KAVIRONDO Gi, 



The natives are remarkably stingy and inhospitable, and in 

 this respect contrast unfavourably with other native races. 

 Even though their village food-stores may contain more than 

 the population can possibly require, and their fields may be 

 covered with luxuriant crops, they will refuse food to a starv- 

 ing caravan, and severely punish, and probably kill, any one 

 driven by hunger to help himself to a little from the vast wealth 

 of their fields. They not only insist on payment for everything, 

 but will refuse to sell anything e.xcept for the sort of bead that 

 happens to be in fashion with them at the moment. I was 

 stationed at Mumia's, the first Government station in Kavirondo, 

 for some months, and I had an opportunity of witnessing the 

 grasping greed of the natives. It happened that the only beads 

 the Government possessed were white, red, or blue ; the pink 

 ones were exhausted. The Soudanese garrison and the Svva- 

 hili porters were paid their food-ration with these beads ; and 

 yet the villagers not only refused to accept the Government 

 currency, but endeavoured to extort famine prices from the 

 unfortunate Government servants. More than once a native 

 would appear at the station and complain, that a Soudanese 

 soldier had snatched a basket of potatoes or flour and had 

 chucked him some strings of white beads, the owner having 

 refused to accept any but pink. As the Kavirondo have not 

 been conquered, but have come peacefully under British sway, 

 they consequently look upon the Government stations as tole- 

 rated, and not as the strongholds of the new and powerful 

 masters of their country. Hence difficulties may sometimes 

 cause strained relations. In most cases a judicious treatment 

 of the native chief or chiefs settles the hitch amicably. 



The chiefs are generally friendly disposed, will call on the 

 traveller, and bring him a present. The Kavirondo chief 

 Ngira presented me with a black fat-tailed sheep, when I passed 

 through his country on my last journey. Neither he nor his 

 chief attendants were naked, owing to the influence of Euro- 

 peans having passed frequently with their caravans of clothed 

 porters. In fact, all along the caravan route I noticed, especially 

 among the male population, that a good many were adopting 

 some form of covering, apparently in deference to the clothed 

 strangers that visit them. This covering consists of a piece of 

 goatskin or cotton cloth. Formerly, every man one met carried 

 a spear, but the peaceful British rule has had the visible eftect 



