OUR JOURNEY UP THE UBANGUI 227 



horse-collar. Coiled copper rings are worn round the ankles 

 and below the knees. 



Both the men and women paint their bodies all over 

 with a red dye made from the bark 

 of a tree, which has a much deeper 

 colour than the red chalk used b^ 

 the Sara and other tribes. Before 

 putting on the dye they smear 

 themselves with a coating of mud ; 

 in this preparatory state they pre- 

 sent a very ghastly appearance. 



The tribal marks are three or 

 more lobe-shaped blisters down the 

 centre of the forehead. The Ban- 

 ziri are a well-made race, with re- 

 fined faces that are more Nubian 

 than Bantu in appearance. As a 

 rule the women, who far exceed the 

 men in number, go naked, so set 

 little value on cloth. The young 

 girls are particularly comely and 

 coquettish in their manners to the 

 stranger. 



In general the Banziri speak Sungo, an easy language, 

 and also the trade one ; it will carry the traveller the whole 

 length of the river. 



The ju-ju of this tribe takes its form from their chief 

 industry ; sticks hung with fishes' heads and shells are stuck 

 up near the river in which their fish- traps are placed. The 

 traps are cone-shaped at one end and have two compart- 



BANZIRI GIRL 



