This Is A Strange Bugbear,
Common To All The Mandingo Towns, And Much Employed By The Pagan Natives
In Keeping
Their women in subjection; for as the Kafirs are not
restricted in the number of their wives, every one marries
As many as he
can conveniently maintain; and as it frequently happens that the ladies
disagree among themselves, family quarrels sometimes rise to such a
height, that the authority of the husband can no longer preserve peace in
his household. In such cases, the interposition of Mumbo Jumbo is called
in, and is always decisive.
This strange minister of justice, (who is supposed to be either the
husband himself, or some person instructed by him,) disguised in the
dress that has been mentioned, and armed with the rod of public
authority, announces his coming (whenever his services are required) by
loud and dismal screams in the woods near the town. He begins the
pantomime at the approach of night; and as soon as it is dark he enters
the town, and proceeds to the Bentang, at which all the inhabitants
immediately assemble.
It may easily be supposed that this exhibition is not much relished by
the women; for, as the person in disguise is entirely unknown to them,
every married female suspects that the visit may possibly be intended for
herself; but they dare not refuse to appear when they are summoned; and
the ceremony commences with songs and dances, which continue till
midnight, about which time Mumbo fixes on the offender. This unfortunate
victim being thereupon immediately seized, is stripped naked, tied to a
post, and severely scourged, with Mumbo's rod, amidst the shouts and
derision of the whole assembly; and it is remarkable, that the rest of
the women are the loudest in their exclamations on this occasion against
their unhappy sister. Daylight puts an end to this indecent and unmanly
revel.
December 9th. As there was no water to be procured on the road, we
travelled with great expedition until we reached Tambacunda; and
departing from thence early the next morning, the 10th, we reached in the
evening Kooniakary, a town of nearly the same magnitude as Kolor. About
noon on the 11th we arrived at Koojar, the frontier town of Woolli,
towards Bondou, from which it is separated by an intervening wilderness
of two days' journey.
The guide appointed by the King of Woolli being now to return, I
presented him with some amber for his trouble; and having been informed
that it was not possible at all times to procure water in the wilderness,
I made inquiry for men who would serve both as guides and water-bearers
during my journey across it. Three Negroes, elephant-hunters, offered
their services for these purposes, which I accepted, and paid them three
bars each in advance, and the day being far spent, I determined to pass
the night in my present quarters.
The inhabitants of Koojar, though not wholly unaccustomed to the sight of
Europeans, (most of them having occasionally visited the countries on the
Gambia,) beheld me with a mixture of curiosity and reverence, and in the
evening invited me to see a _neobering_, or wrestling match at the
Bentang. This is an exhibition very common in all the Mandingo countries.
The spectators arranged themselves in a circle, leaving the intermediate
space for the wrestlers, who were strong active young men, full of
emulation, and accustomed, I suppose, from their infancy to this sort of
exertion. Being stripped of their clothing, except a short pair of
drawers, and having their skin anointed with oil, or _shea_ butter, the
combatants approached each other on all-fours, parrying with, and
occasionally extending a hand for some time, till at length one of them
sprang forward, and caught his rival by the knee. Great dexterity and
judgment were now displayed; but the contest was decided by superior
strength; and I think that few Europeans would have been able to cope
with the conqueror. It must not be unobserved, that the combatants were
animated by the music of a drum, by which their actions were in some
measure regulated.
The wrestling was succeeded by a dance, in which many performers
assisted, all of whom were provided with little bells, which were
fastened to their legs and arms; and here too the drum regulated their
motions. It was beaten with a crooked stick, which the drummer held in
his right hand, occasionally using his left to deaden the sound, and thus
vary the music. The drum is likewise applied on these occasions to keep
order among the spectators, by imitating the sound of certain Mandingo
sentences: for example, when the wrestling match is about to begin, the
drummer strikes what is understood to signify _ali bae see_, - sit all
down; upon which the spectators immediately seat themselves; and when the
combatants are to begin, he strikes _amuta amuta_, - take hold, take hold.
In the course of the evening I was presented, by way of refreshment, with
a liquor which tasted so much like the strong beer of my native country,
(and very good beer too,) as to induce me to inquire into its
composition; and I learned, with some degree of surprise, that it was
actually made from corn which had been previously malted, much in the
same manner as barley is malted in Great Britain: a root yielding a
grateful bitter was used in lieu of hops, the name of which I have
forgot; but the corn which yields the wort is the _holcus spicatus_ of
botanists.
Early in the morning, (the 12th,) I found that one of the
elephant-hunters had absconded with the money he had received from me in
part of wages; and in order to prevent the other two from following his
example, I made them instantly fill their calabashes (or gourds) with
water, and as the sun rose I entered the wilderness that separates the
kingdoms of Woolli and Bondou.
We had not travelled more than a mile before my attendants insisted on
stopping that they might prepare a saphie, or charm, to ensure us a safe
journey.
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