The Press., 1896-09-10
INANAFRICAN SWAMP

Behind the colonies and prOtectorates of Great Britain and France, which ex- tend in 8 broken line along the west African coast, from the mouth of the Gambia to the Niger, lies wild and little known region of swamp and for est, where but few white men have set their feet, inhabited by many negro races. differing widely in physique and language from one another. For the last three years strange stories have been brought down to the seaboard about the jloings of an Arab chief called Samory The latter, at the head of a large fol lowing of desperate men, outcasts from many tribes, Mandingoes, Jalufs, Sofas, Senegalis and deserters from both Brit ish and French native troops has made his name terror throughout the ''hin- terland," " sacking villages and carrying away the inhabitants into the far Su- dan.
 During 1898 he ralded the eastern portion of Senegal, and the French lost number of white officers in the hard fighting necessary to drive him out. More than once, too, they were badly beaten, for the assailants were armed with high class rifles, smuggled through from the coast ill spite of certain clauses in the treaty of Brussels. In the latter part of 1898 this Arab leader induced the Sofas, q warlike tribe dwelling in the debatable land between the small British. colony of Sierra Leone and the French territory of Senegal, to take up arms against the Europeans, and quite unknown to each other 8 British and 8 French expedition marched from differ ent points to attack him.
 One afternoon at the end of December in that year a small British force, com prisipg attachments of black Moham- medan Haussas of the frontier cOnstabu- lary and negroes of the west Indian regi- ment from Sierra Leone, stumbled through the dense forests of the Kongo country. The day had been intensely hot, for this is the dry season in west Africa. The tired troops dragged them selves painfully along, with company of Krooboy bearers ahead, slashing a pathway for them through almost inn penetrable thickets. At sunset they reached small, clear space, surround ing deserted village, and there, at the word of command, the wornOut men were glad to pile their arms and prepare to camp.
 A rough breastwork of brushwood was soon arranged in a hollow square, and throwing themselves down on the moist earth, amid the crimson shoots of trailing plants and flowers of many hues, the soldiers spread their simple meal, the tall Haussas in their crimson fez and dark rife uniform separating themselves from the men of the west Indian regiment, for the latter profess debased form of Christianity mixed with black practices, and the true Mus sulman will not, if he can help it, eat with the infdel.
 The young west Indian lieutenant on guard leaned against the great buttress shaped roots of a cottonwood, and as he mopped the precipitation from his brow and fought the bloodthirsty mosquitoes with both hands, said wicked things about the fate that led him into "this disthressful country" He was an Irish. man, and when he abused things in gen eral, as frontier officers occasionally do, the powerful eloquence of the Celtic tongue relieved his feelings best From time to time he looked out into the darkness, but there was little to be seen the shadow of tho trees closed round the camp like a wall, and no sound other than the usual night voices of the African forest broke the stiffness From a hidden creek came the foundering anC spfashing of an alligator; at times the branches of the cottonwoods rattled al 8 monkey swung himself from bough tc bough, or the rustling of grasses marked the passage of huge snake.
 The white man at last found the spel of the forest, which at times will cause panic even among the natives, thougl no one knows why, creeping over him His hands trembled as he settled thu chin straps of his pith helmet. "Pah how this night watching gets on one' nerves" " he said; Git shows what thu climate will bring a man to. Even tn
 drip, drip of the water there is enougl to drive me mad HellOP' He spranI