The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-07-14
STRUGGLED LETTERS.
Means Used by White Men Held by Saw
ages to Get News to Their Friends.

Means Used by White Men Held by Saw
ages to Get News to Their Friends.
Three scientific men,, Emin Bey, DR..
Junker and Signor Casati, have for
two years been virtually prisoners in the
depths of Africa. Hemmed in on one
side by the followers of the Mahdi they
retreated southwark until they were
stopped by hostile blacks not far from
the sources of the Nile. There they
now are in the Unyoro country, waiting
for the succor which two parties sent
out under Drs. Fischer and Leng are
trying, amid great difficulties, to carry
to them. Though cut off from all hope
of escaping by their own exertions, they
have been able to send letter to their
friends. The fact has been frequently
illustrated within the past year or two
that the castaway in savage lands can
often make his sad plight known to the
friends whom it is utterly impossible for
him to reach except by letter.
The messenger who bore the missive
of these unfortunates to Victoria Nyanza
was probably just like those who until
recently were wont to travel over the
same road from the Egyptian outposts
to the great lake-an almost naked saw
age carving his letter in asplit stick
which he bore high above his head when
walking through the tall wet grass.
Postmen like this have done agreatdeal
of letter carrying through African jun.
giles, and they have proved to be faith
full and expeditions.
The missionaries at the north end OF
Victoria Nyanza for some months past
have virtually been prisoners in Rubaga,
and until recently none of them were
permitted to set their feet outside the
town. Yet in the dark days when no
white man could possibly reach them,
and they hardly dared to hope that their
lives would be spared from hour to hour,
they managed several times to commu-
nicate with their friends in England.
Hidden in the garments of Arab traders,
their letters safely reached the coast, and
were read in England about three
months after they were written. In the
same way number of the white cap
| tives of the Mahdi have contrived to
send tidings from their prison huts in
Khartoum to friends in Europe.
Six hundred years ago the man who
wished to send a message north from
the south end of Cochin China placed II
| in the hands of courier, who was re-
lieved when about twelve to sixteen
miles on his way bya second courier,
and thus the letter was transferred from
post to post, the couriers travelling at q
sharp trot, carrying the letter as far in
one day as the ordinary traveller coulo
journey in three. Exactly the same
method is still employed to carry thu
mails over this route. Along the roya
road that skirts the sea from Saigor
through Anam to Hue the courier
still hurry at an extraordinary pace
with their mail snugly slowed away il
bampoo tubes.
The method of carrying the mail IL
savage lands is here and there improv
ing. It is now possible, for instance,
thousand miles up the Congo river, t.
atfix to letter a postage stamp bearing
the portrait of the King of the Belgian
and the words "Free Congo State, pu
it into civilized mail bag, and send
on its journey to the sea. This is a dc
cided improvement on the black nativ
with his split stick. N. Y. Sun.