THE MASAI 



" Zareba " of brushwood, in which the cattle, sheep 

 and donkeys are placed at night. Near the huts I 

 saw smaller ones made in the same way, and I was 

 told they were used for storing grain, but as the Masai 

 do not eat much grain, many were for the young 

 lambs and kids, I think. When we were on the top 

 of the Aberdare Range, it was a quaint and pretty 

 sight to see the surrounding country covered with 

 these mounds, rising from the grassy plains, sur- 

 mounted by these brown kraals like caps. 



On the sites of quite old Masai camps and kraals 

 huge stinging nettles have sprung up, over six feet 

 high, as strong in their sting as in their stems, which 

 the orderlies with their bare legs and my dog 

 " Mark " found to their cost. Poor Mark nearly 

 went mad the first time he had the unpleasant ex- 

 perience of following carelessly through in our 

 tracks ; afterwards we always carried him if we 

 could. My hands and arms hurt for some time after 

 they were stung. 



But to return to the Masai, — one must be 

 careful to put the accent with decision on the first 

 syllable of the word in pronouncing their name. 

 They are descended from people of the Nilotic 

 stock, a wandering pastoral tribe ; they are tall and 

 slender, with a free and easy bearing, which when 

 dressed, or rather undressed, in their native manner 

 lends much grace to their movements. They are 

 not as a rule so ugly as many negroes, having well- 



75 



