Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-10-03
THE GOLD COAST.
n PART OF AFRICA KNOWN AS
"THE WHITE MANS GRAVE"
Tho Lay of tho Manifestations ana
Supcrstitions OF tho Natives
Tnttoocd Tribes Red Pop
pcrs as an Article OF Dict.

The West Coast Of Africa has the I'M
enviablc title of "thc white mans grave"
at least that part of it that stretches from
Scncgambia to st. Paul dc Loando. After
leaving Sierra Leone, really beautiful
spot to look ut, the steamer hugs tho
shore for the rest of its voyage 1t is a
monotonous view, for there is nothing but
long fringe of sand, backed 10y dense
bush, broken here and there by II clump
oil cocoanut palms that denotes a negro
settlement. Further inland one Gun make
out the giant forest trees, chiefly the
cciba or Subsection tree, Tho Gold
Coast Colony has for its western
boundary the Assume River, and from
here the land changes. Small rounded
hills give some variety 10 the scene,
but still there is the same inter.
minabic line Of sand, ON which the surf
is forever beating. This surf is one of
the many drawbacks OF this pnrt of
Africa. With the full sweep of the At
lantic the waves dash in with fearful
force. peculiar surfboat is used. 1t
IL very broad in the centre, tapcring TO "A
fine point nj each end, the ends being
built higher than the rest of the boat.
Eight tn ten men, seated on the gunwalc,
with one man nj the stern, who for a
r,luuer uScS strong oar, form the crew.
The men nsc paddles. They are IL fine
set of men, these boatmcn; somewhat
scantily dressed, you can STE every muscle
working as they plunge their paddles
INTO the water. They keep time by sing
ing some doSScrcl song, which generally
ends up with: ''Nlarmn, nccomngin, ne
comngin." (Noihcr, I'm hungry, I'm
| hun"ry.)
The scenery becomes more unincrcstng
than ever after passing Quilla From
here the coast is simply thin belt of
sand, behind whicl, stretch miles of
lagoon, part Of The ,lclln Of the Niger.
little west of Why,lnh, that is, ut lIng-
dab, the English territory ceases, and for
lew miles the shore line belongs to
Dahomry. Nowhere is the surf worse
than here, and another terrible ,lnnpcr is
the sharks. From Why,lnh II path i,isi
broad enough To allow II punchron of
palm oil to be- rolled down 10 the seaport
has been cut through the forest To
Abomcy, the capital of the Kingdom,
about sixty miles up country. The town
would be by no means easy To capture, ns
| IL is surrounded by II thick belt of cncl,ls,
which here grows TO the height Of twenty
and thirty tcct. At koionon, where the
French hive been occupied in beating
back the Dallominns, there was few
years ago I'M English fnctory, but il wns
abandoned owing 10 the icrociy of the
| shnrks, that would attack the men when
| lutInehiptf n hnnt A IL:
knees in water would he grabbed aud
carried oil by these tigers of The sea.
Close by is Porto Novo, town built on
the inner bank of the lagoon. This Ia
COON formerly opened out into the SEA,
anil the small French mnn-of war Lin
Srinc entered and went up 10 Porto Novo
While there however, the sand silicd up
and cut of the Frcnchman' only retreat.
| a little further to the cnsi ward is Lnyos.
which is an island in the next lagoon, IA
very large one, which is, however, open
10 the SET, anil fair sized vessels can cross
the bnr and 30 up TO this small but busy
colony of The British.
Lagos tips n large proportion of the
| Niger trade, and in and about lis streets
are TO be seen natives from all the sur
rounding countries, NInnlin3ucs, and
mcii from Sacnl0o, Yornids. OS5s,
lloussns, HORNS and the sturdy little na.
tivcs Of The Congo
| All these tribes have some peculiar
mark iaito0cd on their inccs TO distin-
guish them, generally gaslcs on The check
or forehead. The Kroo-mcn, the snilors
OF West Africa, are distinguished by n
dark line extending from the top of the
forehead to the tip of the nose. a Dnho-
mimi is never seen in Lagos First of NIL,
they are the Ishmacs of this part Of the
world, and would gel scant grace from
any Yor'ilm; and secondly, they would
! have 10 cross water, which is against
their "fctish." Most Of these tribes ARE
now Molammcdans, arcigion that makes
more converts in one week in Africn
thnn the whole Of the Christian religions
i'll year. But notwithstanding their
new faith they still cling 10 their old
snpcrstiiions.
Beyond IL submerged forest in the Ovo
Kingdom, the country is more open, md
| this mny be said Of the lands from lhcNipcr
westward TO l'onl00ko. On every side
were groves Of the Sag.is vinifcra, from
which the native gets his pnlmwinc and
the palm-oil that is The chief source of his
wealth. The nuts grow in clusters and
are covered over with thick butter mat
Ter. The lunches arc put in boiling
water and the oil skinned Off. II is the
chief ingredient in railway grease, but
when fresh is capital addition to the
kitchen. Formerly the nuts, little, hard
black things, were thrown away, but now
they nrc exported in large quantities to
Europe, where they arc crushed and the
| oil extracted.
Each important town has its market,
generally every fifth day, and to il flock
oil the ncighborhood. The men come
armed, for ut any time n war may begin,
and there is no knowing whom some
, trcachcry 10 brewing. The general cause
is trcspass, or the 'panyarring" Gorciblc
abdnction) of some woman by man of
another tribe. 1t is these perpetual in.
ternccinc wars that make the Yorubas so
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