Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 4.djvu/388

 810 SOUTH AND EAST AFBICA. irrowth ; intorsiM^rsol, however, with gigantic tamarinds and sycamores, whose huge spreading branches nnght shelter a whole regiment; or the calabash-tree, m wlL hollow trunk a family might be accommodated. The Usagara Mountains abound espe<.ially in arborescent species with sweet-smelling flowers and dehcious fruits although never improved by cultivation. Wooded tracts are often met where the traveller might fancv himself everywhere surrounded by dense forests, vet as he advances the trees are seen to grow rarer and soon give place to tne mKMi savannah. In the Ugogo district, on the opposite side of the mountains, w<H,.ls are still met in the well-watered bottom-lands, while elsewhere fuel is so scarce that the natives arc obliged to burn cow-dung, as in the prairies of the Far West. Nevertheless, in these regions some large trees are still met, here a few calabashes or a solitary baobab indicating the site of human abodes, there a giirantic euphorbia scrying as a landmark or station for caravans. ^ ' But if forest growths are rare, large animals still abound, especially in the districts remote from the trade routes. Certain parts of the plateau are still frequented by the elephant, the rhinoceros, giraffe, buffalo, and ostrich. Till recently even lions were so numerous that villages had to be displaced to avoid their dangerous neighbourhood. Inhabitants. Several of the tribes dwelling in the northern part of the Rovuma basin scarcelv dilfer in speech and usages from the populations inhabiting the southern slope. Some lead an unsettled existence, frequently changing their settlements and making incursions on both sides of the river. Thus the Wanindis and the Mao-wano-waras, or Makondes, who assume the formidable name of Maviti in order to strike terror into their more timid neighbours, and who have wasted so many districts and enslaved so miny peoples on the south side of the Rovuma, have now established their chief encampments on the opposite slope. The two groups of tribes which confront each other from their -elevated terraces on both sides of the Lower Rovuma, speak a common language, and in other respects present such a strong family likeness, that they are evidently branches of the same race, notwith- standing their distinctive tribal names. On the south reside the Mavihas (Ma-Viha), on the north the Makondes, (Ma-Konde), the latter rendered extremely repulsive by the scarifications covering face and body, which are renewed from time to time in such a way as to raise ])rominent ridges on the surface of the skin. The pelele is also universally worn by the women, giving the upper lip from a distance somewhat the appearance of a boar's snout. Nevertheless the Makonde women enjoy a considerable share of indepondence. They are not purchased, nor do their parents claim the right to disj)se of them in marriage. On the contrary, they choose their own husbands, and when the matter has bee'^ settled by mutual consent, the bride enters her new home, sweeping the floor and setting everything in order. She is then joined by the bridegroom, who leaves his gun or other arms at the door. But although this