176 AFRICA SPEAKS 



with the help of files from the tool kit, sharpened their 

 swords for the next affray, I visited with them, learn- 

 ing something about their equipment. Most of the 

 shields were made of buffalo hide, the others from the 

 skin of the giant forest hog. After these skins have 

 been prepared and stretched over the wooden frames, 

 they are almost as tough as metal itself. The shields 

 are called "long" and the designs painted upon them 

 indicate to which clan or class the warrior belongs. 

 Their name for spear is "ngotit" and these are made by 

 their own blacksmiths from soft metal. After their 

 first meeting with the Hon, I had noticed that every 

 spear was badly bent, some of them almost double, 

 and inquired why they did not use tempered metal. 

 Their reply was that the white man's steel breaks, 

 whereas theirs only bends, it being an easy matter to 

 pound it back into shape again. 



There are many restrictions about the headdresses 

 which the warriors are allowed to wear. The young 

 chief Olaitorio wore a huge collar of ostrich feathers 

 around his neck, while the point of liis spear was tipped 

 with a ball of fine feathers, this latter being the badge 

 of his office. Three of the other men also wore the 

 sombe, or ostrich pieces rather than Hon or baboon head- 

 dresses. Most of the headpieces were shaped like a 

 busby, the majority being of baboon. Three of the 

 warriors, who had speared their Hon, wore the mane as 

 a headdress, this being known as "kutua" and represent- 

 ing the greatest honor a spearman can attain. Before 

 the Hon encounter I had been bantering the Nandi, 

 teUing them that the white women wore big hats, and 

 now they came up to shake hands and ask if I still 

 thought they were women. 



