Washington sentinel., 1899-05-27
TIE ~, SENTINEL
From the Cape to Cairo.
hngIish Illustrated Magazine.

the Negro race. From time i'm.
memorial civilization, indeed, ex-
listed on its borders; and, during
the past century, Christianity and
Science have done their utmost
TO shed light on its dark recesses.
Yet the heart of it remains as saw
age as ever il vas. The civiliza-
ton oil the North and South is
merely ian embroidered fringe to
a sable garment" With the COM
pletion OF the Cape to Cairo Rail
way, however, there will be trans.
formation. The lakes of Africa
will be brought as near London as
the lakes Of the North American
continent, and the Central African
native become as familiar to the
average Briton as the red Indian.
On account Of their association
with the early Dutch colonists,
none Of the peoples inhabiting the
line Of route are more interesting
than the Bushmen, pigmies OF the
race described by the Greek his
torian Herodotus "as found be-
yond the Libyan Desert" Owing
to their thieving propensities they
were treated more like dangerous
wild beasts than men, their hand
against every man, and every
mans hand against them. They
live in rocks in caves, possess
neither fiocks nor herds, and have
no idea Of cultivating the ground.
So elementary are their ideas, in
deed, that they have no word to
express the difference between a
married and an unmarried woman.
They are the most forlorn outcasts
it is possible to conceive, no other
race having fallen so low in the
social scale, except the Australian
aborigines. Nevertheless, they
decorate their rocky homes with
carvings and drawings, which show
considerable art. and close affin
ity with primitive Egyptian de-
signs. They also use a peculiar
implement of shaped wood, over
which a heavy perforated stone is
passed, and fixed by a wedge.
This is used in digging for edible
tuoerous roots of desert plants, the
weight OF the stone assisting in
driving the point OF the stick into
the ground, and also acted as a
fulcrum in digging out the tuber.
"A kindred people are the Hotten.
tots, Khoi-Khoi-"men Of men,"
They are. however, OF a higher
type than the Bushmen, and on
account of their good nature and
faithfulness, make excellent do
meStic servants. Like most say
ages, theV are spiritualists. Sin
gularly enough, in the old days
they used to venerate a particular
kind OF insect, whose aid they
sought when in danger or suffering
from hunger.
Very different fare the Kahirs
CZulus, Bechuanas, Basutos), the
most numerous race in South
Africa, and one OF the great
branches Of the Bantu family.
They are fine, tall men, varying in
color from jet black to a dark
61fGR8RselEs mlIgdEPyssatsgnp mklIhsir systsn 9t govern
aTchal. Women are regarded as
chattels and beasts Of burden,
PolYgamy is universal, and land
IS the property OF the tribe, not of
the individ ual. They have NO
liked idea OF God. AS with the
Maoris Of New Zealand, their be.
iei embraces no more than the
iplrIts OF departed ancestors, espec- |
ally great warriors; and these thev
invest with all the powers usu.
lily ascribed to the Deity. The
consequence is, witchcraft has ali |
he force OF a religion. How power. |
ul IT is, socially and politically.
may be gathered from the disaster
which 1t brought on South Africa
n 1857. To drive his people 70 /
desperation. that they might be
orced to wage a war Of extermin-
tion against the white intruder.
ne witch-docter Umhlakaza per-
uaded them to "burn their boats
~ means Of a girl medium, who
rofesSed to see spirits and to hear
trange voices, they were soIemnlv
to destroy all their
orn and cattle, which were to rise
gain increased sevenfold. They
ere also promised victory against
heir enemies, who were to flee
eiore them. The Kafirs obeyed.
ut the prophecies proved false
nd seventy thousand of them died
starvation. Witchcraft among
u Bantu peoples is a terrible
ngine OF tyranny and oppression.
NY man who is too rich or too
reat for the ruling chief is
imelled out" and charged with
aving caused some disaster bv
Sometimes he is :
lmediatelY killed; but too often
IS put to death by slow torture. :
he Kaffirs have produced those
ighty lea ders OF men, Chaka and 1 =
oselekatse.
The Amandabili, as they should |
called, are descendants Of :
msili GAIA, one Of Chaka's in
mas, who, fearing TOR his lite, fed =
'rthwards. finally settling in :
nat is now known as Rhodesia, :
Mike other African peoples, thev =
} not buy the wife from her father. y
Il after the first child is born the =
Isband has to pay ITS value, or :,
'e the wife's father has the right !;
take the child away. Should a -
fe die shortly after marriage, or -
owe barren, however, the hus- =