St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-05-18
ARACE OF PYGMIES.
.,,,,mann,s Investieationsin Equa-
W. '' fOriaI Africa,


nalnration none have more ro-
eAPt;c interest than the remarkable
lnans. oations of ancient stories which
verlnIfo Co. MANY years until now been
nave .ded as fictitious and mythology
IN the time of Herodotus leg
CAL IT, abounded concerning the
e snurces of the Nile. That region
Sum "s neopled with all sorts of extra
w Srd;nary beings, including a race of
o' .ar,v men. 1t has been customary
p s5eaard these last as in the same
so with the phoenix and other
%bnIous monsters. Mr.. Stanley's
Charitable exploration during his
march to the relief of Emin Pacha,
Snwever not only revealed for the
G sr time the sources of the Nile and
.be Mountains of the Moon, but
oroyed the actual existence, even at
The present day, of exactly such
miniature race as was described by
the ancient Greeks. And now DR..
Stublmann, who was Emin Pacha's
companion in the latter's explora-
lion about Victoria Lake, has
actually brought to Europe and is
exhibiting in Berlin living specimens
Of that race.
These African pygmies are of the
negro type, although presenting
some variations from the form of it
most familiar to the western world.
Their size is that of ordinary chill
dren of about 10 years of age. 1t
is seldom that any ofpure blood are
found more than four and half feet
tall and the fact that their huts are
only four feet three inches high indi-
Gates their average stature. They
are remarkably agile in all their
movements, and their senses ofsmell,
sight and hearing are developed to
an extraordinarily acute degree.
These facts, added to their indomita-
bic courage, make them formidable
fighters, whether against men or
beasts. Their weapons are chiefly
bows and arrows, the tips OF the
latter often being poisoned. They
traverse the dense equatorial forests
in troops of from score to a thou
sand and are greatly dreaded by all
the surrounding tribes.
During our second stay with
Chief Masambiri, south OF Albert
Lake. says DR.. Stuhlmann, "the
Maniema made a slave raid in the
forest, and brought back with them
two pygmies, a man and woman,
bound hand and foot. They were
from the forest northwest Of the
Kiska mountains. We bought them
and succeeded about a month later
in acquiring another woman from
the Maniema. They soon became
as conhding as their natural shyness
permitted, and went with us to the
East African coast. The man was
about twenty-five yeats old, little
over four feet six inches in height
and so shy that it was hardly posi-
he to get him to answer questions
heCould never look us in the face
his eyes always wandering restlessl,
about. He afterward learned som,
Kisuahei, laughed occasionally with
our people when he thought himsel
unObServed, but never threw off hi.
taciturn demeanor. Owing to Sc
we're illness which Frustrated me al
that time, was unable to pay at
tention to him, SO he remained un
noticed and said nothing of few
which had seized him. Unfortunate
ly he died OF it. | sent his skeleton
to Professor Virchow, who has ex
pressed the intention to subject it tC
anthropological investigation.
Taking the growth and develop
ment OF these little people into &C
count, it would not be correct t.
call them dwarfs, since this term i
connected with the idea ofmaforma
ton. The height of the men varie
from four feet two inches to four fee
Dne and half inches, but thos
who are above tour feet six inche
are probably not of pure descent
lie upper part of the body
Is the portion most fully de
vioped; the legs are thin-those o
the women, however, rather less $,
'aan those of the men. The feet ar
thin and slender; in walking the toe
atnot turned out ward, but inward
ofat best held straight. The ga
Is !, Wavy and cautious, but not feeble
Inc arms are well formed; the hand
remarkably small, with elegant
founded, whitish nails. In tn
Waole formation of their bones i
seen similarity with those of GU
children. The head is roundish, al
lnough strong lateral projections q
Tie forehead and of the parietal bon
cause it to look square, The fore
nlad is high and vertical, the eye
1r'wS often strongly developed
he nose is of the broad, fat, negr,
NPee' and consequently the inne
Angles OF the eyes are very widel
separated from each other. TIL
eyes are large, and dark brown
ne formation of the upper LIP
"N'ch stretches forward convexly
u very characteristic. The lips ar
'ot very thick, and the pecuiarit
notlced by Emin is clearly percepti
pe-viz., that their mucous men