One of our friends immediately got hold of a drum*--a hollow cylinder of palm-wood two feet and a half in length, and four inches in diameter, one end covered over with the skin of a large lizard--and commenced beating upon it very vigorously with the palm of the hand, singing and dancing at the same time, as if in honour of our arrival.
(*Footnote.

Represented in the uppermost figure.) VILLAGE OF TASSAI.
Each of us joined in the merriment as he came up, and in a short time the whole of Tassai was in an uproar.

Among the natives everyone seemed pleased, bustling about, watching our motions, examining our dress, and laughing and shouting immoderately as each new object was presented to his view.

Meanwhile I wandered about the village, accompanied by some women and children, picking up at the same time materials for my vocabulary.

One old dame brought me a coconut shell full of water which I returned after drinking some, but she pressed me in a very motherly way to put it into my bag, having doubtless imagined from our inquiries after water, that even a little constituted a valuable present.