AMUSEMENTS OF THE NATIVES. 103 
The sepoys of the sultan consisted of about twenty 
idle young fellows, who tried to dress jauntily, and 
were the fast men and pick of the place. If an 
order had to be conveyed from one of the sultan's 
villages to another, their word was law. If an escort 
was necessary, they were employed, and when war 
broke out they collected levies all round the country 
from their own class or from poorer natives. None 
of these soldiers would deign to carry a load for us ; 
they were, in their own estimation, the life-guards- 
men of the state, consequently led an idle life, play- 
ing at pitch -and -toss, bao, beating the drum, &c. 
Without coins one would imagine that pitch -and -toss 
could not be played ; but has not bark got two sides ? 
Circles of bark were used, also a few leaden discs pitched 
in the air, while the gamester clapped his hands and let 
the discs fall upon a cow-skin placed on the ground. 
My wonder was how they fell so fairly on the skin, 
and also that the game was not known by our Zanzibar 
men. The stakes were bows, arrows, arrow-tips, and 
ankle-wires ; the counters were made of pieces of stick. 
Bao is a coast game, played by two, with a board 
having thirty -two cups or wells in it, and sixty -four 
counters of seeds, called "komo." The sultan sat 
down with any one he could get to play this rather 
skilful game. 
Every large country has its own style of drumming; 
that of Unyanyembe was more musical than the jum- 
ble of drums here. The conductor had always the 
largest drum ; the rest watched him for the time, 
while at his feet a little black youth rattled as hard as 
he could, without ceasing, at a wooden trough. If the 
noise of it was not heard, the music lost its stirring 
