THE MASAI 



legs, often from the knee to the ankle. Their arms 

 are covered in the same way from the shoulder to 

 the elbow, and again to the wrist. Round their 

 necks the married women wear the same coils of 

 iron wire, huge and heavy, also they have smaller 

 coils about four or five inches in diameter sus- 

 pended from their ears, the lobes of which have 

 been cut and stretched until the edge is as low as 

 their chins. 



Not content with all this, they add many fine 

 chains and beads and other ornaments to their ears 

 through holes in the top edge, and more over their 

 heads and round their necks. The single girls do 

 not wear the heavy neck and ear coils, but any 

 number of strings of beads and chains. Some of 

 them bead their cloths with white beads round the 

 edges, or down the seams. Many wear no rings, 

 others cover most of their fingers. The men wear 

 strings of beads or fine iron chains round their 

 necks, an assortment of ear ornaments, and armlets 

 of iron wire or beads on leather, and the same 

 round their legs. 



Some of the skins they wear are most artistically 

 beaded with small white beads, shells, or little hang- 

 ing bits of the fine iron chain. 



One horrid thing I have always noticed about 

 the Masai, is the prevalence of bad eyes. Oph- 

 thalmia is very common, and from neglect blinds 

 them in time. The little children I have stopped 



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