238 THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 



at its junction with the wood : some assegais have a 

 central swell in the shaft, probably to admit of their 

 being used in striking like the rungu or knobstick. Men 

 seldom leave the house without a billhook of peculiar 

 shape — a narrow sharp blade, ending in a right angle, and 

 fixed in a wooden handle, with a projection rising above 

 the blade. The shield is rarely found on this line of East 

 Africa. In Usagara it is from three to four feet in 

 length by one to two feet in breadth, composed of two 

 parallel belts of hardened skin. The material is pegged 

 out to stretch and dry, carefully cleaned, sometimes 

 doubled, sewn together with a thin thong longitudinally, 

 and stained black down one side, and red down the 

 other. A stout lath is fastened lengthwise as a stiffener 

 to the shield, and a central bulge is made in the 

 hide, enabling the hand to grasp the wood. The fa- 

 vourite materials are the spoils of the elephant, the 

 rhinoceros, and the giraffe ; the common shields are of 

 bull's-hide, and the hair is generally left upon the out- 

 side as an ornament, with attachments of zebra and 

 cows' tails. It is a flimsy article, little better than a 

 " wisp of fern or a herring-net" against an English 

 " clothyard : " it suffices, however, for defence against 

 the puny cane-arrows of the African archer. 



As a rule, each of these villages has its headman, who 

 owns, however, an imperfect allegiance to the Mutwa or 

 district chief, whom the Arabs call " sultan." The Mgosi 

 is his wazir, or favourite councillor, and the elders or 

 headmen of settlements collectively are Wabaha. Their 

 principal distinction is the right to wear a fez, or a 

 Surat cap, and the kizbao, a^ sleeveless waistcoat. They 

 derive a certain amount of revenue by trafficking in 

 slaves : consequently many of the Wasagara find their 

 way into the market of Zanzibar. Moreover, the game- 



