Chap. XIIL AERIVAL AT IGOUMBIE. 263 



village, if there was any. Since I have left Mouendi 

 I cannot find out that there are any head men or 

 chiefs in the villages, bat there seemed to be a certain 

 number of elders, who hold authority over their 

 respective villages. Here three elders, beating the 

 kendo, came and presented me, each one, with a goat 

 and several bunches of plantains — prefacing their 

 presents with three tremendously long speeches. 



At a glance I j)erceived that I was among quite a 

 different people from those I had hitherto met with. 

 The mode of dressing the hair, both with men and 

 women ; the shape of their houses, each with its 

 door ; the men smeared with red powder ; all these 

 points denoted a perfectly different people. 



I was glad to remain for a couple of nights at 

 Igoumbie, for I wanted to take as many observations 

 as I could. 



After I had distributed some beads among the 

 women in the evening, a few became more friendly 

 — especially as my Apono porters were never tired 

 of praising me. They seemed also to be much 

 pleased at seeing that, of the three goats which the 

 people of their village had presented to me, I had 

 given two to my porters. 



I was very much amused with these Ishogos, 

 especially with the women. When they thought I 

 was not looking at them, they would partially open 

 the door of their hut and peep out at me. As soon 

 as I looked at them, they immediately closed the 

 door, as if greatly alarmed. When they had to go 

 from one house to another, and had to pass the hut 

 in which I was located, and at the door of wliich I 



