86 EASTERN ETHIOPIA vii|' 
■■ w 
In Kampala, I was mucli impressed by the way sound 
travels from one hill-top to another. A native on the |: ‘ 
summit of one hid can converse without much difficulty y 
with a native on a neighbouring hill, and in the calm 
of the evening the sound of the drum travels long - ; 
' distances. Tliis makes it easy to believe that drums 4 
are used in these countries not only for issuing signals, 
but for conveying messages in code. 
In Uganda the drum is an appanage of royalty, alive 
or dead. Women drummers live in the tombs of the 
kings. The tomb of Suna, the father of Mutesa, ' | 
contains some of his memorials, and the old women ■ | 
(his widows) live in the tomb and believe that so long . 
as a certain part of him (umbilical cord) exists, the old 
lord and master is with them in spirit. When this 
relic is brought out all the old drummers and singers 
beat their drums and sing old chants, just as they used A 
to do to welcome the approach of their master during pit 
his reign. (C. W. Hattersley.) , i 
Simple forms of drums are made by hollowing out ' i 
a piece of the stem of a tree, a yard long and eight or ; 
nine inches in diameter : over the ends of these long I 
cylinders a piece of skin from a large lizard is stretched: i 
sometimes a piece of goat or antelope skin is used, but | 
whatever the material, it is fastened over the end of 
the drum and fixed to the wooden cylinder with |)egs, i 
or in some of the more elaborate drums, the skin is kept 
stretched by means of strips of leather. 
Long narrow drums of this kind are carried by means i 
of a leather strap passing over one shoulder of the i 
drummer. The drums are beaten by means of wooden ; 
sticks, or the end of the drum-stick is enveloped with 
bast or rags. 
The most complicated drum I have seen was shown 
me by Mr. Hobley, who obtained it from the Wa-Kamba. i, 
The drum-cylinder was from the stem of a large 
bamboo; it measured two yards in length and six I: 
inches in diameter. At one end of the cylinder a piece J,' 
