48 A COLONY IN THE MAKING chap. 



increasing enormously, and find that a large area of 

 cleared land is essential for their maintenance. The fact 

 that this tribe, at all events, owes, not only its 

 property, but almost its very existence to our rule 

 should be borne in mind in their administration. 



In appearance they are ugly, without being repul- 

 sive, though the horrible distortion practised on the 

 lobes of the ear bring some of the plainer specimens 

 almost into the latter category. Here the men have 

 the advantage of the " fair " sex, as many of the young 

 males have decidedly graceful carriage, while the 

 continual hard work undertaken by the females, and 

 more especially the carrying of loads on the back, 

 destroys any pretensions to a good figure. There is 

 among the Wa-Kikuyu themselves no further standard 

 for female beauty than physical strength and the 

 capacity for hard work. 



The tribe have always been and are an entirely 

 agricultural one, and though their methods are very 

 primitive, the richness of the soil gives them an 

 ample return. Their principal crops are beans, maize, 

 millet, sweet potatoes, tobacco, and castor oil. For 

 food they eat meat, honey, and flour, the two former 

 being luxuries, the latter their staple diet. They keep 

 both cattle and goats, but rather as a standard of 

 wealth than for any practical use. The unit of wealth 

 is a goat. Thus a native field or "Shamba" is said 

 to be a one, two, or three goat shamba. Cows, 

 heifers, and bullocks are worth each so many goats. 

 The average price for an average wife would be about 

 35 goats, or say two cows and ten goats. 



Their huts are rather above the average native type. 

 It is advisable, however, not to visit the interiors, as, 

 in addition to sheltering sheep, goats, and chickens, 



