90 
THE KILIMA NJARO EXPEDITION. 
liinder part of the skin covered the back, while the long 
white tail of the monkey was disposed in such a manner 
as to suggest its being actually a caudal appendage of the 
wearer. Other soldiers wore, in place of Colobus skins, 
huge thick capes round the neck and shoulders, resem¬ 
bling the fur capes of our coachmen. These were 
generally made of cock’s feathers (black), or of the 
short, dark feathers of the ostrich. Round the ankles 
were short “ raffs ” of goat-skin, and often a “ ring ” of 
goat-skin—that is to say, a tag of hide with a slit 
through it—was thrust on to the finger. The lobes 
of the ears were distended with plugs of wood or 
hollow wooden rings, or hung with an infinitude of 
very fine steel chains (a local manufacture). Various 
other ornaments or charms decorated the body, but in 
all cases adornments and coverings were so disposed 
as to strictly avoid any purpose of what we should call 
decency, these people of Kilima-njaro, like those of 
Taveita, showing no idea of employing clothes for con¬ 
cealment. 
I had time to pause and make these observations, 
for we had come to a halt. After passing the groups 
of soldiers whose attire, or the want of it, has just been 
described, we had gone through a hedge of dwarf 
dracaenas and scarlet-flowered aloes, and were arrived 
on another open space at the back of Mandara’s com¬ 
pound. Hereupon we were directed to pitch our camp. 
The tent was soon up, and the loads were carefully 
piled in front of it, packed as compactly as possible, 
so as not to excite too much cupidity by a rash display 
of wealth. When this was finished, a messenger from 
Mandara arrived leading an unwilling goat. This 
animal was killed in my presence, skinned and cut up, 
and a small piece of the hide was made into a ring for 
