Note 87 — Chapter XVI

This patrol begins at dawn and lasts through the day and night. The African never yet invented an hour, but as the bands perform at nearly equal tri-horal periods, he is here seldom at a loss for finding his time. From 6 A.M. to 8 A.M. is the Ahan-’é, mostly of bone rattles, followed till 11 A.M. by the Broh, rattles and drums. From 11 A.M. till noon is the Gan or Panigan, “gong-gongs,” with heralds recapitulating the titles and exploits of all the Dahoman dynasty; this was established by the present King; Gezo ordered it only once a day, before dawn. From noon to 3 P.M. is the time of the Wime-hun—cymbals and flutes, followed till sunset by the Goawe—mostly drums. From 6.30 P.M. till 9.30 to 10 P.M., the Agbaja, tom-tom, beats; the Kpwen, or horns, sound till midnight, relieved at 3 A.M. by the Akko; finally, the early gun, or “gong-gong,” and the heralds’ work begin at 3 A.M. and end at sunrise. The bands consist generally of a man and four boys. They sit upon mats under a tree, before the palace gate, strike up at times, and accompany the soldiers of the patrol.