neighbouring towns on the coast, they had left it.
They said that within the preceding year they had
been attacked by a body of Somali, some- hundreds
of whom were armed with rifles; they had beaten
them off, however, with great loss. They expressed
hearty contempt for the rifles used by the Somali;
which must have been muzzle-loaders charged with a
poor quality of powder, and most probably with too
small a charge. The Rendile said their shields were
sufficient to turn the bullets. They had heard of our
victory over the Wamsara, and expressed great surprise
thereat; for they reckoned the Wamsara to be
as formidable as the Masai, and the latter, in the old
days, had always been able to rout the Somali in
battle.
The chief medicine-man of the tribe was called
Lesegetetti; he was not a native of the Rendile, but a
Masai. His sway dated from the defeat of the Rendile
at the hands of the Turcana. Up to that time
their chief medicine-man was a Rendile, named Lao-
goum; but as his magic had been unable to ward off
the attacks of the Turcana, his influence since that
day had waned, and Lesegetetti was considered the
most powerful medicine-man of the tribe.
We waited at Kome another day, hoping there
would be more trade; but few natives came to us, and
they only to beg tobacco. One was an intelligent
young fellow, and by means of presents we got him
to sit down and tell us all he knew about his people
and their customs. All our questions were answered
with satisfactory readiness; but as we never entered
into intimate relations with the Rendile, I am unable
to vouch for the truth of the following items of his
conversation; and in fact, from my knowledge of
negro character, I would suggest that they be received
with more or less caution.
The Rendile believe that God first made two people
(Rendile), a man and a woman, and two camels ;
and that from these pairs sprang the race of the Rendile
and their camel herds. The original home of the
Rendile was Naudo (meaning, in the Masai tongue,
“ a high place” ), situated somewhere in the neighbourhood
of Lysamis; that is, the country lying between
the General Matthews range and Lake Rudolph,
which from time immemorial has been inhabited by
the Rendile.
All males are circumcised in the ordinary Arab
fashion, and their navels are cut away entirely, leaving
a small round hole. This cutting away of the navel
is done when the child is about three years of age;
while circumcision is delayed until the age of puberty.
When the males get their second set of teeth, the
two lower front teeth are cut out. Only one other
East African tribe is said to practise the same mutilations;
these are the Marie, living to the north of
Lake Stephanie, in all probability a kindred race.
Polygamy is in vogue, the number of wives being
limited only by the man’s ability to support them.
The marriage ceremony is wholly a matter of business
; but, according to my informant, is a more or
less complicated affair, requiring time for its completion.
When a young woman finds favour in the eyes
of a young man, he must first pay court to her father,
and ingratiate himself by a present of seven female