THE NATIVES OE BRITISH EAST AERICA 



have a good many cattle and fowls. They make good 

 workmen, and some of the best caravan porters we had 

 belonged to this tribe. 



Following the railroad northwest of Nairobi the Ki- 

 kuju territory begins, and, according to the statement 

 of a gentleman who had been in this country many years, 

 the splendid Kikuju race is probably destined to become 

 predominating in the interior of British East Africa; for 

 they are a great deal more industrious, clever and enter- 

 prising than any of the tribes of which I have spoken. 



The Kikujus also live in round houses with thatched 

 roofs, but the under part of these are made of solid boards 

 of wood, generally cut from the cedar, which here grows 

 in great abundance. The roof projects away out from the 

 walls, and so far down that a tall man has hard work to 

 crawl into his hut, the sides of which, in this way, are well 

 protected against both rain and sun. The roof is sup- 

 ported by wooden poles, which run in double rows, cross- 

 ing each other in such a way as to form a square in the 

 middle, under which is the open fireplace. On each side of 

 the entrance these poles divide the hut into three parts; 

 the middle, and larger one, is taken up by the rude bed 

 made of a big, slanting board, supported by poles about 

 three feet from the ground ; the room nearest the entrance 

 is used as a storeroom for cooking pots, milk gourds, and 

 so forth, whereas the other compartments contain the 

 small, or sick, sheep and goats at night. 



The Kikujus also live in polygamy. We heard of one 

 man, a great chief, who had over one hundred wives. 

 Each wife has her own house, but the first wife is the 

 *' boss " of the others. The male children are, as a rule, 



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