Touches eye—“sighted.”
Raises the forefingers crooked inwards on both sides of the head—“bison.”
Smites the sinister palm downwards with the dexter first—“killed.”
Shows three fingers—“three of them.”
Scrapes the left palm with the edge of the right hand—“skinned them.”
Places the dexter on the sinister palm and then the dexter palm on the sinister dorsum—“packed the flesh upon my pony.”
Straddles the two forefingers on the index of the left—“remounted.”
Finally, beckons towards self—“returned home.”
“While on the subject of savage modes of correspondence, it may not be out of place to quote an amusing incident furnished by the Western African traveller Hutchinson. There was, it seems, a newspaper established in the region in question for the benefit of the civilized inhabitants, and an old native lady having a grievance, “writes to the editor.” Let us give her epistle, and afterwards Mr. Hutchinson’s explanation of it:
“To Daddy Nah, Tampin Office.