Liberia <«- 



with each other, though separated by a great distance.' The 

 want of a mode of writing seems to have been felt even more 

 generally. This I conclude from a passage in Kalia Bara's book, 

 in which he speaks of the time when that art was invented. 

 He says: 'At that time my father Doalu Worogbe began to 

 write books. And the people said : "The Poro (Europeans) 

 have long heads. Nobody has such a long head as the Poro." 

 But some of our people did not believe this. Then said I 

 to Doalu (Worogbe) : "Why do you call what I maintain a lie .? 

 Can any Vai man write a letter and send it to his friend, and 

 could he read it ? " ' But Doalu Bukere's mind especially was 

 so entirely wrapped up in his ardent desire to be able to read 

 and write that it occupied his thoughts night and day, and this 

 formed the natural basis of his curious dream, which seems to 

 have been the reflex of his waking thoughts. 



"Though Doalu had been well instructed in his dream, 

 yet, as he told me, in the morning he could not remember 

 all the signs which had been shown him by night. Therefore — ■ 

 these are his own words — he and his friends had to put their 

 heads together in order to make new ones. And on this ground 

 we are fully justified in speaking of a real invention of the Vai 

 method of writing. 



"But these six men, being then only from twenty to thirty 

 years of age, feared lest the people might not pay them proper 

 attention, so they agreed to take one hundred salt sticks, i.e. parcels 

 of salt as thick as an arm and three or four feet long, and 

 to bring them to King Fa Toro, or Goturu, in Tianimani, in 

 order to make him favourably disposed to their object. Their 

 present had the desired effect. The king declared himself 

 exceedingly pleased with their discovery, which, as he said, 

 would soon raise his people to the level of the Poro (white men) 

 and Mandingo, who hitherto had been the only book-people. 



