Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-12-22
Christmas in Central Africa.

uno .avor' and the tin-horn crop among
the children has been a failure. Very
inherent is Christmas in heather lands.
where the uses of the stocking are un-
known, and Christmas-trees are hunp
win unfortunate travellers and unan.
Preclated missionaries instead of glitter
ing and snowy presents. Think of
christmas In the region of the North
Pole, where the night lasts for six
months, so that even the ablest of the
Esqulmaux can not distinguish Christ
mas-eve from Thanksgiving night. nor
Christmas morning from Washington's
6irthday or Decoration day! Even more
depressing Is Christmas in Central
Africa, as . distinguished English trav-
eier once discovered to his mingled sor
row and danger.
The traveller was good and noble
man. He was engaged in discovering
fresh lakes. new kinds of cannibals, and
original sources of the Nile in the heart
OF Africa, and his only desire was to do
good TO the human race, and to prove
that the maps made by other travellers
were all wrong. He had been three
years in the Dark Continent, and. hay-
ing suffered necessarily from fever.
starvation. the rude embraces of lions
and elephants. the bites of deadly SER
penis. and the cruelties of native Kings,
was nearly worn out He arrived late
one afternoon on the shore of a mighty
lake which mo other white man had ever
seen. and which was at least five hun
dred miles distant from any of the
various localities in which European
map-makers had previously placed it.
he lay down under the shadow of the
trees, faint with all the various things that
Predispose man to be faint in Central
Africa, but exulting in the thought that
he would compel the map-makers to
place Lake Mjambwe where he wanted
1t, and not where they selfishly i'm
aglned that it would present the most
picturesque appearance, Suddenly he
remembered that it was the 24th of De-
cember, and that Christmas eve would
naturally arrive in the course of the
next two hours. The thought saddened
him. He glanced at his bare feet-for
his supply of stockings had long since
given out-and he thought of the happy
homes in England. where the children
were preparing to hang up their moth
ers' largest stockings, while he must
spend the blessed Christmas season
among savage heather and unframed
animals. He felt at that moment that
he would give his new lake for an hour
in his English home, and he covered
his face with his hands and sobbed him.
self asleep.
When he awoke it was broad day.
light. The woods were vocal with par
rots who necessarily remarked: "Polly
wants cracker" and ostriches, and
other tropical birds. each singing at the
top of its voice. On the bosom of the
lake hoated immense native canoes
bearing parties of excursionsts, the
music of whose accordions and ban;oes
came over the water to the wearied
traveller. He was hungry, and felt in
his pockets for his quinine pills, but
they were all gone. He tried to rise to
his feet. but he was too weak and rheu-
matte to rise without help. so he sank
back. murmuring: Its ard. ard in
deed, to die on Christmas among the
'eathen.n
The sound of women's voices reused
him. Three native women, clad only
with the tsetse and pOnabO worn by their
sex in that part of Africa, emerged
from the forest on their way to draw
water from the lake. They saw
the traveller, and one of them, moved
with compassion, sang, in low, mourn
full tone: The poor white trash done
come to Africa. He hasn't no mother
for to fry hominy for him, nor no wife
for to send to the store with iuc."
Enfeebled as he was the traveller knew
that this was wrong. for he had read
Mungo Parks Travels. and he could
not help remarking: you women don't
sing that song as it ought to be sung"
Sing it yourself, then" retorted The
singer, in a cold, heartless wav, and
thereupon the women passed on. and
lett the wretched white man to perish.
The cruelty of the women made the
traveller so indignant that he resolved
to make one tremendous effort for life.
he managed to rise, after painful exer-
tons and the use of many scientific
terms, and hobbled slowly toward
native village about quarter of mile
away. He had scarcely reached it when
he was seized by two gigantic canni-
balls and dragged to the kings palace,
where he hoped that either death or
breakfast, he did not much care which. !
awaited him. as5. II
The palace consisted of one large
room with an enormous throne extend
ing entirely across one end of it. On
this throne sat twelve native Kings in
row, each one with musical instru-
ment in his hand. The one who sat in
the middle looked fiercely at the trav-
eler, and demanded of his captors what
was the charge against him. gs =.
''Poor white trash, Mr.. Johnsing,"
briefly replied the largest of the two
CannlDalS-..r. ~
Mr.. Bones should say, prisoner
began the King, ''what do you say for
yourself?','
"a. ~ am white man." replied the
traveller; .but 1 'aven't 'ad any soap
for years, SO plead hextenHating cir
cumstances. Besides, 1 am ungry. win |
you not give me some breakfast" VI
THE Kings face grew bright with |
rage--for it could not grow any darker
than it was and he turned to his |
brother Kings. and conyersed with them
rapidly in the Mjambwe tongue. They |
were evidently discussing the fate of the |
traveller, for presently the middle King
cleared his throat, and said: 1