West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-07-03
THE DARK CONTINENT.

white Mon vino visit ACric, In,itcI to
Marry NatiN" Women aud settle Down.
When au African chief travels he
takes the whole or part of his house
hold with him. Tho simple aborigincs
therefore. are apt To- look upon the sol
ilary white traveller who wander,
through their country without % single
wife i'm hi, train as suspicjou- charac-
ter. They are quito sure hc need. close
watching To prevent his running Oh
with some OF the fcmalcs of the tribe.
Dr. BaUh, the explorer, said. after liN-
ing for five wears i'm Africa that il
would hc better for "a traveller i'm those
regions to take his wife with him. IL
possible. He said the natives would rr-
spcct him more and h would rot along
better They had nothing to object to
me. hc wrote, "cNccpt my being a
bachelor
II the traveller has no wife the native
chiefs, uS "a rule. are not backward
about Offering 90 supply thc deficiency.
Nearly all the explorers have had some
annoying experiences with kmgs who
were anNiOu, go have them settle down.
marry into the royal family and grow
up wit the country. Some travellers
have felt compelled 10 leave very alb
rupily i'm order to escape the attentions
of women who were determined TO
claim them as their husbands
Dr Buchncr, the German traveller
who lived for six months at the capital
OF the Muata Iauyo about five years
ago, was very much distressed by the
deep interest with which he had unwit-
tngly inspired the sister OF that Central
African potentatc. He describes her as
"A middlc-agcd aud remarkably unpre.
possessing person of great ayoirdupuis.
She insisted that Iucmncr take her for
his wife and settle down comfortably rs
the Joint proprietor of her extensive
herds and fields. She importuncd him
so frequently that he was glad to escape
her at last by quitting the country
One Of the daughters of the King OF
the Ambucllas, near the /amb's River.
fell desperately i'm love with ~crpa Pinto.
the Portuguese explorer, who returned
TO Africa few months ago. Her elder
sister, who ably abettcd her matrimo-
nal designs. was very indignant when
l'lntO refused TO marry the Young Girl.
She wanted TO know, in the shrillcst of
tones, II there were any prctticr women
III the country hc camc from. and what
sort Of man hc was anyhow. The
sharp pwittcd wife OF one of Pnto's pOr-
tiers heard the row and entered the hut
Assuming an air of great indignation,
she told their Royal IIighuc-scs that
Pinto was her husband, and they had
better let him alone. She bundled them
out of the hut, and Pinto and his party
Lett early next morning 10 avoid any
further complications. In the picture
Pinto * book contains Of the infatuated
Young woman she appears 90 Doe quite a
luc specimen Of an African beauty.
Explorers have learned by experience
TINT 10 .- best 20 permit their portcrs to
take their women along with them.
even II their Journey Is 10 be thousands
OF miles in length. When 70 carrier has
his wife with him he is not likely to run
away. Besides, the women carry bur
dcns nearly us heavy as those of the
men. They wash and cook better than
tho men, endure fatigue better carry
their burdens moro Chccrfully, and
work for less pay African women
have proved valuable ad uncts OF ncar-
ly every ckpcdit ON tuai has penetrated
the continent in thc past ten ycar-.
Mr.. Horc, "a missionary on the great
Lake TnnganyiEa. found near the
southern coast three years ago flour
hing tribe whose ruler was woman
She was "a good looking negrcss. nearly
forty years old, and she was attended
everywhere she went by train of fifty
ladjc. boz waiting Mr.. Ilore was the
first white man Quccn Mwcma had seen.
and size thought She would like 10 nave
the palc-faced stranger permanently
near hor residence. She begged him TO
live in her town, and when he insisted
that hc could not, she did not let him
go until hc had promised TO send some
Oi hIs brethren ~ reside in her district.
The Queen said she would give them
houses aud plenty of land ~ Mssiou-
0ry, ne ~. y SUO