Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1884-09-10
CHRISTMAS.

S*0sA~ VoASAt4u UOooO0 IN
Christian lands, especially when the
balance Of presents and dinners ID in
ones favor. and the tin-horn crop
among the children has been failure.
Very different b Christmas in heashea
lands, where the uses Of the stocking
aro unknown, and Christmas-trees are
hung with unfortunate travellers md
unapprecisted missionaries instead Of
giittering ard chowy pr-.snts. Think
Of Christmas in the region Of tho North
pole, wheSs the night lasts for six
months, 30 Mat even the abaest OF tho
Esquimau1 cannot diiA6uish Christ
mas eve from Thanksgiving night, nor
Christmas morning from Waohington's
birthday or Decoration day! Even
more depressing is Christmas in Cen
tral Africs, as distinguished English
traveller once discovered to his mingled
sorrow and danger.
The traveller was q good and noble
man. BE 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 ell wrong. He had been
three years in the Dark Continent, and,
having suffered necessarily from fever,
starvation, the rude embraces of lions
and elephants, the bites of deadly SER
pents and the cruelties of native Kings,
was nearly worn out. he arrived late
one afternoon on the shore of mighty
lake, which no other white man had
ever seen, and which was at least 500
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, t,int with all the va
rious things that predispose a man
to be faint in Central Africa, but
exulting in the thought that he would
compel the D.ap-makers to place FAKE
Mjambwe where he wanted it, and not
where they selfishly imagined it would
present tho most picturesque appear
ance. Sud he remembered that it
was the 24'n Of December, and that
Christmas-eve would naturally arrive in
the course Of the next two hours. The
thought saddened him. He glanced at
bis bare feet-for his supply Of stock
ings had long since gwen out-and he
thought Of the happy homes in En-.
gland, where the children were prepar-
ing to hang up their mothers' largest
stockings, while he must spend the
blessed Christmas season among savag,
heathm and unframed animals. He
felt at that moment that he would give
bis new lake for an hour in his English
home, and he covered his face with his
hands and sobbed himself asleep.
When he awokeit was broad daylight.
The woods were vocal with parrots who
necessarily remarked, "Polly wants a
cracker" and ostriches and other trop-
icai birds, each singing at the top of it's
voice. On the bosom of the lake
foated immense native canoes bearing
parties Of excursionists, the music Of
whose accordions and banjoes came
over the water to the weary 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 rheumatic to
rise without help, so he sank back,
murmuring, "'Tis ard, ard indeed, to
die on Christmas, among the 'eathen."
The sound of women's voices reused
him. Three native women, clad only in
the "ssetse" and "pombo7 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 compass
ion, sang in low. mournful voice:
The poor w'ite trash done come to
Africa. He hasn't no mother to fry
hominy for him, nor no wife for to send
to, the store with Jug"
Enfeebled as he was the traveller
knew that this was wrong, for he had
read sMungo Parks Travels" and he
could not help remarking: "You wom-
en- can't sing that song as it ought to
be sung"
"sing it yourself, then," retorted the
singer in cold, heartless way, and
thereupon the women passed on, and
Left the wretched white man to perish.
The cruelty Of the women made the
traveller 80 indignant that he resolved
to make one tremendous effort for life
He managed to rise, after painful exer.
tions and the use OF many scientific
terms, and hobbled slowly toward ma
tive village about q quarter of mile
away. He had scarcely reached it wher
he was seized by two gigantic cannibals