Part 18 (1/2)

Du Chaillu o guides, and with great precaution they silently entered a village of twelve huts to find it long since deserted Fortune was e, where, however, no one was to be seen on entrance The curling smoke, calabashes of fresh water, and a half-cooked snake on living coals indicated that the alarmed inhabitants had fled on their approach A search of the huts resulted in disclosing the presence of three old wo man, and several children, ere alht of an unknown monster--a white man By judicious distribution of bananas, and especially of beads, Du Chaillu succeeded in allaying their fears, and later made several visits, but confidence was never firmly established, and it was impossible to see the men except as they fled at his approach, or at a distance when they visited the Ashango village for purposes of barter

During his several visits he carefully ht proved to be four feet six and one-eighth inches; the shortest was four feet four and one-half inches, and the tallest five feet and one-quarter of an inch; the young rown, ht

Du Chaillu says: ”The color of these people was a dirty yellow, and their eyes had an untamable wildness that struck me as very remarkable

In appearance, physique, and color they are totally unlike the Ashangos, who are very anxious to disown kinshi+p with the themselves, sisters with brothers The smallness and isolation of their co; and I think it very possible this may cause the physical deterioration of their race”

Their foreheads were very low and narrow, cheek-bones pros proportionately short, palms of hands quite white, and their hair short, curly tufts, rese rew also, in plentiful, short, curly tufts on his legs and breast, a peculiarity which the Ashangos declared was coo men

These dwarfs feed partly on roots, berries, and nuts gathered in the forest, and partly on flesh and fish They are very expert in capturing wild ani fish froed for plantains and such simple manufactured articles as they stand in need of

Concerning their settleos never reratory people, ame becoos are called the Obongos of the Ashangos; those who live ao-Njavi, and the saos are said to exist very far to the east, as far as the Ashangos have any knowledge”

In his ”Journey to Ashango Land” Du Chaillu gives quite a nue; he considers their dialect to be a e with that of the tribe a whom they reside It appeared that none of the domen could count more than ten, probably the limit of their numerals Their weapons of offence and defence were usually small bows and arrows, the latter at times poisoned

[Illustration: A Dwarf Prisoner]

Leaving Mobano, 1 53' S latitude, and about 12 27' E longitude, by dead reckoning, Du Chaillu passed due east to the village of Mouaou Ko a salute, one of his body-guard unfortunately killed a villager An effort to atone for the accident by presents would doubtless have been successful, but, most unfortunately, and despite Du Chaillu's strict orders, his body-guards and porters had already irritated the Ashangos by offensive conduct Overtures for ”blood- the exploring party Al their war-dru his men with his most valuable articles, retreated ard toward the coast Before they reached the forest he and one of his men ounded by poisoned arrows Pursued by the infuriated savages Du Chaillu restrained his , when, demoralized by the situation, many of his porters threay their loads, which consisted of note-books, raphs, and natural history collections Curiously enough the instruoods thus abandoned by Du Chaillu in 1864, were found in 1891, by an African trader, in the jungle where they had been thron by the retreating carriers, having reos, who believed they were fetich and so regarded the a fewthat inactivity and self-restraint meant self-destruction, Du Chaillu took the offensive, and drawing up his men in a favorable position, repelled his pursuers with considerable loss The wounds fro external, if subjected to immediate treatment, healed in a feeeks

Further explorations under these circumstances were impossible, for Du Chaillu depended entirely for his success on friendly relations with the natives; in consequence he returned to the sea-coast, and on September 27, 1865, quitted the shores of Western Equatorial Africa

Although the second voyage of Du Chaillu into the unknown regions of Western Equatorial Africa rehabilitated his reputation as a reliable observer, as far as related to geography and natural history, yet his description of the Obongo dwarfs gave rise to further discussion and aspersions It is needless to say that the discoveries of Stanley in his last African expedition have definitely settled this question in Du Chaillu's favor, and that the studies of Lenz, Marche, and Bastian, in and near the region visited by Du Chaillu, confiros of Ashango Land rise in proportion to undersized negroes when compared with the dwarf queen found by Stanley on the eastern edge of the great equatorial forest, who ht

Thus in time has come complete vindication of all of Du Chaillu's stateo Lands, which portions of Western Equatorial Africa he was the first to explore If the geographical extent of his explorations give way to that of other African travellers, yet it must be admitted that he stands scarcely second to any in the number, importance, and interest of his contributions and collections in connection with ethnography and natural history of Equatorial Africa

In later years Du Chaillu has devoted his attention to the northern parts of Sweden, Norway, Lapland, and Finland, and although his travels in these regions had no iraphical outcoeneral public in possession of iven in his book called ”The Land of the Midnight Sun” His ie,” is an elaborate presentation of his theory that the ancestors of the English-speaking races were Vikings and not Anglo-Saxons, and has awakened ,” his latest book, is a popular account of Viking life and manners in the third and fourth centuries

[Illustration: Arrows of the African Pigmies]

XIV

STANLEY AFRICanus AND THE CONGO FREE STATE

[Illustration: Henry M Stanley]

The largest, the richest, and the least known of the great continents is Africa Despite its vast area, numerous tribes, and complicated interests it ards the rest of the world have been alternately retarded and advanced through the efforts of four individuals The jealousy of Rohest pitch by the eloquence of the elder Cato, resulted, 146 BC, in the annihilation of Carthage, an industrial centre whence for five centuries had radiated toward the interior of Africa peaceful and coht centuries later the hordes of the Arabian Caliph Omar in turn overwhel forever its literary influence by the burning of its great library

Conversely the stone, from 1849 to 1873, inculcated peaceful methods and cultivated moral tendencies destined to introduce Christianity and develop civilization Not only did Livingstone, in the eloquent words of Stanley, ”weave by his journeys the figure of his Redee ever his Master's words and patterning his life after the Master stamped the story of the cross on the hearts of every African tribe he visited”

Initiating routes of travel, suggesting new coovernment, cae, Henry M Stanley, who merits the title of Stanley Africanus

A Welshh, in 1840, he cae of sixteen and thenceforth cast his lot with America, and as a citizen of this countryIt is reputed that he exchanged his natal name of Rowlands for that of Henry M Stanley, for a merchant of New Orleans who adopted him; but in any event his early life was passed without the loving andinfluences of a home, his youth als that properly mould the character and insure opportunities for success to young th has been accorded to develop the manhood that God implanted in his soul