The Nome daily nugget., 1937-09-04

grows everywhere on the plateau. More special delicacies range all the way from roasted termites' eggs to crocodile steaks, things of considerably less interest to white traveller.
 More than thousand people attend the market. The sounds, sights. and smells of vigorous native trading give an impression of thriving continuing African fife such as one scarcely senses among the less developed forest types, particularly among the dreary, half. invalid creatures of the jungle of southern Cameroun. The favorable climate, the mixture of types, and, above all, the remoteness of the cor. ruptive influences of white civilization clearly show their effect.
 By Sunday morning the peasants have for the most part gone away. their produce sold or favorably exchanged. The aristocrats, however remain. At the slightest provocation they will ar. range a parade, sham war, anything to vary the monotony of isolated tri bal life.
 Even the presence of white stran. gers, for whom the rules of the plateau have great toleration but very scant respect, will serve for an excuse.
 One Sunday noon recently traveller learned that word went forth that play" had been arranged. The eight whites then in FOumban, only three of whom resided there permanently, sat with Sultan Njoya in chairs at one end of the town square. The riders, musicians, singers. standard-bearers, and buffOons made ready at the other
 The play" running true to the type of innumcrable similar displays that take place in the larger towns of the high prairie. began with an orderly procession of all the unmOunted men. Drums, flies, horns of many kinds. and stringed instruments came in the first rank playing warlike refrains. Before them danced. somersaulted, and grim. aced several clowns, royal testers at. tached to the sultans court in much the same position held by the court testers of medieval Europe.
 The end of the square reached the marchers formed irregular lines at ei. ther side. and, spears and standards lifted. shouted greeting to the horse men who followed.
 Charge Of the Horsemen.
 The square of Foumban is narrow and little more than POO yards long It was m'dafternoon of a golden trop ical summer. The vividly green trees that skirted the plaza and the bright red earth peculiar to the Foumban dis. trict made perfect setting. The hOrsemen numbered more than 1OO and each was gowned in flowing robes em broidered in every imaginable bright color. All carried either spears or long iintlock rifles lifted menacingly above their heads.
 There was great shout, and from the distance the spurred horses bore down upon the spectators at full gal iop The dust. the flashing spears, the wild cries. and inc blazing colors made thNng sight.
 In ahother instant the small, help. less group of whites were cold with terror. for the charge neither turned nor abated. There was no time to move.
 When less than 6 feet away, each man shouted. stood up in his strrups and refined in. Every horse rose up on its hind legs, forefeet kicking. pi rouetted and the line swept away ai the right angle. The cruel Hausa bit "n iron circle that rings the horses tongue and holds in its upper side sharp prong that gouges the animars flesh when the rein is pulled, had proved its effectiveness.
 Later in the afternoon. the play tock the form of series of weird tra ditional dances performed in masks These masks, q fine collection of whicf may be seen in the private museum Oi Sultan Njoya, are of copper or woot or combination of the two materials Many, though deliberately 'gr0tesque show rare sculpturai ability. Som are enormcus. some ridicu! !Ously small others have the shape of animals heads horses babnOns. crocodiles. etc