The outside rind is pared off by a
lance-head used with two hands, like a cooper's drawing-knife. The bark
is then laid upon a beam of wood on the ground, on which it is hammered
with a mallet grooved in fine cuts, so that the repeated blows stamp the
bark with lines somewhat resembling corduroy. This hammering expands the
bark, which is repeatedly turned and hammered again, until at length it
is beaten into a cloth of rather fine texture. The action of the air
colours the material, which, although white when first stripped from the
tree, quickly assumes a delicate shade of brown, as a slice of an apple
oxydizes upon exposure in our own climate.
The finest cloths are ornamented with patterns in black. These are
simply produced by drawing the design with water from iron springs,
which combining with the tannin of the bark immediately stains it.
The sheets of bark-cloth are frequently dyed this colour by immersing
them for a short time in springs of the same water.
The finest cloths are produced in Uganda, and all that are used for
royal wear are brought from that country in exchange for ivory.
My new men, the late slave-hunters, who I hoped were "wicked men that
had turned away from their wickedness," had succeeded in purchasing a
quantity of new cloths ready for the day of annexation.
