er the ladies had retired, looking exceedingly wild, and roaring
as if possessed by an evil spirit. They paid little attention to the
fellow's fooleries, who, not liking his reception, left the hut,
after he had received the accustomed fee of a few kowries. The person
and dress of the man, together with his whimsical ornaments, were
admirably adapted to impose on the credulity and superstition of the
inhabitants; although many people of the town, influenced perhaps by
the spreading doctrines of Mahomet, spoke their minds pretty freely,
calling him a scoundrel and a devil. There was something peculiar in
this priest's countenance, which could not be defined. On his
shoulders he bore a large club, carved at one end with the figure of
a man's head. A vast number of strings of kowries were suspended on
this weapon, which were intermixed with shells, broken combs, small
pieces of wood with rude imitations of men's faces cut on them, large
sea-shells, bits of iron and brass, nut shells, &c. &c. Perhaps, the
number of kosries on his person did not fall far short of twenty
thousand, and the weight of his various ornaments almost pressed him
to the ground. After this fellow had left their apartment, three or
four others came to torment them with drums, whistles, and horns, and
began and ended the evening's serenade to their own infinite delight
and satisfaction. The native drum answers the purpose of a
tambourine, and bagpipe as well, and is of peculiar formation. Its
top is encircled with little brass bells, and is played upon with one
hand, whilst the fingers of the other were employed at the same time
in tapping on its surface. The instrument itself was held under the
left arm, but instead of an outer wooden case, strings alone were
used from end to end, which being pressed against the musician's
side, sounds somewhat similar to those of a Scotch bagpipe, but very
inferior, are produced. The drummers, with their companions of the
horns and whistles, subsist entirely on the charity of the public,
who require their services on all occasions of general merriment and
jollity.

On the morning of the 8th of April, the two messengers who arrived at
Badagry whilst the Landers were there, and stated that they had been
employed for the purpose by the governor of Jenna, were discovered to
be impostors, and put in irons accordingly. But as the poor fellows
had really been of essential service to them, inasmuch as by their
representatio