d all over, and carrying her with a noisy
procession to her husband.

The ladies of this country lead an easy life in many respects, their
chief object, apparently, being to get as fat as possible. Many of them
succeed wonderfully well, in consequence of their peculiar constitution,
or from the food they eat being especially nutritious. Five of
Rumanika's wives were so enormous that they were unable to enter the
door of any ordinary hut, or to move about without being supported by a
person on either side. One of his sisters-in-law was of even still
greater proportions. Speke measured her; round her arm was one foot
eleven inches; chest, four feet four inches; thigh, two feet seven
inches; calf, one foot eight inches; height, five feet eight inches. He
could have obtained her height more accurately could he have had her
laid on the floor; but, knowing the difficulties he would have had to
contend with in such a piece of engineering, he tried to get her height
by raising her up. This, after infinite exertion, was accomplished,
when she sank down again, fainting, for the blood had rushed into her
head. Meanwhile the daughter, a lass of sixteen, sat before them,
sucking at a milk-pot, on which the father kept her at work by holding a
rod in his hand; for, as fattening is one of the first duties of
fashionable female life, it must be duly enforced with the rod if
necessary. The features of the damsel were lovely, but her body was as
round as a ball.

The women turn their obesity to good account. In exchanging food for
beads it is usual to purchase a certain quantity of food, which shall be
paid for by a belt of beads that will go round the waist. The women of
Karague being on an average twice as large round the waist as those of
other districts, food practically rises a hundred per cent, in price.
Notwithstanding their fatness their features retain much beauty, the
face being oval and the eyes fine and intelligent. The higher class of
women are modest, not only wearing cow-skin petticoats, but a wrapper of
black cloth, with which they, envelope their whole bodies, merely
allowing one hand to be seen.

The travellers were allowed to move about the country as they liked, and
the king sent his sons to attend on them, that they might enjoy such
sport as was to be found. They heard of no elephants in that district,
but harte-beestes, rhinoceros, and hippopotami were common.

One day Captain Grant saw two harte-bee