Traveller.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 360, 2 April 1903, Page 2

Traveller.

QUEER TEIBE IN INDIA

Sf.N the Nellore district of the Madras Jfc presidency lire the Yanadis, a •jjt utrange tribe, as may be seen from a r< port which has been issued by the authorities of the Madras government museum.

They live in forests, and that they are little removed from savagery is indicated by the absence of implemental or monumental material, the animistic nature ef their religion, the primitive hunting and fisMvg meth'ds followed by many of the tribe, and the habit of eating the almost raw flesh of the game they kill, after slightly heating or scorching it. They are fearless in catching cobras, which they draw out of their holes without any fear of their fangs, and it is supposed that they protect themselves against the fffect of snake-bites by swallowing the poison sacs of the snakes. Especially singular is the manner in which they produce fire by friction. For this purpose they prepare two sticks, one short, the other long. In the former a 'square cavity is made, and it is held firmly in the ground while the lopg stick is twirled rapidly to and fro in the hole. Instead of charcoal powder they use rags, or even dried leaves, which they find little difficulty ia lighting.

PEOPLE OF ODD DELUSIONS. Jerusalem is a great place for cranks, particularly those of religious tendencies. People who have visions and possess the gift cf prophecy, who have discovered new ways of salvation and methods by which they may live without sin, seem to flock here as the moths seek the light. Some come in clubs and associations, others as individuals, says William E. Curtis in the 'Cticaro Record-Herald.' Many of them are actually insane and possessed < f peculiar delusions. There used to be an old tailor here who went around through the principal streets day after day carrying a heavy cross. He was doing penance for some great sin he had committed, and it would be a satisfaction to t now whether he obtained absolution before he died. Then there was a man who bought a lamb every morning and sacrificed it, giving the skin and the meat to the poor. His place of sacrifice was on a rock outside the walls, and a crowd was their awaiting him when he came with his < ffering upon his bacV. There is an old woman in Jerusalem now—and she is said to be rich, for she lives in a comfortable r-ouso and seems to have plenty of a.ooey—who considers it her mission to relieve the hunger and the distress of all the Ishmaelitish dogs. She goes out daily with baskets of bread and meat to feed them, and if sho can catoh one of the mongrel curs with which the strata are haunted, she takes him home, washes him, puts ointment upon his sores, soaks him with carbolic acid and other disinfectants and then turns him loose. But she never gets the same dog twice. Although they like the food she brings them, they do not relfeh the ether attentions. The Mosleaap, like the North American Indians, consider a lunatic bacrtd, and any man who comes here with marked

eeoentricies is absolutely safe, safer than if he had an escort cf the sultan's bodyguard.

STILTS. Most expert of stilt walkers in the world are those to be found in La Teste, in Pfance, The rural postmen of this region, tbe shepherds and farmers go about on tall stilts with perfect eare. The stilfs worn by these people in their oidinpry work frequently measure bj'x feet or more in height. Tears of constant practice has made everyone remarkably expert in managing these artificial legs, and *u;h a thing as a fall is unknown. A person who can add six feet to the length of his legs naturally has a great advantage over those who must walk with limbs <f ordinary length. The French farmers mounted in this way ere almost a mateh, in point of speed, for a horse, and a shepherd can outrun a dog in rounding up his sheep. • The stilt walkers can even run at surprising speed over very rough country or through underbrush several feet in height. A race was recently run near Bordeaux bttween t'ree picked horses, three stilt walkers and three pedestrians. Only one of the horses fiaished It arrived first, but only about 20 minutes ahead of the first Btilt walker. The last of the stilt walkers completed the course 12 hours ahead of the first of the pedestrians. The stilts used by the French peasants are entirely, diff-rfnt from those sometimes used by children. The French etilts do not-reach even to the knee. The French stilts have, besides, a much broader rest for the foot, Tae Frenchman never touches the stilts with his hands. They are strapped rigidly to his foot and leg, thus leaving both hands free to carry his long staff or any other burden. All the stilt walkers worthy of the n*me are able to mount their stilts without assistance Tte children learn to walk on great stilts almost as soon as they can wa'k, and men over 80 years old still retain their curious artificial legs.

CONCEBNING TONGUES. Although it is the Chinese language, which is Bpoken by the largest number of people on the face of the eaith, it is in English that more than half of all existing Be wopaper a are written, Bays the 'Westminster Gazette. Against a population of uearly 400.000,000 which speak Chinese, English is spoken by about 85 000 000; then Russian, with 65.000,000. French and Spanish are each the native tongue of 41,000,000, Italian of 30.000 000, and Portuguese 6f only 13,000.000. in the United Stales newspapers appear printed in twenty-four d'ffirentlanguages. The Italian tongue is, ou? side of Italy, mainly spoken in Egypt and America. The use of Spanish is decreasing, but it is still a Vj-y important language in commerce.