Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-05
A NIGHT IN SOUTH AFRICA
Scenes at n stopping Place for Pas
sengers Oh the Cape to Cairo
Railroad.

The dark comes down with African
swiftness, and at s o'clock the train stops
for the night at Choma. Instantly all is
life and hustle. In an incredibly short
time all the natives on the train-and they
often number 100, either going to
or returning from the m%lnes-are busy
making fires by the side of the track upon
which to cook their evening meal. Our
own boy is busy with the rest, making n
fire also and boiling water for tea.
In fifteen minutes you have the new ex-
perience of a dark African night, with It's
brilliant southern stars, and the blazing
fires, each within its circle of laughing,
chattering natives. whose white teeth
CLEAN in the freight as they throw their
heads back in huge enjoyment of any
joke. They are alnsast uncanny, those
cleaning white teeth. NEverywhere Just
freight and black, indistin4 uishable figures
and rows Of cleaning teeth!
The second evening we stby Ct. 6 o'cleSs
while it is still daylight, and so we-gSss
a longer stroll. We have now made friends
with one or two other travellers, and a
little friendly gossip passes the time until
a meal is ready. 1t is SO interesting to
know Why these other travellers are there.
each in his way so different from the
traveller at home, who excites neither
interest nor surprise.
Here Is a Belgian going to Congo.
manager, OF course, of some big rubber
plantation or mine, whose wife is bravo
enough TO accompany her husband into the
Back of Beyond. Here is a native commits
sioner for Northwestern Rhodesia taking
his wife and child to some distant outpost
only to be reached after perhaps ten or
twenty days trek. One looks at the woman
with a sense of awe. She is young prettv
and charming, and out where she ia
going there is no other woman. no doctor
within perhaps eighty miles, no other child
|, or her child to play withholding hut
'ays and weeks of monotony and the al
ehce one can hear. We look at her with
I'VE because, we know she is a heroine.
We know she is going, in a measure, to a
silent martrydom, unless the man for
OF "hom she goes can be all things to her
Later on the station master regales US all
WIN an excellent photograph, and the rows
- shslerlhs teeth glisten more persistently
ian ever as the natives gather around.
both awed and delighted.
Then once more we all retira 70 s,oo,
next morning awake refreshed to the con-
temptation OF the loveliest mart 90 az
Whoie route, the hilly district between
kafue and Lasaakas. Kafle we had na.sa,
Tue previous afternoon and gazed in sur
PRISE at the fine bridge across the river
Inc longest bridge in Africa.
All through the last day the scenery ,s
aSaih CHIEFLY forest and at one place the spot
Is pointed out where the engineer recentIy
allshted from his caboose and shot two
iohs' While the train waited. He explains
nirlselI now there We're three or four play
Lns 'ose'her quite near the line, like huge
uoss' ana now being on the back OF the
ram ne got In the first shot and kilI.d
- instantly The guard and engine
liver came hurrying along then, but before
e"eS arrived he had put in his second shot
rmu passeu a second animal-Gertrude
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