Soldiering and Sport in Uganda 



of the reeds below. On the shores of the lake 

 enormous herds of cattle graze. These belong to 

 the Masai, who have been granted large land 

 reserves in the district. Formerly a very turbulent 

 and warlike tribe, they are now settling down to 

 the more peaceful pursuit of cattle-rearing. After too 

 short a stay I resumed my journey up the railway, 

 stopping at Nakuro to dine at its excellent hotel. 3 > 



The following morning I was awakened at day- 

 light by the train coming to an abrupt stop. I looked 

 out of the window and was surprised to see a whole 

 assemblage of natives in war-paint, with tremendous 

 head-dresses, shields and assegais, on the platform 

 of the station at which we were halted. I 

 found out they were Kavirondo natives on their 

 way to a wedding. On inspecting them more 

 closely, I saw that their head-dresses were formed 

 of ostrich feathers stuck into skins of lions or 

 monkeys. Around their necks were suspended 

 teeth, and on one man half the jaw of a hyena. 

 Their faces were painted red, and the eyes made 

 to look very fierce. They danced a short war- 

 dance, composed mostly of swift and furious attacks 

 followed by equally swift retirements. After a few 

 cents had been scattered among them (a cent is 

 a hundredth part of a rupee and enables a native 

 to exist for a whole day), they hurried off lest all 

 the beer should have been drunk by their more 

 punctual confreres. This Kavirondo tribe was the 

 lowest in the social scale I had as yet met. They 

 were totally devoid of clothing and quite shame- 



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