Thé Latookas have neither bows nor arrows, their
Weapons consisting of the lance, a powerful iron-headed
mace, a long-bladed knife or sword, and an ugly iron
bracelet, armed with knife-blades about four inches
COMMORO RUNNING TO THE FIGHT.
long by half an inch broad : the latter is used to
strike with if disarmed, and to tear with when wrestling _ y f - O
with an enemy. Their shields are either of buffaloes’
hide or of giraffes’, the latter being highly prized as
excessively tough although light, and thus combining
the Two requisite qualities of a good shield; they are
usually about four feet six inches long by two feet wide,
and are the largest I have seen. Altogether, Everything
in Latooka looks like fighting.
Although the men devote so much attention to
• .
their head-dress, the women are extremely simple. I t
is a curious fact, that while the men are remarkably
handsome, the women are. exceedingly plain;—they
are immense creatures, few being under five feet seven
inches in height with prodigious limbs. Their superior
strength to that of other tribes may be seen in the
size of their water jars, which are nearly double as
large as any I have, seen elsewhere, containing
about ten'gallons' in, these they fetch water from
the stream about, a mile distant from the town.
They wear exceedingly long tails, precisely like those
of horses, but made of fine twine and rubbed with red
ochre and grease. These , are very convenient when
they creep into, their huts on hands and knees. In
addition to the tails, they wear a large flap of tanned
leather in front. Should I eyer visit that country
again, I should take a great number of “ Freemasons’”
aprons for the women ; these would be highly prized,
and would .create ’ a perfect furor.. The only really
pretty women that I saw in Latooka were Bokke, the