Telegram-herald., 1890-01-04
THE BELLIES Or AFRICA.
ao~ Tasy Bnhancs TnsT Charms
an WIG Beauty
YSasS Wolaea De<oTat91 froG Read -
EssE ~ ehea9 beA1sA str-ass Car
1ssE - era la Fse4iisF Naa a1sr
-CzFls-s Is4lst secrets.

g4E4s - ora
-CzEis4s Ielst secrets.
Gorgeous l. hardly the socd ~ apply
= tie gerlp ~ the ordinary African
savage, BIT, aTltes Thomas stevens e
tie Nes York World. it may well be a.
loved % s1aAa il regard 70 tie gaia
costumes % lAe Ellap aai ol y-sz-nned
W4Ielts bellies eho fairly 5oox posses
si0n Of 0gF camp ca thls Cccasiou.
The Ws-ght u beads they carry and
the manner ln which they are worn
must % exceedingly uncomfortable.
But they care no more for comfort where
fashion IS concerned than DO the ladies'
Of Paris Or New Y0.sl The savage belle
Is, IN fact always = greater yotary q
fashion than her civilized sister n
Mss tashlonplats 0f America converts
herself into a wasp and the Golden Lily
of China dlsCards her feet 1t ths dc
tAtes Of fashion, rest assured that The
oark daughters of the savage continent
at we'll up - their lights in the same
direction. Bat the M"reita belle
does nothing absurd. There are no
holes bored in her lips, nor Is her well
oiled body disagured 5y tattOoing as are
The women ot many savage peoples. She
lies her front teeth 10 sharp point.
which leads YOU 20 draw irreverent
COM Parsons between her knowing
smile and the JAWS OF a rat-trap. Her
chin Is elevated Ike a British soldiers
by the enormous collar Of beads she
wears and various other little peculiari-
ties reveal themselves 20 our eyes or our
nOstrils as she poses before our tent %
BE- admired; bat with all this, / say she
IS neither human wasp nor person
no has 20 be carried pick-aback from
having destroyed her feet
But let Us endeavor TO draw picture
OF her as near - one may in mere words.
In the FIRST place, you see nothing Of
fashionable MTeita woman's neck. The
whole contour from chin 10 collar-bone
IS filed out with bulky roll OF hun
dreds OF strings OF many-colore6 beads
that elevates the chin and impedes the
movements OF the head. Forty or fifty
other and longer strings suspended from
each shoulder cross between the breasts.
forming a bandolier that seemed 70 US
:
Another huge coil encircles the waist.
or, in some instances, instead OF in
numerable strings, bead belt of curl
GUS pattern and neat design. One
would think this were beads enough 10
satisfy even the most bead-loying Afri-
can damsel. But even those massive
accumulations fall short of perfection
in the eye OF the M'Teita belle. Wher-
ever there is room about her person TO
bestow bead, there, rest assured, will
the bead be found, If she has enough 70
20 round. The head is shaved so as to
leave circular patch of wool on tho
crown, about three inches in diameter.
\ broad band, or cOrouet. of beads en-
circles and covers this shaven part, and
the hair OF the crown is gathered and
twisted into hundreds OF tiny strings,
on each of which is threaded a red.
white, blue or green bead. Hoops OF
beads threaded on wire adorn the ears;
seat cuff-ike bands of the same bright
articles encircle arms and legs: and, in
deed. the flg-leaf. with which her simple
soul satisfies the requirements Of de-
cency, Is a ting -Sron of beads, fringed
and embellished by border Of tiny
iron chains Of Chaga workmanship.
But the most curious object about the
Mount Leitar ladies' costume. and
which was seen by IS on the women OF
no other tribe, is observed from 4 back
view. Suspended from the beads
around her waist is a piece of goat-skin,
patterned after IN exaggerated swallow
tail, the pointed extremities of which
descend 20 the calves and hap iauntilv
about her legs as she walks. It need
less to add that this strange garment
also is adorned with beads.
Picture 70 yourself hundred or 50
choco,ate-hued women of all sizes and
ages, one-half Of their persons glistcn-
ing like patent leather in the bright
sun. with every motion OF their supple
bodies, by reason Of tho liberal dressing
Of castor-0il they have plastered on. and .
the other half bright and barbarous oi .
c0lor-masses Of beads, and YOU have
with rs seen truly East African spec z
tacle But take my advice and clap
your handkerchief 20 your nose in defer .
ence 20 shat particularly dashing young
lady who IS approaching The tcut. She
has been making her toilet af-esh for
the conquests Of the afternoon among
the porters. Tn other word s. sha hai
Just come from ber hut. after amounting
from head t7 foot with pint or go Il .
extremely o6oriferous oil How she
shines and Eistons and what a bou-
queti And how proud and solf-Conscious
sho IS of these added cbarm~' She can