Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-08-25

tain Home Beautiful. Fair Haired,
 White sAinned Girls Clad h snowy
 Linen Garments.
 That white races of mysterious origin and Of an advanced grade of civilization exist in certain Of the as yet nnexplozed plstsaus of Africa has long been a mat ter of tradition among all those who have devoted their attention to the eth- nographieal and geographical science Of the dark continent, and Rider Haggald and other English Hovelists have found il reports bearing upon the subject the theme of many Of their most popular stories.
 But no attention has been drawn as yet to the fact that in the interior of San Jago, the largest Of the Cape Verde islands, which nestle in the Atlantic off the most westerly Poiat e northern Africa, there exists q strange people known by tho name of the Cantadas. who for 300 years past haze been abso- lutely cut of from all intercourse with the outer world. and who are fair haired, light eomplexioned 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 b1ooded Africans.
 Clear and sharp against the sky line of San Jago the mountain of San An tonic towers aloft in q pinnacle to the height of some s. 900 feet. h form 1t conveys the impression of an ancient volcano. with it's sharp slope on the side toward the sea, but on the inland side the decliyity is broken by sort Of cup shaped interval, at the farther end of which there IS tie stump of what seems in times gone by to have eonsti- tuted second peak, of equal height 10 San Antonio, but which. through some great cataelysm of nature, has heen broken of some 4,000 or ,, GOO feet above the common base
 Strangely enough, the peak of San Antonio Is accessible to clever noun taineers, whereas the sister 4aountain- that is to say, the broken eff peak-is quite the reverse. From fife point where it rises from the surrounding desert table land there is nothing but steep wall of volcanic rock, not merely hun- dreds but probably a couple of thou sand feet high Indeed the only point whence access could ever be obtained to the summit Of the sister mountain of San Antonio would be from the eaPIike interval which divides the two. and mention of which has been made above.
 This cup, however, Is filed with water and is known by the name Of the Gantadas lake. It is 2 great sheet of water of marvellous depth and clearness.
 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 Gantadas Dis. trustful, apparently, of the gaze of stran- gers, these people of the mountain sei- dom leave their habitations during day time, and on the slightest alarm of visitors they seek the shelter of the rock. But by hiding on the opposite cliffs un- til evening and with the aid of glasses 1t is possible to get good view Of them when they begin at sunset te gather on the grassy meadow which fronts tbe opening Of the caves and extends down to the water's edge.
 Beautiful. fair haired, white skinned girls, clad in flowing white linen gar ments. which scarcely conceal tie sinu- ous beauty of perfect grace and form. come out to wash linen i'll the lake and to sport on the cool green grass. Ti.e men, too, are simply dressed in much the same way, their white linen gar ments being admirably suited 10 tie tropie climate. Many other signs Of q high degree of civilization appear. and from certain points near the summit Of San Antonio it IS possible, with the aid of strong glasses, to catch glimpses through Assures here and there in the wall of rock of the twin mountain, of sheep and cattle grazing. Of green fields and trees and of white, fiat foofed hcases running parallel with one another. all brilliantly lighted hy tha sun, ai.d there fore leading to the belief that he inte- Ilor of this sister mountain Of Ssga An- tonic must be hollowed cut into some valley. possib ply the crater Of au extinct volcano, which, though some freak Of nature, has been converted from barren hasalt aud lava into grassy and fertile slopes
 An intrepid explorer would not have great difficulty il reaching tae Canta;ias people. All that would be necessary would be to ascend the San Antonio peak, to descend en the ether side uasil one reached the cliffs that oYelhang tie Cantadas lake, to have oneself lowered by means ef a rope to the surface ef tie latter and then to swim across the lake, which may be anywhere from four to six miles in length.
 Certain scientists who have inyesti- gated the tradition and rumors that ex- ist about the Cantadas among tie in- habitants, African and Portuguese, of the Cape Verde islands. are inclined to the belief that they are of Cornish origin. This theo5y is due to the fact that what Is stated 70 be their tongue resembles the dialect of the natives of Cornwall more than any other known language New York Journal.