I was much struck with a simple arrangement made use of by the old
people to support the back in lieu of an arm-chair. Each person had a
cord knotted by the ends so as to form an endless loop or hoop. The size
depended upon the measurement required, so that if the hoop were thrown
over the body when in a sitting posture upon the ground, with the knees
raised, the rope would form a band around the forepart of the knees and
the small of the back, which would thus be supported.
The Lobore are great workers in iron, which is used generally in the
manufacture of ornaments. Large rings of this metal are worn round the
neck, and upon the arms and ankles. Many of these ankle-rings are of
extreme thickness, and would suffice for the punishment of prisoners. I
was interested with the mechanical contrivance of the Lobore for
detaching the heavy metal anklets, which, when hammered firmly together,
appeared to be hopeless fixtures in the absence of a file.
I required several irons to construct the manacles for the deserter,
thus I had purchased the massive ornaments which had to be detached from
the ankles of the owner.
The man sat upon the ground. A stick of hard, unyielding wood was thrust
through the ring beneath the ankle, so that each end of the stick rested
on the earth. A man secured one end by standing upon it, while another
placed a stone upon the stick thus secured, which he used as a fulcrum.
The lever employed was a piece of abdnoos, which worked upon the stone,
and pressed down the base of the ring at the same time that it opened
the joint sufficiently to allow it to be passed over the thin portion of
the leg.
I never saw this ingenious application of the lever among other tribes
than the Lobore. The usual method among the Madi is far more simple, but
requires a certain number of men, and places the patient in an
uncomfortable position. A rope is fastened to each side of the ring,
upon which a number of men haul in opposite directions until they have
opened the joint sufficiently to detach it from the leg.
On 29th February we were ready for the start. The loads were all
prepared and arranged in separate divisions of twenty each, under the
charge of selected officers and men.
The big nogara had sounded, the natives collected, and each man stood by
his load; thus twenty-five gangs of twenty each should have stood in
line.
I now discovered that the vaunted honesty of the Lobore was of the same
order as that of other negroes.
