MEN OF THE TREES 



sex. The Master of the Ceremonies and Leader of Song 

 begins to chant. The song is first sung alone by the solo- 

 ist, and then it is repeated in chorus by all the dancers. 

 Such songs are generally quite short, and are repeated 

 over and over again. Often they sing of the doings of 

 the day, or of the prowess of a favourite chief, or of 

 their white master in the hunting field. If such songs 

 relate to the white man they generally contain the most 

 exaggerated forms of flattery, which in many cases are 

 as insincere as they are extravagant. They are particu- 

 larly fond of singing of Englishmen and of England. 

 England is to them a romantic country, representing all 

 the greatest and best ideas that can be conjured up in 

 their imaginations. For instance, there is a popular song 

 about England which they never tire of singing, and it 

 runs something like this: - 



In England the rupees are 



as stones upon the grotind 

 In England the rupees are 



as stones upon the ground 



Such words may be repeated twenty or thirty times, and 

 to those who have never heard Africans chant, it would 

 seem that a song like this must get monotonous, but in 

 practice, however, the variations of time and rhythm are 

 so many that although the same words may be sung for 

 half an hour or more, the interest is always maintained. 

 As the evening proceeds the older Morans arrive on 

 the scene, bringing with them their partners, often their 



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