ex-
plored, and specimens OF the race have
Ventured even as lar as Khnrtoum. 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 not
aware that any account Of the race has
yet besn published in Earope OF Amer
lea.
Weather-Proof Wash for Wood.
According TO Kuhr, cheap and con
,repsart r.16iah- -brosTu eontfncr Of far