The herald., 1898-11-09

grow to magnificent size. The atmosphere
is warm and soft, and not particularly
healthy, for the dreaded jungle fever exists
there and epidemics rage in the wet sea-
sons. The European drinks good liquors
and takes his medicine chest with him, and
soon learns the secret of conquering the eli
mate.
Native Fashodians are of various de-
grees OF black, brown or copper color, ac-
cording to the grease with which they an
noint their bodies. Some traveller remarked
of them that their color clothed them. They
break of their lower front teeth early in
life, and this gives them a most unprepos-
sessing look. The women dress in calf
skin petticoat, but the Europeans have in
sisted that the people in the town shall wear
clothes, and they are beginning to look more
civilized in the cast-off garments that are
given to them.
The population of Fashoda capital is
5000, if statistics are reliable, while that of
the district is 100000. Egyptians, British,
French and natives pass each other on the
grass sgrown walks. The Congo and the Turk
are in evidence. The garrison is the excite
nent of the place. 1t gives touch of SOW
ereignty to the capital. An immense trade
in slaves was formerly carried on in the Fa-
shoda district, and after the government
station was established by the British, when
Governor Effendi was in power vessels
passing Fashoda with hundreds of slaves on
board We're not disturbed, the Egyptian
ruler winking at the traffic The British
powers forbade the exercise of the slave law
and removed the officials who in any way
countenanced it. This waAbrought about
by the individual efforts of few explorers
such as Sir Samuel Baker and his noble wife
Lady Baker. That was when the city of
Fashoda was in the hands of the Egyptians,
who sent their criminals-who were con-
dcmned to life eXile--there to hostile and
wretched town, an insalubrious climate and
a Shillook king, who lived, like his people,
in thatched mud cottage. Small wonder
that Fashoda was then called the city of the
dead.
The natives of Fashoda are not fighters,
like the Turks, but prefer to eat the lotus
and dream away life like sleepy animals
But they know good from evil, have certain
rude laws of their own, which they keep, and
will give little trouble to the invaders.
One of the incidents of the present war
agitation between England and France was
the coincidence that Gen. Kitchener, the
representative of the British government,
and Major Marchand's emissary, Capt. Bar
alter, should take the same steamer to travel
from Alexandria, and that it should belong
to French line. As they will both land at
Marseilles,, it is suggested that trouble may
come OF the association, especially in the
event OF public reception to Capt. Bara-
sirdar. As small an incident may lead to
declaration of war, which in any case is
imminent.
Elephant hunting will be one of the enter
tainments of the new African territory.
Wild boars also abound, and monkeys are as
plentiful as specimens for the naturalist as
are desirable, but every year their numbers
grow less, as they are wantonly shot by
European sportsmen. The gray African par
rot has long been an object of commerce,
fine specimens rating as high as $780,
are found in the forests, but the wealth of
much of that vast territory is still sealed
book to explorers. Fields of wheat, of rice
and acres Of sugar cane, all irrigated by the
waters of the Nile, coffee of new and i'm
proved variety, can be cultivated on land
that is now wastage. And more than the
rich benefits of production will be the strong
hold for England in the heart of the great
district of Fashoda and within the garrison
ed walls of the capital city.-Chicago Times
Herald.