330 ASHANGO-LAND. Chap. XVI. 



were singing, perched on the surrounding tall trees, 

 hehind the plantain-groves. In the street of the 

 village is seen, now and then, the stump of an old 

 tree, which time has not been able to destroy : for 

 here, wherever the people settle or plant, the trees 

 have to be cut down, and the stump and roots are 

 left to i^erish by the action of time. Niembouai 

 Olomba is a large village containing about 184 

 houses. Formerly this and Niembouai West con- 

 stituted one town (i.e., the population all lived in 

 one place), and it must have been then a very large 

 village for this part of Africa. Nearly all the houses 

 have bee-hives fixed to the walls, and the honey is 

 beautifully wliite and well-flavoured. Wax is very 

 abundant in Ashango-land, and of a fine quality ; 

 as it is not used by the natives, it will probably 

 become a valuable article of export at some future 

 day. I was struck with the simplicity of construc- 

 tion of the bee-hives ; they were made simply of the 

 bark of trees, rolled up so as to form a cylinder, thus 

 imitating a hollow tree in which bees make their 

 hives in the wild state. The ends of the cylinder are 

 closed with pieces of bark, in which holes are made 

 for the entrance and the exit of the bees ; wooden 

 hoops are fixed at each extremity to keep the cylin- 

 der in shape. 



Although the Ashangos are certainly quite a dis- 

 tinct tribe from the Ishogos, for they speak a different 

 language, I do not notice any striking difference in 

 their appearance or habits. Their language, as I 

 have said before, is the same as that of the Ashira. 

 In one particular they contrast advantageously with 



