294 AFRICAN CAMP FIRES. 



and ear ornaments of polished copper and brass. 

 When he joined us his sole costume was a negli- 

 gent two-foot strip of cotton cloth. After he had 

 received his official jersey, he carefully tied the 

 cloth over his wonderful head ; nor as far as 

 we knew did he again remove it until the end 

 of the expedition. All his movements were inex- 

 pressibly graceful. They reminded one somehow 

 of Flaxman's drawings of the Greek gods. His 

 face, too, was good-natured and likeable. A cer- 

 tain half feminine, wild grace, combined with the 

 queer effect of his headgear, caused us to name 

 him Daphne. At home he was called Kingangui. 

 At first he carried his burden after the fashion 

 of savages on the back ; and kept to the rear 

 of the procession ; and at evening consorted only 

 with old Lightfoot. As soon as opportunity 

 offered, he built himself a marvellous iridescent 

 ball of marabout feathers. Each of these he 

 split along the quill, so that they curled and 

 writhed in the wind. This picturesque charm he 

 suspended from a short pole in front of his tent. 

 Also, he belonged to the Kikuyu tribe ; he ate no 

 game meat, but confined his diet to cornmeal 

 porridge. We were much interested in watching 

 Daphne's gradual conversion from savage ways 

 to those of the regular porter. Within two weeks 



