The Row
Of Low, Bark Huts Was Long, And Extended Its Main Frontage Close To
The Edge Of The River Bank.
The inhabitants had been watching us as
we came, and when they saw we intended calling that afternoon, they
charged down to the river-edge hopeful of excitement.
They had a
great deal to say, and so had we. After compliments, as they say,
in excerpts of diplomatic communications, three of their men took
charge of the conversation on their side, and M'bo did ours. To
M'bo's questions they gave a dramatic entertainment as answer, after
the manner of these brisk, excitable Fans. One chief, however, soon
settled down to definite details, prefacing his remarks with the
silence-commanding "Azuna! Azuna!" and his companions grunted
approbation of his observations. He took a piece of plantain leaf
and tore it up into five different sized bits. These he laid along
the edge of our canoe at different intervals of space, while he told
M'bo things, mainly scandalous, about the characters of the villages
these bits of leaf represented, save of course about bit A, which
represented his own. The interval between the bits was proportional
to the interval between the villages, and the size of the bits was
proportional to the size of the village. Village number four was
the only one he should recommend our going to. When all was said, I
gave our kindly informants some heads of tobacco and many thanks.
Then M'bo sang them a hymn, with the assistance of Pierre, half a
line behind him in a different key, but every bit as flat.
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