THE MASAI 



almost imagines, with glasses, men and animals 

 could be seen walking up their dark brown slopes, 

 whereas in reality they are about fifteen miles away. 

 On their highest point, called Mount Ngong, the 

 Masai believe there was found long ago one of their 

 gods (of which there were four of different colours, 

 but two of them were supposed to have been 

 killed). He was taken by them and treated well, 

 especially when they found him to be a medicine- 

 man. He married among them and founded the 

 family from which all medicine-men have been de- 

 scended since. 



Beyond these hills lies one of the present Masai 

 reserves. These people are a well-known tribe, 

 having in former times put much fear into the 

 hearts of travellers and traders whom they often 

 raided, sometimes in revenge for the ill-treatment 

 they met with at the hands of the Arab-Swahilis. 

 They were most warlike, and beyond tending cattle 

 seem to have done little else but raid and fight their 

 neighbours, even going hundreds of miles if they 

 thought thereby they would capture many cattle 

 from some less fortunate and less warlike natives. 

 Even now they are divided into three classes, boys, 

 warriors and old men ; the warriors, now that they 

 are kept in hand by Government and restricted to 

 their reserves, have little chance of fighting, except 

 as levies to help the regular British troops when 

 there is trouble with some other tribe. I saw them 



73 



