FUNERAL CEREMONIES. 333 



head of the corpse was a bottle of rumj a cala- 

 bash of palm-wine, two live fowls, and some ba- 

 nanas, — all which were to be interred with it, 

 to keep it from starving in another world ! On 

 one side of the hut, which was not capable of 

 containing more than a dozen people, was a 

 grave, about two feet deep and four wide, with 

 water at the bottom of it : being so near the 

 bank of the river, it was impossible to dig deeper 

 on account of the appearance of water. Several 

 singing-men and women were outside of the hut, 

 following their avocation, beating a broken piece 

 of canoe with sticks, and making the most stun- 

 ning noises ; on the other were some traders, 

 just arrived from Bonny to buy palm-oil, and who 

 were serving out rum with an unsparing hand ; 

 while at the back part of the house people were 

 continually firing muskets, and two old honey- 

 combed four-pounders, in a barracoon or slave- 

 house, much to my terror lest they should burst. 

 I understood these ceremonies would be con- 

 tinued several days ; and on the last day one 

 of his four wives, would be thrown into the 

 river as a sacrifice, instead of being buried 

 alive with the corpse, as is the custom at 

 Calebar. 



