The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-03-21
Communism in Africa.

The traveller, coming fresh from Eu-
rope into Damaraland, is struck by the
complete communistic freedom with
which every man appropriates the land
and its natural products. Roads have
been worn through the thickets by foot
men and the heavy ox-wagon, and the
chief villages are connected by kind
OF highway, but no one is obliged to
keep the roads if he does not want 10.
They are Of no more significance than
the zebra or rhinoceroS tracks which
led TO the drinking-places before man
appeared in the country, and there is
no reason why the traveller should not
make a new road at pleasure. The
pasturage is free for the teamster's
hungry cattle, the wood for the fire
needed 10 cook his supper. II a stray
spark sets the grass on lire, no one
thinks Of complaining; II a hunter com
mits devastation among the game, the
native may grumbe at the waste, but
he viii not imagine that his rights are
trespassed upon, or venture 10 inter-
fere with the proceedings The game
is as much the strange hunters as his.
II one sees a spot that pleases him he is
at liberty 20 settle upon il, and build
himself a house there. If any objection
is made TO the stranger, nothing worse
happens than that something unreason-
able is demanded Of him, in the same
way that people in other parts Of the
world are not ashamed 10 overreach
strangers: this is not so easily done,
however If the intruder is a native or
member of the same tribe; and even
stranger, if he does not allow himself TO
he scared away, is at last permitted to
remain undisiurbed. Whoever settles
in any particular spot must, however,
expect that other persons, finding it
well supplied with water and pasturage
will bring their herds there too; and II
is the practice of the Herero, when they
wish to got rid Of an unwelcomc neigh
Dor, Notwithstanding their communism,
20 bring up so many herds and establish
so many cattle-ranges about his house
that he becomes disguised with the
frequent intrusions. and is obliged TO
20 away from the exhausted tract
Some Of the Ilerero chiefs have recently
begun 10 drive single settlers away by
force. but they are aciuated by Interior
political views The people are not dis
posed to grudge a stranger the particu.
lar spot of land he occupies, but they
wish TO drive Foreigners out Of The
country altogether. An incident from
Damara history will help to illustrat,
the extent TO which this sense Of com
munism goes, When the Hereros hat
succeeded, after nine years Of warfare
in shaking of the domination of the IA
maquas, 10 whom they had preyious
been subjected, the Namaqua chief. ia
Afrikaner, asked the missionaries (
help him make apCace with them. Tn
missionaries proposed that the tw
parties should fix a boundary bctwee
themselves, which they would both r,
spect Both refused to do this. The
were ready TO make n peace, they sal,
and keep it, but they would have II
land, over which they had FOUGHT
hard in common. The Hcrero ellie
Kamaherero, declared repeatedly th
Jan might live in any part Of the lar
he chose after the peace and that
should expect fair proportion Of i
own people TO be allowed TO livein Jan
land. The pence contracted on the
terms lasted fully ten years. -PopHl
Science Nonthlg
''Reach me down that Webster, Pat
said one Of our laiely-elected Judges
his clerk "One Of thin dog-goned tina
ing newspapers has been libeling m
and, be jabers, ] won't stand Il. II
thaving blackguord calls me forcns
light. San francisco NcwsL Letter.
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