230 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 



tribe must attend strictly to their duties, and are 

 not allowed to marry or to smoke or to drink 

 until after their term of active service is completed. 

 Besides the spear and shield they generally carry 

 a sword or knobkerrie, suspended from a raw-hide 

 waist-belt ; and they certainly look very ferocious in 

 their weird-looking head-dress when on the war- 

 path. Once or twice I met detachments out on 

 these expeditions, but they were always quite 

 friendly to me, even though I was practically 

 alone. Before the advent of British rule, however, 

 sudden raids were constantly being made by them 

 on the weaker tribes in the country ; and when a 

 kraal was captured all the male defenders were 

 instantly killed with the spear, while the women 

 were put to death during the night with clubs. The 

 Masai, indeed, never made slaves or took prisoners, 

 and it was their proud boast that where a party of 

 elmorani had passed, nothing of any kind was left 

 alive. The object of these raids was, of course, to 

 capture live stock, for the Masai are not an agri- 

 cultural people and their wealth consists entirely in 

 their herds of cattle, sheep and goats. Curiously 

 enough they do not hunt game, although the country 

 abounds with it, but live principally on beef and 

 milk ; and it is also a common custom for them to 

 drink daily a pint or so of blood taken from a live 

 bullock. As they thus live entirely on cattle, and 



