GLIMPSES OF EAST AFRICA AND ZANZIBAR 



just the lime for betel-leaf chewing, and a wee spoon 

 can be picked up. Little pots to hold the antimony 

 and paint sticks for blackening the eyes, bracelets 

 and beads are among the ordinary silver things to 

 be bought. The Arabs sometimes blacken their 

 eyes with antimony and their nails or hands and 

 feet with henna red. Baruku sometimes manicured 

 his hands in that manner to my disgust. 



Lamu on the coast used to be a centre of Arab 

 industry, the best work in silver and brass came 

 from there ; also there used to be an old china 

 industry which has much deteriorated and nearly 

 died out, making their old china very valuable to a 

 collector. I have a beautifully made writing-box 

 or jewel-case, all the ornamentation of which is in 

 the carved fitting inside ; this was made in Lamu. 

 I saw one other like it in an Arab's possession, but 

 not in such good condition as mine, which contained 

 sliding hidden drawers and boxes. Lamu is built 

 on an island and is healthily situated because of 

 the fresh breezes which blow over it from the Indian 

 Ocean, and the soil is porous. 



Personally I think the Arab silver work done 

 in old Lamu much superior to the Indian work of 

 to-day. They applique silver wire on silver things 

 in a very pretty manner. Many of the things are 

 silver-gilt. 



The ladies went in for wonderful ear-rings, and 

 nose knobs, and silver beads for neck and wrist, the 



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