Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-08-18

cannot string. They arc wonderful
runners, and their senses are astonIsi-
inely acute. They distinguish by their
odor fruits hidden In the thick foliage
OF the jungle, aud recognize by smell
only from what flowers the bceI have
gathered honey.
These dwarfs are supposed 10 hays
been the earliest inhabitants OF the
Malay Archipelago. They Invented
canoes, the nautical qualities OF which
have astonished Englgh sailors. f.ven-
tually they became widely scattered
over the seas OF That part Of the world
and ON the mainland as well. Some
tribes OF them still exist In the most
inaccessible and unwholesome parts OF
india, where they are known as imam
apes.' or men OF the Jungle"
once upon time they were numeS
GUS IN Iavn, wherS they were wir.s
ont 10y Malays who Joined to mup,:cr-
Gus propcnsities u civilization capnble
or erecting the thousands OF Gigantic
temples whose ruins today amaze tho
archaeological explorer In that island.
some anthropoloBlsts are OF the opin-
ION that the remains OF so-calied
fossil man recently found In Java are
actually the bones OF a Little Negro.
Bigger and stronger people gradually
drove out and Killed OF these pigmies,
VINO now are found occupying the inter-
ior oil some OF the largest Islands. lind
ing refuge among the mountains,
while the plains and coastal regions
are Inhabited by lntruding races. This
is true OF Luzon. the largest member
OF the group OF Philippines The
dwaris Were found there by the first
spanish settlers M well as I'm the In
lands.
They Will have nothing 10 do with tho
Spanish, Malay or Chinese inhabitants,
and intrusion upon their territory Is
vigorously resented, Armed as they
are with poisoned arrows, the slightest
scratch from which means death, they
are well able TO defend themselves.
There are parts OF LuEon In which no
white man dares to set foot, and some
OF the smaller isles of the group re-
main TO this day uneNplored for the
same reason.
The dwarts trade to some extent
with Chinese prddlcrs. but In very
peculiar manner The peripatetlu mer-
chant depisits money in designated
SPOT ana goes away to distance. In
return for IL the sAVages leave In the
same place such merchandise as rare
gums, line woods and the leaves and
roots Of valuable plants. which the ped
dler Is able to dispose or In the cities
at great profit. They are always
scrupulously honest and even liberal in
their dealings,
The chains OF hills or belts Of Jungle
must not be CROSSED without formal
invitation or special permission. Oc-
caslonnl violations Of this law cause
bloody fights, The Little Negroes are
the smallest people In the world, with
the exception, perhaps, OF the black
dwHrfa OF the Congo. who are said to
average only feet ana IL inchea In
height,
owing TO the extreme wildness ~
these little people and the difficulty OF
approaching them, they have never
been studied to any extent, except on
the Andaman Islands. There the race
has been kept particularly pure, no
Intrusion by strangers having occurr.
ed. Al all events, there has been no
settlement by Foreigners though Ma
lays and Chinese have for centuries
frequented the islands for the purpose
OF gathering edible swallows nests.
They have laid traps for the natives
In order to catch them them and make
slaves OF them, on this account the
pigmics have made u practice Of killing
mariners who CHANGED To be cart away
on their shores. by nature they are
gentle and kindly. Their morals arc
an improvement on those OF most white
people, Sexual improprietles are al
most unhenrd OF among them Mar
riagcs between cousins they consider
an outrage on decency
The wife Of a chief has an authority
among the women which corresponds
TO her husbands authority over tho
men. She Keeps these privileges when
n widow, II she has children; other
wise she loses them. From eleven to
thirteen years OF age IL for both sexes
a period OF rigid abstinence. during
which they must not eat turtle. pork.
nsh or honey-artioles OF diet which
under ordinary circumstances are their
staple food.