cHAi'. XVII BLOOD-BROTHERHOOD 329 



live in the fastnesses of the forests, and will not enter into communica- 

 tion with caravans. In one of the woods on Laikipia, a few miles 

 to the north of the " Thelphusa swamp," we stumbled by accident on 

 one of their deserted huts. It was a mere bivouac, formed of four 

 upright logs, with the interspaces filled by brushwood, and covered by 

 a pointed roof of twisted boughs. A few days later I had the good 

 fortune to see some of the natives. I had left the path and was 

 busily engaged collecting specimens of a tree St. John's Wort {Hy- 

 pericimi Schiiiiperi, Hochst.), when I was recalled by a shout of "Watu" 

 (People) from the men. I ran back to the point whence came the 

 sound of my interpreter's voice, and forced a way through the bushes 

 on to the path beside him. He was talking to a couple of naked 

 natives, and I cannot say whether they or I were the most startled. 

 They heard the rustle in the bushes and looked round, expecting to 

 see another Zanzibari — and they saw me. Their hands dropped in 

 horror, and one of them said to the other " Ngai " (God). I had 

 expected and dreaded to find that they were Masai, instead of which 

 they were Negrillos. They were both of them young men of about 

 4 feet 6 inches in height. They were of a brown colour, different 

 from the copper brown of the Zanzibari or Masai. They had bent 

 shins, rounded heads, longish hair, and protruding jaws, and the outline 

 of their backs had the characteristic Bushman curve. 



They spoke Masai, and readily consented to lead us to a ford 

 over the Guaso Nairotia, and with much interest watched us pitch 

 our camp. I sent one of them with a present to their father to 

 ask him to visit us, and kept the other a hostage till he came. He 

 arrived towards evening with three other men, of whom one was of 

 normal size, and was clearly a half-breed Mkwafi. The bearing 

 of the men was frank and unsuspicious ; they shook hands at once, 

 without any of the preliminary palaver practised by the Masai. I 

 happened to strike a match, and the " elder " was so interested that I 

 gave him one or two, with which he promptly burnt his fingers. But this 

 did not in any way interfere with his friendly attitude, and he im- 

 mediately told us that he wanted to sell us some elephant tusks. He 

 insisted, however, that we should at once " eat muma," or go through 

 the rite of blood-brotherhood wuth him. He declined to do this with 

 me, but said any of my men would serve as a substitute. Ramathan 

 was selected, and the two men sat down together upon the ground, 

 the Askari's rifle and the native's bow being placed side by side upon 

 their heads. Each of the men made a slight incision on his arm, and 

 the blood thus obtained was mixed together, and each of them 

 smeared half the mixture on to one of his fingers and licked it off. 

 Meanwhile Alii, a porter who knew some Masai, drew a knife back- 

 wards and forwards along the weapons upon the men's heads, singing a 

 wild Masai incantation, to the effect that the Mzungu and the Wander- 

 obbo were thus made friends and brothers. 



