DEPORTMENT OF SAVAGE NEGROES. 333 



ment -with, its appropriate illustrative sign. To mark the time of 

 making the attack, he turned to the east and pointed to the 

 horizon with his hand ; it was at sunrise. Having no division of 

 the hours, the negroes thus mark the time of day by moving the 

 hand, till it points toward the spot in the sky where the sun 

 would be at that hour. That the troop were fully armed and 

 had their powder-horns well supplied was shown by the gesture 

 significant of any fullness occasioned by a living being by pound- 

 ing the right hand into the hollowed palm of the left so as to pro- 

 duce a dull sound. This sign is applicable to the filling of a dish, 

 to an abundant harvest, or to a considerable collection of men or 

 animals, but never to the overflow of a lake or water-course in 

 the rainy season. The soldiers' patient endurance of their toil- 

 some march was described with a series of nasal sounds and a 

 backward and forward movement across the breast of the hands, 

 with the palnis turned toward one another ; the empty condition 

 of a deserted village which the company came upon, by waving 

 his extended right hand in a curve from right to left up to his 

 mouth and blowing into it ; and, to emphasize the emptiness, 

 drawing the hands rapidly over one another, and lightly clapping 

 with them. The hunger suffered in consequence was depicted by 

 slapping his hand several times on his shrunken belly. A mo- 

 tion of drawing the hands alternately one over the other, pulling 

 at them as one would to pull off a glove, illustrated the enjoy- 

 ment of a surfeit of provisions at another village. The same 

 gesture may signify that all the inhabitants of a place have 

 died or been killed. The storming of the enemy's village was 

 described in a lively manner, with representations of the stealthy 

 approach in the early dawn, and the sudden outbreak of the 

 musketry, for which the symbol was " To ! to ! " as we would say 

 " Boom ! boom ! " The manner of death of those who fell was illus- 

 trated by imitating the respective motions of using the weapons 

 by which they were killed the lance, bow and arrow, and gun. 



Fingamaguha's narrative was received with mingled wonder 

 and incredulity ; and certain incidents, which had a humorous 

 side, with boisterous laughter. A common attitude in listening 

 was that of spreading the tips of the fingers over the upper lip, 

 while the elbow was supported by the other hand ; and the negroes 

 may often be seen sauntering around in a similar attitude. When 

 the story-teller's word was doubted, he fortified it by drawing his 

 hand across his neck, as if to signify that they might cut off his 

 head if it was not true. 



The graces exhibited by the negroes in the dance that followed 

 and was much admired by them, were not such as Europeans are 

 pleased with. Their movements were shuffling, slovenly, and 

 awkward, yet quick and vigorous, and were marked by hold- 



