I
accordingly pushed on, reaching home long after
dark; and there I found Mahina safe and sound,
with the lion's skin already pegged out to dry, so
that I could not find it in my heart to give him
the severe scolding he deserved for having
returned without me. Next morning I packed
up my trophies and returned to my work
at railhead. On my way back I happened to
meet one of the other engineers, who called
out, "Hallo! I hear you have got a fine
line."
My thoughts being full of my adventures of
the day before, I answered: "Yes, I did; but
how on earth did you hear of it?"
"Oh!" he said, "Reynolds told me."
"Good heavens," I replied, "why, he left before
I shot it."
"Shot?" he exclaimed, "whatever do you
mean?"
"Didn't you say," I asked, "that you heard
I had got a fine lion?"
"No, no," was his reply; "a fine line for the
temporary bridge over the river."
We both laughed heartily at the
misunderstanding, and when he saw my trophy, which was being
carried by my man just behind me, he agreed
that it was quite fine enough to monopolise my
thoughts and prevent me from thinking of
anything else.
CHAPTER XXI
THE MASAI AND OTHER TRIBES
A few Masai may still be seen on the Athi
Plains, but as a rule they keep away from the
railway, the majority of the tribe being now
settled on the Laikipia Plateau. Formerly they
were by far the most powerful native race in East
Africa, and when on the war-path were the terror
of the whole country from the furthest limits of
Uganda to Mombasa itself. Their numbers have
latterly become greatly reduced through famine
and small-pox, but the remnant of the tribe,
more especially the men, are still a fine, lithe,
clean-limbed people. While I was stationed in
the Plains I managed to have an interview with
the chief, Lenana, at one of his "royal residences,"
a kraal near Nairobi. He was affability itself,
presenting me with a spear and shield as a
memento of the occasion; but he had the reputation
of being a most wily old potentate, and I found
this quite correct, as whenever he was asked an
awkward question, he would nudge his Prime
Minister and command him to answer for him.
I managed to induce him and his wives and
children to sit for their photograph, and they
made a very fine group indeed; but unfortunately
the negative turned out very badly. I also got
Lenana's nephew and a warrior to engage in
combat with the spear and shield, and both
made fine play with their long keen blades,
which more than once penetrated the opponent's
shield.
The Masai have a wonderfully well-organised
military system. The warriors (elmorani) of the
tribe must attend strictly to their duties, and
are not allowed to marry or to smoke or to
drink until after their term of active service is
completed. Besides the spear and shield they
generally carry a sword or knobkerrie, suspended
from a raw-hide waist-belt; and they certainly
look very ferocious in their weird-looking
headdress when on the warpath. Once or twice I
met detachments out on these expeditions, but
they were always quite friendly to me, even
though I was practically alone. Before the
advent of British rule, however, sudden raids
were constantly being made by them on the
weaker tribes in the country; and when a kraal
was captured all the male defenders-were instantly
killed with the spear, while the women were
put to death during the night with clubs. The
Masai, indeed, never made slaves or took prisoners,
and it was their proud boast that where a party
of elmorani had passed, nothing of any kind was
left alive. The object of these raids was, of
course, to capture live stock, for the Masai are
not an agricultural people and their wealth
consists entirely in their herds of cattle, sheep
and goats. Curiously enough they do not hunt
game, although the country abounds with it, but
live principally on beef and milk; and it is also
a common custom for them to drink daily a pint
or so of blood taken from a live bullock. As
they thus live entirely on cattle, and as cattle
cannot thrive without good pasture, it is not
unnatural to find that they have a great reverence
for grass. They also worship a Supreme Being
whom they call N'gai, but this term is also
applied to anything which is beyond their
understanding.
Perhaps the most curious of the customs of
the Masai is the extraction of the two front teeth
from the lower jaw. It is said that this habit
originated at a time when lockjaw was very
prevalent among the tribe, and it was found
that if these teeth were pulled out food could still
be taken. This explanation seems scarcely
satisfactory or sufficient, and I give it only for what
it is worth: but whatever the reason for the
custom, the absence of these two teeth constitutes
a most distinctive identifying mark. I remember
once being out with a Masai one day when we
came across the bleached skull of a long defunct
member of his tribe, of course easily recognisable
as such by the absence of the proper teeth. The
Masai at once plucked a handful of grass, spat
upon it, and then placed it very carefully within
the skull; this was done, he said, to avert evil
from himself. The same man asked me among
many other questions if my country was nearer to
God than his.
