The Fans Also Did Their Best To Educate Me In Every Way:
They told
me their names for things, while I told them mine.
I found several
European words already slightly altered in use among them, such as
"Amuck" - a mug, "Alas" - a glass, a tumbler. I do not know whether
their "Ami" - a person addressed, or spoken of - is French or not. It
may come from "Anwe" - M'pongwe for "Ye," "You." They use it as a
rule in addressing a person after the phrase they always open up
conversation with, "Azuna" - Listen, or I am speaking.
They also showed me many things: how to light a fire from the pith
of a certain tree, which was useful to me in after life, but they
rather overdid this branch of instruction one way and another; for
example, Wiki had, as above indicated, a mania for bush-ropes and a
marvellous eye and knowledge of them; he would pick out from among
the thousands surrounding us now one of such peculiar suppleness
that you could wind it round anything, like a strip of cloth, and as
strong withal as a hawser; or again another which has a certain
stiffness, combined with a slight elastic spring, excellent for
hauling, with the ease and accuracy of a lady who picks out the
particular twisted strand of embroidery silk from a multi-coloured
tangled ball. He would go into the bush after them while other
people were resting, and particularly after the sort which, when
split, is bright yellow, and very supple and excellent to tie round
loads.
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