CHAPTER VII FIGURES WHICH DO NOT BEGIN WITH OPENING A (CONTINUED)—PYGMY DIAMONDS—A MOUTH-TWO LITTLE BOYS RUNNING AWAY-A LITTLE FISH THAT HIDES IN THE MUD-A LITTLE BOY CARRYING WOOD A SECOND WORM-A BRUSH HOUSE-A SIX-POINTED STAR-THE BREASTBONE AND RIBSA BIRD'S NEST-TWO BOYS FIGHTING FOR AN ARROW-FLINT AND STEEL-THE REAL CAT'S-CRADLE. A PYGMY DIAMONDS MONG the African Batwa Pygmies, from the Congo Kasai Valley, at the St. Louis Exposition, was a bright little man, "Ottobang," who taught me this figure. First: Put both hands through the loop of string, up to the wrists, and take up between the thumb and index of each hand a short piece of the upper wrist string. Then make a small hanging ring in this string, by passing the string held by the right FIG. 632. hand toward you over the left hand string (Fig. 632). Turn this ring up, and put first the right thumb (Fig. 633) and then the left thumb (Fig. 634) away from you into the ring, and separate the hands (Fig. 635). Second: Get another person to take between the thumb and index the cross formed in the centre of the figure by the far thumb and near wrist strings, and holding the two strings firmly, pull them away from you (Fig. 636), keeping them taut, or slightly relaxing them as the movements require, but not letting go until told to do so. Third: Bend each thumb down, to hold firmly in place the far thumb string, and draw the hands toward you (Fig. 637) through the wrist loops, keeping the loops securely on the thumbs (Fig. 638). FIG. 636. |