Weekly Phoenix herald., 1884-12-25
CHRIkTMAS IN CENTRAL
 AFRICA.


 crep among the children has been failure. Very different is Christi mas in heather lands, where the use of the stockings are unk nown, and Christmas trees are hung with un> fortunate travellers and unappre ciated missionaries instead of gilt. tering and showy presents. Think of Christmas in the region of the north pole. where the nights last for six months, so that even the ablest of the Esquimaux cannot dls- tinguish Christmas eve from Thanks giving night, nor Christmas morn> ing from Washington's birthday or Decoration dayl Even more de- pressing is Christmas in Central Africa, as a distinguished English traveller once discovered to his mingled sorrow and danger.
 The traveller was good and noble man. He was engaged in dis covering 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 10 the human race, and prove that the maps made by other travellers were all 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 bite of deadly serpents, and the cruelties of native kings, was nearly worn out. He arrived late one afternoon on the shore of a mighty lake winch no other white man had ever seen, and which WAS at least five hundred miles distant from any of the yariN ous localities ID which European map-makers had previously placed it. He lay down under the shadow of the trees, faint with all the vari@ ous things that prcdispose a man to te faint in Central Africa, but ex~ ulting n the thought that he would compel the nap>makers to place Lake Mjam bwe where he wanted 1t, and not where they seltishly imag- ined that it would present the most picturesque appearance. Suddenly he remembered that it was the 24th of December, and that Christmas eve would naturally arrive in the course of the next two hours. The thought saddened hi@. He glanced al his bare feet-for his supply of stocking had lsng since given out and he thought of the happy homes in England, where the children were preparing 10 hang up their m others longest stockings, while he must spend the blessed Christmas season among savage heather and untraincd 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 sobDed himself to sleep.
 When he awoke it was broad day light. The woods were vocal with parrots who necessarily remarked, "Polly wants q cracker" and oss triches and other tropical birds, each singing at the top Of their voices. On the bosom of the lake f1oated immense native canoes bearing par. ties of excursionists, the music of whose accordians and banjoes came over the water to the wearied tray, eller. 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 two weak and rheumatic 10 rise without help, so he sank back, muImaring, "Tis | 'ard, 'ard indeed, 10 die on Christ mas among 'eathen."
 The sound of women's voices | reused hIm. Three native women, clad only with the tsetse and pon,bo | worn by their sex in that part of Africa, emerged from the forest on their way to draw water from the | lake. They saw lhe traveller, and | one of them, moved with compass sion, sang, Tn a low, mournful tone: ''The poor white trash done come to Africa. He hasn't no mother for to fry hominy for him, nor no wife for -o send to the store with a jug :" as he was, the traveller zncw that this was wrong, for he lad read Aumg0 Parks TraUe1s, ana le could not help remarking, "You women don't sing that song as it ought to be sung"
 ''Sing it yourself, then," retored he singer, in cold, heartless way, nd thereupon the women passed on md left the wretched white man to ,erised.
 The cruelty of the women made he traveller so indignant that he re- olved to make one tremendous effort for life. He managed to rise, after painful exertions and the use of many scientific terms. and hobbled lowly toward 2 village about
 quarter ofla mile away. He had carcely reached it when he was eized by two gigantic cannibals nd dragged to the kings palace 'here he hoped that either death or 'reakfast, he did not much care which, awaited him.
 The palace consisted of one large oom with an enormous throne ex> ending entirely across one end of it. )n this throne sat twelve native ings in a row, each one with a musical instrument in his hand. he one who sat Tn the middle