The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-01
THE NASAL.
BY FRANK G. CARPENTER.

6 N the heart of the East African High
 lands, as far south of the Mediter- A ranean sea as New York is distant from Denver, and as far west of the h. dian ocean as Pittsburg is west of the Atlantic, I am writing this letter for my American readers. I am in the Great Rift valley, a mighty trough, which runs almost north and south through this part of the continent. It begins at the Zam- besi and traces of it are still to be found in Palestine. It is supposed to be formed by the earth half folding up after mighty volcanic eruption, which left the eraters of Kilimanjaro, Kenia and FL gon, mouthing the clouds at attitudes of from 14,000 to 20,000 feet.
 This great valley narrows and widens, it rises and falls, and it has many great lakes. Broadley speaking, all the great lakes of East Africa are in it or in it's spurs. North of here are Lakes Baringo and Rudolf, and still further north in Abyssinia is Lake Tsana, the source of the Blue Nile. AS I write l am looking out on Lake Naivasha, beautiful sheet of blue water over which white cranes are flying. l can see zebras and ante lopes feeding not far from the water; and with my glass can watch the ugly black head of three hippopotami, bob ping up and down like giant fishing corks upon the surface. The shores here ara swampy, and are. lined with masses of reeds. Just back of them the ground rises into rich pastures, which are protected from sportsmen by the reservations al lotted to the Uganda railway, and fairly swarm with big game
 A Future Stock Company.
 The weather here is delightful. We are so near the equator that one can almost straddle 1t, but the altitude is such that blankets are needed at night and 1t is never excessively hot during the day. Naivasha is a little higher up in the air than the top of Mount Washington, and the climate of the whole Rift valley is said to be suited for white men. This matter is being tested by settlers Large tracts of land have been taken up in dit- ferent places, not far from the railroad, and there are many English who are going into stock raising. Right near the lake the government of British East Africa has started an experimental farm and there are large ranches in the 1m- mediate vicinity. There are no tsetse flies here. and the zebras, which one sees by the hundreds in almost any ride over the valley, are an evidence that horses will thrive. There are also many ostriches, and in time we may have ostrich farming here as they have in South Africa. The average height of the valley is something like coco feet, and the grass Is said to be luxuriant everywhere.
 The Land of the Nasal.
 This is one of the strongholds Of the Nasal race who have always been noted as warriors and stock raisers. see them about Naivasha, and not lew still carry spears and shields. They have 441a rhtr Sat- dement's are scattered throughout the Rift valley. They live in huts about four feet high, six feet wide and nine feet long, The huts look like great bake ovens They are made of branches, Wo- ven together and plastered with mud. Sometimes they are smeared over with COW dung, and that material often forms the floors. When it rains, skins are lai1 over the roofs to protect them. The houses are usuany built in circle about an enclosure, in which the cattle are kept at night. The sheep and goats are allowed to run in and out the houses. Some of the towns have fences of thorns around them to keep out the wild beasts.
 These Nasal are fierce-looking people. The men are tall and straight and they walk as though they owned the earth. When they have their war paint on, they use a decoration of ostrich feathers which surrounds their faces, and is supposed to carry terror to the sous of their ene- mics. The men are usually bare to the waist, and not infrequently have a bull lock hide wrapped around them.
 Nasal Women.
 wish I could show you some of the Nasal women. They are vain as pea cocks and are loaded with jewelry. Some of them have great rings of brass wire coiled around the neck In concentric cir cles wire after wire being used until the whole extends out as far as the should CTS. They have brass wire woven about arms from the wrists to the elbows, and from the elbows to the shoulders, and also great coils of similar wire fastened by strings to the lobes of their ears. Aside from this they wear but little. A cloth wrapped around the body and falling to the knees or below them being about their only clothing. Sometimes this cloth is fas- tened oyer the shoulders sometimes un- der the arms and sometimes about the waist leaving the breasts bare.
 These Nasal are by no means pure ne- groes. They belong to the Bantu race, and their skins are dark brown. Their noses are often straight and their lips not very thick. AS to their hair, l can't tell you whether it is wooly or not. The woman shave 1t close to the scalp, using razors Of iron or glass, and they polish their heads with greese so that they fairly shine in the sun. l understand they pull out the hair from all parts of their bodies, and that even the babies are shaved. Many of the men carry about tweezers of iron to pull the hairs from their chins, cheeks and nostrils, and they keep them selves shaved until they are old enough to be warriors. This comes along about the time they reach manhood. They then let the hair of their heads grow and plait it into pigtails A common way of wear ing these pigtails is down over the fore head. It is often soaked with oil and red clay in connection with a similar amounting of the rest of the body. The warrior often wears a lions head and mane in addition to the circle of ostrich feathers about the face. His arms are sword and club. He has a spear with very long blade and an oval shield bear ing figures which indicate his clan.
 Queer Customs of Marriage.
 These people buy their wives. Girls are looked upon as merchantable com- modities and are paid for in goats and cattle. After the cattle are handed over the girl goes to her husband, and she may not come back to her fathers house alone thereafter, but must always have her husband with her. A Nasal can have as many wives as he can pay for, and if he is rich he has hut for each one. If not,