120 TRADE AND COMMERCE. 



be applied to, who are quite willing to supply thern in return 

 for adequate presents. The red cloths, for the most part very 

 fine and of a pleasing dark shade, are called stingo, and are 

 exchanged for two or three cows a-piece, or their equivalent 

 in cloths. Lastly, the common undyed cloths, called mbugu, 

 are considerably cheaper, and can be purchased in the markets 

 for 300 to 400 cowries. As already mentioned, the prepara- 

 tion of this material is best understood in Uganda, and the 

 finer kinds are exported from that country to Karagwa, 

 Ruhanda, Unyoro, and the southern highlands, as well as 

 to Usoga and Uamara. The Luri chiefs also, dwelling on the 

 western shore of the Albert Lake, like to wrap themselves in 

 the flexible cloths of Uganda and Unyoro, so as to contrast 

 with their subjects, who are either nude or clothed only in 

 skins. They are undoubtedly superior to roJcJco, the cloth 

 prepared in the Nyam-Nyam countries and in Monbuttu from 

 the bark of the Eurostigma ; all pieces of roJcJco are coarse 

 and ragged compared with the pliant mbugu, a great deal 

 probably depending on the preparation. 



The Wanyoro share with the people of Karagwa their fond- 

 ness for dressed skins and hides. I do not include among 

 these leopard skins, which are only worn by members of royal 

 families, and a few privileged individuals as a mark of royal 

 favour ; nor do I mean the various monkey and cat skins, all 

 of which are employed only as ornaments. Only cow-hides, 

 goat and more rarely sheep skins, and the skins of large 

 antelopes come under the head of clothing properly so called. 

 All these are prepared for use by being stretched out and 

 scraped. If the cow-hides are intended for men's clothes, the 

 hair is left on, the skin being softened, and, as far as possible, 

 the most handsomely marked specimens being selected. Those 

 for women, on the other hand, have the hair taken off the 

 entire surface except round the edge, where a border of two 

 fingers' breadth is left. As long as these hides are new and 

 clean, they look very nice, though not nearly so becoming as 

 the more flexible bark cloths, which drape gracefully. The 

 Waganda seem to have noticed this, for they are in the 

 habit of elegantly sewing together several goat-skins previously 

 scraped almost as thin as paper, thus forming large pieces, 



