Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-06-29
LIFE I'm CENTRAL AFRICA.

Central Africa, for centuries almost un-
known to the civilized world, has been, for the
last ten or fifteen years, the chosen field of the
most intrepid travellers and explorers. The
names of Livingstone and Stanley have be-
come household words throughout Christen-
dom, and the geography of the clark conti-
nent'' has ceased to be the absolute and for
bidding mystery which made a wide and dis
NAL blank in the aliases of the last genera
ton. With these famous travellers we may
fifty associate their German cotempOrary, DR..
Gustav Nachtigal, who has given the world
some exceedingly interesting and graphic
sketches of the life and customs of the natives
of the kingdom Of Baghirm.
These children of nature appear, as far as
can be learned, to have been wholly despoiled
by any touch of modern civilization, and are
innocent of the slightest symptoms of artifi-
cial culture. Their dress is a model of sim
plicity, the whole outfit consisting of Shirt
reaching to the loins, leaving the other parts
of the body uncovered and many OF them re-
gard even this brief garment rs too arlstocrat-
ic, and content themselves with llandker-
chief around the head or even a few feathers
in the hair.
The Kingdom of Baghirm is not of large
extent, and it's sovereign is sambltlOus, not un-
like his more civilized brethren, to increase his
dominion by the annexation of adjoining ter
ritory. Meeting with resistance in the prose
cution of these designs, he resorts again after
the manner of the most enlightened poten-
tates-to the enjoyment of force. Repeating
rifles and artillery of the European pattern
being wholly unknown in that region, he sub
stitutes lances and clubs, the only weapons
known to the War Department OF Baghirm.
The methods Of defense adopted by the inya-
ded community are rude but effective. In
stead of digging ritle-pits, or erecting earth
works, the tribe simply mount the gigantic
cotton trees, among whose protecting branches
the lances of the attacking party cannot reach
them. This tree is admirably adapted for the
purpose of a refuge or fortfcation, being high,
and having usually no branches lower than
fifteen feet from the ground. The branches,
moreover, are very thick and grow almost hor-
izontally so that by laying sticks across them
and adding a covering of straw, a foundation
is obtained for hut, in which whole faml-
ly, including the dogs and goats, can live com
fortably and socially.
A single tree ordinarily contains two or
three families At night, when no attack is
apprehended, the dwellers in this singular hab-
itation come down and lay in fresh stock OF
water and provisions, always hiding the latter
as securely as possible. These natural forts
are found, whenever assailed, to be almost i'm
pregnable, so long asonly the native resources
of warfare are used against them. Having no
firearms, the enemy cannot reach them except
by storming each tree, and any attempt to set
fire to it is met by the besieged party who eX-
tingush the flame by pouring water upon it or
beating it down with sticks.
Both in attack and defense, but especially in
the latter, these people display the most stub.
born courage The members Of the tribe of
which conquest is sought will fight for their
liberty to the bitter end, knowing that the
sure result of defeat is horrible death or
hopeless slavery. AS a last resort, rather than
submit to capture, they will climb to the top
of the tree and throw themselves down to meet
inevitable leath