New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-17
TROPICAL AFRICA.
A CHARMING BOOK OF TRAVEL.

Id r. X. .. r.
with six MAPS and illustrations. lamo, PIP. a2s
Scribner & Wexford.
new book by the author Of Natural Law
in the Spiritual World is sure of a welcome, and
"Tropical Africa, will not disappoint the pub
Lie, save in regard TO its brevity IL does not
pretend to treat the subject exhaustively. 1t Is
not continuous or specially careful record oil
formal research and in some respects 1t registers
conclusions not in accord with those OF explorers
more familiar with the country. Thus, curously
enough, Professor Drummond appears TO have
seen in his Central African journeys nothing at all
of the evils and abuses described by Mr.. iornaday
Stanley, and Others growing out of the free liquor
traffic In fact he seems to be under the i'm
preston that rum is generally kept out OF the
hands Of the natives, and he concentrates his
attacks upon the slave trade The slave trade
certainly deserves everything that can be said
against it, and according to Professor Drummond
the abomination has lately been revived with
added horrors by the Arab slave-hunters mainly
because the withdrawal Of the ironclad London
from the harbor of Zanzibar has given rise to
the belief that Great Britain has lost interest IN
the suppression of the traffic in men.
The Mohammodan power, the author thinks
has recovered its audacty, and is preparing 10
defy the West in Central Africa This revival
of courage is due to the blind greed OF the western
nations, all Of which are now occupied in " claim
ing portions Of African territory to which none
of them has the least equitable right and III
regarding one another's movements with increasing
jealousy and suspicion. Professor Drummond IS
of opinion that England is under moral obligations
to put an end to- this dangerous state OF affairs by
undertaking the expulsion of the Arabs and the
restoration Of the distracted country TO peace as
necessary preliminary to civilization. The
difficulties Of such course arc, however, clearly
set forth in his own statements. Mutual jealousy
between the Western Powers paralyzes each and
ell of them. International philanthropy is no more
likely 10 be accepted as the explanation of Brit
ish protectorate than in former times Annexation
would beyond question be regarded as the ultimate
object of the interfering Power, and the movement
would be prohibited by all Europe. No doubt If
the Western Governments-Great Britain Ger
many France, Portugal-which already hold A1r
can territory would unite to delegate to the Congo
Free State power to suppress the slave trade ana
together subsidize this agency, the desired end
might be attained with minimum of friction; but
past experiments do not warrant much hope IN
the feasibility of such an arrangement
Meantime the slave trade flourishes, and mainly
because the ivory trade fourshes The elephants
are being killed so rapidly that in perhaps fifteen
or twenty years they will be virtually eXterm-
mated, and the supply of ivory from that source
must then cease. When this happens the slave
trade will sustain heavy blow, for hitherto IL
has been largely incidental to the transport OF
ivory; the traders stealing men to carry the staple
TO the coast. The extent TO which the Save
hunting is systematzed is strikingly shown IN the
following extract from Mr. Drummonds book:
Arab cncampmcnts for carrying on wholesale
trade in this terrible commodity are n9W es'ao ro
usually connected with wealthy Arab traders at
Zanzibar and other places on the coast, ana com.
munication is kept up by caravans winch pass az
long intervals from one to the other. Being al
ways large and well supplied with the matellal
of war, these caravans have at their mercy thee
feeble and divided native tribes through Whlcn
they pass and their trail across the Contnlent
is daikened with every aggravaton OF tyranny
and crime. They come upon the scene suuuelN,
they stay only long enough to secure their ehd,
and disappear only to return when q new crop
has arisen which is worth the reaplng. .,.
Sometimes these Arab traders will actually settle
for n wear or two in the heart of some quiet com.
munity in tho remote interior. They pretend
perfect friendship; they MODEST no one; they barter
honestly. They plant the seeds OF their faVorite
vegetables and fruits-the Arab always. carries
seeds with him-a if they meant to stay Tor ever
Meantime they buy ivory usk aiter tHsE ;. @ hn,
and all their barter-go gre gone. linen one
day. suddenly, the inevitable quarrel is picked
And then follows q wholesale massacre. Enough
only are SHARED from the slaughter TO carry the
ivory 20 the coast the grass huts of the village
are set on fire: the Arabs strike camp ana inc
It is not, however in the discussion of large
questions so much as in keen and original personal
observations that the interest of this volume con-
sists Take the question of paths for instance.
The popular notion OF travel in Africa, says the
author is of wandering vast tTaclIess spaces.
Now nothing can be further from the truth than
this idea The truth is " that probably no eX-
plorer in forcing his passage through Africa has
ever, for more than few days at time, been OIL
some beaten track Probably no country III the
world civilized or uncivilized, is better supplied
with paths than this unmapped continent. Livery
village is connected with some other village, every
tribe with the next tribe, every State with its
neighbor and therefore with all the rest" All
the explorer has to do is to select from the net
work Of tracks, keep general direction, and hold
ON his way Let him begin at Zanzibar plant
his foot on native foOtpath, and set his face
toward Tanganyi1a. In eight months he VIII
be there He has simply to persevere." Here is
a capital little study in native conservatism still
apropos of paths:
The native tracks which I have just described
ore the same in character all over Africa. Ihey are
yeritabe footpaths never over 1oot IN orcau IN
beaten as hard as adamant, and rutted beneath lne
level of the forest bed by centuries oil native lrdc
As a rule these foOtpaths are marvelousy direct
Like the roads of the old Romans they run Straght
on through everything, ridge and mountain and
valley never shying at obstacles, nor anywhere
turning aside TO breathe. Yet within this general
straightforwardncss there is singular eccentrclty
and indirectness in detail Although the African
footpath is on the whole bee line, no fifty yards
Of il are ever straight And the reason is not
far TO seek IL stone is encountered, no native
will ever think of removing it. Why should he?
IL is easier TO walk round it, The next man who
comes that way will do the same. He knows that
a hundred men are following him; he looks at the
stone moment, and it might be unearthed and
tossed aside; but no; he also holds on his way
IL is not that he resents the trouble, 1T is the
hat. & III
him that the stone was n displaccablc object, and
that for the general veal he might displace 1t,
than that its feldspar was OF the orthoclase
passed that stone, and it still waits for man with
an altrustic idea.
The deadliness Of the African climate to Eu-
ropeans is shown with dramatic force in this &C
count Of Liyingstonia