The Real African

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 September 1911, Page 4

The Real African

. Some amusing stories of African natives aro related in " Kcribner's Magazine" by .Mr Herbert Ward. Two or three of them may lie cjuoter lie re:— A touching incident, illustrating the sentiment of gratitude following efforts to give relief to a suffering baby Some months later I w.\s surprised in the middle of the night by seeing a dark shadow east upon the entrance to my tent. A -woman'.s voice, hushed in tone, said to me: "Bere, 0 white man, take tCiis egg! Many moons ago my baby sufl'eied. You gave it medicine ami it is well. lam a poor woman : I have nothing. But—o take tins egg!' Much touched! by ili&r words. I arose from my bod, accepted the e.gg, and placed it in one of my boot for safe keeping. The following morning, whilst my caravan was getting ready for the day's inarch, I gave the egg to my cook, instructing him to pnach it for niv breakfast. A few minutes later he returned to me, holding in his ilvand a broken egg-shell, saying: "M,aster, tilt at eg<: was a bad one." As a cfMitrary illustration, I must cite the instance of a man who sufferred. from a. form of skin disease. By dint of simple remedies 1 succeeded in piirifving the man's blood, and, in fact, the patient proved so 'amenable to my treatment that at the end of .a month T told him that 'lie was perfectly cured a,ml that he mi <riht go home. "Yes, 0 whit? man!" ho'replied. "But what will yon pay me?" T have been with you many days, a whole nvoon his passed. what, will you pay me for all that time?" An interesting friend of mine was Luemba, living in the Cataract region of the Lower Congo: be omee said philosophically: "T have worked for white men and have had much hardship. T have been flogged for making mistakes. T have had my pay stopped, '.and T liavc seen much trouble. Now T will Avorshio God and live quietly by the side of the mission station listening to the missionary, wlio says til at it does not matter whether we be ricli or poor, for rich and poor alike enjov the same eliances of ,<roing to heaven. What use is it for me to work? No! I "will sleep!"