New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-15
N. There is a great deal of parade and display
4Laee !. Canaharecs and the nsual savage SIM

plation nj nassion and bloodthirsty intent. But
the truth is. that when the black fellows are
seriously bent upon slaughter, nothing is further
from their ideas than encounter with the ioe !"
the opcn. or by daylight. Always the sa'"se
notion of warfare is TO inflict as much damage 40
possible upon the enemy at the least possioio 80,
TO ones self They have no sense OF far pias
would seem to them merely idiotlc, anu 'n''
he little doubt that in regard to the theory anu
practice of war they have the weight oil ioe'I ="
their side and usually kill or capture all the aplc
bodied people They never massacre 'no
and children. combining themselves TO uiiuns -
eo,v Of these for the PURPOSES of the feast "lci
follows the foray. Sympathy with the .'u ,'hon
of cannibalism appears out of place amos. w
,vc learn that mothers not infrequently 'Hih a'o
holm 70 cat their own children, and that even -,
tho death of n child has been against us mum.
,yisb she generally comes round suihcen'iS
share the repast. From these traits u Il e, III.
that in his rudimentary state man is a0'u,S
below what he calls the brute creaton' in BULL"
important particulars
III. black fellows. OF course, have no his,Vi.'
but they possess number OF epic cilah''' &c r,ro
NAV he termed by stretch OF 1ahcS.
songs celebrate the deeds OF certain ""iiio'1'
where or when living there is nothihs "
As each tribe speaks special dlaiecC oi i'' Wv"
IL follows that many songs get dlsselhii"'e"' "
,,hic the learners have no comprehension, though
they Get them by rote and repeat them win as
much Measure as those which they understand
Mr. Lumholtz, when of. on hunting expeditions
often listened at night for hours 10 MS hauNe
followers chanting these elementary songs ana
poems TO the CIRCLE around the campfire Inc
blacks appear to have no igon. They have
"A vague belief in a devil, whom it is necessary
hin
regard as haunted by this demon, and they Will
not pass the night in any such place. Ihcy
also have belief in future state, fearing the
return of warrior. ghosts especially, and taking
various precautions against such revisiting the
plimpses of the moon; as for instance, by
tying the legs of the corpse that he cannot
take to walking or by fastening him down in
his grave with lgatures or otherwise. or God
these savages do not appear to have the remotesp
conception The supernatural exists for them
only in the form Of terror The beauties oil
Nature have no meaning TO them. Sunrise ana
sunset suggest nothing to them, neither the
verdure and repose of the forest nor the refresh
ing sparkle and musical sound of the mountain
brook. Only in the storm, the cold WIND, the
drouth, do they recognize the evidence OF any
power beyond themselves. and then they con-
ceive of a purely malignant force
Mr. Lumholtz does not fail to suggest that
perhaps these natives may have religious views
which they regard too sacred to reveal TO
strangers and especially TO the DREADED Wh'e
men; but. though it is well TO MAKE allowance
for that possibility, we do not think the pre-
sumption at all strong in its favor. Judging from
all the evidence here adduced, we should be IN
cned to conclude that any such retcence I'M.
plies deicacy of thought far beyond their ca
pacitv. 1t seems more likely that they really have
no reservation, but show themselves Just as they
are shallow and crude and incapable OF strong
emotions or profound conceptions. 1T Is eviaeht
that the tendency to ascrbe whatever Is mysterious
to diabolcal agency is fostered to some extent
by the character of the country, the scenery oil
which. while often grand, is distinctly melan-
choly, even TO the whites. The spirit hVlhsah'
which is the native devil, does not appear TO be
rersonled but is rather regarded as a pervadlng
sinister influence Generally speaking, 1t may be
thought to stand for the savages fear OF the dark
ness. which is that of children. Childlshness Is,
too the prevailing Characteristic in TINS stage OF
DEVELOPMENT There is no sense OF responsibility,
no honor immense vanity, purely animal cruelty
and complete want of foresight. The blacks live
for the moment and let the morrow take care OF
itself OF course contact with the white men has
been disastrous to them both physically ana
morally and they are dwindhng away, even where
not thinned out by the ferocious and merciiess
raids of the black police.
According to Mr.. Lumholtz these black police
are a curse 10 the country, and their white OIL
GERS are little if at all better. When white man
is murdered by black fellows, the usual procedure
is to order an attack upon the nearest tribe of
natives This is called "dspersing" them, and
the end is always wholesale massacre, in which
women and children are slaughtered as pitilessly
as the men. The author, however, was to learn
by unpleasant personal experience that sometimes
the police will screen black murderers, for he
nearly lost his life through the faithlessness of a
| police capan who refused to seize and hold a
notorious black desperate who had already muir
dered one white man. The inconvenience, OF
camp life with the blacks may seem from what
has been said TO be quite sufficient, but in truth
the full extent Of them has not been presented
| The country is full Of venOmOUs snakes; in fact
nearly all the snakes are venomous, and severa
| fatal Then there are colossal spiders; ticks
which burrow into tbe flesh lies which hltC
fiercelv and constantly and various Other
| reptian and chronological pests. Walking
through the grass entails attacks upon the
travellexs feet and legs by ravenOus lecches
Drinking and bathing in the rivers are enlivened
by the necessity of keeping sharp lookout foI
crocodilcs At night the adventurous white man
who camps with the natives has TO he on the
watch against murderous attacks. If he Is hunt
ing for animal specimens, his native helpers viii
steal and cat what he shoots. or if the game e.
capes them the derigOeS native dogs, will dc
their best TO appropriate it, To make a cOllec
ton under these difficulties and drawbacks prGyes
remarkable patience and vigilance, but Mr.. Lum
holtz appears to have been successful beyond OK
pectaton.
The game Of Australia, as every one
knows, is peculiar That country, not
having shared the glacial epochs which
made so many changes in the fauna of the rest
of the earth has retained descendants Of the most