MUSICIANS AND MUSICAI, INSTRUMENTS. 273 



profusion of beads, had a cloth so long that a boy carried 

 it after him as a train. 



Behind Shinte sat about a hundred women, clothed in 

 their best, which happened to be a profusion of red baize. 

 The chief wife of Shinte, one of the Matabele or Zulus, sat 

 in front with a curious red cap on her head. During the 

 intervals between the speeches, these ladies burst forth 

 into a sort of plaintive ditty ; but it was impossible for 

 any of us to catch whether it was in praise of the speaker, 

 of Shinte, or of themselves. This was the first time I had 

 ever seen females present in a public assembly. In the 

 south the women are not permitted to enter the kotla ; 

 and even when invited to come to a religious service there, 

 would not enter until ordered to do so by the chief ; but 

 here they expressed approbation by clapping their hands, 

 and laughing to different speakers ; ana: Shinte frequently 

 turned round and spoke to them. 



A party of musicians, consisting of three drummers and 

 four performers on the piano, went round the kotla several 

 times, regaling us with their music. The drums are neatly 

 carved from the trunk of a tree, and have a small hole in 

 the side covered with a bit of spider's web : the ends are 

 covered with the skin of an antelope pegged on ; and 

 when they wish to tighten it they hold it to the fire to 

 make it contract: the instruments are beaten with the 

 hands. 



The piano, named " marimba," consists of two bars of 

 wood placed side by side, here quite straight, but, farther 

 north, bent round so as to resemble half the tire of a 

 carriage- wheel ; across these are placed about fifteen 

 wooden keys, each of which is two or three inches broad, 

 and fifteen or eighteen inches long ; their thickness is 

 regulated according to the deepness of the note required : 

 each of the keys has a calabash beneath it ; from the 

 upper part of each, a portion is cut off to enable them to 

 embrace the bars, and form hollow sounding-boards to 

 the keys, which also are of different sizes, according to the 

 note required ; and little drumsticks elicit the music. 

 Rapidity of execution seems much admired among them, 

 and the music is pleasant to the ear. In Angola the 

 Portuguese use the marimba in their dances. 



When nine speakers had concluded their orations, 

 Shinte stood up, and so did all the people. He had 

 maintained true African dignity of manner all the while, 



T 



