648 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



to their baffled drone outside the curtain, you feel that you can 

 waive your claim to such advantages. 



I attended, at the Vale-ni-Bose or council-house of the prov- 

 ince of Ba, a half-yearly meeting of the chiefs, who assemble to 

 discuss the affairs of their respective districts ; and, though my 

 interpreter gave me only an outline of what was going on, it was 

 impossible not to be struck by their readiness and intelligence, 

 and not less by their gravity and gentlemanlike manners. Among 

 other incidents, some men were brought up who had tried to leave 

 their district without permission for another ; and the utter hu- 

 miliation of their look and voice, coupled with the dignity and 

 severity in tone and bearing of the chief's reprimand, was very 

 dramatic. To be sure, not very long ago he might have ordered 

 them to the oven ! 



This same Roko or high chief, a shrewd-looking man with a 

 refined and well-shaped head, related with much humor how, on 

 a certain occasion, when a missionary was coming through, and 

 the people were sending in offerings to him, his (the Roko's) con- 

 tribution was a "long pig"-^. e., a human body. He and the 

 missionary, he said, have met since and discussed — I mean, talked 

 over — this practical joke. He invited me in the evening to a 

 mekke — i. e., soiree musicale. The singing was a weird and curious 

 performance, which has a strange fascination. There were about 

 fifty performers, comprising, in fact, the entire party present. One 

 man begins alone, and after he has sung a few bars, another takes 

 it up in a sort of second to him ; then a few more join, till sud- 

 denly the whole body of voices strike in, accompanying the song 

 with strange, unintelligible gesticulations, turning half round 

 (they are all seated on the ground), and pointing at each other 

 with intent, meaning looks, and occasionally all clapping hands, 

 in absolute unison — the song ending unexpectedly and quite ab- 

 ruptly with one clap. The time is beaten by a man with a couple 

 of small sticks ; it was very intricate, and the music evidently 

 genuine and old, unlike anything I ever heard, and not to be ren- 

 dered by our notation. Yanggona followed — a serious ceremonial 

 brew — and I acquitted myself well, emptying the cup at a single 

 draught, the Eoho afterward presenting me with his own bowl, 

 which was considered a great compliment. 



Having asked Sailosi, the provincial scribe, a very nice fellow, 

 whether I could see some national dancing, I was told that it 

 would hardly be worth my while, as there were only girls here to 

 dance. I, of course, protested against this " only " as not merely 

 ungallant but inapplicable, so far as my tastes were concerned ; 

 but it turned out that the scribe knew best, for the young ladies' 

 performance was not very interesting, and it was very long. A 

 few of the smaller girls, with a lali or drum, formed a group, while 



