THE PIGMIES. 85 



with regard to these small sized populations. The existence of true 

 Pigmies thus became more and more probable ; so much so that in 

 some instructions framed by a committee of the " Academie 

 des Sciences " for the exploring expedition of M. d'Escayrac de 

 Lautuee, the compiler took care to draw the attention of the tra- 

 veller to this particular point. ( x ) But we know that it has been 

 in vain that Europeans have travelled up the Nile and have even 

 reached its source; they have never come across these small beings. 

 Speke alone saw, at the court of Kamrasi, a deformed dwarf of 

 whom he gives a portrait. But this drawing and accompanying 

 explanation show that Kymenia, far from belonging to a race of 

 Pigmies, was not even awai'e of the existence of these diminutive 

 Negroes. ( 2 ) 



It is Schweinfukth to whom is due the honour of demonstrating 

 that the myth of Homer concealed a reality, and of proving the words 

 of Aristotle. But to do this he had to cross over from the water- 

 shed of the Nile to that of the Quelle, to go beyond the land of 

 the Niam-Niams and reach the country of the Monbouttou3 which 

 he was the first to visit. It was at the court of Moujstza that he 

 discovered this dwarfish race, still known there under the name of 

 Akkas, the very name which Mariette had read at the side of 

 the portrait of a dwarf on a monument of the old Egyptian empire. 

 From the information given to Schweisturth by Adimokou, 

 chief of the small colony which Moujstza keeps near his royal resi- 

 dence, it would seem that the land of the Akkas or Tiki-Tikis, ( 3 ) 

 is situated about 8° North latitude and 25° East longitude. This 

 country is no doubt pretty extensive. Living on amicable terms 

 with the surrounding populations, and protected by their mighty 

 neighbour, the Akkas seem to occupy here a continuous area and 



(!) Comjjtcs rendus de V Academie des Sciences. Sitting- of the 10th 

 November, 1856, and Bulletin de la Societe de Geograjjhie, 4-me serie, XII, 

 p. 267. This committee was composed of M.M. Daussy, Cordier, Elie 

 de Beaumont, Moquln-Tandon, Montagne, Is. Geoefroy Saint-Hi- 

 laire, Valenciennes, J. Cloquet and Jomaed. 



(2) Hie Source of the Nile. J. H. Speke, p. 496 and plate, p. 497. 



(3) Mounza nsed the word Akka to describe these little Negroes, whereas 

 their own suzerain Monmmeri, called them Tiki-Tikis. 



