Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-06-20

tiles hut they were those of an Aineri-
can and were uttered as though breaking
the mans wrist and leaving him To die
In the swamp were Of no consequence
whatever.
Another man, who pretended to be a
Maltese. but who looked like an Euras-
ian. told me. that he had lost several
porters by death from exposure dur
ing recent trading trip, and that he
had logged one until he dropped. The
wages OF such porters Is about four
cents n day and they feed themselves.
They carry loads of about 20 pounds
each, and they trot along all day with
such loads on their heads l am told
that they are cheated by the traders
in every possible way. Their wages
are paid In cloth. and short measure
IL usually given. three yards being
made to so FOR four.
The cloth mentioned In the contract
Is often American or American sheet
ing, but the traders viii try to palm Off
Indian cottons, which are little better
than Cheesecloth, Instead. Indeed, the
English and Indian traders make no
bones of telling how they cheat the ma
tives and they laugh over 1t as they
Go so.
Not far back from Tanga is one of
the greatest forest regions of this part
OF East Africa, The government has
reserved several hundred thousand
acres but the remainder is open to
exploitation, and prospeUtors are now
going over It with a view of shipping
timber out 10 the coast I understand
that there is a great deal of fine hard
wood. as well as cedar and other tim
Der OF value.
Much of the country near the coast
OF German East Africa is covered with
mango trees and cocoanut palms
Higher up there are acaclas, sycamores
and banians. There are vines and
trees which produce rubber and also
valuable fiber plants. Down along the
coast the Germans are now setting out
cocoanut plantations, and are eXper-
imenting with cacao. tobacco. vanilla
and the cinchona tree. from whose
bark our quinine comes,
Much of the interior OF this region
is not unlike the country about Lake
Victoria, and many OF the plains are
covered With elephant grass. This
grows twice ms high as ones head. 1
have seen stalks 10 feet tall, and on a
recent trip through the interior / had
myself photographed to show you their
height In the rainy season this grass
often grows foot In a night 1t Is
much like a bamboo fishing rod hav-
ing Joints like cane II is usually burnt
OFF at certain times of the year, and
nave Travelled over roads with great
names on one side of me where, IL the
wind had changed. I would have been
in serious danger. When the grass is
set atire the flames roll up In great
masses. As the canes burn they burst
apart, each making n noise like the
shot of pistol. The FIRE is accom-
panied by a continual crash and the
scenes are grand to an extreme. In
German East Africa many Of the trade
routes go through grass of this kind,
They consist of mere paths which wind
this way and that over the country.
When 1t rains the grass holds the
water and after a shower il is often
hours before one can keep dry.
TRAINING ZEBRAs.
l have written of the experiments
which the British are making In at
tempting to raise the zebra for agricul-
tural use. They are being carried on
a Nahobi and on the government farm
near Lake Navaisha, in British East
Africa. The Germans are making SINH
lar experiments in their territory. and
so far they have been quite successful
They are trying to train the zebras as
riding animals, with the idea that they
may eventually be- able TO outfit the
native cavalry with them. In the bar
racks nj Oar es Salaam ] was shown a
half dozen zebras tied up in the stalls