The Portland daily press., 1890-08-28
IN DARKEST AFRICA.
somePoInts from Henry m. stanley's
Latest Book.

somelPoInts from Henry m. staniey's
Latest Book.
considering the comparatively easy jour-
ney which Stanley made from Albert Lake
TO Zanzibar, and the loss of life that the ex.
petition had in passing through the great
forest. 1t seems to be evident that he would
have done better to have gone to the Lake
from the eastern sido Although no table of
deaths is given. greater number must have
persisted than were rescued of Emin's party,
and the lost lives were apparently as vaiua-
BILE as those saved. But the geographical
questions solved are Of great Importance and
were worth considerable sacrifice. The
rumors Of
WHITE RACE IN THE INTERIOR
have long excited deep interest, and as the
space was gradually narrowed down, all eyes
have turned towards the great plateau on the
western side OF Albert Lake as the possible
place where that primitive people might be
found. But Stanley has now explored that,
and has found there race of black agricul-
turists. and another of dark-brown herds
men, who are nomads of Indo-African orr
Eah' A. PANsohO VI q WhIIlUI VI tUo iaLLcT
type looks like Crusader. He wears a long
tunic which looks like mail shirt, his head
dress is not unlike the close half helmet and
pune, shield hangs at his back and he
carries long spear in one hand with a bow
aad arrows in the other. He has also pro.
found contempt for his neighbors, the hoe
men, But no white race appears, although
Stanley's party is hailed in its later Journey
as the Wanyavingi who are said to be de-
scended from the whites and to inhabit the
neighborhood Of the Mountains of the Moon !;
tall. big men. with long noses, and of a pale
color, who wear no clothes. The white race
must evidently be given up. But the eldest
race of the world. the aborigines of Africa,
who held their homes unchanged for at least
four thousand years, is we'll located, and
they are the
PIGMrEs OR DwARFs.
Schweinfurth obtained captive of the
Aka tribe and described him, and Du Chaillu
also met with them. and history has always
known them. No doubt slave hunting Ish-
maelites carried specimens of them to Sala-
din or other Sultans, like those described In
the Talisman, but Stanley has seen them in
their homes and gives a picture of one of
their queens. He says there are four tribes;
the Akkas, the Wambutti. Watwa and Bush
men, of which the Wambutti, to which his
pretty little queen belonged, are by far the
| handsomest.
These pigmies live only In the forest land,
and pine away when brought into the open
country, as the inhabitants of the open do In
the forest. They live in neatly constructed
huts. in communities, raise corn and plan
tains, gather various edible plants and fruit,
and are skillful hunters. They are deter
mined little warriors and fight desperately.
They are generally at war with all Invaders
of their forests, but live on friendly terms
with some Of the tribes of larger races III
their neighborhood, who generally describe
them as treacher0us. The little queen.
whose picture Is given is described as of a
light-brown complexion, with broad, round
face, large eyes and small but full lips; of
quiet, modest demeanor, though her dress
was but narrow fork clout Of bark cloth.
Her height was four feet four inches and her
age about nineteen or twenty. She had iron
rings about her neck and arms and in her
ears. Altogether he says she was pleasing
little creature. He also captured four wo-
men and boy. one of whom seemed of the
Aka race, with small, cunning, monkey
eyes, close and deeply set, protruding lips
overhanging her chin, a prominent abdomen,
narrow, fiat chest. sloping shoulders. long
arms, feet tnrned greatly inwards, and very
short lower limbs. He thought she was fifty
characteristic of the missing link, and GER
tainly IAN extremely low, degraded, almost
hoctto1 fvno IF hup hat
On another occasion he captured full
grown man and woman. The man was four
four feet high, 25a inches around the chest,
27a around the abdomen. 22a around the hips,
length of leg % inches. foot Ct inches. The
fell over the body was almost furry, being
nearly half an inch long. He was very
bright, and by signs gave Intelligent answers
to all their questions. A few days later,
finding that box Of ammunition had been
abandoned, he sent back for 1t. When the
searchers arrived where it had been left,
they found quite tribe Of pigmies, men,
women and children. gathered around 1t,
while two men were trying to lift it. Every
one seemed to have some suggestion, the lit
tie boys hoped about on one leg, spanking
their hips In irrepressible delight, while tiny
WOhiCns CdiIyluS blutcI UdDl0S db Lu6lr DdCK KS.
vociferated the traditional wise woman's
counsel Then pole was laid through the
grommets and men raised it to their shout
ders and staggered away into the bush. Just
then harmless shot was fired. the big men
rushed in, the pigmies scattered, but one
over-fat little fellow of seventeen was cap
tured and brought in.
The account reads like description Of
fairies. and perhaps the idea of little fairies
may have come from legends of these little
people,
But these funny little people are cannibals.
Que day they passed through ten pigmy vii
lagos without seeing an inhabitant, but the
pigmies were all about them, for one of the
bearers was wounded and boy was killed
and carried off by them as food. In this
neighborhood three dwarfs were captured,
one. an old woman who twas as strong as
horse" and could carry huge load of ba-
nanas.
The favorite camping ground of the pig
mics is the primeval growth, where the trees
are tallest and the ground firm and compact,
and these are the healthiest places, teing
free from miasma of themselves, and shell
tered from the winds which bring the fever
hundreds Of miles up rivers and over the
open country, even into the high plateaus.
Sometimes several communities live near to-
gether, comprising 1000 to $500 souls. With
their poisoned arrows and spears they kill
elephants, buffalos and antelopes. They also
catch them in pits. Smaller game is caught
in bow-traps. They sell meat, hides, furs.
ivory. feathers, honey and poison to the
larger agricultural aborigines in exchange
for plantains, potatoes, tobacco, spears,
knives and arrows. They also act as scouts
and pickets for their larger lallies. Their
dwellings are in shape of an oval cut length
ways, placed In a circle, in the centre of
which is the house Of the chief. The doors
are two or three feet high placed at the ends
Of the houses. At every entrance to the
camp and one hundred yards from 1t. is a
sentry-house just large enough for two little
men, with the doorway looking up the track.
The women collect fuel and provisions, do
the cooking and transport the goods The