The uncivilized races of men in all countries of the world; vol. 1 of 2: Being a comprehensive account of their manners and customs, and of their physical, social, mental, moral and religious characteristicsWood, J. G. (John George)
History
The uncivilized races of men in all countries of the world; vol. 1 of 2: Being a comprehensive account of their manners and customs, and of their physical, social, mental, moral and religious characteristics
Wood, J. G. (John George)
Anthropology; Ethnology; Manners and customs
A few years ago, I assisted in opening a series of boxes and barrels
full of objects from Kaffirland. We took the precaution of opening the
cases in the garden, and, even in the open air, the task of emptying
them was almost too much for our unaccustomed senses. All the objects
were genuine specimens, not merely made for sale, as is so often the
case, but purchased from the wearers, and carefully put away. The owner
of the collection was rather humorous on the subject, congratulating
us on our preparation for a visit to Kaffirland, and telling us that,
if either of us wished to form a good idea of the atmosphere which
prevailed in a Kaffir hut with plenty of company, all we had to do
was to get into the empty cask, sit at the bottom of it, and put the
lid on. Several of the articles of clothing were transferred to my
collection, but for some time they could not be introduced into the
room. Even after repeated washings, and hanging out in the garden,
and drenching with deodorizing fluid, they retained so much of their
peculiar scent that they were subjected to another course, which
proved more successful,--namely, a thorough washing, then drying, then
exposure to a strong heat, and then drying in the open air.
This extremely powerful odor is a considerable drawback to an European
hunter when accompanied by Kaffir assistants. They are invaluable as
trackers; their eyes seem to possess telescopic powers; their ears
are open to sounds which their white companion is quite incapable of
perceiving, and their olfactory nerves are sensitive to any odor except
that which themselves so powerfully exhale. But the wild animals are
even more sensitive to odors than their dusky pursuers, and it is
popularly said that an elephant to leeward can smell a Kaffir at the
distance of a mile. All are alike in this respect, the king and his
meanest subject being imbrued with the same unctuous substance; and
the only difference is, that the king can afford more grease, and is
therefore likely to be more odoriferous, than his subject.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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