Show A PEEP INTO AFRICA marc arr poles account of 0 the th natla Nati veit and nd the th Ani animals malf the eastern cout coast of 0 africa WM was an unknown region act lon in marco day and nd when he had traveled so far tc the southern end of asia that he betin to get glimpses glimpse ot of africa he coul not believe that he be heard reports iron from the eastern side bide ot of that conti continent neut ol 01 which he be already knew something ag it formed the southern bor border der ot of till tb mediterranean sea says st nicholas so he speaks of madagascar which he calls Madel gascar and zanzibar which he calla call though they were parts ot of india it we remember that marco was the first writer european or asiatic to mention madagascar by that name and almost the first to give the tha world any tutor mation concerning that unknown land we may excuse the fact that his geography la Is sometimes mixed but bit description ot of the people and the animals ot of eastern africa are pretty accurate as may be seen geen they are all black their hair is as black as pepper and so that ovea even with water you can scarcely straighten it and their mouths mouth are so large theli noses so turned up their lips so thick their eyes so BO big and bloodshot that they look like very devils they are in fact so hideously ugly udy that mat the world has nothing to show more horrible there art aro also lions that are black and quite different from ours and their sheep are all exactly alike in color the body all white and the head black no other kind ot of sheep is found there you may rest assured they have also many giraffes this is a beautiful creature and I 1 must give you a description of it its body is short and somewhat sloped to the rear for its hind legs are short while the tore fre legs and the neck are both very long and thus its head stands about three paces from the ground the head bead is small and the animal Is not at all mischievous its color Is all red and white whit lo in spots and it is really in a beautiful object the women ot of this island are the ugliest in the world orld with their great mouths and bi bis eyes and thick noses the people live on rice and flesh and milk and dates and the they y make wine of dates and ot of rice and of good spices and sugar there is a great deal ot of trade and many merchants and vessels go thither |