beaming lustrous eyes-restless and quick-o-lan
T h e ' S^ m t0 have caught rays o f the sun
Their bronze-coloured bodies v e W i
and unctuous with butter their <5 iu^ slnooth
the tuberose m u s c i ^ J
tevea. the hot lusty Hfe which
L e t me try to sketch one o f these r„b .
people, a K op l or peasant o f Uganda, at home.
THE KOPI OR PEASANT.
thaTlhe peTsln^ne peasant ooff UU ganda rke almiziegsh tt hbee isdaeiadl
to “ Toms e e aS i e ^ be W
and a family o f aM om iL T s “ ^^«. 'L e L a y ' b e
indolent i f yo u please, but not so i n d o t e as
e unmindful o f his own interests. F o r his
gardens are thriving, his plants are budding and at Sfbr r r d with ^ »■ has just been built and needs no repairs anrf
^ f e n c e d courts round it are aU i n ^ r d c“ d
J lZ sT t3in up and re?ard *
c o l o u r i f PS f ° rth ufr° m WS hu*’ 3 d ark-brownhood
a c r nt M a ^ v i«our ° f man"
thhee ccuLstoomm ao„nLf h-isd eCcoeunnt trCyT eaitnU-rae’ cdlraeyS-Mcodl ouafrteedr
robe of bark-cloth, knotted at the shoulder and
depending to his feet— apparently a contented,
nay, an extremely happy man, for a streak o f
sunshine having caught his face, we have a better
view o f it and are assured it reflects a felicitous
contentment. ^
He saunters— while arranging his robe with due
respect to decency— to his usual seat near the gate
of the outer court, above which a mighty banana
towers, shading it with its far-reaching fronds.
In the foreground, stretched before him, is his
garden, which he views with placid satisfaction.
It is laid out in several plats, with curving
paths between. In it grow large sweet potatoes,
yams, green peas, kidney beans, some crawling
over the ground, others clinging to supporters,
field beans, vetches, and tomatoes. T he garden
is bordered b y castor-oil, manioc, coffee, and
tobacco plants. On e i t h e r side are small patches
of millets, sesamum, and sugar-cane. Behind the
house and courts, and enfolding them, are the
more extensive banana and plantain plantations
and grain crops, which furnish his principal food,
and from one o f which he manufactures his wine
and from the other his potent pombe. Interspersed
among the bananas are the umbrageous
fig-trees, from the bark o f which he manufactures
his cloth. Beyond the plantations is an extensive
tract left *for grazing, for the common use of his
own and his neighbours cattle and goats.