46 A COLONY IN THE MAKING chap. 



solely by the labouring class, one is apt rather to 

 underestimate the male physique. If he can possibly 

 avoid it, the young able-bodied Kikuyu warrior will 

 not condescend to do one stroke of work. The 

 labour in his own fields is done almost exclusively 

 by women, while the men sit on and watch. 

 Mr. Routledge considers that this custom is a survival 

 of the period when the males had to stand armed 

 and ready to protect their wives and families. Myself, 

 I think that it is due to the delightful feeling, so well 

 known to ,us all, engendered by lying at ease and 

 watching others work. Sentimentalists who see in 

 the trait only the splendid independence and glorious 

 freedom of the savage would find very different names 

 if our own able-bodied young men sat all day in 

 the public house while they left the whole work of 

 the country to be done by their wives, children, 

 and parents. 



It must be confessed that a young warrior is rather 

 an imposing sight with his long spear in hand and his 

 sword girt to his side, his hair picturesquely tied, 

 wire ornaments round neck and arms, his goat skin 

 thrown over one shoulder and Collobus monkey skin 

 around his ankles. His courage, however, has always 

 been in inverse ratio to his attire. 



The women, however, are much better developed 

 than the men — indeed for their size they are extra- 

 ordinarily muscular, especially in regard to the 

 carrying of loads. Brought up from the very earliest 

 age to the bearing of burdens such as water, fuel, 

 grain, etc., they become capable of absolutely sur- 

 prising feats in this direction. Whereas the male 

 Kikuyu porter grumbles at, and indeed is generally 

 physically incapable of, carrying more than 50 lb., a 



