The World and Its People Part 52

Livingstone says that among many tribes the mode of salutation was by clapping the hands; and whenever the white man appeared, parties of women came from the several villages, betraying much fear, and clapping the hands with renewed vigor whenever they were addressed.

Near the Zambesi River tribes were met, the women of which were in the habit of piercing the upper lip, and gradually enlarging the orifice until a sh.e.l.l could be inserted. The lip then appeared drawn out beyond the extremity of the nose and gave the face a most ungainly appearance.

The chief of another tribe remarked, "These women want to make their mouths like those of ducks." Indeed, it did seem as if their idea of beautiful mouths had been derived from the duck's bill.

In the vicinity of the Falls of the Zambesi, tribes were found where the women had merely a small puncture in the upper lip in which a tin b.u.t.ton was inserted. The perforation had been made by degrees; first a ring with an opening in it had been attached to the lip, and then the ends had been gradually squeezed together. The pressure on the flesh between the ends of the ring had caused it to be absorbed, and a hole had resulted from the treatment. Children were frequently seen with the ring attached to the lip which had not yet been punctured.

It was in the vicinity of Zambesi that many of the gardens were built upon stagings, while some of the huts were built in trees, in case any of the natives should become benighted in the forest. This was for protection from the lions and hyenas, which were very abundant, since no attempt was ever made to exterminate them, owing to the belief that the souls of departed chiefs had entered into them. So superst.i.tious were these natives that they even believed a chief could change himself into a lion, kill any one he chose, and then return to his human form.

Whenever a lion was met he was greeted with a tremendous clapping of the hands by way of salutation.

Among the Banyai tribes a fair complexion was considered as much a mark of beauty as among civilized races. Many of these natives were of a light coffee-colored complexion and were considered very handsome throughout the country.

These tribes had a peculiar mode of drawing the hair out into small cords a foot in length and entwining the inner bark of a special tree round each separate cord. The substance for binding the cords was dyed a reddish color, and the whole arrangement of the hair reminded Livingstone very strongly of one of the ancient Egyptian fas.h.i.+ons.

This great ma.s.s of dressed hair reached to the shoulders usually; when, however, the natives were about to travel over the country, the ma.s.s was drawn up into a bunch and tied on the top of the head.

The people of this section along the sh.o.r.es of Lake Nya.s.sa were found to be very industrious; they combined agriculture and hunting with nets, with various other pursuits; of these blacksmithing was the chief industry.

The sound of the hammer was heard constantly in the villages. This instrument was most primitive in its construction. It was simply a large stone bound around with the strong inner bark of a tree, with loops left to form handles. Two pieces of bark formed the tongs, while the anvil was merely a large stone sunk in the ground. Two goat skins furnished with sticks at the open ends, which opened and shut them at every blast, comprised the bellows.

Primitive as these tools were, yet two native workmen could make several hoes a day, and turn out other work of a wonderful degree of excellence.

The people had quite a Grecian cast of features, and their limbs and feet were delicately moulded. Small hands and feet were the rule. Many of the men were disfigured by having large slits in the lobe of the ear, while each tribe had its own distinctive tattoo. The head man of each village was distinguished from the others by a large ivory bracelet.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DR. LIVINGSTONE NEAR THE CLOSE OF HIS LAST JOURNEY.]

The women were more elaborate in their manner of tattooing than the men, probably because they had so very few ornaments. The following of such a fas.h.i.+on among them must have been a most painful luxury, when we consider how slow and tedious the process of tattooing must be.

Another curious custom was the hollowing of the two front teeth on the cutting edge.

Much politeness was shown in their relations with one another. Clapping of the hands in various ways was employed as the means of expressing such polite sentiments as, "Allow me," "I beg pardon," "Permit me to pa.s.s," "Thank you." This clapping of the hands was also used in making introductions and in leave-taking, and was also resorted to in a.s.semblies when it was desirable to attract attention in debates, as in calling out, "Hear, hear!"

The chiefs were mostly friendly and provided Livingstone and his party with food, when necessary, in exchange for "a cloth," which meant two yards of unbleached cotton.

In various villages Livingstone noticed miniature huts about two feet high. These were neatly thatched and plastered. In accordance with a custom, which seemed to belong to this special section, these huts had been built on the death of a child or relative. When any special food was cooked, it was the custom to place a portion in the tiny hut, in the strong belief that it would be enjoyed by the spirit of the departed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: STANLEY ON THE MARCH.]

The people of the Mopane Forest are described as having round bulletlike heads, high cheek bones, and an upward slant to the eyes. These features, together with their snub noses, might well enable them to pa.s.s for Bushmen or Hottentots.

They file their teeth to points, but wear no lip ring. In dressing the hair they part it so as to let it lie in a net at the nape of the neck.

Their mode of salutation is as absurd as it is inelegant, for the men throw themselves in a half-rec.u.mbent position upon the ground, clapping the hands and making a disagreeable half-smacking sound with the lips by way of salute.

