ABSTRACT
T HE lBo, IN HIS primitive days, did not allow himself to be overwhelmed with the problems of life. His chief objective was to enjoy himself as much as possible. On
The boys practise with these on birds and, more especially, the lizards that dart about the compounds. They are about as successful as the average English boy who stalks birds with a catapult! There is more fun and excitement in the competitions which they organise among themselves. Each member contributes a stipulated number of cowrie shells to the pool which constitutes the prize for the winner of the shoot. Another way is for the winner to collect all the shot arrows after each bout. The prize then goes to the lad who holds most arrows at the end of the match. The target is a piece of the stalk of a koko-yam leaf, or a fragment cut from the stem of a banana tree. This is thrown forward about five paces, and the throw serves as the signal for all to shoot. The first marksman to pierce the target is the winner of the bout. There is no time limit to the competitions; the boys continue to shoot round after round until they are tired of the game.
