Washington sentinel., 1899-10-14

morning comes, when he is ready
20 repeat the operation. A conse-
duent and characteristic feature OF
his race is the distended abdomen;
but, that considered, it is difficult
TO imagine where he manages TO
stow the enormous quantity OF food
he can consume at a meal. Occa-
sionally, when l have expressed
surprise when, for instance, he
has surpassed even himselt-he
has assumed an uninterested air,
as though the matter was merely
the most commonplace occurrence
in the world. and the question one
to be waived.
The plgmies have curious
method OF fighting, which l have
had occasion to observe several
times. A stranger passing through
the bush along track is fair game
to them, and they therefore con-
ceal themselves when they hear
footsteps approaching. 1t does not
take much covert to hide a pigmy.
AS the unsuspecting victim goes
by they send their little arrows at
him, and, il the shot has told, the
Digmy who has fired jumps up,
utters a little cry, and pats his right
arm with his left, Immediately at
terwards diving behind a bush
plant or tree trunk. The pigmies
do the same when they are fighting
against excessive numbers in reg
ular bush warfare. One gentle art
employed against the stranger who
comes by their way is amusing in
its display Of cunning. The pigmY
fastens a cord to his loot at one
end, affixing the other to the
bough OF a tree that may stretch
across the forest path. Then con-
cealing himself few wards of he
waits till he hears some one COM
ing, when he gently agitates the
string so as to shake the bough.
Now the least thing Of this kind,
the slightest rustic or noise attracts
the attention of the native, who,
from motives Of selfpreservatiou,
is brought up to notice all the signs
Of the bush. Accordingly he stands
still to see what is coming, and
while he watches the curIously
moving branch, is promptly shot
| in the back by the concealed
! pigmy. But" said the pigmy
when rebuked for such treachery,
che was a stranger. He had no
business to be there"
A certain chief OF the Momvus
was literally "big" chief, one OF
the fattest and most unwieldy OF
men it has ever been my lot to see.
So corpulent had he become that
he had long given up the practice
OF walking, always allowing him
self to be carried about on a litter
borne l)Y four oil his men. So he
became fatter still. His head wife
was massive matron. who added
TO her corpulency by like laziness.
This big chief, in spite OF his ina
bllitY to walk, insisted on accom-
panying his men on all fighting
expeditions, and personally dir
ected their attacks from the eleVa-
ton Of mis- stretcher. On certain
occasion have in my mind he was
going down with his warriors to
fight a neighboring Mabode chief
and on his way unwittingly passed
close to a pigmy encampment,
whose inhabitants he had offended
some time before. A flight OF little
arrows from an invisible foe was
the first intimation he had Of any
danger. He could not get down,
nor would it have served any prac-
tical purpose, because he would
not have been able to run a say.
So he dropped back from his
sitting posture and turned over on
his face, calling to has wife to do
the same, as he urged his bearers
forward. Presently pigmY darted
out from behind a tiny bush and
shot of two arrows in quick sue
cessIon, then he patted his right
arm with his lett hand, uttered the
peculiar little cry that signifies
qualification for the effect Of the
shot, and disappeared again be-
hind the bush. / looked and saw
that both the chief and his wife,
while lying face downwards on
their litters, had been shot in that
part which naturally presented It.
self as a tempting target.
Where one of the number dies
he is buried, and there is an end
b him and his memory. They
wear no mourning, nor do they
erect any memorials over the
graves Of their dead. Excellent
servants they are very fond of
decking themselves out in the old
clothes Of their masters, no matter
what the fit may be. They will
strut about with an old hat. several
sizes too large, coming down over
their eyes, or augment their scanty
costume by the addition of tie,
not in fun, but in the most serious
manner possible, the nearest ap-
proach to the decorative instinct
observed.