296 TlMEHRI. 



now bound, by way of ornament, on to the three sticks 

 which project over the top of the shield ; and the outer 

 face of the shield, also by way oi ornament, is painted in 

 quaint barbaric patterns with certain white, red, and yellow 

 ochreous earths. The shield is now complete. It should 

 be added, however, that each maker prepares his shield 

 of a size suitable for himself, so that these vary in size 

 from that of the big full-sized man to those of the 

 small boys. 



The personal adornment is of a very simple nature, its 

 constituents, if we exclude the few beads or teeth which 

 a very few of the Warraus are rich enough to have and 

 to habitually wear, are only aeta fibre and coloured 

 earths. Yet it is a fact, easily paralleled among other 

 Redmen, that a great variety of taste, and some very 

 good taste, is individually shown. Among the group of 

 players all individuals may be discovered varying from 

 the sloven's state to that of the well and worthily dressed 

 man — I had almost said gentleman. Yet the latter has 

 nothing over his bright clean skin but a loin-cloth or lap 

 a few inches wide, a few bunches and twisted strands 

 of straw-coloured palm fibre — these latter sometimes 

 partly dyed to a pretty and congruous red colour — and 

 possibly a few patches of coloured earths, and sometimes 

 of plant juices. 



Here is the description of one special player, in a 

 sense as well and as becomingly dressed a man as I ever 

 saw. His waist-cloth was of clean white calico, and was 

 the only European thing about him. It was kept in place 

 by a thick girdle of loosely twisted palm fibres. Round 

 each of his legs, just below the knees, and round his 

 arms, just above the elbows, were similar girdles, each 



