DANCING AT GUBUL UWA YO. 9 7 



Dance going on, consisting of the men of two large 

 kraals forming a circle, 'marking time,' and waving 

 sticks, whilst the king, with rhinoceros-horn knob- 

 kerry, acted as bandmaster. There was also sing- 

 ing. Nini 1 requested me to stand up and join, 

 which I did. Every now and then a man rushes 

 out into the space in the middle, shaking his 

 shield and brandishing his assegai, enacts his 

 fighting, and shows how many he has killed, whilst 

 loud shouts are raised on all sides. The usual 

 dress consists of a head-dress of black feathers, 

 and a bunch of monkeys' tails round the loins, 

 with white frills of ox-tails on the arms, and (in the 

 case of veterans I suppose) a long solitary feather 

 to top all, and a piece of fur round the head. 

 The king had on a broad-brimmed black felt hat, 

 a huge bunch of monkeys' skins round his middle, 

 and carried an Elcho sword-bayonet (my present) 

 and a rhinoceros -horn knob-kerry. When the 

 dancing was over, the men defiled past the king 

 in companies, singing a monotonous but not un- 

 musical chorus, which they accompanied by rap- 

 ping their shields with their sticks, producing a dull 

 heavy sound. Strings of girls bore huge calabashes 

 of beer, under the weight of which some of them 

 staggered, to the kraal. For the most part they 

 were magnificent specimens of shapely young Kaffir 

 women. A tall handsome girl, who has been some- 

 times begging at my waggon, was a looker-on, and 

 presented a fine picture of a well-developed savage 



1 The king's favourite sister. 

 H 



