GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 373 



societies, the weaker sex should be doomed to perform the 

 most laborious drudgery. In Congo, the cultivation of the 

 land, and the search after food in the woods and on the 

 plains, frequently the catching of fish, devolve wholly on 

 the women ; while the men either saunter about, or idle 

 away the time in laying at full length on the ground, or in 

 stringing beads, or sleeping in their huts: if employed at 

 all, it is in weaving their little mats or caps, a kind of light 

 work more appropriate to the other sex, or in strumming 

 on some musical instrument. 



Their indolent disposition, however, does not prevent 

 them from indulging an immoderate fondness for dancing, 

 more especially on moon-light nights. No feats of activity 

 are displayed in this species of amusement, which consists 

 chiefl}^ in various motions of the arms and gesticulations of 

 the body, not altogether the most decent. The pleasure it 

 affords is announced b}^ hearty peals of laughter. They 

 are also fond of singing, but it is only a monotonous drawl- 

 ing of the voice, not very well calculated to dehght the ears 

 of the auditors. Their musical instruments are, a sort of 

 guitar or lyre of the rudest kind, horns, shells and drums ; 

 and sometimes calabashes filled with small stones to make 

 a rattling noise. They have songs on love, war, hunting, 

 palm wine, and a variety of subjects, some of which have 

 been attempted to be written down and translated by Cap- 

 tain Tuckey, but in so imperfect a manner and so much 

 defaced, as not to admit of being made out. 



In all the memoranda of the gentlemen employed on the 

 expedition, the natives of Congo are represented as a live- 

 ly and good-humoured race of men, extremely hospitable 



