30 
WESTERN AFRICA, 
This much I know, that bits of tobacco 
about the size of a man's hand ( the tobacco 
in that country is used in the leaf as it 
grows), or a few needles, or spoons, or 
whatever else may be an article of com- 
merce, is staked and played for. "When 
they have nothing to stake they play for 
amusement only. 
Walles are public property, furnished at 
the expense of the town, each town having 
one or more of them. Ordinarily they are 
kept in the palaver house, where there are 
also hammocks swung to accommodate 
loungers. 
Between playing the walie, and sleeping 
in the hammock, headmen while away their 
leisure hours, whilst their wives are close by 
in groups, making mats, spinning cotton, 
preparing the meal, or else in the field at 
work. 
Women do all the drudgery and hard 
work in Africa, and many of them are 
compelled to labor hard to procure a liveli- 
hood for themselves, children and husbands. 
With an infant lashed fast to her back, the 
mother may be seen in the field hoeing. 
