NOTES ON THE MASAI. 355 



waste of the energies of a fine race destined to 

 rust away, and of the lives of tens of thousands 

 of valuable beasts brought into existence only to 

 die of old age. If these matchless herders and 

 cattle breeders could be brought into relation 

 with the world's markets everybody would be 

 the better. 



Besides his sacred cattle the Masai raises also 

 lesser herds of the hairy sheep of the country. 

 These he used for himself only on the rare occa- 

 sions of solitary forced marches away from his 

 herds, or at the times of ceremony. Their real 

 use is as a trading medium for more cattle ! 

 Certain white men and Somalis conduct regular 

 trading expeditions into Masailand, bringing in 

 small herds of cows bought with trade goods 

 from the other tribes. These they barter with 

 the Masai for sheep. In Masai estimation a 

 cow is the most valuable thing on earth, while a 

 sheep is only a medium of exchange. With such 

 notions it is easy to see that the white man can 

 make an advantageous exchange, in spite of the 

 Masai's well-known shrewdness at a bargain. 

 Each side is satisfied. There remains only to 

 find a market for the sheep an easy matter. 

 A small herd of cows will, in the long run, bring 

 quite a decent profit. 



