The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-12-02

".He showed us how they got fire
with two sticks, one foot and hall
long, the other about foot. The
shorter stick had a round hole neal
the end. The longer had a point
which fitted into this hole.
"He laid the stick with the hole in
it on the ground, and stuck the point
OF the other into the hole. Close by
was little heap Of dry bark of a
kind used by squirrels to make nests.
He twirled the upright stick with
great rapidity, second man assisting
by holding the stick down in the hole.
In less than a minute by the watch
he had his fire, the sparks catching
in the bark.
"Then the head man had brought
from his hut parcel done up in a
plantain leaf. He unfolded the Leaf
and revealed mass of wild honey.
"The chief took some honey and
ate it, then passed it to us. I hardly
expected to see such courtesy in a
primitive dwarf who had not even the
semblance of culture. We were now
as much his guests as if we had eaten
salt with the most courtly of Orien-
tails.
"a juicy bit of monkey steak was
then offered us, but on the plea OF
having plenty of meat we declined,
and gave our host tin of roast beef.
The little people were most intent in
watching everything we did. The
blowing up of an air pillow excited
their unbounded curiosity. All ex-
amined the pillow, felt the air against
their cheeks as we opened the valve,
and understood the use to which the
pillow was to be placed.
"That afternoon we held religious
service. The whole population at
tended, thirty-two in all. They lis
tened with strict attention to the mis-
sionary preacher, who spoke in Bulu,
and then to the interpreter, who
translated into Ngumba, many of the
dwarfs knowing something of both
languages.
I'VE had hardly sung the opening
hymn when darkness fell like cur
tain, with no intervening twilight.
As l looked at their wondering faces,
lit up by the freight, it seemed to
me a very impressive scene. Even
in the dwarf village they listened
eagerly to the words of the preacher.
''Later they showed US dwarf
dance. The stars shed some light
upon the strange scene.
1.-Two torches made of pitch from
the mahogany tree lit up the faces.
The music was furnished by the wo-
men.
Zone little creature held a cutlass
in each hand, which she beat in per-
feet time. The next woman clapped
her hands with rhythmic regularity.
Another thumped small drum with
her fingers in regular time. The
drum was made of red wood covered
with antelope skin.
"The next woman had four sticks,
with which she beat long heavy bit
of timber before her with great rapid
ity. Next was woman beating two
sticks, and at the end was another
woman with drum, who seemed to
be the leader of the orchestra, as all
the rest followed her lead.
GA low song with a peculiar re-
frain was sung all the time. At in
tervals, apparently at the end OF a
measure, it would burst out with re-
newed vigor, weird music, the like
of which / have never heard. One
seemed to hear in it the music of the
forest, the call of the bird, the roar
of the lion, the trumpet of the ele.
phant and the sweep of the wind
through the trees.
"The dancers were all men, and
there was nothing Objectionable IN
the dance. It was the playtime OF
these little people of the forest, whose
amusements are few.
"The dwarf is a hunter. There
was no sign of gardening or agricul'
ture. He constructs unique bow
and arrow, and he understands the
use of poisons.
"These people are timid they are
nomads, and they seem to be under
some sort of servitude to the larger
tribes. know not whether the dwar
is to be placed below the Bushman o.
the Hottontot, but know that he
appreciates kindness. The whole
village came to the river to speed u
on our journey.
"The brother of sick man prom
ised to come to the mission for medi
cine. The head man promised t
send some boys to the school. On'
old man with gray hair even shet
tears as we left. The dwarf has {
| heart. -