seen in travelling; this they, for some reason, refused
to do, and persisted in carrying me head first, instead
of feet. If a grove of plantain was by the side of the
path, it could not be resisted; off all would dash at
the fruit, eat, and carry away as much as they were
able, sometimes politely offering me a share, or more
frequently remaining so long away, as I lay on the
stretcher, that it became irritating. The best way
was to join as much as possible with them in their
frolics; my men did so, and enjoyed the march extremely.
At these groves, a single hunch or cluster of as
many as 150 ripe plantains could be got in April, and
their juice drunk from them al fresco. The large
leaves of the tree, green, and soft as satin, were spread
on the ground as a table-cloth; a wisp of grass, well
softened by rubbing, enclosed a quantity of luscious
ripe fruit, and what the men seemed most to enjoy
was to bite and suck the fruit through the grass.
During the march they all carried some small load
on their heads, never more than 20 or 30 lb., rolled in
the form of a web of cloth, neatly bound round, and
having pipes and flutes stuck into it. Each man had
a spear and shield over his back; the latter served as
an umbrella when rain fell; and thus, with their
bark-cloths kilted up, their dress was secure from rain
or boggy ground. On arrival in camp, the march
costume was changed for a clean suit of bark-cloth as
stiff as silk, or for a set of many-coloured goat-skins,
with scalloped, pierced edges, in which they made
themselves smart, and strutted about like gentlemen.
Those who had been able to find dogs led them with
strings tied to their waists or wrists as they ran along.
Very ridiculous they appeared, for the animals (not
accustomed to it) always refused to be led in this way.
On coming near habitations, the men shouted and
sang, as if carrying some object of triumph. Had I
been a dead lion, they could not have made greater
noise; and on getting near camp, regardless of cultivated
fields, they would plunge into them with malicious
delight, trample them down, slash away branches
or plantain-trees which came in their way, and deposit
the litter inside a grove.
When morning again came, the gay Mariboo, always
scrupulously clean and proud of his dress, would
appear, followed by his drummer-boy and dog, to
announce, by beat of drum, a march or halt. If the
former, the shouts of his men coming to join him
would be heard in the distance, and Mariboo would
answer and receive replies, till one by one all rushed
up, spear in hand, as if to attack him, shouting allegiance,
and causing their, “ captain” to spring and
bound with delight, while I looked on with admiration
at the strange and wild spectacle. After several
exhibitions of this sort, it became evident that presents
were expected, and if the march was to be a
success, a little “ tipping” was necessary; consequently,
the captain was summoned to receive a gift
of beads. His delight, as he handled the beautiful
small beads, knew no bounds; his spear was flashed
up to my face, while his left hand held his shield,
and he finished with a number of nimble antics. His
arms laid aside, he repeated, “ N’yans, n’yans” (thanks,
thanks), perhaps fifty times in succession, with a diagonal
motion of both palms at each repetition. This
over, another mode of thanks was adopted, and was