A WATUSI QUEEN. 
131 
blow at a live mass of charcoal which has the nodules 
of metal intermixed with it. In this calcining nothing 
else seems to be used, and the metal melts, descending 
into a recess, much in the same way as I have seen at 
the Cumberland lead- works. 
One morning, to my surprise, in a wild jungle we 
came upon cattle, then upon a " bomah," or ring-fence, 
concealed by beautiful umbrageous large trees, quite 
the place for a gypsy camp. At the entry two strap- 
ping fellows met me and invited my approach. I 
ming]ed with the people, got water from them, and 
was asked, "Would I not prefer some milk?" This 
sounded to me more civilised than I expected from 
Africans, so I followed the men, who led me up to a 
beautiful ladylike creature, a Watusi woman, sitting 
alone under a tree. She received me, without any 
expression of surprise, in the most dignified manner ; 
and, after having talked with the men, rose smiling, 
showing great gentleness in her manner, and led me 
to her hut. I had time to scrutinise the interesting 
stranger : she wore the usual Watusi costume of a 
cow's skin reversed, teased into a frieze with a needle, 
coloured brown, and wrapped round her body from 
below the chest to the ankles. Lappets, showing 
zebra-like stripes of many colours, she wore as a " turn- 
over" round the waist; and, except where ornamented 
on one arm with a highly polished coil of thick brass 
wire, two equally bright and massive rings on the 
right wrist, and a neck pendant of brass wire, — except 
these and her becoming wrapper, she was au naturelle. 
I was struck with her peculiarly formed head and 
graceful long neck ; the beauty of her fine eyes, 
mouth, and nose; the smallness of her hands and 
