AMATEUR SURGEONS 



was eating the blue mottled soap that I had given him 

 to do his work with ! 



That evening I had an opportunity of witnessing a 

 dance held in the village close by to celebrate the coming 

 of the new moon. As there was no hedge around the 

 huts, I could look down from the camp on the well-trodden 

 ground in the centre of the village, on which the dance 

 would take place. By sundown huge fires were blazing, 

 drums were being beaten frantically, and the customary 

 unearthly din of the men, women, and children singing 

 and whistling arose amidst ear-splitting blasts on reed 

 and eland trumpets which were blown incessantly until 

 a tattoo on the native drums rolled over the tall palms 

 and trees, sending the news afar that the dance had 

 commenced. Being desirous of witnessing closely the 

 apparently fanatical horde of dancers, I advanced towards 

 the scene, taking shelter behind a tree-trunk and a clump 

 of short bush in order that my presence should not be 

 noted. I was suffering from a violent attack of toothache 

 at the time, and took but little interest in the proceedings, 

 keeping one eye on the camp just up the slope at my 

 back and the other on the weird scene fifty yards ahead 

 of me. In the Congo, in fact I may say throughout all 

 Africa, dancing is an impossibility without singing of some 

 sort, solo or chorus. So far as I can recollect, the out- 

 standing features of this dance were as follows : there 

 were shrieks and grunts in unison with the rhythmic 

 motions of the body and limbs, clapping of the hands, 

 stamping with heel or flat foot, wagging the head, raising 

 the elbows, and peculiar quivering movements in the 

 muscles of the stomach. In the case of a dance held to 

 celebrate the new moon, a marriage, or rejoicing of any 

 sort, the whole community takes part. On this occasion 

 individual exhibitions of skill were given almost with- 

 out cessation. Every now and then a repulsive featured 

 individual with a fantastic head-dress of feathers or grass, 



161 M 



