An Ivory Trader in North Kenia the Record of an Expedition Through 1000732911

7/27/2019 An Ivory Trader in North Kenia the Record of an Expedition Through 1000732911

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COLONEL COLIN HARDING, CM.G.

OP THE

BRITISH SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE

TO WHOSE KIND SNCOtTRAGEMENT WHBN IN COMMAND OP

PORT CHICKWAKA, MASHONALAND

THE AUTHOR OWB8 HIS LATER BPPORTS TO

GAIN COLONIAL EXPERIENCE

THIS WORK IS DEDICATED


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PREFACE

Although there may be no jastificationfor the productioiiof this work, the reader will perhaps deal leniently withme nnd^ the "First Offendecs Act.** Among the vaiionsreasons which prosqstod me to commit the crime of addinga eoiBtrilmtion to the World's literature is the fact thatlittle or nothing is known concerning certain peculiar tribes ;to wit, the Bendili and BnrkenejL They are a nomadicpeople whose origin is as yet wrapped in mystery. Inaddition to this^ an account of the trials and difficultiesto be encountered in the endeayour to obtain that rapidlyvanishing commodity, ivory, will perhaps please those intowhose hands this work may fall who delight in ''movingaccidents by flood and field."

It has been to me a source of lasting regret that agreat many of my photographic negatives were in someway or other unfortunately lost on our homeward journey,and as usually happens on such occasions, they were thoseI valued most, inasmuch as they included all my photo-raphs

of the lower course of the Waso Kyiro Biver andalso those of the Sendili and Burkeneji peoples. I am,however, greatly indebted to Mr. Hazeltine Frost, M.RP.S.,


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viii PREFACE.

of Muswell Hill,K., for the caie and skill with whichhe has rendered some of the remainingbadly mutilatednegativesuitable for the purposes of illustration.

In the course of this narrative it will be observed thatI name the peopleof the various countries or districtsthroughwhich we passedby prefixinga- to the nameof the district they inhabit. This is in accordance withSwahili practice,s theygenerallyesignatenative by thename of his country prefixedy an M*, which in this casedenotes a man, the pluralof M' being Wa-. The pluralof M^Eamba, or inhabitant of Ukamba, is therefore Wa'-Eamba, and an M'Unyamwezi, or inhabitant of Unyamwezi,is Wa'Kyamwezi in the plural. Doubtless a hyparcritwould argue that this rule only appliesto the Swahililanguage,nd consequentlyhe names of those tribes whoare in no way connected with the Swahilis would be outsidethe rule. He would be right but I am goingto call themall Wa- for the sake of convenience and to avoid confosion.

I have endeavoured to placebefore the reader an accountof the incidents,musing and tragic,s they appearedtome at the tima Should the narrative prove uninterestiitwill,I think,be due to faultydescription.he incidentsrelated were sufficientlyxcitingto stimulate the mostjadedimagination,nd theyhave the rarest of all merits "the merit of beingtrue.

A. A..H.


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CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.PSEPABATI0N8 AND START.

PAOB

Engaging porters"Characteristicsof Swahili, Wa*Nyamwezi, andWa*Eamba porters Sdecting trade goods " ^Provisions" Armsand ammunition " ^The Mnnlpara " Sketch of some principalporters" Personal servants " List of trade goods taken" Dis-tribntmg the loads" Befnsal of the Gbvemment to registerurporter"" Reported hostilityf the natives" Finlay and Gibbons'disaster" Start of the Somali safaris " ^We move to Eriger'sFarm" I M into a game-pit" Camp near Kriger*s Farm "Visitors" The start "

CHAPTEB 11.

FROM KRIQEieS TO MARANGA.

Off to Doenyo Sabnk" Troables of a safari" George takes a bath "The Nurobi Falls" Eaten by ticks" My argnment with arhinoceros" The Athi river" "k"od fishing-"ions" Camp nearDoenyo Sabnk- We find the Athi in flood" We bnild a raft" Eriger and Enapp bid us adien " Failnre of onr raft "We cross the Athi " I open a box of cigars"Crossing theThika-Thika " Bad coontry " We unexpectedly reach theTana " ^The ddtaur to the Maragna " Crossing the Maragna "InKikuynland 26

CHAPTER III.

FROM THE TANA TO M'BU,We reach and cross the Tana" Maranga " ^The abnndance of food

thereof" We open a market" We treat the Maranga elders to


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CONTENTS. xi

PAOBin the q"en" QecngeiD" The Wa*M*thaia at theirold trioks"Betom of the ScnuJIs from Ghaiyu ^Theyrefbse to retom toEmbe" I interaew an elephant 123

CHAPTER Vm.THE 8TAMT FOR THE WA80 NYIRO.

Some of El Haldm's experi^ceswith elephantsI am made ablood-brother of Eoromo'fr" Departurefrom Mthara" A toil-ome

march " Â boffiJo-hmit" The buffalocamp" Accomit ofDr. Kolb's death " Ân nnsoccessfol lioo-hmit" Apprehensionand pmiishmentof a deserter 141

CHAPTER DLJOURNEY DOWN THE WA80 NYIRO.

Arrival at the Waso Nyiro"The "' Green Camp"^'nie "'dnderheap**"The camp on fire Scarcityof game" Huiting arhino on mole-back 159

CHAPTER X.RETURN TO THE *" GREEN CAMPr

The "Swamp Camp "" Beaxriafhldimate of the Waso Nyiro"Failure to obtam salt at N^gomba" Beset by midg^"Nosignsof the Bendili ^Nor of the Wandorobbo" We decideto retrace onr steps Ân object-lessonn rhinoceros-shootingThe "Green Camp "once more 174

CHAPTER XI.DOWN THE WASO NYIRO ONCE MORE.

We send to M'thara for guides"Sportat the "Green Camp**"Non-retom of the men sent to M*thara " Our anxiety Their


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CONTENTS. xiii

CHAPTER XVI.X

RETURN TO M'THARA.

