EARLY ENGLISH DISCOVERIES. 63 



or chief attended by bands of musical bards, whom he digni- 

 fies with the title of "juddies or fiddlers," and compares 

 them to the Irish rhymesters. These are called, as we 

 learn from other authors, Jelle, or Jillemen, and perform on 

 several instruments rudely formed of wood, making a very 

 loud noise. These minstrels, with the Greegree men, or 

 magicians, most fantastically attired, often form singular 

 groups, as exhibited in the accompanying plate. The two 

 chief festivals were those of circumcision and of funeral. The 

 former, performed in a very rouoh manner, attracted the 

 whole country ; the forest blazed with fires, while loud 

 music, shouts, and dancing resounded throughout the night. 

 At the funeral of chiefs there was much crying and lament- 

 ation, conducted in a somewhat mechanical manner, which 

 reminded him of the Irish howl. Flowers of the sweetest 

 scent were buried along with the deceased, and much gold 

 was deposited for his ser\'ice in the other world ; but there 

 is no mention of those human sacrifices which form so foul 

 a blot on some of the most civilized African nations. At all 

 festivals a conspicuous place was acted by a personage 

 called Horey, which name our author interprets " the Devil.'* 

 This being took his station in the adjoining woods, whence 

 he sent forth tremendous sounds, supposed to be of sinister 

 portent to all within hearing. The only remedy was to de- 

 posite, as near to the spot as any one would venture, a large 

 supply of " belly-timber," the speedy disappearance of which 

 authenticated to the villagers both the existence of this su- 

 pernatural being and the fact of his having been appeased. 

 To Jobson, on the contrary, this very circumstance, com- 

 bined with the severe hoarseness with which sundry of the 

 natives were afflicted, afforded a clew to the origin of this 

 extraordinary roaring. Of this he had soon ocular demon- 

 stration. Happening, in company with a marabout, to hear 

 the Horey in full cry from a neighbouring thicket, he seized 

 a loaded musket, declaring aloud his resolution forthwith to 

 discharge the contents at his infernal majesty. The mara- 

 bout implored him to stop ; the tremendous sound was 

 changed into a low and fearful tone ; and Jobson, on run- 

 ning to the spot, found this mighty demon in the shape of a 

 huge negro, extended on the ground in such agonies of fear 

 that he was unable even to ask for mercy. 



The company, amid the divisions already alluded to, do 



