Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1891-05-15
INCIDENTS OF AFRICAN TRAVEL.
Communication with Foreign Servants by
Gesticulation Is Amusing.

Communication with Foreign Servants by
Gesticulation Is Amusing.
Tips and gesticulations go a great way,
in making foreign servants understand!
those who do not speak their language.
but they do not always succeed, and tire
some though amusing adventures are often
the result.
When we first travelled in India we knew.
very little Hindustani, and on arriving at.
a palatial but very comfortless hotel at
Jubbulpore I wanted a small pitcher of
hot water to bathe an injury on my little.
finger. We knew that chola was ''small''
and garrum warm" but we could not,
think of the Hindustani for water" At
last I thought l had made the bearer I'M
derstand what I wanted. After waiting
some time he returned, looking we'll
pleased with himself at so easily guessing
my wishes, and, placing a small cup of tea.
at my side, bowed profoundly, and was
about to leave the room when I called him
back and tried again to explain.
This time we had to wait still longer, but,
presently we heard a humping on the
stairs and a deal of gasping and %groaning,
and then three men appeared carrying a
most enormous caldron of boiling water.
Our next journey was to Allahabad, and
on reaching the station at dawn we hired.
a carriage and told the coachman in u
best Hindustani to drive to the nearest,
hotel. We soon stopped at the entrance of
a large house and a we'll dressed European
opened the carriage door for us and polite
ly helped US out.
II am glad you have come so early" he
said, "for you will have plenty of time to,
see everything, and l assure you I can
chow Won Gonna uorv honlcorpo p;oo,~ -
furniture. What will you look at first?"
"After travelling all night we are too
tired and hungry to look at anything at
present." l answered sharply. "but will.
you show us into the best bedroom you've,
got n send us some breakfast imme-
diately?" f.
The man stared at me in utter astonish-
ment and turned to Mr.. Ker for an ex-
PLANTATION. After a time we found out our
mistake. The house was not a hotel but a
private residence, and the furniture was.
about to be sold at auction. The European.
whom we had mistaken for the hotel man
ager, was the auctioneer. So our Hin
dustani had been again at fault.
In west Africa l twice quite unintention-
ally offended the natives most grievously.
Directly a steamer arrives at a port the ne
groes swarm around her in canoes, offer
ing skins, grass mats, ETC., for sale, and I
always took this opportunity of sketching.
them. Once one Of the men wore a very
extraordinary wig, and in my anxiety to,
have Il good look at it l must lave let my
drawing block and pencil be seen, for he.
caught sight of what I was doing, and
tearing off his wig in terror he called out.
wildly:
"No put me in book, white mani! Me,
good man! No put me in book"
He evidently thought that I was work
ing some evil spell over him.
Another time an Ashantee woman on
our steamer saw me sketching her, and
she complained most bitterly to the cap
tain that I had made her very ill. She said
that l had given her a frightful pain in
her head, and that she had to lie down all
the afternoon.
But I think the funniest thing that ever
happened to me was at Old Calabar. We
had sent our clothes to be washed there.
Inc when the washerwoman brought them.
a she coolly told me that sh, had kept
one or two of my garments, for she liked
them SO much that she could not part
with them. She asked me what she should.
give me for them. I told her I could not
possibly sell my underclothing as curiosi-
ties. However, she got them for nothing,
for our steamer was just sailing for Eng
land, so / had no means of insisting upon
their return.-Mrs. David Ker in Epoch.