CATTLE AND WILD ANIMALS. 
G3 
always to be had, the people being afraid to keep 
herds of cattle, as they would attract the plundering 
propensities of the wandering Watuta race. Milk 
sometimes cost three strings of beads per pint; twelve 
measures of rice, one fathom of calico ; sweet potatoes 
were one-tenth of the price they brought at Zanzibar; 
a basinful of ground-nuts or a load of wood cost but 
one string of ordinary beads. In short, our men lived 
luxuriously on their daily allowance of one string of 
beads per man. The people preferred keeping a few 
milk-cows, being more productive than oxen, which 
were rarely met with, except one or two fattened up 
to a large size on purpose to be killed on the visit of 
a neighbouring sultan, or to celebrate some success in 
war. After the cattle have been brought in at night, 
a quantity of rubbish is allowed to smoke and smoulder 
in the centre of their fold. It was amusing to watch 
how each animal took up its nightly position, never 
altering it, and thoroughly enjoying the smoke, which 
prevented it from being annoyed by insects. The 
sheep were very stupid-looking animals, small, and 
wanting in rotundity. Their colour was either white 
and black, black with white, or a bay brown; no 
wool, but crisp hair; their tails tapered off from a 
broad fatty base. The head was the only handsome 
part; and two pieces of skin hung from the throat, as 
is seen in the long-eared breed of goats in India. 
Of wild animals we shot none on this route, though, 
away from the cultivations, the spoors of buffalo and 
antelope were seen. A herd of ten elephants had 
passed through the district, eating up the sorghum 
crop, but no one went after them. The skin of a leo- 
pard was brought us for sale. Its spots were jet black 
