OUR JOURNEY UP THE UBANGUI 239 



The Leti men are fine and have not unpleasant faces. 

 Their tribal mark, a varying number of blisters on the fore- 

 head, is like that of 

 the Sungos, of whom 

 they are a branch ; 

 they also have the 

 same custom of 

 piercing ears and 

 lips. The women, 

 and sometimes the 

 men, ornament their 

 bodies with a great 

 many raised pat- 

 terns cut in the 

 flesh chiefly of the 

 stomach, chest and 

 back, reminding one 

 of richly embossed 

 leather - work ; the 

 process must be 

 extremely painful. 



My journey this day was somewhat irksome. I had 

 come into the region to lead the simple life of a hunter, but 

 the news of my coming was spread before me, and just before 

 I reached one village I was met by the chief in his best go-to- 

 meeting suit of black coat and clerical hat. He saluted me as 

 " Commandant," which made me feel embarrassed as I stood 

 before him in my much torn and shabby shooting-clothes, 

 with boots whose soles were parting company from their 

 bodies. His greeting, however, did not lack ceremony on, 



EAR DISC MADE OF WOOD AND BRASS 



