CHAPTER XIX 



I become village magistrate — Makowa, the god of practical jokes — Sheikh 

 Chabindji is a fond father — The Mongaiyat hills — The tsetse fly opera- 

 tive again — Slaughter of game — -The value of beads — Adherence to 

 tribal customs — Sultans mere landless lords — The sheikhs are lazy — 

 Many compliment s. 



Numbers of disputes were brought to me for settle- 

 ment by the inhabitants whose villages we passed, so 

 I find that, instead of my usual two long marches 

 a day, I record a number of short ones. A rather 

 amusing case shows the belief in charms for com- 

 bating sterility. A husband returned his wife to her 

 father on the understanding that the latter should 

 make big medicine for her. He did so, with profit to 

 himself and great success, by marrying her to another. 

 The point at issue was. Was he entitled to keep the 

 " ma'al " paid by the first husband ? He argued that 

 he had kept his part of the bargain. 



The Ragaa, at our crossing-place, was 30 yards 

 broad, with banks 8 feet high. The bed was rocky. 

 Up-stream was a large, deep, picturesque pool. The 

 river ran at the foot of J. Murongo, which is like an 

 inverted bowl 450 feet high. 



That evening we were caught in another terrible 

 storm. The grass on the side of the road was now a 



foot high, so feeling our way in the darkness was easy. 



246 



