154 EASTERN ETHIOPIA xii 



Whilst I was writing these things, a clever, pretty 

 lady came into my library. She was adorned with 

 ornaments, bangles, and charms, although deeply and 

 conscientiously devout. Among the ornaments the sub- 

 joined may he compared with those of the old Ja-Luo 

 savage : — 



1. A tiny locket with a design in blue enamel which 

 was given on the occasion of her confirmation. 



2. A silver medal embossed with the figure of St. 

 Anthony of Padua. Worn with the hope that if she 

 lost anything, this Saint would help her to regain it. 



3. A pig carved out of Irish bog wood. This had a 

 piece of its leg broken off on the very day her husband 

 asked her hand in marriage. She still wears it " for 

 luck." 



4. A piece of turquoise supposed to come from a 

 mastodon's tooth. 



5. The key of a dispatch box suspended on a metal 

 label impressed with the fa,mily coat of arms. 



6. An image of the Virgin Mary carved in ivory. 



7. A copper ring worn to cure "nerves." Bought from 

 a pedlar in Venice. This fellow had the crural muscles 

 and nerve prepared from a frog and laid on a zinc 

 plate ; whenever he laid the copper ring on the plate 

 and allowed it to touch the nerve, the muscles moved. 

 It amused me to watch the clever way this cheap-jack 

 gulled the men and women. 



8. A whistle to call cabs. 



9. A vauity case, containing a powder-puff, face 

 powder, and a looking glass. 



10. She also wore a small silk bag containing 

 eucalyptus leaves as a protection against chicken pox. 



Almost all tourists in British East Africa are 

 interested in the ornaments worn by naked natives. 

 It has been pointed out already (p. 120) that the ear 

 ornaments possess tribal and social significance ; it is 

 also clear that the apparently commonplace adornments 



