The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-03-04

Earth-Men from Africa.
Sitting in a waiting room of the
Central Railroad ferry house a few
days ago, said recent issue of the
New York World. was as uncouth a
collection of human beings as falls
to the lot of New Workers to witness.
Wrapped in coarse, striped blankets,
their heads covered with cloth caps
six sizes too large for them, the small
peaked faces peered out of their COW
erings with monkey-like gaze at
the crowd of inquisitive Americans
who gathered around. They were
African earth-men or pygmies, re-
Gently brought here from the region
of the Congo. Until lately the exis
tence of these people has been ques-
toned by scientific writers. but re-
cent discoveries have proved the
truth of the well known assertion OF
Herodotus, regarding the mysterious
tribe of dwarfs who burrowed in the
earth far back towards the centre OF
the Dark Continent. Du Chetillu
was the first modern traveller who
Investigated the matter and saw
them in their own land. and describ'
ed them as being small i'll stature,
but larger than one is led to expect
from the description of Herodotus.
being something over three feet and
half tall, but still they are diminu-
tive specimens of humanity. Their
figures are slim and delicate, but
very well formed.
The woman especially is capable
of posing for an artist as bronze
Venus. They were all well clad the
women wearing coats and pants of
coarse but warm material, and they
frequently emitted dry, hacking
cough, that showed the effect which
our climate and that of Englan nd,
whence they came last. is having
upon them. Their faces denote but
little intellect, yet they are possessed
of much intelligence, and the chill
dren are surprisingly bright. The
baby sitting under a canopy of cap,
was a study in himself.
His big, black eyes twinkled and
snapped as he peered this way and
that at the crowd, and he looked the
brightest and best of the lot His
father, the king -they are all kings
who come here-sat enwrapped lii
his royal blanket, with a long bow
in his hand, and he appeared to no.
tice nothing that went on around
him. He wore, attached to his hair
in front three small shells filled with
some kind of cement or dirt to hold
them on. These are royal trade
marks, none but he being allowed to
decorate bangs in that manner, and
he looked every inch king of that
sort On their cheeks they all had
ragged scar-this is also a royal
mark aud is made by scratching
with an arrow and rubbing in colcr-
ing matter-a rude sort of tattooing
La addition to these marks each
one had the first joint of his right
hand little finger taken oG THIS is
"A general tribal mark They all
showed their fingers aud all were
alike in this dis6gurement. Their
skin is not black, but sort of cop
perry brown, somewhat like our In
dlans, but shade or two darker aud
richer in tone. They have bat little
hair and that is curled like pigiails
The most curious thing about
them is their language. Its SER
les of indescribable clucks. made by
turning the tongue backward against
the roof of the mouth and swapping
it forward, not the sound one makes
when sta ting a horse, but just as
inarticulate and seemingly as unin-
telligible to a human being. They
slicked and clucked among them.
selves and the gentleman in charge
clipped in and fred his tongue al
them and then the reporter tried il
and clucked them: Here's my re
CARDS"
Ii seemed incredible that mel
could converse among themselves
with such an elementary form oi
speech, it not being elevated above
the twittering of a sparrow. One
certainly could easier translate the
barks and whines of his dog into
English. They seemed to be satisfied
with 1t and that is certainly enough
They have quite a collection OF
African arms aud curiosities in their
possession short and long bows
with sinew or hide strings spears
and arrows of reed, poisoned Will
the juices of plants and capable oi
making havoc in the ranks OF al
enemy. IL is, in fact, in this man-
ner only that thay can be formidable
as an ordinary white man could cas-
lily manage three of them The,
decorate themselves in the manner
usual among savages, with shells
beads and feathers, the latter being
quite ornamental and artistic
l'hey have collection of ostrich
feathers, heads and horhs of gazelies
gemsboks, and Glands. tiger AMI
leopard skins and lions claws-alI
TROPHIES of their skill in the chase
and swowing what superiority
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