144 EXPEDITION INTO 



covering" their e3'es, and peeping- askance to see if their 

 double selves imitated the action. Scarce^ a less powerful 

 impression was produced by some of my drawing's of wild 

 animalsj which I exhibited to them. In India^ even edu- 

 cated natives are exceedingly slow in recognizing' repre- 

 sentations of objects, but these unsophisticated damsels 

 instantly acknowledged the likenesses, by pronouncing the 

 name of the quadruped in an animated manner, draA\ing 

 the attention of their neio-hbours to the sio-ht. The Mata- 

 bili females are neither prepossessing* nor engag'ing ; they 

 shave their heads in the manner alread}'- described, and 

 wear a short leathern petticoat, which in most cases is their 

 only covering, although they occasional^ have a flap 

 of leather suspended from the neck. Their skin, from being* 

 constantly lubricated with grease and fat, acquires a shining* 

 appearance, and is of a dark brown colour, approaching* to 

 copper. Both sexes occasionally employ themselves in sew- 

 ing* skins, an operation which is performed by means of a 

 skewer or awl, by which they pierce a hole, and afterwards 

 introduce a thread composed of an animal's dorsal sinew, 

 resemblino' our fiddle-strino-s. Of this substance, which is 

 also used to string beads upon, they are generally provided 

 w^ith a large suppl}' suspended from the waist. So far as 

 we remarked, the women appeared little oppressed with 

 sensibility, although aftectionate to their children; the 

 latter wander almost in a state of perfect nudity until 

 the age of puberty. All classes are equalty devoted to 

 tobacco, taken as snuff; and the plant is so precious that 

 it is never used alone, but invariably adulterated with a 

 due admixture of earth or sand. 



Late in the afternoon we halted on the banks of the 

 Simalakate, a deep and tranquil stream, margined by reeds 

 and rushes, affording* a ready covert for lions, whose fresh 

 marks were everywhere visible in the neighbourhood. The 



