The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-09
DrtTn or EXPLORER MIzOv.
The Good Work lie Did and the Little AZ
rrnn Girl who Was His interpreter.

Many men who have helped to reveal Africa
die there sooner or later. Their days Of cXrIo-
ration may be- over. but they 40 out again in
some official capacity. and spend the last years
Gf their lIvos in til" new colonies. Last week
Lieut.. NIXON OF the French NAVY. who deter
mined the MATCHMAKING etween the Congo
apd Niger basins, died at Zanzibar while on his
way t. take tn" Govcrnorship Of the Obock
colony on the Gulf of Alden. Al who know the
story Of his wanlcrinEs on the northern trihu-
tarics OF the Congo Will also remember the A.
ycar-old native girl whose unusual gilt for
languages made her very useful to him rs an
intcrprrter. whom he brought with him to
Paris IN 1892 after abe had ACCOMPANIED him
through his a adventurous two years journey.
SUuabu was her name. and she was the lion
Of the hour in Paris. All the illustrated papers
printed her picture. the entir" press inter-
viewed her. she talked French tluently with
the reporters and everything she had to say
was printed. including hcroninion of Paris. The
reporters called her Princess. too. for she was
the daughter Of n clirf. whose village on the
lower Niger contained 10000 souls. But the re-
portcrs were not half so surprised us Explorer
Nixon had been tHO years earlier. when the
little. ~scantily clad black girl came mp to him
one day on the banks Of the Niger and adj
dressed him in ras@aLia French. Then he dis
covered that She could speak English better
than h" could. AMI nobody knew Of n negro
language for far around which was not at her
onguc's end. She had picked W her knowl-
edge Of the European languages from traders
on the river. The explorer decided that
sh" was a linguistic treasure who must
Inc serur.d A. n part of his Travelling facilities
80 . -,I .I.'.a,
= ~ ~, y ~ vi i,i.'nir, !, uc 'f r, H.
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nome Mnrn nann,1 i'stnt'Iei ntr, nna as IL
!iln u"r I"Isl',S. MnuS!i Nt!'Hec iny on IEn rN.
!IorcI lou,e ul' ~ N'ErL, !, W. iiGt uIllV,it
10 arrange M n;"l'cI. ihp iIttIr gIII' wanting
~ So Hl,ti' v ~, Moi'u, Jp',Iru I'I Soiicltu-
liulS =, " ~ n'H,la' nil" 'i't r.rlnIs rui,
srllte.! 70 ti' uhliue pT"l"SaL nnir happ'l"l
GAp'IrIi'G 'NEra',n,m m VIZ usnIun every
udS. lHr H. "'n"L Wtmn'l u ~. r9r.h couLu
70 ~ .hP Hi., '.",u tl.piEm VI lh' nrw
'hhSu'-'7 MY INV ~ Hl"h' 'HcLIscINcS easily
ut,'Nl 9l''.' t.,. ..u.
Aili'u -ilnl no Wh~ ! h''HF llIt,e traN"li"r'
n'"'NUI' aI''T lhIH n'l r'acllt'i ~ oilEo; Il
,"r'lGu,N. a-Hfu ~" cNlIprrr now murh ne
Iihh IHlh io,, me NIUE ElTl. She was very IN,
i'IEh'll a' t,'hE ml>'hk'lI lor y save. ana
IuFsi ,iIn" lnni 9, aisiE IihIS' lut quickly
.i'lt'l 'I,il ",i'il ,hiI",l 'pl,l IN" nttusucSe
was 'lo 'httEhleIn az ihi",Ilblt rll"l Wl'n iiad
,"hH'l,',i ~ IHl h'r 'raN'I Win the cApetI'loh
10 Sc ~" W"fnl. w m
h'I'i'l : ut7'iui'l'h WIS Law" i'hai. nat
Whr ~" ''ihr Nh'll, tr"' hrEh!h, Germany
ana franz were an struggling 10 foa'n me
axe II, "ii'r T. auli"lIlht" rs sh"rc-. ana
,n'N Wn'I n,ihIilE Sow WORK "l y. l"r ne we'll
n""l!,l Mnl,t,nl!""hh regions through which
they W"r" trying In, pass ,i,I not speed them on
lhcir WhI hII,'l i"hliH NJ prog ross hinrk"i