It would be interesting to follow out the story of Livingstone's life; his rescue by Stanley when nearly the whole world believed him to have perished from want and privation in some African forest; of his subsequent explorations, his death, and the transportation of his body to England and interment in Westminster Abbey.

No less interesting should we find it to follow Stanley through jungle and thicket, and in hairbreadth encounters with fierce cannibals who cried greedily, "Meat, meat! Give us meat! Ah! now we shall have meat!"

whenever they caught sight of the white man. It would be a matter of interest, too, to try to solve the problem of the commercial standing of Africa in the near future.

In imagination we can picture the sad details of strife and conflict and feel our hearts throb with pity for the poor savage, as he makes his piteous appeal to the white man, "What great harm have I done? I have but sought to protect my people and the land of my fathers. I sue only for peace and protection in this, the land of my birth."

[Ill.u.s.tration: SPHINX AND PYRAMID.]

We have only to look at the map of Africa to realize with what rapidity the leading nations of Europe are taking possession of the choicest portions of the continent. Let us trust that the opening of the country to commercial interests will mean peace, prosperity, and the blessings of civilization for the original owners of the soil; then shall we indeed have reason to rejoice over the future of Africa.

CHAPTER LXXV.

THE EMPIRE OF MOROCCO.

It is difficult, when looking at the map of Africa, to realize that the Straits of Gibraltar are all that separate it from Europe, a continent differing widely from it in every respect.

True, standing upon the northern sh.o.r.e, we find ourselves in a country which will recall to our minds some of the characteristics of sunny Spain. A short journey of three or four hours farther south will transport us, however, into a section where everything is new and strange.

Pleasant as we have found it to catch glimpses of Africa in our reading, interesting as we have found it to trace the footprints of travelers, we shall now find ourselves enjoying nearer and clearer views of the continent, as we approach it from the coast of Europe.

We will enter the continent from the northwestern extremity, the section known as the Empire of Morocco, called by the Arabs, "the far west."

Tangier, the small seaport at which our little steamer anchors, is situated on a small bay, or inlet, of the Straits of Gibraltar, the division line old Father Ocean has marked between Africa and Europe, and lies thirty-eight miles southwest of the town of Gibraltar.

It is with mingled feelings of awe, curiosity, and interest that we catch our first glimpses of Africa from the bridge of the little steamer which has carried us safely to within sight of sh.o.r.e.

The white walls of Tangier can be distinctly seen, and numerous boats are fast approaching the steamer in quest of pa.s.sengers. Just behind the boats, following in their wake, a crowd of Arabs, scantily clad in tattered garments, come wading through the water, halfway to their waists.

With outstretched arms, and wild, fierce cries and gestures, they draw nearer and nearer, their actions strikingly suggestive of maniacs bent upon wanton mischief or pirates in search of plunder.

It is with no little fear that we enter one of the boats now at the steamer's side; but as we approach to within a short distance from the sh.o.r.e our fear becomes intensified, for the whole swarm of what we can scarcely recognize as human beings, surround the boat.

They throw themselves upon us, lay hands upon us, and, with frantic gestures and vociferous cries in Arabic and Spanish, endeavor to gain our attention. It is with a feeling of genuine relief that we finally comprehend the meaning of the strange scene, and find that all this hubbub is to give us the information that the tide is low, that it will be impossible for the boat to approach any nearer to the sh.o.r.e, and that we must be carried the remaining distance upon the shoulders of these uncouth Arabs.

It is not a pleasant mode of reaching land again, but we must submit to the ordeal. It is not so unpleasant for the ladies, for they are safely carried to sh.o.r.e in chairs; but each gentleman considers himself very fortunate when he finally reaches _terra firma_ without having dipped the soles of his feet in the water during this trip to sh.o.r.e, astride his queer two-footed steed.

Once safely landed, however, we begin to look about us. The people pa.s.sing in the street seem to be enveloped in a long white, woolen garment or cloak. This has a large hood, which is generally brought straight up over the head.

This hooded populace pa.s.ses us, with grave faces, slowly, silently, as if seeking to escape notice. Others may be found crouching along the walls of the buildings, or seated at the corners of the streets, with eyes as fixed and faces as immovable as though in a trance.

All expression of interest in the surroundings or in the affairs of the world seems to have faded from the faces of the people. They appear to be lost in meditation or sunk in day dreams, impa.s.sive to all that is going on around them.

Moving through the crowd, however, we become conscious, upon nearer view, that there is not so much uniformity as we had at first supposed.

We perceive faces of all hues,--black, white, yellow, and even bronze.

As the long, silent procession pa.s.ses, we perceive old men bent and worn with age, figures shriveled and dried like Egyptian mummies, women with face and body wrapped and concealed in a ma.s.s of rags, and children with nothing childlike in face or person unless it be their long tresses.

Here are people whose heads are ornamented with long tufts of wooly hair, others with heads glistening like polished ivory or metal, so closely have they been shorn of their locks.

The town of Tangier is a curious sight, with its labyrinth of narrow streets; so narrow as to be scarcely more than corridors.