Eureka Reporter | 1904-08-05 | Page 7 | Bad Traits of Africans

BAD TRAITS OF AFRICANS hunter make sweep ng indictment of nat ve tribe A hunter of big game in africa gives a description of a tribe of na alves he says live in the swamps their staple article of diet being fish and flo ir made from the seed of the water although during the rains they grow patches of cassava root and sweet potatoes at the edge of the swamp they smear their bodies with mud to protect them from mosquitoes and are extremely dirty and evil smelling in consequence they are ery low down in the scale of hu manity and have a bad reputation among living on the high ground which reputation they upheld during our visit we engaged several natives as carriers but they only came to see what they could steal one day I 1 shot a reed buck in sight of the camp and left two to carry it in while I 1 went after a hartebeest hart beest b it I 1 never saw either men or buck again it was no ue following them into the swamps as the knew ever inch of the ground and water they had small canoes hidden everywhere and immediately they crossed a stream the sunk the canoe again where they alone anew where to find it 0 ir boys were afraid to follow them as they used poisoned arrows and sometimes abet poisoned stakes in the tracks leading to their haunts