70 AFRICA SPEAKS 



teen feet long, eight feet in breadth, and six feet 

 in height, but most of this space is taken up by the 

 calves, their comfort being considered above that of 

 the humans. This circHng wall and ring of huts is 

 collectively called a village or manyatta and varies in 

 size according to the number of individuals Uving 

 under one chief. 



These inclosures are built to protect their cattle 

 during the night from the prowlers of the plains, but 

 in spite of all precautions, lions often gain an entrance 

 and make a kill. 



The Masai has many noble quahties, but no one has 

 ever accused him of the virtue of cleanhness. After a 

 manyatta has attained to a certain age, it is almost 

 impossible for a white man to approach it, but the 

 terrible odor seems to be perfume to him. It was 

 necessary for me to go inside in order to secure pic- 

 tures and while doing this work I made one of the 

 greatest scientific discoveries of the age. Probably 

 you have wondered, as I had, where aU the flies go 

 in the wintertime. The answer is to a Masai man- 

 yatta! These pestiferous insects are here in endless 

 swarms, and it was all I could do to endure two hours 

 of their constant attentions. I had my boys standing 

 by, trying to brush them away with wildebeeste-tail fly 

 swatters, but it was not possible to keep back the end- 

 less tide. How human beings can five in such filth is 

 beyond the white man's knowing. 



The large viUage where we hoped to secure our 

 pictures was situated eight miles directly east of our 

 camp among a large outcropping of rocks. Here we 

 went the next morning before daylight expecting to 

 find the cattle inside the boma, but were disappointed. 



