154 THE BABISA TRIBE. 



favourite skin being tlie split ear of an elephant. 

 They are made of different sizes, and have conse- 

 quently different tones, and are beaten with the palm 

 of the hand, both hands being used. The drum is 

 supported between the knees, one end resting on the 

 ground. It is wonderful the time these people keep, 

 and the different tunes they play. Here they had 

 from fifteen to twenty going together. 



In the evening I attended the concert. The women 

 were performing, and I was much amused. By parti- 

 cular desire I brought the cornopean, and played a 

 few airs for them. They were very careful that 

 when they played two tunes without stopping for 

 me, I should in my turn play the same number for 

 them. 



This is the Babisa tribe, and they are certainly the 

 finest men and women I have seen in the country. 

 Many of the young women are fairly good-look- 

 ing, and they were all more sociable and agreeable 

 than any we had been amongst, being very jolly, and 

 having an abundance of high spirits. 



Sleep at night was quite out of the question, on ac- 

 count of the row ashore, which never ceased till 

 morning. 



So far, no doubt can be entertained concerning 

 the safety of Livingstone, and the lies told by those 

 dastardly and degraded Johanna men. 



We left Marenga on the afternoon of the 20th 

 September. A light but changeable breeze took us 

 along our course for an hour, steering for Cape Mac- 

 lear. At the termination of that time a dead calm 

 followed, which lasted about half an hour, when 



