Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 20, 1909.djvu/524

 460 Customs of the Lower Congo People.

seed, he must declare its number, and the cheating is revealed. To find out the right seed and number, the opponents have to watch the throwing for any hesitation at a particular number, or to see if a seed is purposely- thrown to one side ; they have to listen for any emphasis on a particular number, and also watch the eyes of their opponents to see if they are all looking towards one particular seed. Again, the lad who leaves must carry away with him a clear plan of how the seeds lay, so that he may be sure of picking up the right seed, as any blunder made counts as a game to the other side.

3. "Mbele" is a game played both on the Upper and Lower Congo. In some places it is played by the move- ments of the hands and arms, in other places the favourite mode is by moving the feet and legs, and in other places by the quick movements of the knees. Again, one will find two of these modes, if not the whole three, practised at different times in one and the same place. On the Lower Congo, however, the hands are most commonly used, at Monsembe on the Upper Congo the legs, and at Bolobo, also on the Upper Congo, the knees, but the principle is the same. In some places two lines are formed, one playing against the other, but on the Lower Congo the game is played as follows : — The players form a line, and the first lad in the line is called " king." The " king " faces the first player on the line, {i.e. the one who stood next to him), throws out both his hands, draws them back to his breast, waves them in front of himself parallel with his breast, and, after making several feints, shoots out one hand. If the one standing in front of him is able to meet the " thrust " three times by throwing out the corre- sponding hand, the "king" has to take his place at the bottom of the line. If, however, none in the line is able to meet the " thrust," after three tries, then the last lad in the line is called a " slave " and stands out of the game. The "king" will go up and down the line sometimes until