Chap. IX. THE WOMEN. 127 



as slaves. Some masters, who fail to secure their affections, 

 frequently find themselves without a single servant. 



The Makololo ladies are liberal in their presents of milk 

 and other food. They seldom labour, except to adorn their 

 own huts and court-yards. They drink large quantities of 

 boyaloa, or o-alo, the bdza of the Arabs, which, being made 

 of the grain called Holcus sorghum, or " durasaifi," in a 

 minute state of subdivision, is very nutritious, and gives that 

 plumpness of form which is considered beautiful. They dis- 

 like being seen at their potations by persons of the opposite 

 sex. They cut their woolly hair short, and delight in having 

 the whole person shining with butter. Their dress is a kilt 

 reaching to the knees ; its material is soft ox-hide, and is not 

 ungraceful. A soft skin mantle is thrown across the shoul- 

 ders when the lady is unemployed, but when engaged in any 

 labour she lays this aside and works in the kilt alone. The 

 ornaments most coveted are large brass anklets as thick as 

 the little finger, and armlets of brass or ivory. The rings 

 are so heavy that the ankles are often blistered by the weight ; 

 but " pride feels no pain," and the infliction is borne as 

 magnanimously as tight lacing and tight shoes among our- 

 selves. Strings of beads are hung around the neck. The 

 fashionable colours are light green and pink, and a trader 

 could get almost anything he chose to ask for beads of these 

 colours. (24) 



The women have somewhat the same ideas with ourselves 

 of what constitutes comeliness. They frequently asked for 

 the looking-glass ; and the remarks they made while I was 

 engaged in reading, and apparently not attending to them, 

 were amusingly ridiculous. " Is that me ? " " What a big 

 mouth I have ! " " My ears are as big as pumpkin-leaves." 

 " I have no chin at ail." Or, " I should have been pretty, 

 but I am spoiled by these high cheek-bones." " See how my 

 head shoots up in the middle ! " As they spoke they laughed 

 vociferously at their own jokes. One man came when he 

 thought I was asleep, and, after twisting his mouth about in 

 various directions, remarked to himself, " Teople say 1 am 

 ugly, and how very ugly 1 am indeed ! " 



At our religious sevices in the kotla a small portion of the 

 Bible was read, followed by a short explanatory address. The 



