166 



AMONGST THE EESHIAT AND TO LAKE STEFANIE 



blades are generally protected witli a small leather sheath, and 

 it is the custom to carry them pointing downwards in peace, 

 whilst holding them up is significant of hostile intentions. The 

 older men set very little store on weapons, dress, or ornament, 

 but they always carry in the right hand the indispensable karro, 

 the stool already mentioned, which serves as seat, bolster, and 

 sometimes also as tobacco-pouch. Xo male Eeshiat is ever seen 

 without his karro, but women do not use them at all. 



Though, as before remarked, the males are circumcised in 

 the Mahomedan manner, the Eeshiat do not seem to know 

 anything of the teaching of the prophet. Their one word for 

 God is IVr, at least that is all we were able to find out about 

 their religion. 



The Eeshiat address everyone as bal^ a word which, like the 

 schore of the Masai, and moratta of the Wakikuyu, signifies 

 friend. They greet their bed with a reiterated na, the correct 



answer to which is 

 fay a, but we could not 

 find out the meaning 

 of these words. 



The Eeshiat are 

 agriculturists and 



cattle breeders. They 

 grow the best kind of 

 dhurra, and two kinds 

 of pulse ^ in smaller 

 quantities in the river 

 meadows. They own 

 thousands of oxen, goats, and sheep, and hundreds of grey 

 donkeys, which last they breed for the sake of their flesh 

 only. They also keep dogs, but no feathered fowl. Only the 

 poorest of the people eat fish. They grow but a very little 



Phaseolus Mungo, L., and a kind of Vigna sinensis, L. 



EESHIAT AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. 



