NATIVE WRESTLERS. 295 



and a variety of other African dainties, with 

 pepper enough in them to have scalded a silver 

 spoon. After dinner we adjourned to an open 

 space of ground, to witness a wrestling-match, 

 between Jacko, a member of the Cameroons Club, 

 (whom we had brought over for the purpose,) and 

 the champion of Calebar. The stakes were, two 

 chests of guns, two barrels of powder, and ten 

 pieces of cloth, altogether of the value of forty 

 or fifty pounds ; and as the match had been long 

 talked of, it excited great interest amongst the 

 inhabitants. The wrestlers were both powerful 

 men; but the Calebar hero had evidently been 

 sleeping upon his laurels, and was too much in 

 flesh. Jacko was not so tall as his antagonist, but 

 was, I think, without exception, the broadest man 

 over the shoulders I ever saw, — his legs and arms 

 were literally cables of muscles. They were both 

 oiled all over, and commenced play by approach- 

 ing each other in a stooping position, scraping 

 the ground with their hands, to get the sand to 

 adhere to their oily fingers. The Calebar man 

 made the first spring; which was skilfully avoid- 

 ed by Jacko, who, as his opponent flew past him, 

 caught him by one of his ancles, and throwing 

 him a complete summerset, landed him on his 



