File:A naturalist in Mid-Africa- being an account of a journey to the Mountains of the Moon and Tanganyika (1890) (14802599933).jpg

Identifier: naturalistinmida00elli (find matches)
Title: A naturalist in Mid-Africa: being an account of a journey to the Mountains of the Moon and Tanganyika
Year: 1890 (1890s)
Authors: Elliot, G. F. Scott (George Francis Scott), 1862-1934
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: London A.D. Innes & Co.
Contributing Library: Field Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: The Field Museum's Africa Council

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lley,a small precipice of rough dolerite has to bedescended ; and this being cleared, we found theland covered with herds of cattle and goats. Wepassed several of the little square camps of themarried people, and until we arrived at our campon the first Kidong river, our ears never restedfrom the strains of the various troops of donkeys. At this camp the country had a most curiousappearance. It was eaten down to the ground.Scarcely a blade of grass was an inch long. It isowing to the habit, very unusual with a pastoralpeople, of camping in large numbers, that theMasai are unable to remain more than a few daysin one spot, and also that the cattle disease hasbeen so deadly amongst these people, while thesame fact is probably responsible for the formationof these bands of Elmoran, and for a morality KIKUYU TO THE VICTORIA. 25 which is common in civilised cities, but mostunusual amongst savage races. Next morning when we started I saw to mydisgust that their kraals were also on the march.
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Fig. 5.—View feom Maungu Camp. The goats and cattle were collected into flocksand driven by the boys and slaves of their owners.Their huts, which are of a beehive shape formedof hides stretched over curved sticks, were rapidly 2(5 A NATURALIST IN MID-AFRICA. taken to pieces. A donkey was caught and sixof these long poles tied on each side of it; thenthe hides were folded and laid on its back. Their caravan must have extended over nearlyten miles, and was, of course, in a most helplesscondition. Some of the younger women had suchmasses of brass wire on their legs that they werealmost unable to walk. The number of peoplesuffering from frightful ulcers on the legs wasalmost incredible, and explains why the Masai areundoubtedly a diminishing and falling race. TheWanandi, Waleikipia, Wasuk, and other races areencroaching upon them, and I do not think theywill ever again be the dangerous people whichthey were a few years ago. The Germans about Kilimandjaro seem to haveshot any Masai that

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