Depaitnrefrom the BendOi settlement Îsmail'sporten desertThe a"ay between Bani and the Somalia" Iraiaflwomided "A giraffidunt " Îsmail'svacillation Ânother giraffemit "Journeyup the Waso Nyiro"Hippopotamus-shooting . . 275

CHAPTER XVn.ARRIVAL AT M'THARA.

In nght of Kenia once more" El Hakim and the lion llie "' GreenCamp^ again"The baby waterbuck" El Hakim shoots anelephant"he buried buffalo horns destroyedby hynnasBad news from M'thara " Plot to attack and massacre ushatched by Bd-Mmiithu " NDommaki*s fidelityBakedelephantsoot ^Bain Ârrivalat our old camp at M'thara " . 290

CHAPTER XVIII.AN ELEPHANT HUNT AND AN ATTACK ON MUNITHU

We dioot an elephant"ordon Gumming on elephants"e sendto Mmiithu to buy food " Song of Einyalar"Baked elephant'sfoot againa fiedlnre^The true recipe"Bain " ^More rain " ^Theman with the mutilated nose" The sheepdie from expoeore"ChiggerB ^The El'Eonono " ^Bei-Mmuthn^s insolent message "A message from the Wa'Chanjei (Georgeand I march toattack Munithu 503

CHAPTER XIX.FIGHT AT MUNITHU AND DEPARTURE FROM M*9HARA,

Attack on Bei-Munithu's village Poisoned arrows " ^The bamingof the village The retom march " ^Determined parsnitf theAldknyu " Karanjui George*sfall ^Betom to the M^tharacamp " Înterviewwith Bei-Munithu" His remorse " ^Departure


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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PA6BThe Authob FroniUpieceTbe Athi Biter hbab Doeztto Sabuk

c ; 36Cbossiho ak Affluent of the Saoana

The Camp at Maeanoa ; 52BuTiHO Food at Masahga

,

Gboup of A'kieutu 60

Gbovp of A'kikutu Women 76

Eldebs of M'thaea;il4

DnaTO AHD ViSELi Ain) Two Followebs

The Axjthob maeino Blood-bbothebhood with Eabama148

The "'Gb"en Camp"

View ok the Wabo Ntibo neab "Swamp Ca3ip"178

Cuttiko itp a Bbinocebos fob Food

Paxjis ok the Waso Ntibo 204

HoBKS OF Bbikdled Gkv, ETa 220Masai Elmobak ih Wab Abbat 242

HoBHS OF Buffalo, etc 258PoBTBAir OF Mb. G. H. West

" 294Bhotocebos Shot bt Geobqe

OSBAXENTS WOBK BT A*EIKUTU WOMEK 316

}


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THROUGH KIKUYU TO

GALLA-LAND

INTRODUCTION.

My fiiend, Geoige Heniy West, and myself left Cairo inthe latter part of the year 1899, with the intention of pro-eeding

to Uganda vii Zanzibar and Mombasa. Gleorgewasan engineer in the service of the IrrigationDepartment ofthe Egyptian (Jovemment, and had gained a largeand Tariedexperience on the new works on the Barrage below Cairo,then being concluded, and in building,running, and repairingboth locomotives and launches. As a professionI had fol-owed

the sea for three years, leaving it in 1896 in order tojoin the British South African Police, then engaged in sub-uing

the native rebellion in Mashonaland. At the con-duaion of hostilities I wandered over South Africa, andfinallyfound my way to Egypt, where I met George WestA year later, accompanied by George, I was on my waysouthwards again^en ratUs for British East Africa.

When Greorge and I left Cairo, our idea was to go up-country as far as the Lake Victoria Nyanza^ as we consideredit extremely probable that there would be something for usto do in the engineeringline,either in building launches orin the construction of small harbour works.

We reached Mombasa in due course, and from thereB


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2 THROUGH KIKUYU TO GALLA-LA ND.

proceededto Nairobi by the railwaythen in course ofconstruction to Uganda. Nairobi is 327 miles from the coast,and is an importantcentre,beingthe head-qnartersf boththe Civil Administration of the Protectorate and theUganda railway. On our arrival,Georgereceived an offer,which he accepted,o go up to the lake with a steamer,which was then on the way out from England in sections,and on his arrival at the lake with it to rebuild it. Iremained in Nairobi

In course of time I met the personage referred to inthese pages as '^ El Hakim," ^ whom I had known previouslyby repute. He was said to be one of the most daringandresolute,nd at the same time one of the most unassumingEnglishmen in the Protectorate ; a dead shot,and a charmingcompanion. He had been shootingin Somaliland and theneighbourhoodf Lake Budolph for the previousfour years,and many were the stories told of his prowess amongelephantnd other biggame.

It was with sincere pleasure,herefore,hat I found Iwas able to do him sundry small services,and we soonbecame fast Mends. In appearance he was nothing out ofthe common. He was by no means a big man " ^ratherthereverse, in fact and it was only on closer acquaintancthat his strikingersonalitympressedone.

He had dark hair and eyes, and an aquilinenose. Hewas a man of many and varied attainments. Primarilymember of the medical profession,is opinions on mostother subjectsere listened to with respect A very precisspeaker,e had a clear and impartialanner of reviewing

under discussion which never failed to


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CHAPTER L

PBEFABATI0N8 AND START.

Engaging porters " Characteristics of Swahili, Wa'Nyamwezi, andWa'Eamba porters " Selecting trade goods " Proyisions " ^Armsand ammunition" The Monipara " Sketch of some principal porters"

^Personal servants" List of trade goods taken " ^Distribntingtheloads" Befosal of the Qoyemment to registerour porters" Beportedhostilityof the natiyes " ^Finleyand Gibbons' disaster " Start of theSomali safiEiris We moye to Eriger's Farm " I fall into a game-pit" Camp near Kriger's Farm-^Visitors " ^The start.

