EXPLORATION OF THE RIVER YEI 369 



as a cummerbund, and necklaces of them are made in the 

 same way. 



The young women wear nothing except a broad girdle of 

 beads, but the older women use sheep- or goatskins, which 

 are skilfully tanned and quite soft. 



The Dinkas are a large tribe, spht up in several sections 

 under big chiefs ; they inhabit the country lying between 

 the Yei and the Bahr-el-Gebel, and a great portion of the 

 Bahr-el-Ghazel province on the left bank of the Yei. 



Besides being fishermen they are great breeders of 

 cattle and possess large herds ; but nothing like so large 

 as in former days when their cattle was so plentiful that 

 a man could give as many as forty head for a wife. Now 

 the number is reduced to four. This is owing to the raids 

 of the Dervishes and the Egyptians before our occupation, 

 and the effect has been deplorable, for the Dinkas, who 

 are low-bred and unintelligent, have up till quite recently 

 looked upon all white men as Turks ; consequently in many 

 parts their attitude towards me was not very friendly. But 

 I think they are now beginning to find out the difference 

 between our occupation and the tyrannies of former days. 



I had an example of their hostility in an unfriendly chief 

 who I believe was well known at Khartoum as a truculent 

 rascal and had threatened to kill the first white man who 

 should come into his country. I had stopped for the night 

 some half-mile from his village, not aware of its existence 

 at the time. After a Httle while a number of Dinkas came 

 out from the mimosa bushes and gathered round us. They all 

 carried long spears with formidable broad points. By 

 signs I made them understand that we were going to stay 

 II 2 a 



