THREATENED ATTACK BY THE KERE. 303 
0 
side of the river.’ After leaving Murle, we passed around 
a bend in the river, across a large tug coming from the 
east, and at eleven o'clock reached the Wandorobbo?” 
village of the Keére. 
“ Near this village the river forms a little lake nearly a 
mile square, around which we were obliged to thread our 
way through dense bush. Leaving the village with its few 
miserable inhabitants, we passed along the bank of the 
river, which is twenty feet high and undermined in places 
by the water, and then after three hours’ hard work cutting 
through the bushes, we came to a field of durrha more than 
a mile square. Here we came suddenly upon a war party 
of the Kére, on their way to the Murle, who rushed 
back to tell their chiefs as soon as they saw us. We 
pitched our camp about six hundred yards from a couple of 
very large villages of the Kére, as we did not wish to go too 
near and excite the inhabitants; but before we got the 
zareba cut, many hundreds of natives were dancing about 
us, looking very gay and warlike. On their heads were 
caps made of plaited reeds, and embroidered with white 
and blue beads in the form of disks. Several red and 
white ostrich feathers waved from each cap, and many 
iron bells dangled from the knees and ankles of the 
warriors. 
“ They were all naked, excepting a few who wore leopard- 
skins over their backs like the Arbore. Their spears are 
beautifully made, with gracefully tapering shafts and long 
necks to the blades, very light for throwing, about six feet 
long and with a small point. The shields are long 
g, and 
1 The Murle must number about eight thousand souls. They raise much 
excellent durrha, and own many goats and sheep, but no cattle. The river here 
was eighty yards wide, forty-nine feet deep, and flowing at the rate of four and 
a half miles an hour. 
* I use the Masai term “ wandorobbo” to designate the poor of any tribe, who 
live by hunting and fishing. 
