294 THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 



in any way, and the instrument is played upon solely 

 by the lips, a drone being sometimes supplied by the 

 voice. Thus simple and ineffective, it has nevertheless 

 a familiar sound to European ears. The barghumi is 

 made by cutting an oblong hole, about the size of a 

 man's nail, within two or three inches of the tip of a 

 koodoo, an oryx, or a goat's horn, which, for effect and 

 appearance, is sometimes capped with a bit of cane, 

 whence projects a long zebra's or giraffe's tail. Like 

 the det'he, it is played upon by the lips ; and without 

 any attempt at stops or keys, four or five notes may be 

 produced. Its sound, heard from afar, especially in the 

 deep silence of a tropical night, resembles not a little 

 the sad, sweet music of the French cor-de chasse ; and 

 when well performed upon, it might be mistaken for a 

 regimental bugle. There are smaller varieties of the bar- 

 ghumi, which porters carry slung over the shoulder, 

 and use as signals on the line of march. Another 

 curious instrument is a gourd, a few inches in circum- 

 ference, drilled with many little apertures : the breath 

 passes through one hole, and certain notes are produced 

 by stopping others with the fingers — its loud, shrill, 

 and ear-piercing quavers faintly resemble the European 

 " piccolo." The only indigenous music of the pastoral 

 African — the Somal, for instance — is whistling, a 

 habit acquired in youth when tending the flocks and 

 herds. This " Mu'unzi " is soft and dulcet ; the ear, 

 however, fails to detect in it either phrase or tune. For 

 signals the East Africans practise the kik'horombwe, or 

 blowing between the fore and the middle fingers with a 

 noise like that of a railway whistle. The Wanyamwezi 

 also blow over the edge of the hollow in a small ante- 

 lope's horn, or through an iron tube ; and the Watuta 

 are said to use metal-whistles as signals in battle. 

 The drum is ever the favourite instrument with the 