One of the most important items in the organization of a"safiEtri'' (caravan) is the judicious selection of the men.Choosing ours was a task that gave us much trouble andvexation of spirit. El Hakim said that for all-roimd useful-ess

the Wa'kamba were hard to beat, and thought that wehad better form the bulk of the safari firom them^ and stiflTenit with a backbone of Swahilis and Wa'Nyamwezi, as, thoughthe Wa'kamba were very good men when well handled, iathe unlikely event of hostilities with the natives it wouldbe advisable to strengthen them with an addition from thelustier tribe" To that end we proposed to engage a dozenSwahili and half that number of Wa'NyamwezL Portersat that time were very scarce; but having secured one ortwo good men as a nucleus, we sent them into the bazaar atNairobi to bring us any other men they could find whowanted employment.

6


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8 THROUGH KIKUYU TO GALLA-LAND.

filanniwh,eepingvery much to themselves,but were quietand orderly,nd seldom complained and ifat any time theyimaginedtheyhad some cause for complaint,heyformed adeputationand quietlystated their case, and on receivina replyas quietlyeturned to their fire ^verydifferentfix)mthe noisy,argumentativewahilL They appear to me topossess the virtues of both the Swahilis and Wa'kambawithout their vices. The Wa'kamba's greatweakness whenon the march was a 'ptfMikatUfor stealingrom the nativevillageshatever they could lay their hands on, beingencouragedthereto by the brave and noble Swahilis,who,while not wishingto risk our displeasurey openlydoinglikewise,uiged on the simpleWa'kamba, afterwards appro-riating

the lion's share of the spoil that is,if we did nothear of the occurrence and confiscatethe spoilurselves.

We had pitchedur tent justoutside the town of Nairobi,and proceededo get togetherur loads of camp equipment,trade goods,and provisions:o easy task on an expeditiosuch as ours, where the number of carriers was to be strictllimited.

In the firstplace,e requireddoth,brass wire,iron wire,and various beads,in sufficientquantitieso buy food for thesafari for at least six months. Provisions were also atroublesome item,as, althoughwe expectedto live a greatdeal upon native food,we requireduch thingss tea,coffee,s^g^" 'W^j condiments, and also medicines. The questionwas not what to take,but what w"t to take. However, aftera great amount of discussion,lastingver several days,esettled the food questionore or lesssatisfetctorily.

During this time our recruitingfficers were bringin


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PREPARATIONS AND START. 9

submitted fcnrour approval,heyseemed to have raked oatthe halt,the lame, and the blind. After much trouble weselected those whom we thoughtlikelyto be suitable,ndgave them an advance of a few rupees as a retainingee,with which,after the manner of their kind,th^ immediatelyrepairedo the bazaar txx a lastlongoigie.

There was also the importantquestionof arms andammunition to be considered,s, althoughe did not expectany fighting,t would have been foolish in the extreme tohave entered such districtsas we intended visitingithoutadequatemeans of self-defence. We concluded the twen^*five Snider rifles used by El Hakim on a previoustripwould siifiKce. Unfortunately,e could get very littleammunition for them, as at that time Snider ammunitionwas vesry scarce in Nairobi,one reason beingthat it hadbeen bought very largelyby a big Somali caravan underJamah Mahomet and IsmaU Bobli,which set out justbeforeus, bound for the same districts.

We, however, eventuallyprocuredfive or six hundredrounds: a ridiculouslynadequateamount consideringhedistance we were to travel and the time we expectedo beaway.

With r^ard to our armament. El Hakim possessedyfar the best battery.His weapons consisted of an 8-boreParadox,a '577 Express,nd a single-barrelled460 Express,all by Holland and Holland. The 8-bore we never used,as the -577 Express did all that was requiredperfectlysatisfeu^torily.he 8-bore would have been a magnificentweapon for camp defence when loaded with slugs,butfortunatelyur camp was never directlyattacked,andconsequentlyhe necessityor usingit never arose. The


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lo THROUGH KIKUYU TO GALLA-LAND.

elephant,hinoceros,nd buffido,and never fedled to do itswork cleanlynd perfectly.ts onlydisadvantageas thatit burnt black powder,and consequentlyshould be inclined,if I ever made another expedition,o givethe preferenceoone of the new *450 or *500 Expressesburningsmokelesspowder,though,as I have not handled one of the latter,I cannot speak with certainty.El Hakim's '450 Expresswas really wonderful weapon, thoughopen to the sameobjections the *557 ^thatof burningblack powder. Itwas certainlyne of the best all-round weapons I ever sawfor bringingdown soft-skinned game. It was a singlebarreUed,top-lever,ammer-gun,with flat top rib. Thesightswere set very low down on the rib,to my mind agreat advantage,s it seems to me to minimize the chancesof accidentalcanting.Its penetrativeower, with hardenedlead bullets,as surprising.have seen itdropa rhinoceroswith a bullet throughthe brain,and yetthe same projectiwould kill small antelopeike Grant's or Waller's gazellewithout manglingthem or goingrightthroughand tearina greathole in itsegress,therebyspoilinghe skin,which isthe greatcause of complaintagainsthe *303 when expandingbullets are used.

I myself carried a -303 built by Bigby,a reallymagnifi-entweapon. I took with me a quantityof every make

of *303 expandingbullets,from copper-tubedo Jeffi^ssplits.After repeatedtrials I found that the Dum-Dumgave the most satisfactoryesults,' since when I have usedno other."

I also carried a supply of "303 solid bullets,bothfor elephantsand for possibleefensive operations.For


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i8 THROUGH KIKUYU TO CALLA-LAND.

there besiegedby quitesix thousand natives. From what Isaw later^ can quitebelieve that their numbers were byno means exaggerated.During a nightattack,Finlaywasspearedthroughthe hand and againin the back,the woundin the back,however,not provingdangerous.They managedto get a message throughto Nairobi,and some Nubiantroopswere sent to their relief,hich task theysuccessfulaccomplished,houghonly with the greatestdifSculty.twas not till six weeks after he received the woimd thatFinlaywas able to obtain medical assistance,nd by thattime the tendons of his hand had united wrongly,o that itwas rendered permanentlyseless. This was a nice enliveninstory,calculated to encourage men who were settingout forthe same districts.

