32 SPORT, TRAVEL, AND ADVENTURE 



lowed by the others. When he got into the open 

 space before my tent he seemed very unhappy, and 

 stared at me in blank amazement and hid his face 

 behind his hands. Some of his companions dodged 

 behind each other, while the majority remained partly 

 hidden in the jungle. 



I now had a complete view of my visitors, and what 

 struck me first of all was naturally the shortness of 

 their stature. But although they were so very short 

 (about four feet, by subsequent measurement), yet there 

 was a powerfulness about their build that is not often 

 seen in African races. Broad-chested, with muscles 

 finely developed, short, thick neck, and small bullet 

 head, the lower limbs were massive and strong to 

 a degree. The chest was covered with black, curly 

 hair, and most of the men wore thick black beards. 

 Each carried either bow and quiver and arrows, or 

 short thro wing-spears. Round their arms they wore 

 iron rings, and some of them had these around their 

 necks also. I chatted away to the little man who 

 knew the Toro language, and I was very much amazed 

 at the smart way in which he answered my questions. 

 His knowledge of the language was not perfect by 

 any means, and he often used words that were strange 

 to me, and savoured of Pygmy Land, yet he spoke 

 sufficiently well for me to be able to follow him. 



None of his followers for he was their chief seemed 

 to know the Toro language at all, and merely stood 

 looking on, lost in wonder at the white man's appear- 

 ance. He, the chief, had at some time or other come 

 in contact with the people of Toro, possibly at Mboga, 

 and had there learned their language. I asked him 

 all sorts of questions relating to the forest and to 



