NOTES ON THE MASAI. 357 



of two warriors with long spears may have had 

 something to do with this. 



The Masai government is centred hi an over- 

 lord or king. His orders seemed to be implicitly 

 obeyed. The present king I do not know, as 

 the old king, Lenani, had just died at an ad- 

 vanced age. In former days the traveller on 

 entering Masailand was met by a sub-chief. 

 This man planted his long spear upright in the 

 ground, and the intending traveller flung over it 

 coils of the heavy wire. A very generous traveller 

 who completely covered the spear then had no 

 more trouble. One less lavish was likely to be 

 held up for further impositions as he penetrated 

 the country. This tax was called the honga. 



The Masai language is one of the most difficult 

 of all the native tongues. In fact, the white 

 man is almost completely unable even to pro- 

 nounce many of the words. V., who is a " Masai- 

 man," who knows them intimately, and who 

 possesses their confidence, does not pretend to 

 talk with them in their own tongue, but employs 

 the universal Swahili. 



