He has been given a cloak and a holy stick, without which no man is allowed to talk at the elders' meetings in the holy circle, the naabo. Lion-skin strips have been tied around his knees, and around his stick is wrapped his sister's maiden leather apron — signifying his maturity and her leaving maidenhood respectively. He is now ready to accept the sacrifice of the bull.

The mzee anoint the restless bull with fresh milk and the men hold the beast tight. The groom takes a knife and nicks the bull's throat, and then another man finishes the gory act. The gushing blood is quickly collected by the men: it will be mixed with milk brought by women and served among the mzee as refreshment. Blood and milk once mixed cannot be separated. Neither can man and woman once they have been joined in marriage. Divorce is unheard of among the Rendille.

The dead bull is placed on green branches and the lengthy process of skinning and dividing the meat will take place under the careful supervision of the bride's brother. Although he is the one accepting the offer, he will not benefit from it directly. The remaining cattle will be given to his clan members. The meat of the sacrificial bull will feed the wedding party, though the first-choice cuts will be presented to the women waiting in the bridal hut. No men are allowed there until they are ready to bring the meat. This will take time and the bride inside is hot and tired of waiting.

She looks lovely in her colourful attire but the ceremonial collar and the strings of beads on her head and shoulders are very heavy. Her neck is also itchy from the ochre and the fumes from the fires in the hut have given her a headache. She stayed up late the previous night to have her hands and feet decorated with phantasmagorical flowery henna patterns. This is not a Rendille tradition but a fashion fad adopted from their Somali cousins. The bride's skin glistens but it is not possible to say if it's from the heat or from the oil her maid of honour occasionally applies over the henna from a highly-decorated gourd flask. The young woman is supposed to spend the time listening to the advice of her aunts, but it is obvious she has other things on her mind. Inside the hut, time flows slowly.