"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ...
[...]
I have seen Basothos walking almost totally naked, with a pair of
shoes slung round his neck. Shoes are, for them, too valuable to be
worn on the feet

My bank manager would agree. In the old days, Plains Indians (may I
use that expression?) used sometimes to carry a pretty pair of
moccasins at their belts when going visiting, to change into on
arrival. In Australia we used to walk to dame-school carrying our
shoes (usually, indeed, round the neck), only to slip them on just
round the corner: for reasons which still escape me, we got a lick on
the calves with the handle of a feather duster if discovered. And I
still sometimes do the same sort of thing to save my clean shoes the
horror of driving (more urbane individuals, of course, take the
_dirty_ shoes off before getting into the car!).

Mike.