304 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT 



CHAP. 



" Then are you not related to the Galla, Arussi 

 Galla, or the Borana ? " (the latter a tribe supposed 

 to live in the neighbourhood of the Juba River). 



" No ; we are not in any way kith or kin of those 

 people. Formerly we had trading relations with them ; 

 but for many years past we have been at war." 



" Who are you, then ? " 



" We are Rendile ; there are no people like us. 

 We are the s^reat Rendile tribe." 



Despite many further questions designed to ascer- 

 tain something further in connection with their his- 

 tory, this w^as all we were ever able to elicit from 

 them. 



The following day we received another visit from 

 the three chiefs. Instead of the horses, camels, and 

 donkeys I had expected them to bring as gifts, they 

 satisfied themselves with presenting us two very large 

 fat-tailed sheep. In anticipation of a much larger gift, 

 we had laid out what was in truth a magnificent pres- 

 ent for the chiefs; and despite our disappointment, 

 and the meagreness and lack of generosity they had 

 shown, we decided to present it as originally planned. 

 We gave them each a red flannel blanket, several 

 shawls, knives, coils of wire, and many pounds of 

 bright-coloured beads, besides several yards of the 

 heaviest American drill, called on the east coast of 

 Africa " marduf." They examined it closely, and said 

 that many years before a band of traders from Barawa 

 had brought them some just like it. 



After they had received their gifts, they said that 

 trade would begin on the morrow ; but that we must 

 first make blood-brothers with them, and after that 



