Io DUFILE TO MRULL

2. From DUFILE UP THE NILE TO MaGUNGO ON THE ALBERT LAKE, AND SUBSEQUENTLY vif KIROTO AND MASINDI TO

MRrv1LI.

(Letter to Dr. A. Petermann, from Mrili, August 20, 1877.)

THE MADI—THE NILE BED—MOLA’S VILLAGE—THE MAGUNGO—LANDSCAPE

PICTURES— BAKER'S MASINDI—DISTRIBUTION OF THE FLEA—IRON

INDUSTRY.

My last letter will have told you that I arrived in Dufilé, and thought of staying there several days. As there is nothing specially noteworthy about the place itself, 1 was very glad of the spare time for collecting specimens, for making excur- sions into the neighbouring Madi villages, and for compiling

a small vocabulary of their language.

The Madi do not appear to be a very numerous tribe; their district joins the Makraka country on the west, and extends towards the south along the west bank of the river to Wadelai, where the Magtingo as well as the Madi language is spoken. South of Wadelai (also on the west bank of the river) live the Lur, who are subject to Kabréga, and speak Magungo. I shall have the opportunity of speaking of them later on. Madi also

live on the other side of the river, to a distance of about three days’ journey to the east of Dufilé; then come the Umird, a tribe of the Lango; then the real light-coloured Lango (Galla), who breed asses and camels. The most southerly place occu- pied by the Madi on the east bank is Bora, while their south- easterly neighbours are the Shuli, who, to judge from their language, must belong to the Magungo. ‘The men here also

are totally unclothed; the women wear a simple girdle with

a tail made of bark fibre, and an apron in front, about the breadth of two fingers, made out of leather or cotton-stuff. Iron ornaments, in the form of necklaces, bracelets, and anklets, are much worn. ‘The rings worn upon the arms and necks of very fashionable men often form regular armour, handsome to look at, but, one would think, uncomfortable to the wearer. One misses in this district the beautiful iron