Section 76. A Funeral Dance⁠

Drums were beating⁠, horns blowing⁠, and⁠ people were seen all running in one direction. The cause was a funeral dance. I joined⁠ the crowd, and soon found myself in⁠ the midst of the entertainment⁠. The dancers were most (höchst) grotesquely⁠ got up⁠. About a dozen huge ostrich feathers adorned their helmets. Leopard or black and white monkey-skins⁠ were suspended⁠ from their shoulders, and a leather, tied (S. 7, N. 3, A) round the waist, covered a large iron bell which was strapped⁠ upon the loins of each dancer; this they rang⁠ to the time of the dance. A large crowd got up in⁠ this style⁠ created⁠ an indescribable hubbub, heightened⁠ by the blowing of⁠ horns and the beating of seven nogaras⁠ of various notes⁠. Every dancer wore⁠ an antelope’s horn⁠ suspended round the neck, which he blew occasionally in⁠ the height of his excitement.—Sir S. Baker, the Albert N’yanza.

Ein Tanz zur Leichenfeier.

were beating = were being beaten. See S. 2, N. 1. To beat a drum, eine Trommel rühren.

horns (were) blowing = horns resounded (ertönen).

Say ‘and one saw all (alles) people run in (nach) one direction.

sich an´schließen, which requires the dat.

in the midst, inmitten, which requires the gen.

entertainment = festivity.

grotesk.

‘to get up’, here aus´staffieren.

‘skin’, here Fell, n., of which form a compound expression with the pl. of the nouns ‘leopard’ and ‘monkey’, as explained in S. 71, N. 2.

were suspended = hung; from = von ... herab.

to be strapped, mit einem Riemen befestigt sein; ‘upon’ here an.

schellen; to — dance, während des Tanzens zum Takte.

auf.

style = manner.

created = made.

Say ‘which was (Passive) still heightened’, according to S. 7, N. 3, B.

Use the gen. of the def. art.

‘nogaras’—which use in its unaltered form in German—are a kind of drum.

notes = sounds.

wore ... suspended = had ... hanging; ‘round’, here an.

To render ‘antelope’s horn’ form a compound noun of the pl. of the noun ‘antelope’ and the singl. of the noun ‘horn’. Comp. S. 36, N. 7, A, B, and C, and mark further:

A. Although the first component of Compound Nouns is generally in the singular, some require the plural; as—Kinderstube, f., nursery; Bildergallerie, f., picture-gallery.

B, 1. The first component takes sometimes one of the genitive inflections s, es, n, en, or ens, according to the declension it belongs to; as—Königsmantel, m., royal mantel; Tageslicht, n., day-light; Heldenmut, m., heroism; Friedensliebe, f., love of peace.

2. We find, however, the terminations s or es used as a connecting link between the two components for the mere sake of euphony, even in cases where the first component is a feminine noun; this is more especially the case when the first component is in itself a compound expression, when it has one of the derivative suffixes heit, ing, ling, keit, schaft, tum, ung, or when it is a noun of foreign origin terminating in ion, at, and ät; as—Geburtstag, m., birthday; Hochzeitsgeschenk, n., wedding present; Weisheitslehre, f., philosophy; Religionsduldung, f., toleration; Universitätsgericht, n., university court.

C. In a few compound nouns we find one of the euphonic terminations e, er, and l used as a connecting link between the two components; as—Tagewerk, n., day’s work; Aschermittwoch, m., Ash-Wednesday; Heidelbeere, bilberry.

D, 1. When the first component consists of the stem of a verb, it is often joined to the second component without a connecting link; as—Schreibbuch, n., copy-book.

2. Sometimes a euphonic e is used as a connection link; as—Zeigefinger, m., forefinger; Haltepunkt, m., place of stopping.

in — excitement = in the highest excitement.