200 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



starved in infancy. They possess pleasing features, 

 and very fine eyes and teeth ; their hair is short and 

 w^ooUy ; the color of their complexion is of a light cop- 

 per. The various tribes live in kraals, or villages, of 

 various sizes, along with their respective chiefs. Their 

 wigwams are built in a circular form, and thatched 

 with long grass ; the floor and wall, inside and out, are 

 plastered with a compound of clay and cow-dung. The 

 entrances arc about three feet high and two feet broad. 

 Each wigwam is surrounded with a hedge of wicker- 

 work, while one grand hedge of wait-a-bit thorns sur- 

 rounds the entire kraal, protecting the inmates from 

 lions and other animals. 



The dress of the men consists of a kaross, or skin 

 cloak, which hangs gracefully from their shoulders ; 

 and another garment, termed tsecha, which encircles 

 their loins, and is likewise made of skin. On their 

 feet they wear a simple sandal formed of the skin of 

 the buffalo or camelopard. On their legs and arms 

 they carry ornaments of brass and copper of different 

 patterns, which are manufactured by themselves. The 

 men also wear a few ornaments of beads round their 

 necks and on their arms. Around tlieir necks, besides 

 beads, they carry a variety of other appendages, the 

 majority of which are believed to possess a powerful 

 charm to preserve them from evil. One of these is a 

 small hollow bone, through which they blow when in 

 peril ; another is a set of dice, formed of ivory, which 

 they rattle in their hands and cast on the ground to 

 ascertain if they are to be lucky in any enterprise in 

 which they may be about to engage ; also a host of 

 bits of root and bark which are medicinal. From their 

 necks also depend gourd snuff-boxes made of an ex- 

 tremely diminutive species of pumpkin, trained to grow 



