THE AGIBBAS 103 



On their heads, the hair of which was not dressed, 

 they wore a round bowl of felt adorned with two-inch 

 rings of beads of various colours, mostly white, and 

 some cowries. Just above the elbow was worn a large 

 tuft of giraffe tails, the band round the arm being 

 about four inches broad and thickly ornamented with 

 cowrie shells. Their bell they mostly wore under their 

 armpit. The sheikh was very simply dressed. His 

 grey hair was frizzled out and about two inches long, 

 and he was inclined to baldness. Except the giraffe- 

 tail badge and bell he had few ornaments. Their 

 method of carrying on conversation is very extra- 

 ordinary and unlike anything I have ever met or read 

 of, but indescribable. I would deem it incredible 

 had I not seen it. During the whole trip I saw only 

 one woman, and no children. The woman's nostrils 

 were pierced with lots of small rings, as were her ears. 

 The hair was short and not dressed. Around her loins 

 she wore a long skin, the hair of which, with the ex- 

 ception of a three-inch border, had been scraped off. 

 Through my glasses I could see that she was well 

 built, and besides the above wore many iron and brass 

 bracelets and anklets. 



As I said before, they were of fair height. The hair, 

 as one could see in the case of the older men, was 

 woolly. They were not markedly prognathous. They 

 flatly refused to have anything to do with carrying the 

 wood into or even near the steamer, but their sprinting 

 powers seemed quite fair. However, there are times 

 when every one develops quite a turn of speed, and 

 no doubt, in their case, the first bang of a gun was 



