stick with a ball of india-rubber at the end
pro uced very agreeable musical sounds. Hp'
received a kindly reception, and though he
manifested no desire or declared any intention
of reciprocating our gift, he did not leave our
camp dissatisfied with his present. He loudly
proclaimed to the assembly in the river some'-
thing to the effect that I was his brother; that
peace and good-will should prevail, and that
everybody should behave, and “make plenty
of trade.” But on his departure his people be-
came roguish and like wild children. Scores
of canoes flitted here and there, up and down
along the front of the camp, which gave us opportunities
of observing that every person was
tattooed in the most abominable manner; that
the coiffeur’s art was carried to perfection;- that
uman teeth were popular ornaments for the
neck; that their own teeth were filed; that brass
wire to an astonishing quantity had been brought
to them by the Bangala; as they had coils of it
upon their arms and legs, and ruffs of it resting
on their shoulders; that while the men wore
ample loin-coverings of grass cloth, their women
went naked; that ivory was to be purchased
here to any amount, and that palm-wine had
affected the heads of a great many. We also
discovered that Urangi possessed about a dozen
muskets.
From a friend of mine, who paid me much
rKeb. io, 1877.] SUSPICIOUS NOISES.
[ Urangi- J
attention, I ascertained that three hours from
Urangi inland was a large market-town, called
Ngombe, whither the Barangi frequently went
with fish, dried and fresh, to purchase cassava,
bananas, ground-nuts, and palm-oil; that palm-
trees were as thick as a forest inland; that on
the right ;bank below Gunji are three districts,
Umangi, Ukere, and Mpisa; that the river on
the right side is known as Ukere, while that
which rolls by Urangi is called Iringi.
At sunset our strange friends departed, and
paddled across river to their villages, very amiably
disposed, if one might judge from smiles
and pleasant nods of the head. After 8 P.M. a
terrific drumming and some half a dozen musket-
shots were heard from the Urangi villages. We
supposed them to be dancing and enjoying their
palm-wine, the delicious and much-esteemed
malofu. Sometimes we heard, amid a deathly
silence, also the voice of a man, who might be
reading a proclamation or delivering a lecture
for all we understood. The voice was clearly
audible, but the words were not. Finally, about
midnight, I slept.
An hour before dawn we were alert, preparing
our morning meal, packing up, delivering
instructions, and observing other customs preparatory
to starting the Expedition anew on
the voyage.
A little after sunrise our guides of Urangi,