fallen in the evening, as again the lions and
hyaenas had been before them, and nothing was
left. I therefore resolved not to shoot again until
I should be settled in my new camp on the other
side of the river, as it was a wasteful expenditure
of these beautiful animals unless the flesh could
be preserved.
“ The rainy season was drawing to a close, and
I longed to quit the dulness of Sofi.
“September 12.—The river has fallen nearly
eighteen feet, as the amount of rain has much
decreased during the last week. Immense crocodiles
are now to be seen daily, basking upon the
muddy banks. One monster in particular, who is
well known to the Arabs as having devoured a
woman a few months ago, invariably sleeps upon a
small island up the river.
“ This evening I counted seven elephants on the
east side of the river on the table-lands.
“ To-day the Arabs kept one of their holy feasts;
accordingly, a sheep was slaughtered as a sacrifice,
with an accompaniment of music and singing, i.e.
howling to several guitars.
“ The Arab system of an offering is peculiar.
Should a friend be dangerously ill, or rain be
demanded, or should any calamity befall them,
they slaughter an ox if they possess it, or a sheep
or goat in the absence of a larger animal, but the
owner of the beast sells the meat in small portions
to the assembled party, and the whole . affair of
sacrifice resolves itself into a feast; thus having
filled themselves with good meat, they feel satisfied
that they have made a religious sacrifice, and
they expect the beneficial results. The guitar
music and singing that attend the occasion are
simply abominable. Music, although beloved like
dancing by both the savage and civilized, varies in
character according to the civilization of the race;
that which is agreeable to the uneducated ear, is
discord to the refined nerves of the educated.
The untuned ear of the savage, can no more enjoy
the tones of civilized music than his palate would
relish the elaborate dishes of a French chef de
cuisine. As the stomach of the Arab prefers the
raw meat and reeking liver taken hot from the
animal, so does his ear prefer his equally coarse
and discordant music to ail other. The guitar
most common is made of either the shell of a
large gourd, or that of a turtle; over this is
stretched an untanned skin, that of a large fish
being preferred; through this, two sticks are fixed
about two feet three inches in length; the ends
of these are fastened to a cross piece upon which
are secured the strings; these are stretched over
a bridge similar to those of a violin, and are either
tightened or relaxed by rings of waxed rag fastened
upon the cross piece — these rings are turned
by the hand, and retain their position in spite
of the strain upon the strings. Nothing delights
an Arab more than to sit idly in his hut and