The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1895-08-09
DWARFS ON THE NILE.
Curious Black Pigmles Who InhabIt the
Land of the Pharaohs.

| Curious Black Pigmles Who Inhabit the
Land of the Pharaohs-
Dwarfs have furnished themes for
countless romances. They divide with
! giants the interest of a thousand nurs
cry tales. To no small extent the do
main of superstition is invaded by
them. All countries more or less, but
Germany in particular, are infested by
gnomes and COLLINS. The ancients
quite generally were acquainted with
the pigmies. Homer speaks of them,
and they figure in many of the legends
OF antiquity. Aristotle described them
as living in Africa toward the source
of the Nile, and it was in this very re-
gion that modern explorer, Schwein-
furth, discovered a race of dwarfs.
Schweinfurth found no horses among
the dwarfs, but neighboring tribes had
cows and sheep of such small size as to
be liliputian. Two pigmies were
brought to Europe and adopted by
Count Miniscalchi, who brought them
up and educated them. They proved
intelligent and did quite we'll in their
studies.
The pigmies of Schweinfurth, whose
real existence has given rise to so many
fables, call themselves Akkas. The
territory occupied by them is of con-
siderable extent, in the neighborhoOd
of three degrees north latitude and
twenty-five degrees east longitude. At
the time of the explorers visit they
numbered nine distinct tribes, each
having its own chief. Schweinfurth
passed through the country of the
of the Monbuttos. 1t was at the
court of native king named
Munza that he discovered the
dwarf race. Munza maintained a
little colony of the dwarfs near his
royal residence. At that time the
various tribes of Akkas had submitted
TO Moummeri, one of Munzas vassals.
who had come to render homage to his
sovereign at the head of several hun
dred of his pigmies. Thus Schwein-
furth had a good opportunity for
studying them. In exchange for one
of his dogs he obtained from Munza a
young male Aka, who died subse-
quently of dysentery.
Most of the data gathered by
Schweinfurth were lost in fire. includ-
ing measurements and notes which
could not be replaced. Subsequent
travellers, however, encountered some
of the dwarfs. Munza having learned
their value as objects OF curiosity,
gave some of them from time to time
to buyers of ivory who visited him.
Thus an individual of the race reached
Khartoum, sent as a present to the
governor of the SOudan by Emin Bey
An explorer named Mana, following
in Schweinfurth's footsteps, finally ar
rived among the MonbuttOs. Succumb-
ing to the fatigue of the journey he
died, bequeathing to the Geographical
Society of Italy two young Akkas,
whom he got in exchange for dog
and a calf. These dwarfs, Tebo and
Shairallah, were the ones adopted by
Count Miniscalchi.
After some weeks of wholesome diet
Tebo and Shairallah lost their big
stomachs. The Akkas have short legs
and very small hands Their senses
are very acute, and Schweinfurth
speaks of their extraordinary agility.
The MonbuttOs say that the little men
leap about in the high herbage like
grasshoppers--St. Louis Dispatch.
OSE mans word is no mans word; we
should quietly hear both sides.-Goethe.