A BUMA VILLAGE 



203 



the river we reached before sunset. The natives had been 

 warned of our approach by the keepers of the plantations, so 

 that our arrival did not surprise them. 



The village, situated on rising ground close to the left bank 

 of the Manamm, within a palisade the height of a man, con- 

 sisted of from thirty to forty hayrick-shaped huts, carefully 

 thatched with dhurra straw, and so close together that in case 

 of fire they must all have been burnt at once. We were 

 directed to camp in a neglected field of tobacco (with pink 

 flowers) near the entrance to the village, and a few minutes 

 later a shauri began, of course on the subject of the reasons 

 for our visit, the natives discussing the matter in a very sober 

 and sensible fashion. Some thirty Buma squatted near the 

 entrance inside the palisade, whilst we sat down a few paces 

 outside it. Then uprose a man in the prime of life and of 

 herculean frame, adorned with many a deep scar, and asked 

 what we had come for. Was it only to make inquiries as to 

 the way ? From which we could see how widely our plans 

 had been discussed. Eeassured on this point and enlightened 

 as to our wishes, our interlocutor answered with winning 

 simplicity : ' All right ; but it's too late to begin trading to-day, 

 and you are tired. So rest now. To-morrow we and the 

 Marie will fetch as much dhurra as you want ; but then you 

 will have to make haste, for you are in danger of being cut off 

 from your camp. W e ourselves have to set our huts on piles.' 

 And so ended the shauri. 



The natives soon left us alone, and we stretched ourselves 

 out to rest ; but, in spite of the big fire we kept up, the mos- 

 quitoes bothered us so, that we got very little sleep. 



The Buma and Marie seem to form one small people scattered 

 in numerous villages on the left side of the river. Their 

 language is the same as that of the Donyiro and Turkana, 

 which belongs to the Nilotic stock. The Buma cultivate 



