New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-24
NEW VIEWS OF AFRICA.
DIR. JOHNSTON DIFFERS FROM OTHER
TRAVELLERS

REALITY VERSUS ROMANCE IN. SOUTH CEN,
TEAh Across the Ointment from Bsngusa
on the West. through Bihe Gangnela' b Maaica
The Kohal Ha Se'ef he shre Highlands to
Mouth Of the zambesi on the East C0as' fui
mage Photogravure Illustrations from PHOTO.
graphs by the author, and map indica'nis ''"'e
traversed. PIP 3o3
Dr. Johnston has taken delight IN setlihs
aside. with proof. nearly all the preconcepuons
OF civilized mankind respecting Africa MS
tourney in itself shows how much easier traVei
in the Dark Continent has become since the uayS
OF early explorers He rarely suffered from nun
ger though sometimes he was annoyed ny
monotonous diet Occasionally his fortitude was
mt TO the test by .hc lack of water; and one day
no had tormenting experience of the OLD sort
union no and his caravan. after a long, thirsty
march nlunged into a beautiful lake. only 10
find that II was mere reservoir of brine lie
found comparatively few difficulties In his route
and though he had trouble sometimes IN get
ting carriers and was vexed by the lazihess OF
the greed OF his men. yet their tricks were not
So disturbing to him as 10 many other UaNei-
lers once the men he hired delayed mis- Harch
for some time-took six weeks out of his ffe' as
he puts it-and finally threatened to halt Tor an
Indefinite time unless they received extra pay
Rut he pushed on to the coast OF the darK-hueo
and very imper1ous chieftan who held sway
over the region, and secured an order winch
brought the carriers along In hot haste O'"e'
travellers expatiate on the reluctance of saw
ages to be photographed. The fact mas even
hean made much of In ethnology But Dr.
Johnston took them by the hundreds stanoihg
sitting. lying in every variety of costume and
usually with no preliminary coaXing except
some iocuar remark through his interpreter
10
fesses that they suspicious OF wl'chcrai''
and had TO be treated with patience and tact
hut adds that his success in photographing GER
tain Mashukulumbwe warriors as well as the
Caneuellians Matokas and others, proves that
a. is within the bounds Of possibility to procure
q nhotograph of even the widest OF Central
Africa's natives" He demonstrates the I'M
tanned character Of the Observation-Disclosures pv
pointing out that every expedition led by WHITES
who have attempted to visit them came 10 griel'
Including DR.. Holub and Mr.. Selous, who' IN
each case were obliged to flee for their lives
belness IN resist the midnight attack Of hun
dreds of naked demons in human form" The
group which he photographed comprised an
embassy to another tribe, and may have peen
more accessible to reason because or the TACT
that they were away from home AS 10 the
transport Of Photographic apparatus. he hatly
contradicts those who talk of breakage, ana IN
sists that the damage would be greater in any
civilized country than in Africa. Then ne tells
from his own observation Of a box of window
glass from which the straw packing had been
stolen by white ants which was nevertheless
delivered over three hundred miles from the
coast without the loss Of a single pane
The fever though 1t often attacked him, he
met with such philosophy as he could muster.
&l,1 ND n
preventing it, and his occasional bouts with 1t
do not seem to have interfered with his move
ments The fact that he physician made
him a welcome visitor in the villages Of the
natives Thus he had opportunity to observe
with the eve of a practitioner the peculiarities
NJ the medicine men. He Is not wholly preJu-
diced against them. The processes which the
native doctor goes through to discover the cause
of disease are Of course too absurd to discuss
with patience. They consist of "wearying
programme Of lamentations. accompanied by the
sacrifice Of a white cock" 1t may be remarked
in passing that the white cock figures In
the medical practice Of some North American
Indians After the dviner has made his dag
nosis and has pretentiously removed claw.
stick, or piece of iron from the patients body,
the medicine man is summoned with his herbs
The two qslacks play into each others hands,
and generally count on the dSSlStdHCe VI the
sorcerer or abeah man, who is credited with
power over spirits to control their actions. He
affects crops and their increase, and to his ear
areintrusted the secret desires of would-be aveng
ers and by his Internal work persons not wanted
are removed" The formaties of trial for
witchcraft as witnessed by DR.. Johnston. where
the chief as Judge was listening TO arguments
by men who might well be called the attorneys
for the prosecution and the defence. show how sys
tematic the Africans notions are on this sub
1ect Of sorcery. Another incident which came
under the Doctors observation shows that the
sorcerers do not exclusively make victims Of the
weak Lewanika. King Of the Barotse was
deemed almost the equal IN power of Lobengula,
the Matabele chieftain. Nevertheless, a conven-
ton Of wizards found him guilty Of causing an
epidemic Of smallpox.
do you know" said the old monarch, that
for three days the Mamhundas. masters of the
black art have consulted the knuckle-bones.
This morning the first chiefs. Gambella at the
head. have come to communicate the oracle to
me. It is myself that the bones have seized
on and pointed out. They accuse me Of having
brought 'on the nation plague Of smallpox,
and Of stopping the rain from falling"
He at once named new subordinate chiefs for
the places made vacant by DEATH and seeing
that ne was ODeyeO In tnlS. ne Ordereu MS war
riors to capture the soothsayers. This done.
But the old king did not feel strong enough
to take vengeance. He contented himself
with warning the sages mot TO take such
liberties with royalty again Curiously
enough these Mamhundas seem TO form tribe
BY themselves Dr. Johnston found that the in
huence of the fetch men great to
affect patients whom he had taken In hand
For example he was called to attend a case OF
compound fracture Of the femur. He dressed
the broken leg in the most approved fashion,
and was profoundly annoyed on the following
day to find that a medicine man had torn off
all the spnts and bandages and had fumigated
the patient in the smoke of certain herbs. Il
fixed him up again." writes the Doctor, land
explained in strong language my inter-
prefer could muster that II his wizard was per-
mitted to interfere again should him
more" Yet he found that with all their caba-
listic practices and the superstitons and orgies
with which they pretend to exercise disease,
some OF them have q knowledge OF herbs which