BORI THE CHIEF. 



273 



market those not wanted as home-hands — this 

 eternal state of feud of course greatly demoralizes 

 the people. 



One of Bori's many cousins led us to the 

 ' Government House/ which was surrounded 

 with a wall of stone and lime : he found lodgings 

 for us in a large hut and a hroad verandah ; after 

 some delay we were fed with dates and coffee, 

 with rice and cream pressed from pounded cocoa- 

 nut meat, and with fowls and mutton, the victim 

 being a dun-coloured sheep with a long fat tail, 

 very unlike the Somali breed. In the evening 

 there was a Ngoma Khu, the normal dance of 

 honour, preluded by the loud singing of the 

 women inside the house, and by the warning 

 sound of three drums. The corps de ballet, a dozen 

 strong, young and old, then defiled before us. 

 Their heads were clean shaven, or half grown, or 

 covered with short stiff curls intensely black and 

 forming the least grotesque of African coiffures : 

 the dress was an indigo-dyed stuff with large red 

 stripes and border extending to the feet, and 

 round the bosom a white cloth or some coloured 

 cotton contrasted with the blue. Presently the 

 ballerinas formed line and divided into two parties, 

 facing inwards ; the performance consisted of 

 trampling and twirling with heads inclined on 



VOL. II. 18 



