Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-12-01
A Lost African People.

1t may be doubted if many readers
knoW OF the entrance of the vast
'nyanga plateau, the roof of east Gen.
raj Africa; but there, according to
recent travellers, one may see dem
'nstration more impressive than the
pyramids themselves Of the possibili-
les of human handiwork. The plateau
stretches away to the north of Umtali,
ne frontier station on the Beira rail-
way, which is eventually to join Sal
sbury with the east coast. White men
lave visited it, but it is almost unin-
labited. And yet it was once the
,ome of powerful race, of whose
history not trace is known to remain,
ave in the topography of their coun-
ry. That is as they made it, and such
will remain as long as the earth
lasts. The general level of the plateau
about $500 feet above the sea. The
scenery along the journey from UNI
ali is described as most varied and
beautiful. The plateau itself, hundreds
IT miles in extent, comprising through
>ut it's length and breadth one marvel
Jus memorial of vanished race, we
nay let the traveller describe who has
sent the record Of his journey to the
British Central Africa Gazette.
Approaching Inyanga from any d.
section one is struck" says the writer,
with the marvelously regular lines, or
contours of elevation, which are to be
'een from a distance running in long
continuous parallels horizontally to the
mountain slopes until they are lost to
| sight on the observers horizon. Here
nd there along the face of the noun
:ains, and intersecting the aforesaid
parallels, are to be seen numerous sill
very-looking streaks (when ait up by
The rising or setting SUM descending
from the mountainous. On a closer
inspection it will be found that the
song parallels are simply retaining
walls and that the silvery-looking
streaks are waterfalls. The whole of
the mountain slopes have been most
beautifully and Systematically terraced
by the hand of man, and most per-
feet system of irrigation has at the
od1A1c C1Alc UCC1 CCAl leu OuC duu GULF
pleted. Even the numerous valleys
which are inclosed in this mountainous
region have been laid out in ridge and
furroW; the ridges are about two yards
wide by about three feet deep. Stand
ing some distance up the face of any of
these mountain slopes and looking
downward into any of these valleys,
one is at once struck with the remark
able symmetry with which the whole
surface of the country is laid out.
II used to be impressed with the
beautiful regularity of the Scottish
fields as compared with the attempts
at agriculture in other lands, and I
hold the opinion that in no place in
the world is farming carried on with
such Industrious or persevering regu-
larity as in Scotland and that other
countries have a good deal to learn
from Scotland. Yet here in east Cen
trail east Africa there is a record left
behind by a race forgotten whom the
Scotch would not be disgraced in copy
ing with respect to irrigation. OF
course, with such splendid facilities as
those which nature has bestowed upon
this portion of the earth, it was only
natural that, when it first met the
eyes Of that wandering tribe who have
left so grand monument Of their in
telligence and industry behind them,
they decided to make it their home.
That they must have been a mighty
host is evidenced by the fact that every
foot of soil was made available for cul-
tivation, and the magnitude of their
labors will be readily understood when
it is stated that frequently as many
as $50 to 200 parallel walls Of stone
can be counted on the face Of the
mountains. and these walls can be
followed, conforming to every contour
Of the ground, for thirty or forty miles
along one system alone. After the walls
were built tho ground had to be ex-
cavated and leveled. The water courses