From "In the Heart of Africa," by Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Mecklenburg (Cassell & Co.) 
CONICAL HUTS OF THE WANGILIMA, OX OXE OF THE HIGHER TRIBUTARIES OF THE 
COXGO 
I remember one dance, which was de- 
signed to illustrate the movements of a 
crane. We smile, no doubt, at these 
naive native customs, but quite unjusti- 
fiably. We come across the same ideas 
in our highly cultured Europe, for what 
is the clog dance of the Upper Bavarian 
peasants but an imitation of the song and 
motions of the blackcock? 
The war-dances, however, were of a 
different nature. These were carried out 
in groups, and we were able to distin- 
guish different phases. Two parties 
would rush to attack each other, bran- 
dishing long rods and spears. Then a 
number of warriors would dance in a 
circle around a man who was bounding 
into the air with his arms held close to 
his body. Yet the movements were never 
wild ; they never degenerated into those 
grotesque leapings and war-cries, or ca- 
denced groans, so often met with among 
savage native tribes, but were always 
measured and dignified. 
Each of the dances had been well 
practiced in the presence of one of the 
ereat chiefs. The Sultan himself had 
assumed the stage management of the 
joint dances of the chiefs. At the con- 
clusion of each new phase, he never 
omitted to question me as to which group 
had best satisfied me, and I took good 
care that my replies should be as agree- 
able as possible to the ears of the ruler. 
JAVEEIN AND ARCHERY COXTESTS 
Then a number of young Watussi ex- 
hibited their remarkable skill in javelin 
throwing. Taking a run of ten steps, 
bending backwards almost to the ground, 
they hurled their javelins up to almost 
prodigious heights, and with such im- 
petus that two of the spear-shafts broke 
in the air from the vibration. It was the 
same with the shooting - matches with 
bow and arrow, in which the trunk of a 
banana tree was used for the butt. The 
shooting average at 50 meters was really 
good. 
Great strength is required to bend the 
bow correctly, and to draw it to its 
fullest extent long years of practice are 
necessary. The elasticity of the bow, 
which is from 1.30 to 1.50 meters in 
383 
