THE WHITE-EARED COB 
169 
at Kurwa (io miles inland), was a magnificent savage, 
both in appearance and manners. 
Tall, lean, spectral figures were these Shilluks, many 
appearing 7 feet in height, lithe of limb as greyhounds, and 
all stark naked—merely coated in red or yellow clay, or 
blanched with the grey wood-ash in which they make their 
lairs. Some had ostrich-plumes waving aloft, and each 
carried a handful of murderous spears. An antecedent 
incident deserves passing note. After that wild joint 
hunt, we had assembled beneath a grove of shade-trees. 
Baraka and Abdul were busy off-skinning, and I was 
having lunch ; our weird auxiliaries squatted in a circle 
around. A strange trilateral group we formed! Though 
none of the triplice spoke the other’s tongue, yet conversa¬ 
tion flowed continuous, Arab, savage, and Britisher all 
discussing the hunt. Fierce-looking as they appear—and 
assuredly would be in a scrimmage—yet these simple, 
stark, unsophisticated examples of a species in evolution 
revealed a nice sense of “manners.” Curiosity, it was 
clear, was their main mental pre-occupation; yet an 
innate sense restrained its undue display. After a while, 
however, I felt just a gentle touch on my foot, and found 
that an inquiring black hand sought *0 investigate 
the mystery of British shooting-boots! Undoubtedly the 
owner of that hand was intent on ascertaining whether 
leather foot-gear forms an integral part of the anatomy 
of the white man. 
Of the four animals secured that day, two were as 
black as these cobs ever become at this point of their 
range (specimens marked D and E in tabulated list at end 
of chapter); at any rate, these two were selected as the 
blackest seen to-day among many hundreds. Closer 
examination disclosed the surprising fact that the two 
blackest bucks were actually the poorest in horn of the 
four! A beautifully brindled animal {E), specially selected 
as representing the intermediate type, taped nearly two 
inches more on the horn; while a purely fawn-coloured 
