St. Paul daily globe., 1893-02-19

rushed down to the landing place, brand
lshlng their spears and threatening to
kill the interpreter if he came ashore.
So DundaS ordered him TO return to the
vessel.
That night the explorer heard that
large body of natives was to attack the
vessel in few hours. He accordingly
pushed his vessel out from the shore
and anchored Ill mid-stream. At II p.
m. large number OF natives were seen
on the shore moving among the trees.
Suddenly they dashed into the river and
swan toward the vessel. Just as they
were clambering OH board, intending,
;; doubtless, to kill every man in the
party. Dundas fired sound signal. the
novelty of which he hoped would intl nj
! idate savages. The signal was most eff
f, fective. 1t burst in midair with loud
! report, and the natives made fOr>the
| banks i'll terror.
The next morning Capt Dundas
| adopted an eXpedient which probably
| not one man in many thousands won Id
care to carry out. He suddenly land ed
among the SamOIiS at their big town.
| The interpreter was with him, and both
men we're unaTmed. He pushed through
the threatening crowd to the sheik, eX-
| pecting half dozen spears through his
/ back every moment, as the natives
| pressed around him with weapons
| who appeared too astonished for words.
"Aman." said Dundas. The word
meant ''peace." He told his interpreter
to tell the chief that he meant him no
| harm and wished to be a friend.
| "HOw dare you come among us un-
armed?" said the sheik, sternly. do
you not know that you are completely
| in my power and that can easily make
an end of you?"
Capt. Dundas replied that he might
| do so if he liked, but he had done the
| chief and his people no harm, and why
should they not be friends. Ii the I'm
perial East Africa company had decided
to seize the Somali country, he would
! have come with large force instead of
a handful of men.
The chief was apparently dumfounded
| by the hardihood of his visitor. After
few minutes he said there should be
peace, at least until he had consulted
| his vessel and await the result. At the
end of five hours the chief sent pres
ent on board as token that they would
be friends. He said he did not like
white people, but he rather liked Dun
das personally. After some DAYS they
became great friends.
Capt. Dundas went up the river few
miles to the rapids, where Baron Won
der Dickens ill-fated vessel, the
Guelph, had been wrecked twenty
seven years before. He found her lying
on her starboard side, the funnel still
standing and two trees growing up be-
side it. Dundas says the Somali people
are extremely proud, and that they do
not On any account show the slightest
astonishment at anything. Not even
when the Maxim guns were shown to
them did any expression of wonder
cross their faces. They were all armed
with long spear, short stabbing
knife and small shield.
Capt. Dundas says the climate is
excellent, and he regards the country
as. admirably adapted for cultivation
and European enterprise. The popula-
ton along the river has increased to an
enormous extent. Where formerly
there were only few hamlets there are
| now small towns with 600 to 1000 people.
At one village he saw cotton growing
and men spinning it with wooden
loom and shuttle. The Somalis are very
strict Mohammedans. The younger
girls and women are mostly pretty, with
large black eyes. They are jealously
guarded by the men, and Europeans
are hardly permitted to look at them.