420 



THE WASAWAHILI. 



to Europeans. They have no especial dislike to, 

 at the same time no fondness for, foreigners, 

 who in mind as well as body are separated from 

 them longo intervallo. 



The characteristic good points of the coast 

 race are careless merriment, an abundance of 

 animal spirits; strong attachments and devoted 

 family affection. There is amongst men an 

 artificial fraternity which reminds us of the 

 ' fostering ' of Ireland and the ' Lambmas brother 

 and sister ' of the local Kermess, St Olla's Pair : a 

 similar brotherhood is found at Madagascar. 

 Amongst the negro races generally each sucks or 

 exchanges blood from an arm vein, and the two 

 then swear relationship. The operation is called Ku 

 chanjana and the oath Sare or Sogu, — the Arabs, 

 by whose law it is forbidden, name it MusMti- 

 beh. Girls, even though their parents be living, 

 adopt a Kungwi or stead-mother, who may or who 

 may not be of the family : the latter attends her 

 ' Mwari ' (adopted child) when the first ablution 

 for puberty is performed, and at the wedding sits 

 upon the couch till decency forbids. The con- 

 nection reminds us of the Persian proverb, ' The 

 nurse is kinder than the mother.' Like Orientals 

 and certain peoples of Southern Europe, they 

 make little distinction between near and distant 



