368 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



troubles of the Yei. We sat down and awaited them ; when 

 close to us they wavered, some going back, while the rest 

 stood still to gaze at us, leaning on their long spears, with one 

 leg " akimbo " resting on the knee of the other — a habit 

 pecuhar to this tribe. I made signs to them to come to us ; 

 then they saluted me by raising their right hands and sat 

 down to stare at me and my boat with a wonder as great as 

 my own. On a near view I saw that their bodies had been 

 painted all over with a grey-white substance, which I after- 

 wards found out was a mixture of cow's dung and ashes, 

 used as a protection against mosquitoes. They were spare 

 in build and perfectly naked ; some of the youths were quite 

 6 ft. in height and very lanky, and many wore heavy rings 

 of ivory on their right arms. 



The Dinkas have square jaws, high cheek-bones and 

 prominent foreheads, and their eyes are so deep -set that 

 the face almost resembles a bare skull. This effect is in- 

 creased by the custom they have of forcing out the upper 

 front teeth which causes the lip to protrude very much. 

 Their hair is matted and grows far back on the forehead ; 

 they dye it a rust colour with red earth, and some train it 

 into a peculiar shape which in texture reminds one of a red 

 india-rubber sponge. A series of diagonal cuts covers their 

 foreheads. They showed a great contempt for cloth and 

 the only thing I had that they would look at were 

 "mitakos," for they are passionately fond of brass, using 

 it to make heavy bracelets. I remember at a village farther 

 on where we stayed for a night, twenty " mitakos," worth 

 tenpence, bought me a sheep. They are also fond of blue 

 beads which the men wear woven into waist-bands as broad 



