4 
82 EAST AFRICA AND ITS BIG GAME. 
anointing themselves with red clay and grease as all 
the other local savages. The men do not shave their 
heads, but cut their hair quite short, and all have iron 
and copper ornaments and chains round their necks, 
ankles, wrists, and upper arms, in addition to wearing 
beads and in some cases ostrich-feathers. They pay 
great attention to the stretching of the ears, and the 
favourite kind of ear-ring is a tube of tin about one and 
a half inch long, coiled round the lobe, to which are 
attached small strings of beads and finely-wrought iron 
chains ; the upper part of the ears are often pierced, 
and thin sticks about eight inches long placed in the 
aperture so as to slant backwards; these produce a 
decidedly Mephistophelian appearance. They generally 
carry snuff-boxes of various designs and curious work¬ 
manship, suspended by a small chain from one of their 
necklaces, and of these the most highly prized are 
made from the tip of a rhinoceros-horn, artistically 
ornamented with beads and little iron and copper 
chains. A piece of cloth looped up over one shoulder 
and hanging down to the knees forms their only cloth¬ 
ing ; and spears about six feet long shod with twelve 
inches of iron, short spatulate swords in leather scab¬ 
bards, knob-kerries of hard wood or rhinoceros-horn, 
small shields, hows and arrows, and muzzle-loading 
guns, represent their weapons. 
The women are altogether more pleasing than those 
of other tribes we met, and have better figures; the 
majority are quite black, but we noticed a few with 
complexions the colour of cafe-au-lait. If it were not 