The followingay I received a telegramfrom George tosay that he had arrived from Uganda at the Kedong Camp,at the foot of the Eikuyu Escarpment,o I went up by railto meet him. He looked very thin and worn afterhis severeattack of fever. We returned to Nairobi the same evening,and proceededo our camp. "1 Hakim, who was away whenwe arrived,urned up an hour later,nd completedur party.He had been to Eiiger'sFarm about seven miles out.Messrs. Erigerand "napp were two American missionarieswho had established a mission station that distance out ofNairobi,towards Doenyo Sabuk,or Chianjaw,as itis calledby the Wa'kamba.

El Hakim, beinganxious to get our men away from theperniciousnfluence of the native bazaar,arrangedthat hewould go on to Eriger'sarlyn the followingorning,andthat Georgeand I should follow later in the day with the


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PREPARATIONS AND START. 23was able on a slopeof forty-fiveegrees. A thoughtoonceming Geoige starack me justbefore I droppedoff tosleep,hich comforted me greatly.** Geoigeknows enoughto go in ^en it rains,"I thought "He will leave themen with the cattle,nd go over to Eiiger^splaceandhave a hot supper and a soft bed, and all kinds of goodthingslike that,"and I drew my blankets more closelyround me and shivered,nd felt quiteannoyed with himwhen I thoughtof it.At daylighte were up and off again,and,descendingthe ravine,crossed the river at the bottom, and continuedthe marclt On the way I shot a guinea-fowl,alled by theSwahilis "kanga,''nd after an hour and a half of quickwalkingI came up with Geoige.

He had passeda miserable night,ithout food,blankets,or fire,nd,to make matters worse, it had drizzled all night,while he sat on a stone and keptwatch and ward over thecattle. The men who had accompaniedhim were so tiredthat theyhad refused to build a boma to keepthe cattle in.He seemed very gladto see me. We at once got the tentput up, a fire made, and the boma built,and soon madethingsmuch more comfortable. In fietct,e got quitegayand festive on the bread and marmalade,washed down withtea,which formed our breakfast.

El Hakim was at Eriger'splace,bout a mile distant.We had to wait two or three daystillhe was readyto start,as he had a lot of privateusiness to transact. We left allthe cattle except nine behind, under Kriger^scharge;wesent the nine back subsequently,s we found they weremore trouble than theywere worth.

In the eveningI went out to shoot guinea-fowlat least,


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none. I lostmjrselfn the darkness,and could not find myway back to camp. After wanderingabout for some time,Iat last spiedthe flareof the camp fires,alfwayup a slopea mile away, oppositeo that on which I stood. I madetowards them, entirelyorgettinghe small river that fiowedat the foot of the slope. It was most unpleasantlyecalledto my memory as I suddenlysteppedoff the bank andplunged,ith a splash,aist deepinto the icywater. Ugh !

I scrambled up the oppositeank,and reached the campsafely,houghfeelingery sorry for myself. El Hakim andOeoigethoughtit a goodjoke. I thoughttheyhad a veiylow sense of humour.

On the followingorningGreorgend I sallied forth onsport intent. Georgecarried the shot-gun,nd I the '303.We saw no birds;but after an arduous stalk,creepingn allfours throughlong,et grass, I secured a congonL Gongoniis the local name for the hartebeeste {Bvhalisohet).Themeat was excellent,nd much appreciated.l Hakim joinedus in the afternoon,ccompaniedby Mr. Krigerand Mr. andMrs. Knapp,who wished to inspectur camp. We did thehonours with the greatestzest,knowing itwould be the lasttime for many months that we should see any of our ownrace.

The day afterwards El Hakim and I rode into Nairobi,accompaniedby some of the men, and broughtback twelvedays'rations of m'chele (rice)or our safiari,s we intendedstartingthe followingay. Eriger and Enapp decided tocome with us on a littlepleasuretripas far as DoenyoSabuk, a bold,rounded prominence,risingome 800 feetabove the level of the he summit over 6000 feet


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we left Nairobi,the result of his recent severe illness inUganda. When the tents were stnick,we headed due north-ards

to Doenyo Sabuk, which was now b^^inningo showup more clearlyn the horizon. It was about twenty milesdistant,nd we calculated that two days'further marchingwould take us round it

Soon after we started Enapp shot a guinea-fowLHeused a Winchester repeatingshot-gun, perfectlyorriblecontrivance,f which he was very proud. When the cart-idges

were ejectedit clanked and rattled like a collectionof scrap iron beingshaken in a sack.

During that march we had a maddeningtime with theticks,ith which the Athi plainsare infested. They werelarge,lat,ed ticks,similar to those I have seen in Shodesia(IxodesplvmJbeus). They dung to our clothingnd personslike limpetsto a rock. We should not have minded adozen or two, at least not so much, but they swarmed onus literallyn thousands. We halted every few momentswhile Bamathani brushed us down, but,so soon as we werecomparativelyleared of them, we pickedup a fresh batchfrom the longgrass. They bite very badly,and takingthemby and large,s a sailorwould say, theywere very powerfuland vigorousermin; almost as vigorousas the languageewasted upon them.

