FAN BLACKSMITHS AT WORK.
CHAPTER X.
LIFE AMONG THE CANNIBALS—CURIOUS MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS—COOKING UTENSILS—A BLACKSMITH'S BELLOWS AND ANVIL—CANNIBAL DIET.
After we reached Ndiayai, I went back to my little hut, and found everything I had left there. I had hidden my powder and shot in different places, and had dug holes in which to hide my beads.
The news had spread among the surrounding cannibal villages that the spirit, as they called me, was still in the village of Ndiayai, and the people flocked to see me. Among those who came to see me, was a chief of the name of Oloko. He gave me the long war knife, of which you have seen a drawing, and explained to me how it had several times gone right through a man.
Mbéné went away for a while, and left me entirely alone with these cannibals. During his absence I studied the habits of these strange people; and you may be sure that wherever I went I kept my eyes wide open.
By the way, I see I have omitted to give a description of the town of King Ndiayai. It was a very large town, composed of a single street. When I say a large town, I do not mean, of course, that it could bear any comparison as to size with London, Paris, or New York. I mean that it was a large town for this part of Africa. It contained five or six hundred men. The houses were quite small, and were all made of the bark of trees; none of them had windows. They were nearly all of the same size.
Strange to say, these Fans seemed to be very fond of music, and very funny instruments they make use of. To hear some of their music would make you laugh. They have not the slightest idea of what we consider harmony in sound; but they evidently have a great liking for music after their own notion. It is very much the same with their dancing. They have not the slightest idea of the dances in use with us, such as waltzes, galops, polkas, or quadrilles; and I am sure if they were to see us dancing in our fashion, they would laugh quite as much as you would laugh if you could see them capering in their uncouth style.