Chap. XV. MODES OF DRESSING THE UAJR. 287 



The hair on tliese towers has a parting- in the 

 middle and on the sides, which is very neatly done. 

 The whole structure must require years of careful 

 training- before it reaches the perfection attained by 

 the leaders of Ishogo fashion. A really good chignon 

 is not attained until the owner is about twenty or 

 twenty-five years of age. It is the chief object of 

 ambition with the young Ishogo women to possess 

 a good well-trained and well-greased tower oi' hair of 

 the kind that I describe. Some women are far better 

 dressers of hair than others, and are much sought for 

 — the fixing and cleaning of the hair requiring a 

 long day's work. 



The woman who desires to have her hair dressed 

 must either pay the hair-dresser or must promise to per- 

 forin the same kind ofHce to her neighbour in return. 



Once fixed, these chignons remain for a couple of 

 months without requiring to be re-arranged, and the 

 mass of insect life that accumulates in them durino- 

 that period is truly astonishing. However, the women 

 make use of their large iron or ivory hairi)ins (which 

 I described in 'Equatorial Africa') in the ])lnee of 

 combs. The fashion of the '"''chignon'' was unknown 

 when I left Europe, so that to the belles of Africa 

 belongs the credit of the invention The women 

 wear no ornaments in the cai^s, and I saw r,oiie who 

 had their ears pierced ; they are very different from 

 the Apingi in this respect. Like the women of other 

 tribes, they are not allowed to wear more than two 

 denguis, or pieces of grass-cloth, by way of petticoat. 

 This stinted clothing has a ludicrous effect in the fat 

 dames, as tiie pieces do not then meet well in the middle. 



