The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-25

their present defeat. and the effect it will
have upon the conduct OF the enslaved
Hausa race.
Till RISE OF THE FULAHS.
For the beginnings of the Fulah domina-
ton of Nigeria We need go no further back
than the time when Mungo Park set out for
the Gambia in the hope of discovering the
outlet of the Niger. About that period
Park sailed in l795-the empires of West
Central Africa were crumbling 10 decay.
The fires of religion slackened. and such
civilization as the region had enjoyed under
the fierce Mohammedan despotism which
warred against the pagan peoples. declined
TO vanishing point. But there was one race
of nomad herdsmen in the Hausa states
which found i'm these events an opportunity
for the display of latent ability. These
were the Fulahs. Fillani or Fillatah; Where
they had come from none knew. ana. In the
absence OF precise knowledge. they We're
said to have arrived from the desert. That
they are not aborigines of the Niger basin.
over which they had spread. is tolerably
clear from the color of their skin. the ac-
tivity of their frames, and the excellence OF
their ho~rsemanship. They are of a much
lighter hue than the negrOid peoples of the
basin and delta: and though they have in
termarried freely with these. they have
preserved their sharply chiseied features.
and. by the free play of the principle OF
natural selection. resisted the development
" llt bHpt vi AGCt- MY
were and are Mohammedans: which at
least means they were and are sober.
cleanly and fanatical.
Their sovereignty of the Niger basin be-
gan in a religious movement. IL originated
with a Malaam or teacher named, Gilman
the debasing idolatry of the heather mas
ters: and his teaching was listened to with
rapt enthusiasm by the men OF his race.
They were then under the yoke of the
pagan, the majority of them shepherd
serfs. They were beaten time and again.
experiencing q long succession OF defeats.
But the shepherd race was fghtlng Tor a
religious idea and for freedom, although a
freedom to enslave others: and in time
they learned by disaster how TO win vic
tories. The banner of Islam was carried
from triumph 10 triumph, from state To
state, until "A huge Fulah empire was Gre
ated from Lake Chad TO Dahomey. Nor
did the Fulahs stop at mere conquest. II
they enslaved. they governed and taught.
Their Malaams went into the stronghold of
paganism. Mosques We're built i'm every
accessible village: the daily calls TO prayer
were heard in places where before their
advent the, shrek of human sacrifice was
all too nmo footpathS were broadened
into tracks. and trade was fostered. Them
selves the wearers of an immense quantity
of native cloth, they made the use of this
material customary where nakedneSS was
previously the rule.
1t is true that their trade was largely in
slaves. but i'm the west central Soudan il
must be recollected that slaves are the or
binary currency of the country. This slight
sketch of the rise of the Fulah power will
give the reader an insight into the system
of government with which the Niger Com
pany is of necessity in conflict-of neces-
sity because Il fundamental condition upon
which ii received its charter is that ii shall
do all il possibly can to abolish slave raid
ing and slavery. OF this we can be sure,
that had the Fulah chiefs and princes
realized that the rights they gave 10 the
company. and therefore to the British
crown, were ipso facto Inconsistent with
their system of government - they would
not have been so ready to sign treaties
which. in the long run, must mean their
downfall.
FULAHS A GOOD-LOOKING RACE.
DIR. Hartford attersby is one of the few
Englishmen who have been to Bida. He
first went to the upper Niger i'm 1890. and
on two occasions visited the Nupe capital.
| called on DR.. Hartford attersby the
other morning. writes a St. James's Budget
correspondent. and found him in his Ii
brary surrounded by his books and souve-
Mrs of his three missions to the upper
Niger.
Il was called to give up my work in
Africa" he said. owing to repeated at
tacks of fever. ! first visited the Niger
in 1896 with the object of getting into the
central Soudan. l accompanied Mr.. G.. W..
Brooks, VINO gave up training for the aAny
in order TO work in the heart of africa.
With his party l first visited that region.
tive dress
Did you see any evidence of Nupe raw
ages?'
Yes; on the way from Lokoia we passed
Muwe. a fairly large town. Instead of
hearing the usual sounds of an African vii
lage. silence reigned. on landing from our
canoe we found the streets deserted. re-
minding one of a walk through Pompeii. At
last we came TO a house where the only in
habitants remained. The hut contained the
chief man of the place and a few of his fol-
lowers. He told us the place had been de-
serted In consequence of the slave raids. A
little further on we found the panic-stricken
first came across the FulahS on leaving the
canoe in order TO start overland to Bida. I
these Fulahs and the Niger natives.
They are tall of stature. of light
complexion. with sharply-cut features
were particularly picturesque; they
had their hair dressed with little brass or
naments. All were well clothed. The men
were, like ourselves. dressed in flowing
robes made of indigo-colored cloth, while
the women wore long oolored robes reach
ing to the ground. Unlike most Mohamme-
dams, their faces were uncovered. Their
were not unlike some southern Europeans
| gathered from DR.. Battersby that on the
whole the people i'm Bida itself seemed con-
tented and happy. and that the social condi-
lions were by no means bad. The people
were all well clothed: there were schools
and an institution for the blind. Some of
the slaves even could read and write. and
the great horrors of slavery and slave-raid-
ing were not at first apparent; But p" said
my host. as j rose to- leave. 1.-THE condition
of things i'm Bida presents a contrast to the
shocking state of affairs in the lower parts
of the Nupe country, where a reign of ter
ror exists. | have already told you of what
happened i'm one village | passed through.
Now all that will be stopped. and i'm time
we may expect to see the country opened
up. Already the native tribes have well
coined the British as their saviors from the
hated Fulah rule"