164 Village Life in Pongo-land. 
absolute certainty which the South-Indian word 
“ Tukkiim” carries with it. 
The Mpongwe will not eat ape, on account of 
its likeness to themselves. But they greatly 
enjoy game ; the porcupine, the ground-hog (an 
Echymys), the white flesh of the bush pig ( Crice - 
tomys ), and the beef of the Nyare (Bos brachyceros ) ; 
this is the “ buffalo ” or “ bush-cow ” of the regions 
south of Sierra Leone, and the empacassa of the 
Congo-Portuguese, whose “empacasseirs” or native 
archers, rural police and auxiliaries “ of the second 
line,” have as “ guerra preta ” (black militia) won 
many a victory. Their numbers in Angola have 
amounted to 30,000, and they aided in conquest 
like the Indian Sipahi (sepoy) and the Tupi of 
the older Brazil. Now they wear the Tanga or 
Pagne, a waist cloth falling to the knee, and they 
are armed with trade muskets and cartridge- 
boxes fastened to broad belts. Barbot calls the 
Nyare a buffalo, and tells us that it was commonly 
shot at Sandy Point, where in his day elephants 
also abounded. Captain Boteler (ii. 379) well de¬ 
scribes a specimen, which was killed by Dr. Guland, 
R.N., as exactly resembling the common cow of 
England, excepting that its proportions are far 
more “ elegant.” 
This hearty breakfast is washed down with 
long drinks of palm wine, and followed by sundry 
pipes of tobacco ; after which, happy souls ! all 
