El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-06-09
Bush Travel in Africa.

On the last trip to the bush [ haC
eight carriers as | expected TO be gone
a month. They all had light loads
about forty pounds at the beginning,
as we wanted to make quick time.
Sixty pounds is an ordinary load Inc
cook carried his pots, plates, ETC., ore
man nv clothes, a pill Ow, two light
Icomforters and II blanket: another man
a tru k with some clio hing, som beads
and red caps for trade: one load OF rice
with a tin of oatmeal, two loads OF
provisions and two loads of stock fish
! for trade and for the msn.
We slept in towns, except in going
through tn first fifty miles, which is
bu- h. The men would cut some grass
and put it on top of pole bed. placing
the bed clothes on that: it did not
make an uncomfortable bed. After a
good days tramp, one is ready to go to
sleep on nearly any kind of bed without
asking questions Through the bush
there a. sheds about six feet wide, the
roof touching the ground on one side,
and about i've feet high at the other
side. The native pole beds are short,
so that six foot man has to take out
the stick they use for pillow, and
leppthen the bed with a box. The
pole bed is harder than the soft side OF
a board, for the board is fat but the
natives do not seem to mind, FOR they
snore away as if they were on feathers.
The men started breakfast at 4:3O and
after prayers, we were on the road by
6 30 About II o'clock we WIRE at the
-. lace for the night. There is very
nttIe twilight here compared With that
at home, so it is necessary to stop
early.
There are so many carriers going
Ngumba country. that some
times it is hard to get food, but this
time we had plenty OF food all the
time, and twice the men had feast. |
neal of stock fish, bush meat, kank, |
bananas, plantain. peanuts and sugar
cane An abundance of food can be |
raised, but in spite of that there is
much hunger, especially when the PEG
pie move their towns. My men would |
get around a big bowl of plantaius, or
o her food, and every one help himself
from the bowl The rapidity with
which the food disappeared was not &C
thy had stopped to taste the food an
other man might eat more than his
share, and that would never do.
The men took good care of me, for
which l am very thankful. They were
a contented, yelling set most of the
time, for they had enough to eat. Be
ing the dry season the paths were dry,
except one DAY DeNOnO LOll. mere |
the path was in the bed of a creek in
Dne place for twenty-five minutes. One
would pass through enough swamps to
keep wet feet al the time. There is
10 danger from this. long as one
Toes not get cold Or chilled. A path
through an old garden where the grass
las grown up, h ding the small logs
Ind limbs. causes some trouble.
Sometimes it is easy to lose the path
n the bush. One DAY we left a town
It $40, intending to come to the beach
n two days, about thirty miles above
3atanga None of the men knew the
bath, so we had to get guide. Instead
If keeping to the right he took a path
o the left. We kept walking and
but d d not get anywhere.
" hen we finally found we were on the
wrong path, we had gone too far 10 re-
urn back. and kept on though we did
lot know where the path led. About
80 we came out on the Government
DAD to Bipfindi, ten or if cen miles
rom thu place to which we'had started.
t is strange how these paths are ever
roken through such a long bush
heavy forest.) They are said to be
made sometimes at first by following
n elephant track. The bush is so
eavy that the paths are in the shade
ontinually, except through a garden
II a town.-Special corresp 1ndent in
sSembly Herald.