flageolet, has a slit at the top, and six finger-holes. As
the Waganda walk smartly along the road, with a light,
load on their heads, they often while away the time
with this rude instrument, out of which some of them
bring soft, sweet, flute-like music. The bugle they
have is shaped like a telescope, and is made of several
pieces of gourd fitting into each other, and covered
with cow-skin. It is 12 inches long. An expert
performer on this bugle can produce a whole chord,
which is varied by the thumb acting as a key.
Drums are of different shapes, according as they are
beaten by the hand or by a stick. The drum made
for the hand is a 4-feet-long log, hollowed out in the
shape of an inverted dice-box, open at the lower end,
and covered at the top, which is 1 foot across, with
the skin of an ichneumon. It is slung from the left
shoulder, and played by tapping and stopping with
the fingers. The thirty-three drums seen ranged in
line at the ceremony after new-moon were of every
possible shape, except round, which they all tried to
be. They were trunks of trees hollowed out, and
covered over with skin. Two copper kettle-drums had
found their way into the collection. The sultan had
an excellent band, of its kind, composed of 16 men,
who performed several tunes before us. The instruments
were 14 bugles and 2 hand-drums. Three
ranks, the drummers in the rear, formed in front of
us, and played, with great spirit and precision, bugle
music in waltz and march time. While “ trooping ”
they advanced, swaying their bodies very gracefully to
the music; and as they neared us all halted except
the bandmaster, who, as he played, being an active,
well-made little man, advanced to our feet, kneeling
nimbly on alternate knees in time to the music. The
drummers were energetic, smart, mirthful fellows;
and their music, sounding so sweetly among the hills,
was more pleasant than any performance I had ever
expected to witness in Africa. It was called Unyoro
music, but at Unyoro we heard none of it in consequence
of the moroseness of the king. All the time
we were at Karague we saw no dance worth noting;
they did not seem much given to dancing, and the
war-drum was never sounded. Long may this continue
! On such occasions the men take the field and
the women beat the drums. An alarm of cattle having
been captured was once spread, and the men
rushed about in hot haste, armed each with a single
spear and their faithful bow and arrows; but it
proved false, and the bold Prince Chunderah was
disappointed of a raid.
The only alarms we experienced were caused by the
hyena or other animals stealing from us. Twice an
infuriated mob came shouting into our camp, the voices
of the women being above all others. A woman had
a child, and two men fought for it. Each claimed i t ;
the woman wouldn’t give it u p ; she couldn’t settle the
dispute; would the white man do it ? I was not for
some time made aware of the circumstances; but my
Seedee servant appointed himself arbiter, and, after
looking at both the men and the child, decided
who was the rightful father, after which they all
scampered off in noisy confusion. A second case was
soon after decided in the same way, but with a different
result, for the man who lost the suit took his
spear and threatened to stab the infant. The African,
however, is more prompt in speech than in action.