Sometimes one of the party carries an umbrella; and I assure you
the effect of a tall, stalwart Kafir, clad either in nothing at all or
else in a sack, carefully guarding his bare head with a tattered Gamp,
is very ridiculous. Often some one walks along playing upon a rude pipe,
whilst the others jog before and after him, laughing and capering like
boys let loose from school, and all chattering loudly. You never meet a
man carrying a burden unless he is a white settler's servant. When a
chief or the induna of a kraal passes this way, I see him, clad in a
motley garb of red regimentals with his bare "ringed" head, riding a
sorry nag, only the point of his great toe resting in his stirrup. He is
followed closely and with great _empressement_ by his "tail," all
"ringed" men also--that is, men of some substance and weight in the
community. They carry bundles of sticks, and keep up with the ambling
nag, and are closely followed by some of his wives bearing heavy loads
on their heads, but stepping out bravely with beautiful erect carriage,
shapely bare arms and legs; and some sort of coarse drapery worn across
their bodies, covering them from shoulder to knee in folds which would
delight an artist's eye and be the despair of a sculptor's chisel. They
don't look either oppressed or discontented. Happy, healthy and jolly
are the words by which they would be most truthfully described. Still,
they are lazy, and slow to appreciate any benefit from civilization
except the money, but then savages always seem to me as keen and sordid
about money as the most civilized mercantile community anywhere.
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