About an hour after we started we sighted rhinocerosfSastasleepin the grass, about three hundred yardsdownwind. (Georgend I examined him with the binoculars"the others were a mile ahead " and as we were not outlookingfor rhinoceros just then, we passedon. We had


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FROM KRIGERS TO MARANGA. 29tiie "eu^ upon the safiari Having winded the men heincontinentlyiaigedthem, and when Geoigeand I glancedback we saw the nngainlybrute trottingackwards andforwards among our loads,which the men had hurriedlydroppedwhile theyscattered for dear lifeover the landscape.It was certainlyery awkward, as it looked very much asif I shonld have to go back and slayit,which,I will confess,I was very loth to do, as Bamathani was some distanceahead with all my spare ammunition. The mftgftgi"ftf my'303 contained only half a dozen cartridges,ith soft-nosedbullets. I diplomaticallyaited a while to see ifthe brutefelt disposedto move; but it was apparentlyperfectlysatisfiedwith its immediate surroundings,nd stood overthe deserted loads snortingand stamping and lookingexceedinglygly.

The cattle and donkeys,which were under Jumbi'scharge,^re also coming up. Jumbi came as near as hedared, and then halted,and waited in the rear tiU it shouldpleasethe Bwana (meaning me) to drive the ''kifaru"away. The rest of the portershavingscuttled to what theyconsidered a safe distance,sat down to await events with astolid composure bom of utter irresponsibility.

I felt,under the circumstances,hat it was incumbentupon me to do something,t being so evidentlyexpected;so I advanced towards the rhinoceros,ot without someinward trepidation,s I greatlyistrusted the *303. Walk-ng

to within fiftyyardsof the spotwhere it was stampingdefiance,I shouted at it,and said shoo t as sometimes thatwill drive tiiem away. It did not move this beast,however,80, mentallydonningthe black cap, I took careful aim,andplankeda buUet in his shoulder ! If it was undecided beforethe beast soon made up its mind then,and,jumpinground


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FROM KRIGERS TO MARANGA. 31

Siver. It was a hot and dustytramp. Erigerbeingsomemiles ahead,had,with a laudable desire to guideus, fired thegrass on his way. The result was hardlywhat he anticipated.The immense clouds of smoke gave us our direction perfectlywell,but the fire barred our progress. Quite half a dozentimes we had to rush through gap in the flames,alf chokedand slightlysinged. Once or twice I thoughtwe shouldnever get the mules or donkeys throughat all,but wechivied them past the firesomehow. The burnt ground onthe other side was simplyhorrible to walk on. I follyrealized what the sensations of the '' cat on hot bricks " ofthe proverb were. Kiiger meant well,but,strangeto say,neither Greorgeor I felt at all thankfiil. As a matter offact,ur languagewas at times as hot as the ground under-oot,

not so much on our own account as on that of our poorbarefooted men.

The Athi was not very wide at the pointwhere wecrossed,but a littledistance lower down it becomes a broadand noble stream flowinground the north side of DoenyoSabuk tillit joinsthe T'savo Biver about 120 miles south-ast

of that mountain,the two combiningto form the Sabaki,which flows into the sea at Milindi. The Athi isfull of fish,and we saw "resh hippopotamus'racks near the spotwherewe camped at mid-day.

After lunch Georgeand I went fishingith ErigerandKnapp: net result about 40 lbs. of fine fish, largeeel,and a mud turtle. Afterwards Kriger and I went outshooting. We were very unlucky. Out on the plainstowards Doenyo Sabuk we saw vast herds of game, includingoongoni,thompsonei,zebra,impala,and waterbuck, but thecountry was perfectlylat and open and the wind mostvexatiouslyvariable,o that,do what we would, we could


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FROM KRIGER'S TO MARANGA. 33hundred yards'range, and fortunatelyit him ; but we putthree bullets each into the beast before itdropped,o remark-bly

tenacious of life are these animals. We returned tocamp at dusk, thoroughlyired out I retired to rest imme-iatelyafterdinner,thus concludiognot entirelyneventfulday.

We did not march the next day,as El Hakim wished toexamine the surroundingcoxmtry fix)m a farmingand stock-raisingpoint of view. He and Eriger rode ofT on themules after breakfast with that intention. Knapp and Iwent fishing,hile Geoige sensible chap" laid himself onthe grass in the shade and watched us. Knapp caughtonevery fine fishweighingover 9 lbs.,hile I caughtonly twosmall fishand a sharpattack of fever. I returned to campand climbed into my blankets. In an hour and a half mytemperature rose to 105^ and I felt very queer indeed ;but towards eveningI recovered sufficientlyo eat a little.El Hakim and Krigerreturned at 6 p.m., havingexploredtheadjacentcountry to their satisfietction,nd on their returnjourneythey shot a zebra and a congoni. Zebra meat isexcellent eating,especiallyf it has been hung for three orfour days. When cooked itis firm and white,in appearancesomewhat resemblingveal. We always secured the stripof flesh on each side of the backbone,called by the Swahilis"salala" (saddle),nd also the imder-cut,r " salala n'dani"(insidesaddle),or our privateconsumption.The kidneysare very large,s big as one's fist; and they,s are also thebrains,re excellent eatingwhen fined in hippofat.

We started at 7 am. on the followingorning,1 Hakim,Eriger,nd Knapp goinga longway ahead,leavingGreoigeand myself with the bigmule, to look after the safariGeorgewas still so queer that he could hardlysit on the


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36 THROUGH KIKUYU TO GALLA-LAND.ford deepwater. On the way back El Hakim shot a con-goni,which gave ns a much-needed supplyof fresh meatAs there seemed no other way out of the difficulty,edecided to build a raft. We found ita very toughtask,therebeingno material at hand, as the wood growingnear was allmimosa thorn,so hard and heavy when green that it willhardlyfloat in water. We spent all the afternoon,waist-deep in the river,lashinglogstogetherith stripsof rawhide cut from the congoni skins. When the raft wasfinished,just before sundown, it looked very clumsy andunserviceable,nd we had very grave doubts of itsutUity,sthe volume of water in the river was very great,and thepressure on such an unwieldy structure was bound to beenormous " ^much more than any rope of ours would stand.However,that was a questionthat the morrow would decide ;so we moored the raft to an island a few yardsfrom thebank, and went back to camp for dinner.

