‘The sick man walks, but does not want to run, but when he sees this, he runs against his will.’—A steep hill (which forces people to run in descending it). At Likoma they have a set form for riddle-contests, as thus: A. begins, ‘A riddle!’ The rest reply in chorus, ‘Let it come!’ A. ‘I have built my house on the cliff!’ All guess; if their guesses are wrong, A. repeats his riddle. If they still cannot guess right, they say, ‘We pay up oxen.’ A. ‘How many?’ They give a number. If A. is satisfied, he will now explain his riddle—‘the ear’ being the answer to the one given above. If any one guesses right, all clap their hands, and another player asks a fresh riddle. Another popular amusement might be described as a ‘debate.’ Boys and grown men both delight in it, though with the former it is sometimes the prelude to a fight. One of a party sitting round the fire, or wakeful in the dormitory, will say, ‘_Tieni, ti chita mákani_’—‘Come, let us have a discussion,’—and will start it, perhaps, by asking whether a hippopotamus can climb a tree. The arguments for and against the proposition are then advanced with the greatest eagerness, till the point is settled, amid volleys of laughter, or the company tired out. I have never, in Nyanja, come across any of the curious _itagu_ (‘catch-word compositions’) which the Yaos delight in, and which are recited by two or more speakers. The following specimen of a duologue is given by Mr. Duff Macdonald:— First Speaker. Second Speaker. Nda. Nda kuluma. Kuluma. Kuluma mbale. Mbale. Mbale katete. Katete. Katete ngupe. Ngupe. Ngupe akane. Kane. Kane akongwe. Kongwe. Akongole chimanga. Chimanga. Chimanje macholo. Macholo. Gachole wandu. It will be seen that the second speaker repeats the word given by the first (or something like it), and adds another to it, while the first in like manner catches up his last word, or part of it, sometimes giving it a different sense. It is almost impossible to translate this sort of thing, but the following composition on the same lines may serve to show how it is done. A. B. Ten. Tender and true. True. Truth shall prevail. Veil. Veil thy diminished head. Head. Head of the clan. Plan. Plant a new city, etc. etc. Here, of course, there is no pretence of connection, but the _itagu_ are really connected stories. The language of these _itagu_ is very difficult; either because they are very old, or because words are purposely distorted.