CHARACTER OF THE WAJIJI. 



69 



stranger's speech and manner before his face ; they can 

 do nothing without a long preliminary of the fiercest 

 scolding ; they are as ready with a blow as with a word ; 

 and they may often be seen playing at " rough and 

 tumble," fighting, pushing, and tearing hair, in their 

 boats. A Mjiji uses his dagger or his spear upon a 

 guest with little hesitation ; he thinks twice, however, 

 before drawing blood, if it will cause a feud. Their 

 roughness of manner is dashed with a curious ceremo- 

 niousness. When the sultan appears amongst his people, 

 he stands in a circle and claps his hands, to which all 

 respond in the same way. Women curtsy to one an- 

 other, bending the right knee almost to the ground. 

 When two men meet they clasp each other's arms with 

 both hands, rubbing them up and down, and ejaculating 

 for some minutes, " Nama sanga ? nama sanga ? — art 

 thou well ? " They then pass the hands down to the 

 forearm, exclaiming "Wakhe? wakhe? — how art thou ?" 

 and finally they clap palms at each other, a token of 

 respect which appears common to these tribes of Central 

 Africa. The children have all the frowning and un- 

 prepossessing look of their parents ; they reject little 

 civilities, and seem to spend life in disputes, biting and 

 clawing like wild cats. There appears to be little 

 family affection in this undemonstrative race. The 

 only endearment between father and son is a habit of 

 scratching and picking each other, caused probably by 

 the prevalence of a complaint before alluded to ; as 

 amongst the Simiads, the intervals between pugnacity are 

 always spent in exercising the nails. Sometimes, also, 

 at sea, when danger is near, the Mjiji breaks the mourn- 

 ful silence of his fellows, who are all thinking of home, 

 with the exclamation, u Ya mgiiri wanje ! — 0 my wife ! " 

 They are never sober when they can be drunk ; perhaps 



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