The Cecil Whig., 1874-11-28
AN AFRICAN DANDY.

AN ALTMAN DANDIs
Who would suppose that a wild African,
whose only dress is a piece of skin, would
trouble himself about fashions?
To be sure, he feels no interest in the
style of coats or hats, but he is just as
much absorbed in the great business of
adorning himself as though he followed
the fashions of Paris. Curious STYLES he
has too, as German traveller has lately
told us.
To begin with, the hair is the object of
his greatest care. Its training begins in
the cradle,-o would if he had a CRADLE
when it is tortured into some extraordinary
form, and kept there by means of gum
arabic and ashes till after long years it
will retain the shape of itself Sometimes
1t is like i cockscomb, and sometimes like
fan. One poor baby's hair will be trained,
50 that in time it will stand up in rolls over
the head, like the ridges on melon, while
another's is taught to stand out like the
rays of the sun, as usually represented in
pictures. With some Africans part of it
hangs down in long, regular braids or
twists, and the rest is laid up in monstrous
puffs on each side of the head. But the
drollest one Of all is made to look like the
glory around the head of a saint-in pic
lures. The hair is taken in single locks.
stretched out to it's greatest length, and
fastened at the ends to hoop. The hoop
is held in place by strong wires, and it's
edge ornamented with small shells. The
effect is very comical.
In most of these wonderful arrangements
the hair is parted in the middle 1 wonder
if our young gentlemen imported that style
from Africa, and is kept in place by plenty
of gum and ashes, or clay.
All this elaborate addressing is on the
heads of the men. The women of the
country wear their hair in the simplest
manner, perhaps for the reason that the
wife does the cooking, cultivates the land,
adorns the body of her husband with paint,
and dresses his hair, which must be enough
To keep her time well occupied.
His hair once dressed, this African dandy
turns his mind to the further decoration of
his body. First he rubs his shining skin
with mixture of grease and ashes, or
powdered wood of a red color, puts on his
one scanty garment, made of the skin of
some animal, or of bark, occasionally trim
med with the long black tail of a monkey
or other animal, and then he is ready for
his ornaments
Across his forehead, just under the edge
of his hair like fringe, he hangs string
of teeth. They may be teeth Of dogs, or
other animals, or, if he is great warrior,
of his human victims.
Next he adorns his breast with an orna-
ment made of ivory, cut to resemble lions
teeth, and spread out in star shape. Around
his neck he hangs several necklaces made
of strips of skin cut from the hippopota-
mus, and finishes up with paint in various
styles; dots, or stripes, or zigzags, squares
e, II oh, n,1y ~,l IL Ill
SOME CURIOUS AFRICAN CUSTOMS.
There are other curious things about
these people. besides their dress. Their
houses have walls of clay or reeds, and
sharp pointed roofs of straw. The furni-
ture consists mainly of wooden platters
and stools, which are colored black by long
burial in the mud, and their only light is a
burning pine knot.
Before the house is usually post, on
which are hung the trophies of the hunt,
such as horns of antelopes, skulls of ami
mails and men, and, horrible to say, dried
hands and feet. These proclaim to the
world how great a warrior is the owner,
and, in part, answer the purposes that fine
houses and clothes do with us.
When Mani Nam pays a visit to his
neighbor he carries his own stool to sit on,
and when he goes into mourning for a
friend he shaves his head, and scatters his
precious braids, twists and puffs to the
wind, which certainly shows sincere grief
on his part.
When two friends meet they do not
shake hands, but they join their middle
fingers in such way that the joints crack,
while they nod at each other, more as if in
disgust-as it looks to white mau-than
in friendly greeting.
If they find hollow tree in which wild
bees have laid up honey, they at once
smoke the bees stupid, and eat honey, wax,
bees, and all. Indeed they eat several
things that we would not like. The chill
dren in some parts of Africa eat rats and
field mice, which they catch by means of
baskets woven in the form of long tubes.
They are laid fiat on the ground, near the
mouse holes and then the little savages
begin great noise of stamping, shouting
and slapping of hands. The poor little
animals are frightened, and run into the
traps for safety and are easily taken
They are then tied by the tails in bunches
of dozen or SO, as you have seen children
tie cherries, and bartered with each other
as choice morsels. Sometimes they use
them as bats to catch cats,-roast cat
being a favorite dish. They build small
huts of twisted reeds, put the mice in, and
cats are attracted to the trap, of course.
The grown people feast OH still stranger
diet, such as the bodies Of their enemies
killed in battle, elephant meat, dried till it
looks like a log of wood, dogs and the ter
mites, or white ants, of which you may
have read, and whose immense cone shaped
houses are SO common in Africa.
No important thing is begun without
consulting certain signs to see if it will be
successful. Some of these are very curious.
One is to put few drops of water on a
smooth topped stool, then take a smooth
block and rub it across the stool as though
to plain it off. If the block moves easily
the sign is good; if hard, the sign is bad.
Another trial is to dose some unfortunate
hen with certain greasy liquid. If she
dies the sign is bad; if she gets well it is
good.
But the hens are not the only sufferers.
Another way to try ones luck is to seize a
wretched cock, duck him under water many
times till he is stiff and senselesS, and then
leave him alone. The fate is decided by
his recovering or dying. The guilt of any
one accused or suspected of crime is tried
in the same way, and no one dreams of
suspecting one whose signs have shown
favurably.
To protect themselves from the danger
and loss of fires, they provide no fire engines
and insurance companies, as we do, but
hang an amulet made-for those who are
Mohammedans-of a few verses of the
Khoran, or Mohammedan bible, wrapped
in skin, over the door, which must be
admitted is a much simpler and cheaper
way than ours.
If a horse or donkey is i'll he is dosed
with raw pork, but human being has for
few verses of the Khoran, made
soft in water.
O!ire Thorne, in ST. Nicholas for December.
A WOMAN WITHOUT BONES.