The climax. [volume] (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1887-1897, 1889-11-06
EXPLORER DE BRAzzA.
How He Managed Natives Who Refus
70 GnII Hin ErnnH

to Sell Him Food.
81 regard Savorgnand de Brazza, next
to Stanley. as the greatest of living
African Travellers" said Mr. Carl
Steckelmann. "NO one who has ever
seen De Brazza on his travels he con-
tinued, could fail to recognize the
fact that he was born to be an exc
plorer. shall never forget the time
l met him far inland when was
travelling up the XVIII river.
zone day I reached a tribe who
seldom saw white men. They were
not very hospitable, but finally con-
cluded to sell me food. After a few
hours got on pretty friendly terms
with them, and they allowed me to
camp in the village. Suddenly l OBJ
served a little commOtiOn among the
natives. A few carriers were seen
emerging from the forest and with
them was a slender, sad-eved, poorly
clad white man. 1t was the Governor
of the French Congo himself, and he
was off on one of his long tramps
through the country.
"De Brazza approached a group Of
natives and asked them for food. The
savages thought this was piling it on.
No they said. gruf1y; we have one
white man here already. You can't
get food here. You had better go on
your way
''De Brazza said nothing. He sim
ply ordered his carriers to lay down
their loads in the middle OF the village.
Then be sat down apart from the ma
tives while one of the men unpacked
his astronomical and other instru-
ments. The explorer went to work
TO make observations for position and
to calculate his altitude.
at was the strangest sight the ma
tives ever saw-this white man study
ing his instruments so intently, and fig
uring away on a bit of paper They
made up their minds that his instru-
ments were a very powerful fetch.
and that this white man was a per-
son not to be trihed with. Soon a
crowd gathered around him, and when
the curious blacks came too near, the
explorer frightened them away by his
gruf manner and impatient gestures.
Get away from me. Clear out
Don't you see I'm busy. Let me
alone, he said.
AT length De Brazza finished his
work and put away his instruments.
Some natives had been cooking their
evening meal in front of their hut
Their meat and vegetables, which had
been boiling in a pot, wers ready, and
the group gathered around the dying
fire and began to eat De Brazza
watched them for a minute or two
Then he took a tin plate and a large
spoon, walked up to the pot, helped
himself literally to its contents with,
out saying a word to any body, sal
down by a tree, and RECALLED himself
with native cookery. He knew just the
affect his action had produced upOI
the native mind and just what to do
Then he told the villagers his mer
were hungry and must be fed. FED
they were with all they could eat fOl
who would dare to oppose a grea
medicine man who carried such a re
markable fetch as n theodolite? d.
Brazza slept in the village that night
and next morning he paid the natives
well for all they had given him anC
took his departure
De Brazza is one of the few explOr
ers who are perfectly willing, if neeC
be, to live for months on native cook
cry. If he has no supplies on hand h
is not afraid to travel without them
Stanley said that De Brazza was one o
the most dilapidated-loOking object
he ever saw when he suddenly turned
up on the Congo one day, barefoOte,
and in rags. De Brazza relates, how
ever, in the story of his early travel
on the OgOwe, an experience that near
~ upset his equilibrium. He arrives
at a village one day, and requested
woman to cook him some dinner. Sh
prepared the meal, and while he wa
eating it he asked his dusky hos
the name Of the fish she had set befor
him. She replied that it was not fish
but snake he was eating. Though h
thought the dish an inviting one, hi
Imagination got the better of him, an
the explorer says he suddenly lost hi
appetite and did not regain it until tn
next meal time.-N. Y. Sun.