urs, even lovelier
than the last. Then just as the

"Sable clouds
Turned forth their silver lining on the night,
And cast a gleam over the tufted grove."

I heard the sounds of music; not such, indeed, as Milton's echo, with
Henry Lawes's notes, would have made,--of which the night and the scene
had made me dream; but the voice of the slaves on this their night of
holiday, beguiling their cares with uncouth airs, played on rude African
instruments. Taking one of my ship-mates with me, I immediately went to
the huts of the married slaves, where all merry-makings are held; and
found parties playing, singing, and dancing to the moonlight. A
superstitious veneration for that beautiful planet is said to be pretty
general in savage Africa, as that for the Pleiades was among the
Indians of Brazil; and probably the slaves, though baptized, dance to
the moon in memory of their homes. As for the instruments, they are the
most inartificial things that ever gave out musical sounds; yet they
have not an unpleasing effect. One is simply composed of a crooked
stick, a small hollow gourd, and a single string of brass wire. The
mouth of the gourd must be placed on the naked skin of the side; so that
the ribs of the player form the sounding-board, and the string is struck
with a short stick. A second has more the appearance of a guitar: the
hollow gourd is covered with skin; it has a bridge, and there are two
strings; it is played with the finger. Another of the same class is
played with a bow; it has but one string, but is fretted with the
fingers. All these are called Gourmis. There were, besides, drums made
of the hollow trunks of trees, four or five feet long, closed at one end
with wood, and covered with skin at the other. In playing these, the
drummer lays his instrument on the ground and gets astride on it, when
he beats time with his hands to his own songs, or the tunes of the
gourmis. The small marimba has a very sweet tone. On a flat piece of
sonorous wood a little bridge is fastened; and to this small slips of
iron, of different lengths, are attached, so as that both ends vibrate
on the board, one end being broader and more elevated than the other.
This broad end is played with the thumbs, the instrument being held with
both hands. All these are tuned in a peculiar manner, and with great
nicety, especially the marimba[92]; but, as I am no musician, I cannot
explain their methods.

[Note 92: The simplest of t