Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/151

 Denkas, there is a veritable town, Ayak, or Dufalla, standing on the right bank of the river and surrounded by a palisade and a deep ditch. The dwellings, all built on raised platforms, are crowded together within the enclosure, whilst the zeriba is surrounded by a complete zone of villages. North-west of Ayak, at some distance from the river, and in a hilly cultivated district, is situated another zeriba, founded by the Arab traders. This is the town of Runbek, also called Roi, after the name of the river and its chief riverain tribe. It is the chief town of the Egyptian administrative Government. According to Felkin, the town population numbers about 3,000 individuals, and that of the neighbouring villages 30,000. In Rol dress is regarded as a religious privilege, and except the wives of the Arabs, no women have a right to be seen clothed. Towards the west, the great Bongo nation, also called Dor or Deran, occupy the hilly plains north of the Niam-Niam, watered by the Jau, the Tonj, the Jur, the Bongo, and their numerous affluents. Schweinfurth, who lived two years amongst the Bongo tribes, says that before the arrival of the slave-dealers they must have numbered at least about 300,000, but at present they appear to be reduced to 100,000. Formerly distributed in countless little independent communities, and living in peace .with each other, the Bongos never thought of uniting to resist hostile attacks. "When the slave-dealers presented themselves with their bands armed with guns, they easily gained possession of the villages on the plain, established their zeribas at all strategic points, and the whole country was soon at their mercy. The whole Bongo nation threatened to disappear in a few years, so rapidly was the country wasted by the slave-trade and oppression. The local civilisation perished, and certain industries were abandoned. Schweinfurth feared that this original people, so remarkable in physical traits and usages, might have been discovered only to be lost to science. It seems, however, that thanks to several years of peace, the country has begun to revive, although now again threatened by the raids of the Arabs and their native allies. The Bongo families appear to be fairly numerous, owing, i)erhaps, to their relatively late marriages : the young men marry only between the ages of fifteen and seventeen, whilst in other tribes unions take place at thirteen or fourteen.

The Bongo present a striking contrast to their northern neighbours, the Denka, although the two languages appear to point at a remote affinity. They are not so black, the skin being of a reddish brown, similar in colour to the ferruginous soil composing the terrace lands sloping northwards. Of smaller stature than the Denka, the Bongo are stronger and more thickset, the strong muscles of their thighs and calves presenting a marked contrast to the thin legs which give such a "stilted" appearance to the marsh tribes. The women have largely developed hips, and walk like animals, the tail they ornament themselves with, swinging about at each step, adding to the resemblance. Whilst the Denka head is narrow and long, those of the Bongo are all brachycephalous, the skull being nearly round.