Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-10-26
AFRICAN RA,N-MAkERs.



0atchiba's Cunning Method of Adding to
His Own Renown.
A popular figure in Africa is the rain.
maker. The Office. however, is rather
perilous one, for if the chief in charge
OF the weather fails to produce rain on
demand his life is not safe. Baker
gives an amusing description of one of
these rain-makers, half chief and half
magician, named Katchiba, who called
on the famous explorer and said that
rain was needed.
WELL" replied, "why don't you
give your people rain?"
'Give my people rain!" said Katchiba.
Give them rain if they don't give me
goats? You don't know my people. If
i am fool enough to give them rain be-
Tore they give me goats they will let
me starve! No, no! let them wait; if
they don't bring me supplies of corn,
goats, fowls, yams and all that / re-
quire, not one drop of rain shall ever
fall again in Obbo. Impudent brutes
are my people. Do you know they have
positively threatened to kill me unless
/ bring the rain. They sha'n't have a
drop. I'll teach the rascals to insult
me,''
With all this buster saw that old
Katchiba was in great dilemma and
would give anything for a shower, but
did not know how to get out of the
sc-aps.
Suddenly altering his tone, he asked:
''Have you any rain in your country?"
replied that we had, every now and
then.
a A,>a0 n
rainmaker?"
/ told him no one believed in rain
makers in our country, but that we I'M
derstood how to bottle lightning, mean
ing electricity.
II don't keep mine in bottles; / have
a house full of thunder and lightning"
he most coolly replied; "but if you can
bottle lightning You must understand
rain-making. What do you think of the
weather to-day?"
/ Immediately saw the drift of the
cunning old Katchiba; he wanted pro-
fessional advice. / replied that he
must know all about it, as he was a
regular rain-maker.
''Of course do" he answered; but
want to know what you think of it. -
"Well,' 1 said, 81 don't think we
shall have any steady rain. but think
we may have a heavy shower in about
four days"
had observed feecy clouds gather
ing daily in the afternoon.
Just my opinion, said Katchiba, de-
lighted; ''in four days, or perhaps in
five days, intend to give them one
shower. just one shower. Yes, I'll just
step down to them now, and tell the
rascals that if they will bring me some
goats by this evening, and some corn
tomorrow morning, 1 will give them,
in four or five days, just one shower -
To give effect to this declaration he
gave three toots on his magic whistle,
inquiring: do you use whistles in
your country?"
replied by giving so shrill and deaf
ening whistle on my fingers that
Katchiba stopped his ears, and relaps-
ing into smile of admiration, took a
glance at the sky from the doorway to
see if any sudden effect had been pro-
duced.
"Whistle again." he said, and once
more performed like the whistle of a
locomotive.
THAT will do, we shall have it,
said the cunning old rain-maker. and
proud of having SO knowingly obtained
''counsers opinion" on his case, he
toddled off to his impatient subjects.
In a few days a sudden storm of rain
and violent thunder added to Katchi-
bas renown, and after the shower,
horns were blowing and drums beat
ing in honor of their chief. Between
ourselves, he considered my whistle