After five hours’ march we emerged suddenly from the thorn jungle, and entered a series of magnificent plantations which extend round the base of the entire mountain, forming, when
the crops are springing, a charming light green setting to the dark mountain mass. We here met the Wa-teita women in considerable numbers, and we moved up to camp amidst the firing of guns and the wondering cries of the native damsels and married women, who recalled former scenes of a
similar character as they ran alongside with curious stares and excited laughter, their pendant breasts flapping against their bosoms like half-empty, loosely-attached leather bottles. We soon crossed these cultivated fields ; and in a short time we found ourselves camped under a shady sycamore, drinking deep draughts of clear water from a cool rill which splashed and tumbled down the rugged face of Ndara, and invited us by its merry music to the luxury of a bath. Unfortunately we had to restrain our ardent desire to strip at once.
The cultivation of the fields is the work of the women, who descend daily iu the proper seasons. To this doubtless is to be ascribed their fine development of limb, and general appearance of healthiness compared with the men, who are thin and immuscular. Their huts we found to be beehive-shaped, with very low walls. The daylight is entirely excluded, owing to a partition which runs a consider- able way round the inside of the house in the manner of a spiral, thus forming a narrow passage from the doorway, and sheltering the sleeping-place from a direct current of air. A fire is kept burning night and day in the hut, supplying their sole illumination.
Next day Mr. Wray joined me, and for the first time in the latter’s short experience of African life he enjoyed a scare. The occasion of this was a little episode of a lively nature. The "Wa-teita we had engaged at the coast to cany- our supplies of food for a certain amount of cloth, had declined pointblank to take the kind offered, and demanded a sujjerior quality. This I refused, and now on my return, finding that I was not inclined to give in, they and their friends began screaming and yelling themselves into a mad state of excite-ment. At last one man, unable to restrain himself, and probably hardly knowing what he was doing, drew his sword, and began prancing about as if getting up the steam to run amuck. As he gyrated about he suddenly stabbed through
the tent which covered the goods, and almost finished one of my men. It was like striking a match among gunpowder.
In a twinkling my men raised a warning cry and guns were seized. The Wa-teita, raising their war-cry, also drew their swords or bent their bows, but carefully withdrew to the outskirts of the camp, where they sheltered themselves behind rocks and trees, yelling like madmen and bidding us defiance. The women, on the other hand, who had crowded down to sell food, fled screaming to the mountains. The war-cry raised below soon spread through the forest and up the mountain sides, rising ever higher, till the very clouds seemed to give forth unearthly sounds. For a few minutes the position was critical, and Mr. Wray, unaccustomed to such scenes, prudently retired into my tent.
The slightest accident, such as a gun fired, would at once have precipitated a fight, which it is true would have been a comparatively harmless matter to me, but would have placed Mr. Wray in a most awkward position. At all hazards such a consummation had to be avoided, and, putting myself unarmed between the two equally excited parties, I ordered my men to return to their tents, and then, turning to the Wa-teita, let them know that we wanted peace, but were prepared, as they saw, for war.
If they were of the same mind, they must stop the diabolic row they were raising, and send a few of their elders, with whom I would try to arrange the dispute. This had the desired efiect, and by mutually making concessions, the difficulty Avas finally smoothed over, much to Mr. Wray’s
relief, Avho, not unnaturally, somewhat exaggerated the importance of the demonstration. The Wa-teita never dreamed of a real fight ; they were obviously only trying a little bravado
to see if it would frighten us. Still, as I have said, such a demonstration might easily have turned into a most serious affray, and I have no doubt, if it had happened while I was out of camp, nothing could have stopped my men from shooting.
I was anxious to obtain some photographs of the natives, and I tried hard to win their confidence. Putting on my most engaging manner, I exhibited tempting strings of beads as bribes. In vain,
however, did I appeal to their love of gaudy ornaments. With soothing words, aided by sundry pinches and chuckings imder the chin, I might get the length of making them stand up; but the moment that the attempt to focus them took place they would fly in terror to the shelter of the woods.
To show them photos, and try to explain what I wanted, only made them worse. They imagined I was a magician trying to take possession of their souls, which once accomplished they would be entirely at my mercy. They would not in the end even look at a photo, and the men began to drive the women away. I spoiled several negatives, and finally gave up the attempt on finding that I was " wasting my sweetness on the desert air,"
Let me attempt a brief description of these Wa-teita. The men, as in all lands, do not merit many words. They are rather below the average size, lean and spare, though wiry and capable of considerable endurance. Their absence of muscular development betokens a want of strength. Their features may be described as a cross between the low development of the negro physiognomy and that of such a tribe as the Galla or Somali.
And now let me ask the gentle reader, who is sufficiently curious and not too bashful, to assist at the toilet of a swell M-teita damsel. On entering the low circular hut and seat- ing ourselves on whatever object may be made to serve the purpose of stools, we gradually, by the glimmer of the fire, and through the stifling heat and choking smoke, descry our fair friend, who intends to give a demonstration of how they " gild refined gold, and paint the lily " in Africa.
As our eyes become accustomed to the gloom, we observe that she is very short in stature, unusually round in the face, and with a somewhat projecting facial angle. The figure, for a negress, is not bad, though wanting in that pleasant curve at the waist which more accords with our idea of female beauty. She has a magnificent development of limb, and is as active and supple as a snake. The expression is pleasant,and the glance of her bright eye and the smile on her lips are lively and " knowing."
These "points " we take in at a glance, and become still more at our ease on being speedily made aware that the real clothing of the demonstrator is already on, or rather has never been off. This is a coating of lamp black and castor-oil, which emits an aroma that gallantry compels me to call pleasing, but which, as an " aside " to the reader, I confess to be simply awful.
She adds a new coating for the conquests of the day, and shines, in the glimmering of the fire, like a snail fresh from its shell, and bent on an evening stroll. The reader will here take note, that this coating of grease and dirt is the only protection the M-teita has against the excessive heats of the day and the chills at night. It prevents too excessive perspiration, and wards off chills. Before receiving her visitors, the damsel has (it will be observed) donned a small piece of hide, about the size of a lady’s pocket-handkerchief, and literally covered with beads. Beliind she seems to have got possession of the tails of a missionary’s dress-coat. These she has lengthened out a little and also covered with beads, in various patterns, and now they dangle and flap about her legs in the most airy manner.
Some, however, vary this fashion, and in place of the two tails they rejoice in the posterior half of a highland kilt. Our equanimity being now quite restored, and decency being satisfied, when we see an opportimity to assist, we do 60 with alacrity. The hair of the head is shaved all round
the temples, till only a circvdar pat<ih three to four inches.
The " private view " being over, our pleasant friend fills her bag with Indian corn, and proceeds to receive public tokens of admiration at the camp and enjoy the excitement dear to the female heart of haggling over the price of her store.