214 



UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN 



crowd," I came upon two Lur men playing the native game 

 " soro." This game seems common to a great part of Africa ; 

 the SwahiHes at the coast call it " bau," the Soudanese call it 

 "lohe"; but though the name may change, the game remains 

 the same-. Its nearest relatives in the family of games are chess 

 and draughts ; it is neither the one nor the other, but maintains a 

 dignified individuality. The board and stand were carved, in 

 the present instance, out of a single solid lump of wood. There 

 were ten rows of circular depressions and four of these de- 

 pressions in each 

 row. At either 

 end was a large 

 cup -shaped hol- 

 low to hold each 

 player's pellets. 



If introduced 

 into Europe, we 

 should probably 

 have the game as 

 a polished piece 

 of walnut - wood 

 and pretty glass 

 marbles to play it 

 with. But native 

 ingenuity was at 

 no loss to supply 



LUR PLAYING THE NATIVE GAME " SORO." thc neCCSSarV 



counters for the 

 game. The men were using the dry pellets of goat droppings I 

 They were deeply absorbed in the game. It consists in placing 

 a pellet into each depression in turn, first on your own side and 

 then invading the enemy's rows. When the game is in full 

 swing, the player takes the pellets out of any one of his spaces, 

 and distributes them always in the same single fashion. If his 

 last pellet drops into a space belonging to the enemy, he scoops 

 up all in the adjoining depression, till the game ends somewhat 

 in the style of " Beggar my neighbour." That there is a certain 

 amount of skill necessary is self-evident ; and to judge from its 

 being a universal favourite amongst totally different races, the 

 game must have some popular attraction. It was a curious sight 

 to Vv'atch these two savages, almost naked, and with a curious 



