Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-05-09
HIS WIFE HELPS RULE.
Great African Chief Whose 500 Consorts
are His Ministers of State.

| Thirty years ago. just about the time
when the big African lakes were dis
covered, there lived in Unyamwezi,
| through which Burton had just travel
led on his way to Lake Tanganyika, a
boy named Msidi, who has since be-
come famous. His father went every
now and then several hundreds of
miles from home to the great copper
country of Sanga to buy the metal
! from native miners. When Msidi be-
came young man his father took him
on some of these expeditions.
Finally Msidi started out to buy cop
per on his own account. He arrived
in the mineral region once when the
| big chief of this Sanga country was at
war with great tribe who were invad-
ing his district from the north. Msidi
| had with him four guns and plenty of
ammunition. Firearms had never been
| heard of in that country, and when
Msidi marched out to win a battle for
his friend, the chief of Sanga, the
enemy fled in great dismay after few
shots. Just as few of Livingstone's
Makoiolo pOrters with only nine guns
conquered the whole Shire country and
set up as little kings, SO Msidi laid the
foundations of his fortune with four
guns.
The old chief felt so grateful to
Msidi that he made the young man his
heir. He died soon after, and the
humble ivory trader suddenly became
! the chief of quite large country. He
killed all chiefs who he thought might
become his rivals, carried on aggres-
sive warfare against all the surround
ing tribes, gradually spread his domin-
ion, and is still extending it. Living
stones Cazembe and the Muata Yanva
used to be talked of as the greatest
chiefs west of the big lakes. Reclus
says that Msidi is now without doubt
the most powerful ruler in the Congo
basin.
An anecdote is told illustrating the
shrewdness of this savage potentate.
When Mr.. Arnot, a while ago, sent
word to the chief asking permission to
settle in his country as missionary,
some Arab traders who were at his capt.
tai told Msidi that all Englishmen were
villains, and urged him either to kill
Arnot or to turn him back. ''Well,"
said the chief. al don't know any
OuO huOW yOu aldUSs
and you are the biggest liars l ever
saw. The Englishsnan may come,
and I will see what he is like"
The chief, for an untutored native.
has remarkable administrative ability,
and to this talent he largely owes his
great success. He has adopted very
curious system of keeping all the af-
fairs of his country in his own hands
without bothering himself with details.
He has done this by making his 500
wives his officers of state.
He has divided his great empire into
many districts, each of which is ruled
by minor chief. Each chief is repre-
scented at court by one of Msidi's wives.
She sees that all the tribute due from
her distict is forwarded to the capital,
entertains all visitors from the district,
and is ready to give Msidi at moments
notice any information he desires. The
result is that without books or secre-
taries he rules the country in a bust
ness-like way, and his name every
where inspires respect and often fear.
Msidi renamed his country Garen-
game. 1t is west of Lakes Bangweolo
and Moero, between the Luapula and
Lualaba rivers, and embraces over co.
600 square miles.