66 
UNYAMUEZI DANCE. 
with smoke, and no chimney. Along its length there 
ran a high inclined bench, on which cow-skins were 
spread for men to take their siesta. Some huge drums 
were hung in one corner, and logs smouldered on the 
ground. The young men of the village gathered at 
the club-house to get the news. They smoked, pulled 
out each other s eyelashes and eyebrows, filed their 
teeth, and cut their marks of caste on the face or tem- 
ples. Dances would take place in the space in front 
of it, either by day or night. The regular Wezee dance 
is as follows : — A strip of bark or cow-skin is laid on 
the ground, and a line of men, the tallest in the centre, 
stand on it; the drums commence, a howling song joins 
in, and with hands on their haunches and heads bent 
down, they thump in unison with their feet. Female 
spectators look on silently from behind, and men in 
front join in the chorus. A shout of laughter, or burst 
of admiration, winds up each dance, and never was 
there a more truly primitive scene of joyous riot. 
Our Seedees had a much better performance, which 
they went through to the music of their voices, hands, 
and feet. Two stood in the centre of a ring, kick- 
ing high at one another like Frenchmen, clapping 
hands and dodging about most ingeniously, while the 
mob sang a lively song, clapped hands and stamped, 
all keeping perfect time, and enjoying it with the 
most thorough good-humour. They also had a favourite 
teetotum game. Two sides were formed facing each 
other, and all sitting on the ground. Each had before 
him a stump of Indian corn and a teetotum of gourd 
in his hand. The object was to knock over with the 
spinning-totum the adversaries' stump, and the efforts 
on each occasion caused immense merriment. 
