Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-01-20
THE NEWS IN BRIEF.
Pigmies and Cannibals
Found by a Young English Explorer
who Recently Followed stRnleJ's
Route UThrouRh Darkest AfrIca,V

VINO Recently Followed STANLEY -
Route Through Darkest Africa"
Probably there has been no such interest
| circling around African travellers and geog-
raphers since the time of Stanley's expedi-
| ton as that caused by the arrival in Eng
land last week of a young and hitherto un-
known Englishman, Albert Bushnill Lloyd,
from Central Africa, after a record journey
of three months from the heart of Africa
to London, travelling over Staney's route
down the Congo to the west coast. The
| journey was in one respect more remarka-
BILE than SANKEY'S, inasmuch as Mr.. Lloyd
Travelled quite alone, so far as Europeans
were concerned, and was accompanied only
by two native servants and small num-
Der of carriers. Moreover, although he
marched three weeks in the Pigmy forest
and then traversed the whole length of the
Aruwimi river, the banks of which are
lined with warlike cannibals, he never
once fred shot in self-defence. On the
contrary, he was on cordial terms with
both Pigmies and cannibals.
On entering the great primeval forest
Mr.. Lloyd went west for five days without
the sight of pigmy. Suddenly he became
aware of their presence by mysterious
movements among the trees, which he first
attributed to the monkeys. Finally he
came TO a clearing and stopped at an Arab
village, where he met a large number of
pigmes. "They told me-, says Mr.. Lloyd,
that, unknown to me, they had been
watching me for five days, peering through
the growth of the forest They appeared
very much frightened and even when
speaking covered their faces. | asked a
chief to allow me to photograph the dwarfs
and he brought a dozen together. | was
able to secure a snapshot, but did not sue
coed in the time exposure, as che pigmies
would not stand still. Then | tried to
measure them, and found not one over four
feet in height. All were fully developed
| the women somewhat slighter than the
men. l was amazed at their sturdiness
The men have long boards, reaching half
way down the chest. They are very timid
and will not look a stranger in the face,
their bead-like eyes constantly shifting
| They are, it struck me, fairly intelligent.
| had long talk with a chief who CON
| versed intelligently about their customs in
! the forest and the number Of the tribesmen.
Both men and women, except for tiny
strip of bark, we're quite nude. The men
were armed with poisoned arrows The
| chief told me the tribes were nomadic and
| never slept two nights in the same place.
They Just huddle together in hastily thrown
up huts. Memories of a white traveller
Mr.. Stanley, of course,--who crossed the
forest years ago, still linger among them.
Mr.. Lloyd then proceeded through the
cannibal countries to the coast. He found
the cannibals warlike and fierce, but open
and straightforward, and had no difficulty
with them. At one place he put together
bicycle he had with him and rode around
their village. A remarkable scene fol-
lowed, thousands of cannibsls-men,
women and children-turning out, dancing
and yelling at what they described as a
European riding a snake"