The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-04
A LOST AFRICAN PEOPLE.
MARVELLOUS WORN or NEW ON THE
ISKANeA PLATEAU.

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LONDON, aug. I'll have JUST enloyed the
most resttnl ana refreshing mental holiday
mat mas fallen 70 my lot since-wels since the
aaine wes DESTROYED iasted only an hour.
nut II l can convey to you the COOL peacetul
picture Whlch TOT rev moments mas panlSneo
the turmoil OF International quarreis anu OF
Augnst NE IN a great city you VIII thank me-
- 1 thank an unknown traveller VINO mas given
~ TO me. 1t is q tar cry nom new forh
% east central Atricai there on the great
Anyanea piatean your lmnainauon muss TAKE
you TO see q demonstration more Impressive
Snan the Pyrarnids themselves OF ohe possi-
oliitiea Of human handiwork. or perhaps 1
should say OF the bitterness OF human history.
ldouoe II many IN england or America kne"
OF the existence OF THE vast lnyanga plateau
the ROOF OF east Central Africa. i confess my
" ignorance. 1t stretches away TO the north
OF Umtali, the frontier station on the beira
railway, when 10 eventually TO JOIN SALISBURY
with the cast coast. white men nave visited H.
but 1t ID almost uninhabited. And yet II was
oncethe nome OIL powerful race. ~ whose MS
tory not a trace 10 Known TO remain. save In tine
topography OF their country, That Is as tney
made II. and such it viii remain as long as the
earth lasts. The general level oil the plateau 10
ABOUT LOU rect above the sea. Ibe scenery
along the Journey from Ontan Is descrtneda as
most varied ana beautiful. The plateau ioselt'
hundreus OF miles IN extent. comprising
throughout Its length and breadth one marvel
lous memorial OF a Vanlshed race VIII les tne
VaNeiler oeserihe VINO mas JUST sent the reeoFu
oil his Journey to the Br'f'sh Central AFRICA va
teus.
Approaching Inyanga from any direction
one Is struck" says the writer. wieh the
maTvellously regular lines. or contours OF ele-
Vatlon. whlch are 10 De seen from a instance
running In long continuous parallels horizon
tally to the mountain slopes until they are lost
70 sight on the observers horizon. Here ana
there along the face oil the mountains. ana m
'tersectinR the aforesaid parallels. are TO De
eeen numerous silvery-looktng stTeakH when
Ut up oy the rising or setting sun heseenafns
from the mountainous. On n closer inspection
itwil be found thatthe long parallels arc simply
retaining walls nnd that the sil~very-looktng
etreakS are waterfalls. The Whole ot the noun
tain slopes nave been NEST oeautituhy ana sys-
tematieally terraced by the hand oil man. ana a
most perfect system oil irriEat'on mas at the
same time been carried Out ana compieteo.
Even the numerous valleys which are lnciosed
In this mountainous region nave been laid out
In ridge and iurrow: the ridges are ABOUT TWO
yards wide by about three feet deep. StanuiiiS
some distance up the face of any of these noun
tain slopes and looking downward into any OF
these valleys, ono IL ut once struck WITH me re-
markable symmetry with which the whole sur
face OF the country Is iaid out.
Il used to be impressed with the beautiful
regularity OF the Scottish neius as compared
with the attempts Mt aRricnlturem other lands.
q ] hold the opinion thar III no Place In the
world Is farming carried on WITH suclf ihdus-
trions or rersevering regularity nsin Scotland
and that other countries have a Eooi deal 70
learn from Scotland, Yet here IN east Centrat
east Africa there Is n record lett behind by a
race forgotten whom the scotch wouid not be
disgraced In copying with respect 10 irrieatloh'
U course. with such sniehoih lae'ieies asthoSe
when nature mas Destowea upon inns Por'poh
OF the earth. it was only natural that. when II
first met the eyes oil that wandering trioe VINO
have lett so grand n num OF tneiH ihteii-
Rcnce and industry behind them. They decluea
70 make II their nome. Ihat tneF must
have been o mighty most Is eVidencea Dy inc
fact that every foot OF soil was made available
for cultivation. and the magnitude OF 'heir
labors will be readily understood when 1t Is
stated that frequently as many as loo TO Zoo
parallel walls OF stone can De eounCeo on tins
face OF the mountains, and these walls can De
followed. conforming to every contour OIL the
ground. for thirty or forty miles along one sys-
tenn alone. After the walls were built the
ground had to be exeavated ana leVelIed. Ihe
water courses were then cut ana 1he WAFER:
springs on the SUBMITS Of the mountains. find
ing It's nearest path downward. was let into
these channels and thence regulated over the
entire face Of the country.
There are numerous traces left OF old forts.
~StronRholds, and lookout posts. all very
strongly built in stone. The method OF ingress
or egress was through a small hole left in the
foot Of the wall. The people may have taken
these precautions as q means OF protection
from wild animals. Think. however. that it is
more highly probable they we're boset by a
hostile surrounding. cannot conceive IL DOS
Sible that SO industrious q race could have been
ether than a peaee-loving people. Il lie
q great pity that nothing Of their story
10 known. The few natives who now
live in very scattered and small groups
over the country know nothing and have
no tradition OF the past. A considerable mum
n,oR thn MAN In tho aurroundino u Paala have