We dined on the crane I had shot two days before. Itwas as laiges a small turkey,and splendideating,houghmy '303 had rather damaged it. El Hakim and I sat up lateinto the night,akingfinalarrangementsand writingetters,which Erigerwas to take back with him next morning,henwe intended to make a determined effort to cross the riveren rotUe for Mount Eenia and the '' beyond."

Eriger and Enapp returned to Nairobi earlyon tiiemorning of June 14th. They took our remainingcattleback,as we found them too much trouble,and El Hakimhad others at Munithu,in North Eenia, which we could useif we requiredthem for trade purposes. We bade themadieu,and returned the all


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THE ATHl RIVER NEAR DOENYO SABUK.

CROSSING AN AFFLUENT OF THE SAGANA. (See page 60.)


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38 THROUGH KIKUYU TO GALLA-LAND.succeeded after a severe straggle,ut the other two donkeyswere swept away down-stream. We were unwillingo losethem, so I swam down the river with them, tryingto headthem towards the oppositeank. I succeeded at lastin forcingthem imder the bank a quarterof a mile or so lower downstream ; but at that placeit was perfectlyerpendicular,ndthere we stood,the two donkeysand myself,p to our necksin water on a submergedledgeabout two feet wide,on oneside of us the swiftlyushingriver,which none of us wishedto face again,nd on the other side a perfectlynclimbablebank, toppedwith dense jungle. I thoughtof crocodilessthere were, and are, a great many in the Athi Biver,and Iwent cold all over, and wished most heartilythat I wassomewhere else. I shouted for the men, and presentlyheard their voices from the top of the bank overhead ; theycould not reach me, however, as the junglewas so thicklyinterlaced as to be impenetrable.They tried to cut a waydown to me, but gave it up as impossible besides,theycould not have got the donkeysout that way, anyhow.

I grew more than a littleanxious about the donkeys,asI was a"aid theywould lose heart and let themselves drown.Donkeys are like that sometimes when theyare in difficulties.I clung to the ears of my two, and held their heads abovewater by main force. I got cold and chilled,hile thoughtsof crocodiles \D(yuldcome into my head. Once a submergedlog drifted past beneath the surface,and in passinggrazedmy thigh. I turned actuallyick with apprehension,ut itwent on with the current,and left me shiverings with ague.I ordered some of the men to get into the river and swimdown to me, and presentlythey arrived. I immediatelyelt


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46 THROUGH KIKUYU TO GALLA-LAND.a pkygroimd for troops of monkeys. Birds of brilliantplumagedarted hither and thither like diminutive rainbows,and completedas charminga picturef tropicalbeauty ascotdd be found in Africa.

The river itselfwas about eightyyardsbroad,and verydeep,with a four-miles-an*hour current. We had struck itat a pointabout two days'march above the Carl Alexanderand Sweinfurth Falls. It is full of hippopotamus.(3eorgeshot at one in the water, but it sank immediatelyanddisappearedirom view.

Our men skirmished round, and discovered a smallclearing,n which we camped. Some of the Wakambaportersinformed us that farther up the river there wasa bridge,and beyond that the ''shambas" (plantations)fthe A'kikujni.We were rather scepticalbout the bridge,as theyused the word " dirage,"hich is the Swahili wordused by the Wakamba either for a bridge, boat or raft,ra ford,though the Swahilis themselves have separateanddistinctwords for each.

We ascertained one fact A laigeriver,called theMaragua,joinedthe Sagana two hours' march up-stream^and we should have a much better chance of a successfulcrossingfwe crossed before the Maragua joinedforces withthe alreadywollen Sagana,thoughsuch a course necessitatedcrossingwo rivers instead of one.

Early next day we set oflfup-stream in a westerlydirection. Travellingas like an excursion over the roofsof a row of houses. The jungleas very dense everywhere,and we were also in constant dangerfrom the numeroushippopotamus-trapshich had been set by the natives,hosometimes hunt this side of the river. These consisted


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FROM THE TANA TO M'BU. S7

by one they retmned red-eyedand shaky,and resumedtheir places,inwardlyquaking,houghoutwardlyunmoTed.

We also had to get up and go away, but not for the samepurpose. If we had not gone away and laughed,e shouldhave had a fit or burst a blood-vessel. It was altogethetoo rich. We returned red-eyedand weary also,and Ibelieve that the old gentlementhoughtthat we had been upto tiiesame performances themselves,thoughtheycould notunderstand how I resumed my cigar on my reappearance,and continued smoking with unru"3ed serenity.I made apoint of finiahiugy smoke to the last half-inch,and allthrough the '^shaurie" that succeeded I became awarethat I was the recipientf covert Ranees of admiration,not unmixed with envy, from the various membersof that little band of heroic sufferers in the cause ofetiquette.

When the '"shauiie" was at lengthresumed,we gainedalot of interestingnformation. We found that the peoplewho had attacked Finlayand Gibbons were the Wa'lTbu,who live two days'journeyto the north of Maranga,on thesouth-east slopesof Mount Kenia. They had a very badreputation.The Maranga peoplespokeof them with batedbreathyand remarked that theywere '' bad, very bad,"andthat if we went through their countrywe should certainlbe killed.

Jamah Mahomet's safari,numberingnearly100 guns,had refused to go throughM'bu, and had turned off to thewest from Maranga,to go round the west side of Mount Keniaand thence northward to limeru, as the districtnorth-east ofKenia is called by the Swahilis.


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6o THROUGH KIKUYU TO GALLA-LAND.

