The sun., 1900-12-23
ALONE AMONG AFRICANS.
~. cRsRRva ssvsS ysARs ~ rms
fHOrtrAt WtfDERSEN.


| Of Chicago whom hs IL a, homs slncc hr
| reached manhood. however. hs hsa spent
most NJ his llfe In N" depths NJ hftira lIe
made his first visit 60 that continent IN $3.50.
| whom hc wa attn almost hoy. and lived
| 'here for three year. Ite started on MI.
second Visit In 1903 and after four wears
aoioutn In IA" far Interior h- returned 20
his native land about tho first ~ this month
Tho condition. under which he has lived In
Africa are most unusual lie has gone alone
among native tribes whose food he has shared
and whose friend'hip and helpfulness h"
has secured hy unfailIng tact and good nature.
| For many months at n time he has not seen
| white face nor has white ~ an been with n
scores OF miles ~ the regions where he was
hunting. surveying, mapping aud stydyins
| tho various harbarous peoples among whom
| he lived. lie has taken very little money
| or equipment but has IN an aged 10 live some
how or other as he went along. He has
enjoyed splendid health among tho sav ann as
and junglcs OF the far interior OF tropica
Africa. Hs comes hcme now. the picture
| Of health though deprived for years OF the
comforts and OF IN any things that are regarded
a. tho necessares OF life. Sometimes he
has not even b sd tent to pro tect him against
| the tropical rams At such times his bed
has been the drenched earth and his roof
the spreading branches OF a tree: he has
lived on the game he killed and on the m
noc and other vegetables he bought from
| the natives with the meat he had 10 sell them.
Has story Is almost unique IN the annals OF
African travel tispar alle,ed perhap only
by that Of Mr. Ar not. the British missionary.
who travelled hundreds Of miles 10 the scene
, Of his missionary laDors in the far upper
Congo country depending entirely for sup
port upon his gun and the assistance the
natives gave him In exchange for his medi-
cal services
Very little has been published about
Cherry's adventures and the really good
work he has done for he has taken q very
modest view Of his doings and has never
seemed 10 court publicity. Mr.. Stanley
and other Afr!canists. however. have known
Of his career In Africa and their attitude
toward him shows that they recognize his
aptitude for pioneering In the trying climate
and amid the wild nature and barbarous
peoples Of the continent still so little known.
Young Cherry had thoroughly learned
the trade Of q machinis. when In 1859. the
impulse seized him TO 60 to the mysterious
land which 20 many were talking about.
The story OF Stanleys wonderful descent
OF the Congo and OF the founding OF the
1t was nothing but his trade that gave him
reasonable ground to believe that he might
maze his way there. He went 10 the Congo
practically without money. He had no
friends there. no letters of Introduction.
no influence that would open a way for him
among the white pioneers. All he had was
an unlimited amount Of pluck. good American
energy and a first rate trade and he had
faith TO believe that he was going to set on
we'll. He had other qualifications also. such
as good habits. common sense and a knack
Of doing things and getting to his goal some
how or other all OF which was very fair
equipment for African service even II he had
no beads or brass we're to pay his way in q
land where travelling Is many times as e1-
psnsive as II Is In this country.
When he reached the Congo. he found that
thousands OF porters were carrying little
pieces OF steamboats, on their backs all the
way 70 Stanley Pool where IL was necessary
to rivet these fragments together to make
river craft for them. Here was plenty OF
work to the hand OF any master mechanic
or machinist VINO had a mind to GO So far for
1t and Cherry. being on the ground. found
himself very welcome though an unbidden
craftsman. He assisted In putting steamers
together for one Of the trading companies
Wills he was waiting for an opportunity
to got further inland. He had sought en-
n,ovrn.,, in Africa nerelv az n means OF seeing
~. oo,,n,rr and ia nrimi,iv. neonle and 40
-. .u,hrocad tho erst onnortunitv TO ne, into
~. ho,r, y, tho continent The steamer.
ho bsI,ed ,o mn, together mad. long journeys
ar, ,be main river and its Tributaries and they
rao1,a rsnoirs NOW and then and ma achini.ts
| TO do the tinkcring.
So cherry found the wav Oman at las, for
,,Ins n S,n-lev Falls 900 miles further up
rho river and also in other directions. and
81. baor,,s desi-o v,s a,auv fulellcd vh.n m
orno,,,,itv CANA 70 oscand tho rewlv dis
cova,od ssnea ssluent. one OF the largest
,ortbo-, ,rihutarics n, the Congo. whose
hsoduaters are nush.d SO far toward the
o,hor. ,b,, tho ,o,iv.s lopr suo heard OF
,ho uordorf,l horses that the Soudanese
ia Cbo--r lIvod long time ON the upper
Sa,,o a,d was uith tho whites who push cd
40 ono n, ,ts ,r,hutaires into the German
oa,or, -, coueroons Ha met the strange
.ri.oa n,ho vere now mad. known for the
a., Zine ord he collected a great deal Of
,r,ormotion md Also a largo amount o,
n,a,arial ;l,rs,ro,in1 tho ro,ive arts md
..,Ioz =, Iir.
,f,., ,brce venrs n. mi. lifo IN the dock
, ,r5- ,,d p, rho r,vers n, the Congo systen,
| Cbo-,,. while s,,u in his oorly tvertlcs. came