332 Wanderings in Eastern Africa, 
parts. It depends from the neck by a thong which 
reaches to the small of the back, whence the skin falls 
to the calves and sometimes to the heels, according 
to its size and the taste of the wearer. It is used as a 
mat to sit upon ; and as the Wataita are anything but 
nice in their personal habits, this is quite a redeeming 
circumstance. But it has a very singular appearance, 
strikingly reminding one of a tail ; and Dr. Krapf, 
alluding to a story which attributes the possession of 
such posterior appendage to some of the peoples of 
Africa, suggests that the story may have had its 
origin in a custom similar to this of the Wataita ! 
The weapons of the Wataita are a large, two-edged 
knife, a long, unwieldy dagger, and the bow and arrow. 
The Kitaita bow is a poorly made weapon, and the 
arrow is a short, thin, pointed stick, but it is well 
feathered, and touched with deadly poison. They do 
not use the iron barbs of the Wakamba, Walangulo, 
and Wanika. 
Oh for a free and skilful hand to paint the other 
sex ! The poor women, how I pity them ! little as 
they would thank me for it. They are out in every- 
thing. In size, in figure, in feature, in dress, in orna- 
ments, they are quite the reverse of what we desire to 
see in their sex. They shave their heads in much the 
same way as the men, but wear a band of beads 
fitting tightly round the forehead and below the 
occiput. Prodigious collars of large, white beads, 
mixed sometimes with a little blue and red, are worn 
about their necks. These reach to their very chin, 
and must weigh from nine to twelve pounds. A wide, 
closely fitting band of beads covers the whole of the 
lumbar regions. Beneath this band, before and 
