The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-08-17
IN PYGMyLAND.
A Meeting Between a Chief of tbe r

A Meeting Between a Chief of the Lit.
tie People and a Missionary.
An interesting account of the pygmies
of Central Africa is given by A. B
| Lloyd. one of the Church soctety's mis-
sionaries, in his book, In Dwarf Land
and Cannibal Country" His first in
terview with them took place In clear
ing of the forest While reading a book
| he became aware of q number of little
faces peering at him through the thick
ct. He held out his hands in sign OF
| friendly greeting. Slowly and very
+ shyly q pygmy advanced, stared at the
! white man in an1azement and hid his
face behind his hands. Other pygmies
advanced behind their leader. I now
! Che says had complete view of my
| visitors, and what struck me first of all
| was naturally, the shortness of their
| stature, But, although they We're SO
very short-about four feet by subse-
| quent measurement-yet there was a
| poWerfulness about their build that is
not often seen in African races. Broad
| chested. with muscles finely developed,
! short thick neck, and small bullet head,
| the lower limbs were massive and
| strong to a degree. The chest was COW
cred with black, curly hair and most of
the men Wore thick, black boards.
Each carried either bow and CULVER of
arrows, or short throwing spears
Round their arms they wore iron rings,
| and some of them had these around
their necks also. / chatted away to the
little man who knew the Toro language.
and ] was very much amazed at the
smart way in which he answered my
questions. His knowledge of the Ian
euage was not perfect by any means,
and he often used words that We're
strange to me, and savored of Pygmy-
land, yet he spoke sufficiently we'll for
me to be able to follow him.
The pygmy leader explained that his
country was seven days journey in
length by six in breadth. l next asked
him the number of his people, and he
took piece of stick and broke it up
into little pieces. about forty in all, and
said that each piece represented chief,
and he then Went on to tell me the num-
Der of followers of each; some had two
hundred, others only fifty, and few as
many as five hundred 1t was very
simple then to calculate that the total
thousand.
He told me that he knew long ago of
my coming, and I asked him "How?"
He said that several days ago he saw
me. Saw met I said. when did
you see me?" Il have seen you in the
forest for six days" But I did not
see YOU" | said, and then he laughed
most heartily and said mo, l could
not see him. but he saw me-" Upon
further inquiry I found that a large
party of these little creatures had been
watching our every movement all
through the forest while we were in the
most blissful ignorance of the fact. At
every camp they had lowered about us,
peerlns at us through the thicket as we
passed. Why did they not attack us?
is the question that kept coming up into
my mind. If they are the thievish.
wicked little people that they have been
represented, why did they not modest
usf We We're entirely in their power
ana had been for the last six days
IefhapS 1t was our very helplessness
that protected us-they saw that we
were not as the other white men who
mad passed through their forest, armed
with guns, and having a big following
OF soldiers; or perhaps l had been over
heard speaking ia the language of Toro
to my boys, and this had given them
confidence. I firmly believe, however,
that they are not untrustworthy folk,