The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-12-04
--4HF. e4AttfST MEN.
>rERlSTlcs AND ANTIQUITY
S'''' or AFRICAN PYGMlES.

Dark Continent-D u ChRlllus Discovery
Ia 1868 Queer Features OF tho obon-
gos of West Africa.
The smallest race Of mankind are the
pygmies Of Africa, They are probably, too,
the oldest. They exist at the present time
ngtattered throughout the forests Of the
&LoAugo coast aud thence n0rthward be-
POND THE equator, They haunt the forests
" central Africa 49, the terrible fighters
that did so much damage to Stanley and
tho Emin expedition. They lie hidden in
the southern Businesses OF Ahyssinia, They
are tho bushmeu who skulk as wandering
hordes In Griqualand, Namaqualand and
Bechuanaland, They roam IN the Kala.
hari desert. North of the Kalahari they
dwell in the German possessions Before
the Dutch colonization in 1860 they pos
sessed all the region from the cape to the
Zambezl river and beyond
The antiquity of the pygmies is shown
by she illusions to them on ancient monu-
ments and IN literary works. There is a
dgure " a pyRmy on one Of the earliest OF
extant Egyptian monuments dating prob
ably as far back as 5, 600 or 5000 years
BY his side is to be seen the inscription
"Akka, the name still applied to one Of
the most numerous tribes Of this race now
existing in central Africa An Egyptian
inscription of 5000 years ago records the
facts about an exploring expedition that
brought home a Denga dwar, noted for
bis dancing
Du Chaillu's discovery In 1865 Of pyg-
mics Ia the region Of the Ogowe river
west Africa made great stir in Europe !
when the story first came out. ono hun
bred and forty miles south Of the equator, |
and TO the east Of a southern tributary OF |
the Ogowe, Du Chaillue in June, 1866, |
suddenly struck IN the savage forest on a
village of wild dwarf negroes, called |
Obongo The village, whence on the sp
preach of Du Chaillu's party all the in
habitauts had 1ed, consisted of q oluste.
Of extraordinary little huts, each Of low
oval shape like that Of gypsy tent.
abont feet wide, and the highest part
about feet from the ground The hutf
we're each made of the flexible branches OF
trees, arched over and fixed Into the
ground, the whole covered with large
leaves Inside these huts there were three
or four sticks laid down at each end foi
the man and woman to sleep on, and in
the middle Of the earth floor smoldered
the embers of 8 fire.
A little farther to the east Du Chaillu
came en- another village of the little folk.
Not to alarm them, he made for their set.
slsment on tiptoe, accompanied only by |
three Of his men and two guides. In a
retired nook Of the forest he counted 12
huts of the same slight make as in the
Ease Of those already desnribed. Yet the
'illagers had caught the alarm and every
household was truly mot at home" Hn-
To- H. l ,
.bodes very filthy and the intrusive Wis
tors were stung out Of the place by
warns of feas Another quarter Of q
nile through the forest they approached {
bird village, and again with the utmost &
aution, the Ashang0 guides, moreover, {
angling bunch Of beads before the eyes Y
I the retreating Obongos. Their fears, t
hough, were not TO be allaycd; they t.
off In quaking hurry. But q
~ Chaillu managed to surprise three old 9
omen and one young man. One Of the c
lree hays, touched by the beauty OF the p
eads he gave them and plucking up heart Y
grace, rated the runaway men, saying | Il
ley were as frightened as squirrels that b
'ied "Quel que" and while so speaking Il
lie twisted her body in such odd oontor- d
ons as to axe our travellers party all 81
ugh outright When, however, Du Chail- p
! proceeded to unroll his tape in order to O.
easure the bold shrew, her fears returned h
her The unwinding tape was mys- is
rious snake she had never before clapped In
es on, and she trembled all over. Still, hC
: magic of presents and batteries, her ia
rvcs gradually oallned, and she at last
herself get measured-4 feet ~ inches in
ne young man stood 4 feet inches ag
In color the Obongos are of dirty vel ar
Y, lighter than the Ashango negroes he
aid whom they DWELL their eyes look til
.tiess and untamable. Their forehsads DO
1eedingly low and narrow, cheek bones Co
sed; legs short in proportion to the or
INK; palms Of the hands white The hair eet
the head grows il short, curly tufts, in NO
'rked contrast to the bushy hair Of the To
ghboring negroes, who dress their hair
a mass Of plalts, fashion impossible
the Obongos The young man had on
legs and breast also an unusual growth III
hair, distributed likewise in short, curly
is. All accounts witnessed to thick
is Of hair growing on the legs and ue
asts Of the Obongo men. Their cloth. -,
consists Of pieces of wornout cloth, wa
lch they either buy or get from the
langos. Such rags, by way Of cover 30 pia
II nakedness, and few bent sticks. ~ ting
= Of house, constitute their whole 1- T
Sc against the heavy rains and winds uea
storms Of the year. tar,
0 shy in their intercourse with other n
pie, the Obongos are yet brave hunters,
very skillful in the use Of the bow and "Ia
oned arrows, as also in trapping wild
nals and catching fish, the surplus Of tarc
oh, fresh or dried, they barter with I
? neighbors for plantains, iron nipple. tart
It's, etc. The woods around their vii mir
s are planted thick with traps and pit. g
/, in which they catch not only smaller dou
e but also elephants, pythons, goril- g
etc. Buried in the almost impenetra- sler
forests between the Ogowe and the cash
go, the Obongos shift their camp "
never game begins to grow scarce. BE
wing nothing Of tillage or pasture, ersv
are people of purest gentry that on b
ages immemorial have never done = agai
rs turn Of work, unless only In noble as Il
London Globe ~
nosc