CuAP. V. AVIIA VILLAGE OF MANDJI. 99 



to bar the entrance. The place for the fire was in 

 the middle of the principal room, on each side of 

 which was a little dark chamber, and on the floor was 

 an orala, or stage to smoke meat upon. In the 

 middle of the yard was a hole dug in the ground 

 for the reception of offal, from which a disgusting 

 smell arose, the wretched inhabitants being too lazy 

 or obtuse to guard against this by covering it with 

 earth. 



The houses were built of a framework of poles, 

 covered with the bark of trees, and roofed with 

 leaves. In the middle of the village stood the public 

 shed, or palaver-house, a kind of town-hall found in 

 almost all West African villages. A large fire was 

 burning in it, on the ground, and at one end of the 

 shed stood a huge wooden idol, painted red and 

 white, and rudely fashioned in the shape of a 

 woman. The shed was the largest building in the 

 village, for it was ten feet high, and measured fifteen 

 feet by ten. It is the habit of the lazy negroes of 

 these interior villages — at least, the men — to spend 

 almost the whole day lying down under the palaver- 

 shed, feeding their morbid imaginations with tales of 

 witchcraft, and smoking their condoquais. 



We stayed in this wretched abode of savages only 

 to take our mid-day meal. A little before two p.m. 

 we were again en route. The river scenery was most 

 beautiful ; glorious vegetation clothed the banks, and 

 through breaks in the forest w^e caught frequent 

 glimpses of blue hills beyond. But the number of 

 deserted villages we passed imparted a saddening 

 effect to the landscape. The country seemed de- 



B 2 



