The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-05-02
NEGRO CITY N AFRICA
glider Haggard's Fietious RFvaia,, h, o..
ports Of a Recent Exelarar

ports Of Recent Explorer
The following marvellous story il tols
By Rev. Josiah Strong, whose own
aeter, together with the fact thar :.
one has challenged the aHthentieitv !.
the story, makes credible what uauls
otherwise inspire doubt The srarv !,
told to illustrate the fitness Of the fbr;v.
tan negro 70 evaRgeIize Africa. It =.
an account Of a visit TO an african Gin,
on the kassai, a tributary Of the Comm
whose king had threatened with f1ztan.z
death any visitor To his capital or an.
guide VINO should conduct one tbffbeS
So for nine years all attempts to reapb
/ It had beeu fatils assE. Mrs. iiiegaert
came. speaking the kings own lam
Taage and being Of his own eaIor. KING
I Laguba received him kindly and showed
him every attention. This Is what Mr.
Shepherd saw:
TheT attended him to the city. andbe
found what he had not seen before IN
Africa, a fenced eiry, with broad, clean
streets. IN which hundreds of hannv
children were at play, with marbles or
nc leapfrog or trundliHg their hoops.
/ He found cry laid out like a checker.
| board, tine squares being tiiiett with
houses. Every street and every house
was named. The houses were we'll
built. eommodious and furnished with
carved furniture and exquisitely-svo
mats. He was conducted Ia one that
had been assigned to him and found Il
| well provisioned. There he received
I the neighbors for three days, and On the
I fourth he was summoned 70 give at.
/ tendance upon the king, aHa the king
sent two of his sons and a Thousand
I children to escort him to his presence.
\ He walked with them dow u a broad,
beautiful avenue into the great central
square of the city. Blanket cloth had
been spread oat IN great circle Of per-
haps a hundred feet IN diameter. and
within this the ground had been COW
I ersd with leopard skins. On these
skins, sitting in hollow square. were
the 700 wives Of the king and his aged
sister. while thousands stood outside
around the circle As the king was
borne IN by his Is carriers the ar was
rent by the shouts of the people, and
when the king was seated The people
seated themselves upon the ground.
Then two princes came forward, and
taking Mr. Shepherd b. the arm con
Quoted him into the presence Of the
king.
The king was gergeausIy dressed, and
wore crown. He took from his belt
knife which he said had belonged to
seven IaEsugas, and this he presented to
the Young man as token Of confidence.
The king said to him. aft you OF your
people are hungry, do not fail 70 let me
know, and whatever you want Of me or
Of my people you shall have He then
presented the missionary to his aged
sister. and the ceremony was al an end.
The prince conducted him about the
city, and as he saw their vast markets
full of busy life, well supplied with
fruits and vegetables and manufac-
tured articles, he felt himself % be
again in the midst of civilization He
found there a people With laws which
were strictly enforced. with courts OF
Justice and With prisons. Any member
Of that tribe who is guilty Of bigamY
suffers death. Any NAN who is guilty
of drunkenness or of gambling OF Of
theft or Of wife-beating is severely pun
ished. Every third day with them is a
Sabbath, and they carefully observe it.
Chicago Post.