Omaha daily bee., 1896-03-21
A NEGRO CITY IN AFRICA.
Hapgnrd's FictfOns Rivaled by til
of IA Recent Explorer.

H~nggnrd's Elections RivaIed by the
Reports of IA Recent Explorer. -,
The following marvellous story is told by
Rev. Josiah Strong, whose own high char
acter, together with the fact that no one
has challenged the authenticity of the story,
make credible what would otherwise inspire
doubt. The story is told to illustrate the
fitness of the Christian negro to evangelize
Africa, says the Springfield Republican. 1t
is an account of a visit to an African city on
the Kassai, a tributary of the Congo, whose
king had threatened with instant death any
visitor to his capital or any guide who should
conduct one thither. So for nine years all
attempts to reach it had been futile. When
Mr.. Shepherd came. speaking the kings
own language, and being of his own color,
King Laguba received him kindly and
showed him every attention. This is what
Mr.. Shepherd saw:
They attended him to the city, and he
found what he had not eaen before in At
RIGA, a fenced city, with broad, clean
streets, in which hundreds of happy chill
dren were at play, with marbles or at leap
frog, or trundling their hoops. He found
a city laid out like a checker board, the
squares being filled with houses. Every
street and every house was named. The
houses were we'll built and commodious, and
qulsitely woven mats. He was conducted
to one that had been assigned to him and
found it well provisioned. There he re-
ceiVed the neighbors for three days, and on
the fourth ne was summoned to give at
tendance upon the king, and the king sent
two of his sons and 1000 children to escort
him to his presence. He walked with
them down a broad, beautiful avenue into
the great central square of the city.
Blanket cloth had been spread out in a
great circle of perhaps 100 feet in diameter,
and within this the ground had been coy
cred with leo2ards' skins. On these skins,
sitting in d hollow square, were the 700
wives of the king and his aged sister. while
thousands of spectators stood outside around
the circle. AS the king was borne in by his
sixteen carriers the air wac rent with the
shouts of the people, and when the king was
seated the people seated themselves upon
the ground. Then two princes came for
ward, and taking Mr.. Shepherd by the arm
conducted him into the presence of the
king.
The king was gorgeously dressed, and
wore a crown. He took from his belt a
knife which he said had belonged to seven
Lokugas, and this he presented to the
young man as a token of confidence. The
king said to him: IF you or your people
are hungry, do not fail to let me know, and
you shall have" He then presented the
missionary to his aged sister, and the cere-
mony was at an end. The princess conducted
him about the city, and as he saw their vast
markets full of busy life, well supplied with
and vegetables and manufactured ar
ticles, he felt himself to be again in the
midst of civilization. He found there a people
laws which were strictly enforced, with
courts OF justice and with prisons. Any
of that tribe who is guilty of bigamy
suffers death. Any man who is guilty of
drunkenness, or CT theft, or of gambling, or
of wife-beating, is severely punished. Every
third day with them is a Sabbath, and they
carefully observe 1t.