The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-07-14

many. and was consigned 10 Mr. Carr
Hagenbeck. who has all his life been en-
gagged il supplying civilization Win WIG
animals and samples Of peoples VINO scor1
trousers and corsets and glory in customs
and habits which Europeans snen many
centuries ago. Last year the management
OF the Crystal Palace explained 10 Mr..
HagenbecE that, as there was GOOD deal
OF unoccupied space At sydenham. ne
might. If he could accomplish the feaf.
plant large section OF East AFRICA there
IN and call IL a village The Gan Ross
brought the first insfaIlrnent Of the village.
Among the 300 animals that were on board
yesterday morning. and that are now
housed in The grounds of the Crystal
Palace, not a single specimen has ever
made its bow in public. All OF them are
fresh from their native wilds. and none or
them show indications OF being satisfied
with the change. Not SO with the Sonalis.
OF these there are s!xty-six.
A handsomer lot OF savages. so-calied
never landed In England. They were
carefully inspected yesterday at Tiibury
by experts who are Judges OF beauty as
well as OF savages. They stalked from the
Clan Ross 10 the dock carrying their
household goods on their shoulders, plant
ed themselves in a huge warehouse and
then calmly viewed their surroundings.
a
all are fne-iookng. majority OF the
men are over six feet in height, and carry
themselves with the dignity OF Northt
American Indians though with more
grace. Their features are straight, their
eyes dark. their eyebaiis preternaturally
white or looking so, while their skins re-
semble old bronze that has been polished.
They are steel TO the heels" said one OF
the ships officers when asked IL they were
strong and hardy. They come from
warm cline. yet they roamed about In the
chill air yesterday enveioped in cotton
togas, and seemed TO experience no incon-
venience IL the togas slipped and exposed
a square yard of naked Somaii. They
smiled when they were stared at by white
visitors. and when they smiled they
showed two rows of teeth such as no dent
list could manufacture. Like all races
who know not the benefits 10 he derived
from school boards and county councils.
they are fond OF bright co.ors, having
particular weakness for red. Most OF their
togas were OF this flaming hue. while
Others were OF white. but even the white
had a thin thread Of red running through
IL. A few wore brown blankets over their
shoulders. The blankets had a red border.
Every man carried a stick from three 20
four feet long in his left hand In the
right hand or between his teeth every
Sonali carried another stick. When the
latter was held between the teeth II was
about the length of . large cigarette, and
did not look unlike one, and the whites
wondered The sticks were toothbrushes
for the one overpowering passion of the
Somalis is to have white teeth. and IL they
are awake eighteen hours out of the
twenty-four they devote at least a third OF
the time TO rubbing their teeth. On ac-
count OF this continued rubbing they often
suffer from toothache. and the language
they use during such period is said to be
something appalling and quite different
from that which they use for oaily con-
sumption.
The Somalis, according TO Mr.. Menges.
have a language OF their own, but they
also speak Arabic. that Is. the most OF
them do. They are. II is said. mixture OF
Arabic and African. but the most OF them
so far as features are concerned, look
more like Arabs than negroes. Some OF
them have the short, crinkly hair OF the
negro. but most OF them have hair that
looks very much like that of the poodle
dog of the doormat variety. II is parted
in the middle and hangs down on each side
on a level with the chin in short, thick
curIs Their hair is naturally blonde. but
many OF them rejoiced In locks of two
colors black at the roots. and brown.
closely approaching blonde on top. 1t ap-
pears that they dye their hair. and that
really we'll turned out chemical bloo.e is
held in high honor among them. They
wear sandals OF cowhide or any other
hide that may come to hand. The soles
are thick. and the sandals turn up In
front In order 10 protect the toes. A strap
running behind the heels and another
across the instep keep the sandal in place,
but to make all sure another strap. but OF
cotton. not leather, runs around the sec
ond toe and Is fastened to the strap that
crosses the instep. The women are very
attractive and the children are bronze
cherubs The love OF baksheesh must be
implanted In the African kid during the
first week OF its existence. The two
mothers and six bronze cherubs were
placed in the same railway carriage. The
moment white face appeared at the open
window six little bronze hands went up
and six pairs OF eyes glistened like so
many stars The moment pennies were
placed In the hands the hands disappeared.
In a second they reappeared empty. To
try and stare these bronze cherubs out or
countenance was simply labor thrown
away. They were impervious to stares:
they wanted baksheesh. and you had
feeling that they reviled You II you gave
nothing and that they laughed at you II
YOU did. The men and women chatted
among themselves as II they were per-
fectly at home and when YOU smiled at
them they smiled in return.