The times., 1899-10-07
QUEER GIANTS OF AFRICA
A Race the Sight of Which Drives
Men Insane.
Stories of The Waiamos Living IN
the Unknown Country Betwecn
Lake Rudolf and the Nile Valley
Their Wonderful Power of Hyp-
notism-An Explorers Experiences
From the london spectater.l

the unknown country between Lake Ru-
dolf and the Nile Valley, and who, besides
being one of the piuckiest of men, seems
TO be a competent observer with some sci
entific knowledge and a habit OF mental
exactitude. There appears to be no rea-
son whatever for doubling his good faith,
and We can ourselves help a little TO ex-
onerate him from any charge of undue
credulity or disposition to wonder. He says
he found two races OF naked giants living
near Lake Rudolf. The world now doubts
about giants as formerly ii doubted about
pigmies, and Captain WeIlby will be cross
examined; but tribes obviously the same
were minutely described by DR.. Verne a
German doctor who accompanied a pacha
sent by Said Pacha Of Egypt some fifty
years ago TO see If he could not exact trib-
ute of some sort from the extreme south of
the Egyptian dominion Mr.. John Murray
published in two small volumes a transla-
tion of his singularly lucid and interesting
narrative, and in it he gives an account
apparently identical with Captain Wellby's,
Of race of naked men who were on an
average seven feet high.
AS individuals reach that height even in
England, and are common in Patagonia,
we can believe that story without difficult
ty; but the account of the Walamo district
is a more severe draft on our credulity
1t is probably true, nevertheless, though
the explanation is not easy. The natives
about Lake Rudolf believe that the people
of Walamo are possessed of the devil and
Captain Wellby is obviously not quite sure
that they are not. Their land is singular
Iy and exceptionally beautiful, grand
tropical park in fact, well watered and
well timbered, "a fortnight's journey
south of Ads Abeba," and the p-op,e are
quite friendly to white men. They are ac-
cused, however, of possessing a gift, moth
ing less than the power of creating, by
suggestion only, insanity in those upon
whom they gaze. Captain Wellby, of
course disbelieved this story, but he was
soon undeceived. Il only state the facts.
The first sign OF anything wrong was when
one of my Somali escort rushed into camp
shouting 'WalamoI WaIamo, He was
frightfully excited. he shook violent y. AMI
kicked like madman, and in the inter-
walls between his shrieks he told me that he
was possessed by a devil. The whole OF
that night he was neither more nor less
than a maniac, but the next day he was
perfectly well. ! had been previously tod
that once man had become 'Walamo, or
devil possessed, he was always Liable TO
second attack, and as simple measure of
preeaution the mans rife was taken away
from him. While on the march he had
another attack of this curious madness, in
the course of which he drew knife, and,
rushing about, threatened to kill every
body. II took several men to hold him
down" II is supposed to be specially dan
gerous to eat food in the presence of the
Walamo people, and on one occasion
Soudanese in the expedition who did so be-
came a raving lunatic while on another
a headman a peaceable, orderly man, de-
ciared that he had become possessed, rdyed
and kicked, and at last injured three men.
In all cases the At seems to last for two or
three days, but is liable to recur.
Pondering all these facts, Captain Wellby
like an Englishman with steady nerves and
the fine spirit of curiosity which keeps
US blundering about in ali unexplored re-
gions, resolved on a supreme experiment
He solemniy ate his dinner in the presence
of hundred Walamo. Nothing happened
at the moment, but two days after, the ex-
pIorer, one of those men who are never i'll,
was so thoroughly ill''-he does not say
insane-that he had some difficulty in hid
ing the fact from his own people.
Now, how was that done? To say it did
not occur seems to US a mere rejection for
no reason of trustworthy evidence. If Cap
tain Wellby said he found gold or diamonds
in Walamo, thousands upon thousands of
pounds would instantly be ventured in the
search for them; and why should he then
be distrusted when he says that certain
men under certain circumstances showes
symptoms of insanity?
There are we think, just three hypoth-
eses which are worth discussion. One is
/ that the Walamo, in the interest of their
! special reputation, bribed or frightened
/ Captain Wellby's men into acting the symp
I toms which he describes. That is possible
and is doubtless the explanation of many
I Eandarc 0f the Kind hlft in th ic
instance it would seem to be barred by Cap
tain Wellby's own experience. He had
! nothing TO gain by trick, and his nerves
were clearly not of the kind which are up
set by rumors of magical powers possessed
by black persons without clothes.
Another hypothesis, much more likely
! is that the Walamo are possessed of g
poisonous drug, akin to that used by many
tribes for poisoning arrows, which shat
ters the nerves of those who have swal-
lowed ii. That such drugs existed was
universal belief among the ancients, and
( there is no prima facie reason why they
| should not as many substances now used
in medicine, 'lower tone" and depress the
spirits of those who swallow them to de-
! gree which initiates many of the symp-
toms of pronounced meiancholia. The con.
stitution of negroes is not identical witt
ours, or they would not eat clay, and theil
superior liability TO the action of the drut
as compared with Captain Wellby is no
z matter for surprise. The white MAJ
may not be stronger than the black, bu
he has far better nervous system. Blu
how, in that case, was the drug admins
tered? We should say in water som
hours after food had been eaten in Wala
mo presence, or through the agency o
some unnoticed prick In sleep with poi
soned thorn. A medicine man" with
reputation 10 keep up in his tribe and 70
his tribe would be quite capable of Ill
adroit trick of that kind, especially If h
! performed it, as on the hypothesis seem
probable, with hereditary ingenuity.
The third conceivable explanation is tina
the men OF Walamo have by some aceiden
learned that II they seriously set them
selves in combination to willing that ef
feet they can hypnotic victim or serious
. ly shatter his nerves. The interval whic
seems always TO have elapsed between tn
occasion of the evil effect and the evi
effect itself is a perplexity, but otherwis
We doubt if Dr. Charcot and his assistant
] would consider the phenomena exceptional
ly wonderful. There are good many in
! cidents recorded of many persons en
countries which, il one will cannot affec
| the bodily frame OF another person, ar
simply unintelligible. Or rather one min
| may so affect another mind without af
fecting the body as TO produce belief /
disease as operative as disease itself. Cap
tain Wellby's men all believed they wer
, possessed, and consequently behaved as
had they been possessed, they though
! they would have behaved.
1t may be said that If such power ex
. listed 1t would have been recognized first c
all by white men, who know so much NOR
+ of everything than blacks; but 1t is quit
possible that white men may be compare
, lively ''immune''-the word is usefu
ic hc.,--id-ard 4 ie 1r,1it. oorto L