The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-05-21
ALAoY AMONG sAvA0Es.
Dissertations OF the First white WOma
Among African Natives.

LADY AMONG sAvAoEs.
Dissertations Of the First white Woman
Among African Natives.
II is a queer sensation, to those not
Used to IL. to be the center Of attraction
20 hundreds of people, TO be surrounded
by a sea of faces. and all staring hard
It you with different expressions Of
wonder, curiosity, and amusement.
But then was the first white woman
hat the Duallas OF the Cameroons river.
West Africa. had ever seen, and 50 1t
was no wonder that they were aston
shed at my appearance in their village.
Everybody left off their different oc-
.upations and followed us wherever we
went shouting and laughing, and all
struggling to get near me. Crowds OF
them ran on in front, and then, turning
round to stare for a few seconds, would
rush on again to keep MP with us.
But my embarrassment ut being the
cause of such excitement soon wore of,
for I. in my turn, had much to see and
wonder at in West African village
The people were about the same height
rs Europeans, their skin very dark and
sometimes nearly black. Neither men
nor women wore anything but a waist
cloth, which in the case of chie-s was
Of rich material and bright color.
Most of the people were tattooed. espe-
cially the young girls, whose cheeks.
nos~s, and foreheads were strongly
marked, and thought very beautiful.
The most fashionable of these girls
wore their hair (which was crisp and
woolly) cut into the shape of circles
eliminating at the top Of the head, and
| between each two of the rows were
bright-colored beads and brass orna-
ments. Huge brass pins were stuck
into the wool just behind the ears.
They also wore very long and large
brass earrings. and quantities of colored
beads round the neck and wrists.
The streets were straight and spot
lessly clean, and the little bamboo
houses with palm-thatchcd roofs on
either side the road were very neat and
pretty; and here and there were lovely
palm-trecs and huge cottonwOods.
1.-THE families cook and eat under
these trees" said Mr.. A, who acted
rs our guide, "for you see the houses
have neither windows nor freplaces-
Just peep in here, and you will see the
only furniture is the bamboo bed and
these few stools and calabashes."
Just then slim, good-looking girl
broke through the crowd, and rushing
up to Mr. A., seized hold + his arm
and began talking very fast and earn
estly, rs if begging some favor. Her
great black eyes looked SO sad and visit
full that my heart went out to her, and
] felt SO glad to see Mr.. A. smile rs
If willing to do what she asked. She
Just gave him one look of thanks and
then was gone.
'Who is that girl; and do tell me what
she was wanting you to do?'' asked
"She says her mother is very i'll, and
she wants me to make her we'll You
know have studied medicine for some
time, and the people here think cure
by magic. The Duallas have horribly
cruel custom with their sick; if the pa
tient does not get well in week or
two, he or she is taken out into the bush
about four or five miles from the town,
placed spon a rude bamboo bedstead,
and Lett utterly alone, a woman coming
once Il day to give the patient food and
water, and to light fire. The poor
wretch of course soon dies of fright at
being left to the mercy of the wild
beasts, whose growls and yells alone
break the nonotony of the long dreary
night.
But the Baptist missionaries have
nearly got the people to do away with
this wicked custom, and the more hor-
yible one of beating to death the unfor-
tunate person who is said by the
n'gambi man (fortune-teller) to have
bewitched the sick person. When we
Europeans are kind and unselfish it is
wonGerful how much influence we get
over these people. But the Duallas
have some sentiment in them, for they
bury the dead under the houses which
they occupied when alive, and they
would think it most cruel and unfceling
to cast the deceased out Of their homes. :"
A large, fat, important-looking man,
with striped waist-cloth, now came
up to us, and asked us II we should like
to see dance. lie possessed four Euro
pcan chairs flor he was a great chief,
and we sat down under the shade of a
beautiful cotton wood, and the dance
began.
A ring was formed of boys of all
sizes, who. with their elbows drawn
close to their sides, walked slowly
round, twitching every muscle Of the
body, while the women and girls, form
ing an outer ring, stood around clapping
their hands to sort Of measure. This
dance was curious. but neither beauti-
full nor inspiriting.
We were next shown big wooden
drum, which Mr.. A called the Dualla
telephone. and he explained to us how,
by different ways of beating it, con-
versation could be carried on by natives
two miles apart.
just as we were about to go (for the
sun was setting. and we had to get
down TO the river where our boat was
waiting for us), Mr.. A motioned to
me to look at two girls standing close
by, one of whom was doing something
to the others eye with what looked
like sort of bodkin.
"She is taking out an eyelash, "
laughed he. slave you not noticed
that none of the Duallas have eye
lashes? They think they destroy the
sight, SO they pluck out the hairs as
soon as they grow"
Crowds of people followed us to the
river, and found it very notifying to
my dignity to be snatchcd up and car
ried to the boat like baby. Two other
boatmen took Mr.. Kerr and Mr.. A
on their backs and carried them also on
board, for to say nothing of the croco-
dies, chill in West Africa means
fever, and we had had too much OF
| that.
The natives, however. came wading
out by dozens, struggling to get, the
last shake of my hand, with the fiatter.
| ing compliment: Now that we have
seen the white woman we can die con.
! tented. Mrs. David Ker, in Harper's
| laZar.
Living FOuntains.
The swamps Of the bay Of Campeachy
which are on level with the sea, be-