THE BANTU OF SOUTH AFRICA 



307 



Photo by Mr. jr. Ellerton Fry. 



MASHONAS BARTERING. 



the form of a Highlander's bonnet, leaving only their faces exposed. From their waists hung 

 quantities of leopard and tiger-cat tails or monkey-skins, which with the indunas form 

 such a thick skirt that you cannot see their legs at all. Some of the indunas, instead of the 

 bonnet of feathers, wear a roll of otter-skin across their foreheads, in which is stuck a crane's 

 feather, which waves gracefully in the air. This feather war-dress is most becoming, and 

 makes even an undersized, ugly savage look well; and as the greater part of the Matabili are 

 physically a fine, tall race of men, they look magnificent. The young girls wear round their 

 hips the brightest-coloured calicoes that they can manage to get hold of, which never, 

 however, reach to their knees, the rest of their persons being nude. With their merry, 

 pleasant faces, and upright, stately figures, they formed the prettiest, if not the most imposing, 

 portion of the spectacle. 



"The dancing lasted three days, during which time a great many oxen were slaughtered 

 for the assembled people, and immense quantities of beer were drunk. The third day was the 

 most interesting. In the large outer kraal the 4,000 beplumed warriors stood in a large 

 semicircle about six deep, all of them continually humming a slow chant, and every now and 

 then bringing their right feet in unison to the ground with a stamp. At intervals, amidst 

 applauding shouts, some well-known brave, after being called upon by name, would rush out of 

 the ranks and show how he had killed his enemies, going through a pantomime of how he 

 warded off the hostile blows with his shield, and at last delivered the death-stab with his fatal 

 assegai. Every downward thrust made with the assegai represented a life taken, and at every 

 stab the warriors all hummed out with one accord the word jee. One man I watched had 

 seventeen lives to account for, another fifteen, and so on. 



"At last the king came from the inner kraal, and, advancing into the circle, stood in the 

 midst of his warriors, dancing quietly by himself. He was dressed in monkey-skins and black 

 ostrich -feathers, and really looked a king. His favourite sister, Ningengnee, was also within 

 the circle, splendidly got up for the occasion, being covered with a profusion of beads, coloured 

 calicoes, brass armlets, and silver chains. As she was immensely fat, her gambols were more 

 grotesque than graceful; and she was so short-winded that she was continually obliged to 



