Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 3.djvu/242

 194 WEST AFEICA. is very bitter, but after tasting it all water, however foul, acquires an agreeable flavour. The juice of the fruit rubbed into the body also affords complete protection against mosquitoes, and by the natives the same fruit, richer in theine than tea itself, is regarded as an almost universal specific. There are two varieties, one yielding red the other white nuts, the latter being a symbol of peace, the former of bloodshed, when sent by a chief to his neighbour. Inhabitants. Here as elsewhere throughout West Africa the more civilised populations are those of the interior, who by continually advancing westwards have broken up the ethnical cohesion of the coast tribes. In the north the chief people thus encroached upon are the Bagas, from whom this region takes the name of Ba- gatai. In the last century Adans.n called them Yagres, a name probably identical with that of Cape Verga, the most advanced promontory on the coast. South of this headland dwell the Sapes or Sumbas, akin 'to the Bagas, and of much lighter complexion and less Negroid features than most of the other coast tribes. A marked phj'sical peculiarity, which at once strikes all observers, is the almost geometrical horizontal position of the plane connecting the neck with the chin. The Baga men are generally well clothed, whereas the women wear little beyond a thread on which are strung rags, pearls, rings, wood or metal ornaments. The rich also insert a ring in the cartilage of the nose, and all pierce the lobe of ihe ear for the insertion of rice-straw. Field operations are performed by the men, who are very industrious and of peaceful habits, so that the Bagatai territory is regarded as a place of refuge, in which all natives go unarmed. Till recently every Baga village formed an independent petty state ; but tho French Govern- ment has now brought all at least in the Nuuez basin under the jurisdiction of the king of the Nalus, himself subject to the military commander of Boke. The Landumans, also brought under the s.;nie rule, occupy both banks of the IS'unez above the estuary. Notwithstanding their stout resistance to the Fulah invaders, they would probably have succumbed like so many others, but for the timely intervention of the French. They appear to be closely related to the Bagas, resembling them in type, usages and speech. They 'have hitherto turned a deaf ear to the Mohammedan preachers, although showing great respect for the Fulah marabouts, whom they regard as more potent wTzards than their own fetish men. But the more civilized Nulus have alread)^ embraced the faith of Islam. Throughout the whole of this region the dominant speech is that of the Su-Sus, who occupy both slopes of the hill}^ country between the Scarcies and Rio Pongo. Some of their tribes even penetrate farther north, intermingling with the Nalus and Landumans ; eastwards they come in contact with the Fulahs, towards the west with the Bagas, and in many places reach the coast. The Su-Sus are akin to the Mandingans, and also claim brotherhood with several other West- African peoples, such as the Sangaras (Sankarans) of the Upi^er Niger. During the course of long migrations they have become scattered over a vast domain, and it