IN THE JUNGLE 



Then appeared two women and a white goat. All 

 except the goat were dressed for visiting, with long 

 chains of beads, bracelets and anklets, and heavy 

 ornaments in the distended ear lobes. The manner 

 people sprang apparently out of the ground was 

 very disconcerting. It was a good deal like those 

 fairy-story moving pictures where a wave of the wand 

 produces beautiful ladies. By half an hour we had 

 acquired a long retinue — young warriors, old men, 

 women and innumerable children. After we had 

 passed, the new recruits stepped quietly from the 

 shadow of the jungle and fell in. Every one with 

 nothing much to do evidently made up his mind he 

 might as well go to Meru now as any other time. 



Also we met a great number of people going in the 

 other direction. Women were bearing loads of 

 yams. Chiefs' sons minced along, their spears 

 poised in their left hands at just the proper angle, 

 their bangles jingling, their right hands carried 

 raised in a most affected manner. Their social ease 

 was remarkable, especially in contrast with the awk- 

 wardness of the lower poverty-stricken or menial 

 castes. The latter drew one side to let us pass, and 

 stared. Our chiefs' sons, on the other hand, stepped 

 springingly and beamingly forward; spat carefully 

 in their hands (we did the same); shook hands 

 all down the line: exchanged a long-drawn *'woo- 



229 



