5^ 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
every fine evening at a late hour, in the centre 
of the village, where, when the moon does not 
afford them light, a large fire is made for that 
purpose. 
The young of both sexes, dressed in their 
gayest attire, attend on these occasions ; a ring 
is formed by them and the spectators, and the 
former dance in regular succession by pairs. 
The instrument which accompanies this dance is 
called a ballafo ^, and affords better music than 
might be expected from such rude materials ; it 
is composed of cane and wood, in the following 
manner. A frame, three feet long, eighteen 
inches wide at one end, and nine at the other, is 
made of cane, split very thin, and supported at 
the corners, about nine inches from the ground, 
by four upright sticks of nearly an inch diame- 
ter ; across this frame are laid twenty pieces of 
hard wood, diminishing in size in the same pro- 
portion progressively, from one end to the other, 
as the frame to which they are slightly attached 
with thin twine. Under each of these cross 
pieces, is suspended an empty gourd, of a size 
adapted to the tone of note required, having a 
hole in the part where it comes in contact with 
the stick, and another at the bottom ; the latter 
is covered with a thin piece of dried sheep's gut. 
See figure I , plate 9. 
