VII 



TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 



281 



larly of late years; for they had conquered a large 

 army of Somali (called, by the Wanderobbo and Masai, 

 "Eljuju"). He added that the Rendile were always 

 fighting; that they had many horses; and that he had 

 heard there was a large tribe living near the Rendile, 

 but not on good terms with them, called Borana. 



The tenor of all his conversation made us await 

 with impatience the arrival of the men who were to 

 act as our guides; and when at length they turned 

 up, fat, sleek, greasy, and gorged with food, our spirits 

 rose. 



The contrast between these men and their wives, 

 mothers, and offspring was great indeed — the latter 

 being mere skeletons. They brought with them a 

 large quantity of meat, which their better halves seized 

 with avidity, and carried off to their huts, where, doubt- 

 less, it was soon despatched. The men were really 

 fine-looking fellows; and I was at once struck with 

 the fact that their features were entirely different 

 from those of any other natives of East Africa whom 

 I had seen. They approached nearer the Somali type 

 — having regular features, full-rounded chins, and fine, 

 bold eyes. In colour, they were brown rather than 

 black. The lobes of their ears were stretched, after 

 the Masai fashion. Upon each side of the breast 

 they bore a crescent-shaped scar, which started at a 

 point near the shoulder and ended near the lowest rib. 



Upon receiving a small present, they sat down and 

 allowed us to question them; but to our queries they 

 failed to give answers at all satisfactory. They said 

 they had originally belonged to the Berkenedji or 

 Samburu tribe, which had originally possessed the 



