178 
THE WOMEN OF K All AGUE. 
to be touched. The bows of Karagne are the finest I 
have seen in any part of the world, 6 feet 2 inches in 
height, and of immense power ; the arrows are about 
the length of the arm, seldom or never poisoned, with 
their tips shaped like a spear-head. There is no par- 
ticular character in the spear : the handle is from six 
to twelve feet long, and the iron part indifferently 
made, the people prizing themselves more upon their 
bows. Guns are unknown, except amongst the princes. 
As has been mentioned, the Wanyambo are fond of 
carousing over drink, singing and chanting wild airs 
till early morning ; but tottering drunkards such as 
we see at home are never met with — the people have 
more self-respect. The food of those who possessed 
cattle was chiefly milk ; others lived upon boiled sweet 
potato, the flour of Indian-corn or millets, and various 
calavances or beans. Meat they eat when they can 
get it, but fowls and fish are forbidden them, though 
the prince M'nanagee told me the Wanyambo would 
eat the former " on the sly." 
The princesses have been well described by Speke, 
who had more opportunities of seeing them than I 
had. One I saw walking, enormously fat, obliged to 
rest every few paces, by sitting down or reclining in 
a stooping position, one hand grasping a long staff. 
When seated, her head was uncovered, the wool 
allowed to grow into a mop neatly tied off the face 
with a thong of leather, and having a bouquet of bird's 
feathers in the centre. The face was a handsome oval, 
with fine intelligent eyes, and the flesh of her arms, 
bare from the shoulder, hung down like a fashionable 
sleeve. They had few employments, their mode of life 
forbidding this, and most of them could not move 
