Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-05-23
DESBRET EVENING NEWS.
Friday, Nay u. 1890
THE SMALLEST PEOPLE.

In a late issue of HdTpeT's Weekly,
c. G.. Adams, writing OF the recent
discoveries which have been made
in the Congo basin, tells Of curious
race of dwarfs known as the Batwas-
"When Stanley traced the Congo to
its mouth" says the writer referred
TO, she heard at Nyangwe Of fierce
dwarfs, who were said 10 live in
great forests 10 the north, and TO be
most intractable little creatures,
fighting like demons with poisoned
spears and arrows, eating the bodies
Of their fallen foes, having no set
tied abode, but wandering from
place to place through the forests.
1t was thought these stories were
greatly exaggerated by the
Arabs, who wished an excuse
for declining to send an escort
with Stanley ON his way down the
river. Ii was not until lSS5 and
1856 that four Of cur explorers dis
covered the Batwa dwarfs spread
over n great area in that part Of the
Congo Basin which is directly south
Of the great northern bend Of the
river. In one season Grenfeli ami
Won FRANCOIS found them In large
numbers in two different river
basins over 200 miles apart. Gren-
fell had previously found them on
the Upper LOmami, southwest Of
Stanley Falls. Between the LON
ami and the Congo the Arabs say
they have had many hard fight
with them. Further west, on the
Bussera and Tchuapa rivers, Gren-
fell and Won francois had number
| Of unpleasant encounters " it'll them.
At the furthest points reached ON
both these rivers the hostility OF the
bowling little folks prevented fur
ther advance. Their arrows, Shiny
with poison, were shOwered by
hundreds upon the wooden sun
roof Of tine steamer, or dashed |
against the steel network that pro-
tected the deck. Looking up the |
precipitOus bluffs above the Tchuapa 1
the explorers could see the little |
cofiee-brown people clambeTing |
where ii seemed impossible to main |
tain fOothold, and they saw them,
too, swinging with the agility Of |
monkeys from limb to limb Of great |
trees, creeping far out on branches
Overhanging the river, and launch
ing their shafts in mii-airat the inn
pertinent strangers who had dared e.
invade their privacy. Over 275
miles further south Wissmann met
them in the country Of the Bss-
sOnge, ami he described the speci-
mems he met as ill-shapeu, wOg-bC-
gone bits OF humanity. despised 10y
their neighbors, and living in tiny
huts- Far west, ne.r the kasssi
River, among the Bakuha, DR.. Wolf
met them also. They seemesi 10 be
timid little souls, quite unlike their
fierce brethren who had given such
a warm reception to Grenfell and
Won FRANCOIS.
These curious people, rs Eevealed
10 us by our four explorers, inhabit
n region little larger than the State
Of Maine. They are lighter in color
and not so prOgnathOus AS the Aka
whom Schweinfurth discovered on
the upper waters OF the Mobangi-
Makua, and Of whose fighting quail
titles Stanley has recently had the
most unpleasant experiences. Both
the Aka and the Batwa are canni-
balls Ii was an Aka dwarf who
told Emin Pasha, when quitting
his service, that he was going home |
because he was tired OF beef. The
Aka, from four feet TO four feet six
inches in height, are believed to be
the smallest people in the world.
The Batwa are n little taller,
and, according to the several :
authorities, they seem TO average
about four feet six inches in height.
In only a few places do they form
the exclusive population. They
wander around among other peoples
whose language they speak, and
whom they supply with the products {
Of the chase; for there are no hunt |
ers in the great Congo forests like I
these active little fellows. Eight or 4
more families Of them rear their c
rude huts together on some good i
and when in a
few months game becomes scarce
they move ON to other fields,
and again dig their pits for ele-
plants, buffalo, and hippOpOtami.
which are impaled on sharpeued
stakes as they break through into
the trap. From the bOughs Of trees )
also they huTl their spears at crea-
lures going b drink, and, II need be,
they follow the wounded animal for
lays, planting a fresh spear in its v
ilssh whenever an opportunity Of Il
lens The cunning little fellows n
seldom lose n weapon. The barbei y
Spear-heads cannot drop from the :
nd fLs.w- .vnmfa. : I III
lnly loosely fastened to the Joint, $
and rs the animal brushes o
through the timber 1t falls 10 r
his side, where it bangles from a =
stOut cord attached 10 the iron
pear point. In war they use uOis- i
lned arrows, ami unlike most Afri-
an tribes, they attack their enemy :,
n the night, creeping noiselessly ! q
up to set fire % their huts. and then | Al
hot their hapless victims rs they :.
'ush out. Tribes who have not met 4
hem and won their friendship are ..
n deadly fesr Of the dwarfs. N,
Don't go near the dwarfs,', said "
he Congo people 10 Greufell. "They =
'ermit no strangers 10 enter their y,
ountTy, they shoot with poisoned 70
AiNM , anu LltS are the uglieSt OF ~
norials, with big heads and bearded ~,
hins upon the smallest Of bodies. :, fr
,ure enough, the explorers found D
hat many Of them wear thin beards n
at they are not particularly ugly, -
nd have no other marked physical
eculiarity except their extreme
mallness.
When the dwarfs are on the
larch 10 new camps they sleep at
light on the branches Of trees out y,
{ the reach Of Wild beasts. Their
lrplus meat they take to the near
t chief, exchanging il for vere-
'bles or for brass wire and beads. r
it'll which they by women for i
ives; and thus they are assimilar- M
Y with the people among whom oa
Fey wander, and many Of their off, tor
ring are larger than their fathers. y.
nthrOpOlOgists are speculatinr -
pom the origin OF these curious peo5 de-
e, who were known TO the ancient hnI
reeks, and whom HerOdotus and o. o.
ristotle described. All the lin pel
Iistic and other evidence that ser
ems worthy Of consideration IN,
v"rs the theory that these scat in