We reached a small clearingbout midday,and camped.We were unable to build a boma round the camp, owing tothe absence of thorn trees,or any reliablesubstitute; so thatwe were in a measure defenceless against sudden attack.Largenumbers of armed natives soon put in appearance, andswaggeredin and out with greatfreedom,and even insolence.We cleared them out politely,ut firmly,nd they thencongregatedutside and discussed us. They talked peace-ully

enough,but it was more like the peaceM singingof akettle before it boils over. We ate our lunch,and retired toour tents. George and I went to our own tent,and,takingoff our boots,laid down on our blankets for a quietsmoke.Our men seemed very much upset by the stories theyhadheard in Maranga concerningthe warlike qualitiesf theWa'M'bu, and their condition could only be described as"jumpy." To put it plainly,hey were in a pitiabletateof fright,nd needed careful handling,f we were to avoidtrouble with the natives through their indiscretion;strouble would come quite soon enough of its own accordwithout that.

To resume, Georgeand I had lain down, perhaps,alf anhour, and were quitecomfortable and half asleep,hen aterrificaltercation caused us to jump up and rush outside.We were justin time to assistEl Hakim in forciblyisarm-ng

our men. Some of them were placingcartridgesn thebreeches of their rifles; a few yardsaway a vast crowd ofnatives were franticallyrandishingheir spears and dubsand yellinglike demons. If a shot had been fired,eshould have been in rather a tightplace,for,as I have

and


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remained quiet,nd "1 Hakim did not think it neoessaiyto call Oeorge at midnight,the rest of the nightprovinguneventful,with the exceptionthat our fox-terrier gavebirth to six puppies,f which she seemed very proud.

At daylighte struck camp, and were away before thesun was fairlyp. The country was much the same as onthe day before,though,if anything,he junglewas moredense. The shambas were filledto overflowingith unripemuhindi and pumpkins,while sweet potatoesand beans weregrowing in greatprofusionn every side. Travellingn theearlymorning was decidedlynpleasant,s the dew collectedon the shrubbery was shaken down upon us in showers,wettingus throughto the skin. We crossed two or threesmall rivers,nd at midday reached and camped at a placecalled Materu.

The chief soon put in an appeai^nce, and we purchaseda further supplyof food,in the shapeof potatoes,beans,muhindi, and a little honey. We also obtained furtherinformation of the road throughthe notorious M'bu countrywhich, I must confess,did not seem to have any betterreputationhe nearer we approachedt.

Our Maranga Mends, under Eoranja,appeared veryfrightenedt their dose proximityo the dreaded Wa'M^bu,and intimated theirintention of returningo Maranga. Weanswered that theymightgo when we gave them permissionbut for the presentwe requiredtheir services; with whichanswer theyhad perforceo be content.

The next morning we againtravelled throughmuch thesame denselypopulatedand cultivated country as that

it seemed to more mountainous.


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We did not travel the followingmorning,as we werewithout guides;and as no natives came into camp weresolved to Capture one on the firstavailable opportunityAt sunrise we got our firstglimpseof Mount Kenia, and awonderful view it was. Kenia is called '' Eilimaro " by theSwahilis,nd " Donyo Ebor " (BlackMountain)and " DonyoEgere" (SpottedMountain)by the Masai ; so called becauseof the largeblack patcheson the main peak,where thesides are too precipitousor the snow to lodge.

Thompson^ describes his first impressionsof Eeniathus: "

''As pious Moslems watch with strained eyes theappearance of the new moon or the settingof the sun,to begin their orisons,so we now waited for the upliftinof the fleecyveil,to render due homage to the heaven-piercingenia. The sun set in the western heavens, andsorrowfullye were about to turn away, when suddenlythere was a break in the clouds feurup in the sky,and thenext moment a dazzlinghite pinnaclecaughtthe last raysof the sun, and shone with a beauty,marvellous,spirit-liand divine ; cut off,s it apparentlyas, by immeasurabledistance from all connection with the gross eartL Thesun's rays went off,and then, with a softness like theatmosphere of dreams, which befitted the gloaming,thatwhite peak remained as though some fair spiritithsubdued and chastened expressionlingeredt her eveningdevotions. Presently,s the garishlightof day meltedinto the soft hues and mild effulgencef a moon-lit night,the 'heaven-kissing'ountain became graduallyisrobed ;and then in its severe outlines and chaste it stood


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FROM M'BU, ACROSS EAST KENT A, TO ZURA. 67reward for days of maddeningwony and nightsof sleepleManxiety. At that moment I could almost feel that Eeniawas to me what the sacred stone of Mecca is to theFaithful,who have wandered from distant lands, sur-moontingperilsand hardships,hat theymight but kiss orsee the hallowed object,nd then,ifit were Gk"d'swill,die."

While I am unable to rise to the dizzyheightsofrhetorical description,r revel in the boundless fields ofmetaphor so successfullyxploitedby Mr. Thompson, I fullyendorse his remarks. The first sightof Eenia does producea remarkable impressionn the traveller;an impressionwhich does not " one is surprisedo find wear off withtime. Eenia, like a clever woman, is charyof exhibitingher manifold charms too often to the vulgargaze. One canlive at the base of the mountain for weeks, or even months,and never get a glimpseof itsmagnificentpeak.

We, however, could not stop to romance, as the enemywere even now clamouringwithout our gates; and we werereluctantlyompelledto turn our wandering attention toa more serious business. It appeared quitewithin thebounds of possibilityhat we should "die" without even"kissing"the "hallowed object"so ablyeulogizedby Mr.Thompson ; as the irreverent Wa'M^u were making hostiledemonstrations in the thick bush surroundingur camp"regardlessf our aestheticyearnings. They were apparentlytryingour temper by means of a demonstration in force,and such awful bowlingsas theymade I never previouslyheard.

Our men became very nervous, and fidgetedonstantlywith their guns, lookingwith strained gaze into the bushwithout the camp. El Hakim was, as usual, quite un-isturbed,


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appearance of impassivecalm, and condescended even tomake jokesabout the noise,an attitude which went a longway towards reassuringur men, who watched us constantlAny signof nervousness or anxietyn our partwould havebeen fatal,s the men would have instantlycattered andrun for the border,ith a resulteasilyoreseen.

The morningpassedin this manner, the Wa'M'bu con-inuingtheir howling,hile we went throughour ordinary

camp routine with as much nonchalance as we couldcommand.

