Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 20, 1909.djvu/55

Rh "nsakusaku" (round water reed that has a root with a turpentine odour), a piece of "ngongo" (big bean like a Calabar bean), and some "mbika za nsudia" (seeds of a small gourd); these are all pounded up and well mixed, and put into a bottle of palm wine, some of which is given secretly to the woman to drink. If she drinks it, she will leave all to follow the man who paid for its preparation. The women have no love philtre to attract the love of the man they want, so far as I know.

Native traders having gathered articles of barter and trade,—goats, sheep, pigs, farm produce, slaves,—take them to the markets, which are Konzo, Nkenge, Nsona, and Nkandu. All the markets held on a certain day all over the Lower Congo are called Konzo, and all the markets held all over the Lower Congo next day are called Nkenge. These markets are all held in different places, e.g. all the Konzo markets are held in different places from all the rest of the markets held on the other three successive days. These market places are so arranged that one in four will be within 2 to 5 miles of a town, the next day's market may be 10 miles away from the first town, but near some other town or towns, and the next 15 to 20 miles, and the next 25 miles away. Besides the market-day name as above, they often affixed to them the name of a prominent town or place near which they are held; thus Nsona Ngungu is the Nsona market held near the town of Ngungu, and Nsona Kiyenji is held near the town of Kiyenji. Again, some of these markets are famous for certain articles that are always on sale there. For instance, at one Nkenge you can always find pigs, and buyers and sellers of pigs consequently travel to that particular Nkenge. Another Nkenge will be noted for pots, calabashes, saucepans, etc.

There are also five large markets that are held every eight days, not on the same but on the successive eighth