Life at Banza Nokki . 207 
The bosom, elaborately bound downwards, is 
covered with a square bit of stuff, or a calico 
pagne —most ungraceful of raiment—wrapped un¬ 
der the arms, and extending to the knees : 
“ In longitude ’tis sorely scanty, 
But ’tis their best, and they are vaunty.” 
The poor and the slaves content themselves with 
grass cloth. The ornaments are brass earrings, 
beads and imitation coral ; heavy bangles and 
manillas of brass and copper, zinc and iron, load¬ 
ing the ankles, and giving a dainty elephantine 
gait; the weight also produces stout mollets , which 
are set off by bead-garters below the knees. The 
leg, as amongst hill people generally, is finely 
developed, especially amongst the lower orders : 
the “ lady’s ” being often lank and spindled, as in 
Paris and Naples, where the carriage shrinks the 
muscles as bandages cramp Chinese feet. 
In these hamlets women are far more numerous 
than men. Marriage being expensive amongst the 
“ Mfumo” or gentry, the houses are stocked with 
Hagars, and the children inherit their father’s 
rank as Mwana Mfumos, opposed to Mwana- 
ngambe, labouring people, or Wantu, slaves. 
The missionaries found a regular system of 
“ hand-fasting.” Their neophytes did not approve 
of marriage in facie ecclesice , “ for they must first 
be satisfied whether their wife will have children ; 
whether she will be diligent in her daily labour, and, 
