20 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



April 10, 1922 



Uy fiiimi '■. i»: i n>- Ariit-rnHii Forii5Lo' Ma4;a/-nie. \\ ashingUin, D, i . 



BUNGALOW OF WEST AFRICAN MAHOGANY CAMP FOREMAN, SHOWING PAW-PAW FRUIT 



AND LEOPARD SKINS 



shrub, roots and 

 succulent sprouts of 

 various palms and 

 bamboo plants, 

 leaves of spicy and 

 aromatic bushes, all 

 crushed between 

 two stones rubbed 

 one upon the other, 

 the whole served in 

 another wash dish, 

 in which are placed 

 ready-cooked crabs, 

 snails, small fish 

 and any other 

 meats, the result of 

 their ingenious 

 methods of catching 

 these. The cook 

 places the two 

 bowls on the ground 

 side by side, the 

 men seat them 

 selves within reach 

 and each grabbing 

 a handful of rice 

 rolls it dexterously 

 into a ball, dips it 

 into the savory mix 

 ture, tosses it intu 

 a very wide open 

 mouth and repeats 

 the operation until 

 both bowls are 

 clean. Rice and salt, with a small sum of money to each 

 on Saturday, called by the men "fish money," is the entire 

 ration issued. The (>old Coast native does not eat rice when he 

 can avoid doing so, preferring to live on the food products of his 

 own country — maize, yams, plantains, bananas, palm nuts and 

 palm oil, sugar cane, with all the native condiments above men- 

 tioned besides a host of others. To him no rations are issued, 

 but a fixed sum in cash is paid to each man on the first of every 

 month, with which he buys his own food supplies. Each little 

 clique and clan does its own cooking, has its own pots and pans. 



One of the first things to be done after a camp is opened is to 

 clean the stream and put it into the best possible condition for 

 floating and driving logs. In doing this work it is difficult to make 

 the native workmen understand how thoroughly it should be done. 

 A crew sent to cut out old logs, driftwood, fallen trees and other 

 obstructions from the bed of the creek, over a certain limit, will 

 report on their return that the work is finished according to orders. 

 On inspection these various obstacles will be found practically 

 untouched, only such timbers cut out as might stop the logs on the 

 very highest floods. Called to book, they say: " Massa, God bring 

 the big water; log he pass one time." These people rely for many 

 things on the direct help of gods — not the God of the Bible, but 

 their own several gods. 



Lest it might prove dull reading, I refrain from narr:iting par- 

 ticulars of the general work, nor will I give details of the count- 

 less difficulties, seen and unforeseen, to be met and overcome; the 

 untried creeks, the ignorant and unskilled labor, the disappointing 

 qualifications and characteristic failings of the lumberjacks sent 

 over to act as foremen and to educate the natives in the use and 

 care of tools; the self-evident disadvantages of five thousand miles 

 and four weeks' time from the base of supplies; the "white man's 

 grave" reputation of the West Coast as a deterrent to securing 

 first-class men from the States to assist in the work; the abnormal 

 and not-within-thememory-ofthc-oldestinhabitant and therefore 

 unexpected, floods in the dry season, or seasons dry when by all 



precedents since the 

 time of Noah, the 

 floods are due; the 

 entire lack of roads 

 and ordinary means 

 of transportation of 

 camp supplies; be- 

 sides the other thou- 

 sand and one mat- 

 ters const antly 

 cropping up re- 

 el iiiring an offhand 

 decision by the gen- 

 eral manager — the 

 healing of the sick, 

 cir, failing in that, 

 the burial of the 

 dead; correspond- 

 ence with the home 

 office, of the nature 

 of ancient history — ■ 

 two months elaps- 

 ing before the mail 

 can possibly bring 

 .1 reply; the un- 

 pleasant half hours 

 wherein one feels 

 tliat the determina- 

 I ion not to turn 

 one's back upon an 

 under taking but 

 rather to stay with 

 it until success has 

 crowned the effort, 

 is an exhibition of stubbornness and pride irreconcilable with the 

 possession of common or even horse sense. 



The duties of the manager, as will readily be seen, cover a wide 

 and diversified field of action. He must be ready on his own initia- 

 tive, as the referendum is two months away, forty days by post 

 and cabling costs one dollar and a half per word each way. The 

 redeeming feature of this self-imposed life in exile in West Africa 

 is found in the multifarious duties here mentioned, and in the 

 fact that one finds the time fully occupied, each day too short for 

 the work; and the same is true of the weeks and months and years. 

 Yet, to be entirely content, one needs a touch of Hearn or Steven- 

 son in one's blood or brain, with a dash of Crusoe, the unequalled 

 in all emergencies. In mentioning the characteristic traits of the 

 West African native, including Liberian and Gold Coast peoples, 

 one feature stands out prominently to his credit, and by com- 

 parison uncomplimentary to civilized white man. In the perform- 

 ance of an important trust confided to him, he is absolutely reliable 

 and beyond temptation to betray confidence. In sending money to 

 the camps to pay quarterly wages, the only means of carrying 

 the cash is on the heads of carriers. The entire sum is in silver 

 coin, British florins, shillings, sixpences and three-penny pieces. 

 In this coin an equivalent of one thousand dollars weighs sixty 

 pounds avoirdupois, a load for one carrier. The money is placed 

 in canvas bags and carefully sealed with wax. To reach the 

 farthest camp these men must walk five days through the forest, 

 sleeping where they can, but usually at some native village. I 

 have many times sent a single laborer with two hundred pounds, 

 starting alone and unattended, to the farthest station and as high 

 as six hundred pounds or three thousand dollars, by native laborers 

 in charge of a native clerk to the different camps; and, doing this 

 dozens of times, have never lost a penny through the "default of 

 these honest and illiterate heathen. The carrier's wage is twenty- 

 five cents a day, with six cents for chop money, the clerk, in charge 

 only because he can read and write and speak a little English, sign 

 and receive receipts, drawing a salary of twenty dollars a month. 



