Chap. XIV. EMPLOYMENTS OF WOMEN. 385 



being oppressed with toil, show a great deal of industry. 

 The crops need about eight months' attention. Then when 

 the harvest is home, much labour is required to convert it 

 into food as porridge, or beer. The corn is" pounded in a 

 large wooden mortar, like the ancient Egyptian one, with 

 a pestle six feet long and about four inches thick. The 

 pounding is performed by two or even three women at one 

 mortar. Each, before delivering a blow with her pestle, 

 gives an upward jerk of the body, so as to put strength 

 into the stroke, and they keep exact time, so that two 

 pestles are never in the mortar at the same moment. The 

 measured thud, thud, thud, and the women standing at 

 their vigorous work, are associations inseparable from a 

 prosperous African village. By the operation of pounding, 

 with the aid of a little water, the hard outside scale or 

 husk of the grain is removed, and the corn is made fit for 

 the millstone. The meal irritates the stomach unless 

 cleared from the husk ; without considerable energy in the 

 operator, the husk sticks fast to the corn. Solomon thought 

 that still more vigour than is required to separate the hard 

 husk or bran from wheat would fail to separate " a fool 

 from his folly." " Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a 

 mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolish- 

 ness depart from him." The rainbow, in some parts, is 

 called the "pestle of the Bariino," or gods. Boys and 

 girls, by constant practice with the pestle, are able to 

 plant stakes in the ground by a somewhat similar action, 

 in erecting a hut, so deftly that they never miss the first 

 hole made. 



Let any one try by repeatedly jobbing a pole with all 

 his force to make a deep hole in the ground, and he will 

 understand how difficult it is always to strike it into the 

 same spot. 



As we were sleeping one night outside a hut, but near 

 enough to hear what was going on within, an anxious 



2 c 



