, 1897-09-09
A MYSTERIOUS RACE,
a SETTLEMENT OF WHITES WHO
HAVE LIVED 800 YEARS UNKNOWN.

Cut on From the World In Their Noun.
tain Homs Beautiful, Fair Haired.
White Skinned Girls Clad In Snowy
Linen Garments.
That white races of mysterious origin
and of an advanced grade of civilization
exist-ln certain OF the as yet uECxplured
plateaus OF Africa has long been a mat.
ter of tradition among all thee who
have devoted their attention to the eth
biographical and geographical science of
the dark continent. and Rider Hacgard
and other English noveIists hav. found
i'll reports bearing upcn the subject the
theme of MANY of their most popular
stories.
But 10 attention has been 6-lwn ms
yet to the fact that in the interior of
San Jago, the largest OF the Cape Verde
islands, which nestle i'll the Atlantic
off the most westerly point of northern
Africa, there exists Il strange people
known by the name ot the Cantadas,
who for 200 years past have Leyu ahso-
luteiy cut of from all intercourse with
the outer world, and who are fair
haired, light complcxioned and blue
eyed, whereas the remaining population
of the Cape Verde islands consists of
negroes and of Portuguese, who are
almost as swarthy and somber i'll color
as full tlooded Africans.
Clear and sharp against the sky line
of San Jago the mountain of San An
tonic towers aloft in II pinnacle to III"
heigh: of some s, eco feet. In fu.ra il
conveys the III rrcssi0n # an aucicht
volcano, with It's sharp s!Oue on the
side toward the sea, but on ,.!p inland
side the dCClivitv is broken a sort OF
cup shaped interval, AT the i-iiu,r ,nd
OF which there is the stump Of what
seems i'll tIrres gone by to have ccnsli.
tuted II second peak. of equal height 10
San Antonio. but which. th,Cu"h scmc
great cataciysm of LatuIe. has been
broker OFF somc 1900 or 5,CG0 feet
above the cOnnr.Cu base.
Strangely enough, the roGk of San
Antonio is accessible to clever noun
tainccrs, whereas the sister muuntaIa-
that is 10 say, the t.Uken OF ppak-is
quite the reverse. From the rOIut where
it rieCs from the surrounding dCErIt
table land there is nothing Dut il sICCp
wall of volcanic rock, not nicely hun.
dreds but p'ohubly a couple of thoa-
sand feet high iudced the only point
whence access could ever be obtained
to the SUNNI. of the sister mountain Of
San Antonio would be from the cuplikC
interval which divides the two. and
mention Ct which has been made above.
This cup, however, is filled with
water and is known by the name of the
Cantadas lake. 1t is II great sheet Of
water of marvellous depth and Ciearncss.
On this farther end of the lake, and
in the interior of this sister mountain
of San Antonio, dwellS the mysterious
white race Known as the Cantndns. Dis.
trus,ful, apparently, of the gaze of stran.
gers, these people Of the mountain sci.
dom leave their h~HLi.ations during day
time, and On the slightest alarm of
visitors they seek the shelter Of the rock.
But by hldin, on the opposite cliffs IN
til evening and with the aid of glasses
it is possible 20 ret u good view OF them
when they begin at sunset to gather on
the grassy meadow which fronts the
opening of the caves and extends down
to the waters edge
Beautiful. fair haired, white skinned
girls, clad il lowing white lincn gar
monts. which scarcely conceal the SIM
ous beauty Ct perfect grace and form,
cone out To wash linen in the lake and
to sport on the COul green grass. The
men. too. are simply dressed in much
the same way. their white linen gar
mentS tCirg admirably suited to III
,ropic climate. May other signs Of Il
high degree of civilization appear. ana
from certain points near the summit of
san Antonio 1t is possible. with the aid
of strong 4inssos, to catch glinirscs
through ~tissurCs here aud there in the
wall Of rCCk of the twin mountain, of
sheep and cattle fr:zing, of green field.
and trees un'i of white, fiat rooted houses
running parallel with one another, all
brilliantly lighted by the sun, and there
fore lcu,iug to the belief that the int.
rior of tins sister mountain of San An
tonic must be followed out into some
valley. possibly the crater of an extinct
volcano, Wilch, through some freak of
nature, has been converted from barren
bnsult and lava into grassy and fertile
slopes.
An intrCrid explorer would not have
great Cil.. .iy il reaching the Cuntadas
people. ~ that would be necessary
would l., /" ascend the San Antonio
peak. II ta,i'.ti On the other side until
one I'". nf,.t.iiIs that ovcrhurg the
Cant. ia have oneself lowered
by I!r... f,Er to the surface Of the
laitE,I' 'IIn.sTrlm across the lake.