362 
MISSION TO ASHANTEE. 
strings are conducted to the end of a long stick, fastened to 
the fore part of the box, and thickly notched, and they raise or 
depress the strings into these notches as occasion requires. The 
upper string assimilates with the tenor C of the piano, and the 
lower with the octave above : sometimes they are tuned in Diatonic 
succession, but too frequently the intermediate strings are drawn 
up at random, producing flats and sharps in every Chromatic 
variety, though they are not skilful enough to take advantage of 
it. I frequently urged this by trying to convince them they were 
not playing the same tune I had heard the day before, but the 
* answer was invariably, " I pull the same string, it must be the 
same tune." The strings are made from the runners of a tree 
called Enta, abounding in the forests. All airs on this instrument 
are played very quick, and it is barely possible to make even an 
experienced player lessen the time, which quick as it is, is kept in 
a surprising manner, especially as every tune is loaded with orna- 
ment. They have a method of stopping the strings with the finger, 
so as to produce a very soft and pleasing effect, like the Meyer 
touch of the harp. 
The horns form their loudest sounds, and are made of elephant's 
tusks, they are generally very large, and, being graduated like the 
flutes, their flourishes have a martial and grand effect. It has 
been mentioned in the Military Customs of the Ashantees, that 
peculiar sentences are immediately recognised by the soldiers, 
and people, in the distinct flourishes of the horns of the various 
chiefs: the words of some of these sentences are almost expressible 
by the notes of the horns ; the following, uttered by the horns of a 
captain named Gettca, occurs to me as an instance 
" O Sai tmtmtoo, ma yriayia pa pa." 
O Sai great king ! I laud thee every where, or exceedingly. 
The Bentwa (see Drawing No. 6.) is a stick bent in the form of 