We had latelylived largelyupon vegetables,nd nowdetermined to giveourselves a treat,so we cooked our onlyham, and made an excellent lunch on ham and boiledmuhindi cobs. During the meal the war-cries of theWa'M'bu increased in volume, and our men were plainlyvery much disturbed. They keptlookingin our directionas if for orders ; while we appearedas if utterlynawarethat anythinguntoward was happening.

Presentlyumbi came up with his rifleat the shoulder,and saluting,tood a yard or so away from the table.El Hakim was busilyeating,nd studiouslyignoredhimfor a moment or two. Presentlye looked up.

" Yes ? " he said inquiringly.Jumbi saluted again.'' The ' Washenzi,*Bwana !" saidhe.''Well ? " interrogatedl Hakim again."They are comingto attack us, Bwana, on this side and

on that side,'"aid Jumbi, indicatingith a sweep of hisarm the front and rear of the camp."All right,"aid El Hakim, "I will see about it afterlunch I You


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70 THROUGH KIKUYU TO GALLA^LAND.

He appeareduch impressed,nd after a while returnedto his people,nd evidentljelivered our message, as shortlyafterwards the howlingceased.

We mustered the men in the afternoon,nd inspectetheir arms and ammunition,as we were not at all trustful ofthe Wa'M'bu. We trebled the guardsduringthe night,utcontraryto expectation,verythingemained quiet.

Early on the followingorningthe two old gentlemenreturned to camp, and we immediatelyade them prisonersioformingthem that they were now in our service,ro Um.,as guides,nd iftheyplayedus falsetheywould be instantlyshot. Our object,e told them, was to get throughtheircountry as safelyand as expeditiouslys possible,nd itrested with themselves whether our objectas accomplishewithout inconvenience to the inhabitants.

They both protestedarnestlyhat theywere our Mends ;so at 9 a.m., havingstruck camp, we commenced what, bythe generalindications,ade fairto prove the crucial marchof the safari.

The country was very rugged,and most denselyculti-ated.M'bu seemed to be prodigiouslyich in food. We

saw thousands of acres plantedwith muhindi, stretchinas far as the eye could reach. There were no boundariesbetween the shambas. It occurred to us that perhapstheWa'M'bu, unlike the other tribes of A'kikuyu, owned theground in common, but we had no opportunityf decidingthis point,s the Wa'M'bu did not appear to us to encourageany degreeof intimacy.Indeed,soon afterthe start we hadproofsthat they meant to make matters livelyfor us en


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FROM M'Bir, ACROSS EAST KENIA, TO ZURA. 71with the other. At every cross-pathreatcrowds of warriors,follyarmed, watched oiur passage in ominous silence. Assoon as we passedthey closed in on onr rear and followedat a distance of two or three hundred yards,their numbersbeing continnallyaugmented by other bodies who joinedthem on the road. The path laythroughnarrow valleys,and on the heightsn each side were more bodies of nativeswho shouted at us, and informed us in a most insultingmanner that theywere coming to kill us. They reallyidseem inclined to try conclusions with us, and thingslookedvery nasty for a time,whilst we needed all our wits aboutus to preserve some sort of disciplinemong our men.

George and I especiallyad a very difficulttask in therear, when crossinghe small rivers,or spruits,f whichthere were many in the road. It was no easy task to keepoffthe armed bands of natives simplyby moral force,ithoutfiling shot,whilst we unloaded the refractoryonkeys,and half pushed half draggedthem unwillinglycross arockylittle staream,and loaded again on the other side.In the mean-time, in consequence of the delay,the mainsafari would have moved on and left George and myselfalone with the six donkeys and as many men, and withsomething over three or four hundred aggressivea'M'buwithin two hundred yardstryingto make up their minds toattack us.

At such times Georgeand I, leavingJumbi to getthedonkeysacross, would face round with our riflesat the ready,and direct our reluctant guideto inform his bloodthirstMends that if they came a stepnearer the Wa'sunguwouldslaythem with theirguns. Our determined attitude,o doubt,


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death on several occasions duringthat memorable marcLIf we had relaxed our vigilanceor one singlenstant weshould undoubtedlyave been attacked,nd at a tremendousdisadvantage.t could only have had one ending anendingwhich would have eflfectuallyreventedhis descrip-ion

beingpenned. I am stillundecided as to the reasonwhy we accomplishedhat march without a fracas. TheWa'M'bu, beinga numerous and imUed people,re, therefore,very dangerousto tackle in their mountain fastnesses.The weak spot in most of the other tribes of that r^onis the fact that they are ruled by numerous pettychiefs,and have no cohesion and consequentlyo real strengtL

El Hakim had no inconsiderable task in the van of thesafari,s he had to keephis eye upon the other guidein orderto preventhim firomleadings into an ambush, and had alsoto verifyis course by compass.

This nerve-wearyingarch lasted tillsundown, when wereached a partiallyleared shamba on the crest of a roundedhill,nd pitchedour camp. There were no materials for aboma, so .that we were obligedto dependfor safetyduringthe nighton constant watchfulness. We trebled the sentries,and sleptin our clothes,eepingour weapons within easyreach ; but we were not disturbed.

I do not think the Wa'M'bu quiteunderstood us. Weplayeda game of pure blufifthroughout,nd, strangeto say,it answered perfectly,houghpersonally have no wish torepeatthe experienceat least,not without a much largerquantityof ammunition than we then carried. They werestrong enough to have utterlyannihilated us, though nodoubt theywould have suffered in the and it


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resumed our march in that direction,nd,forcingur waythroughthe jungle,skirted the crest of the ravine until wefound the crossing.Though the sides of the ravine werestillterriblyteep,we scrambled down somehow, and at ihebottom found a rude bridgethrown across the stream. Itwas simplya tree-trunk,ut with a littlecare the wholeparty got safelyto the other side. The animals we swamacross, firsttakingthe precautionto tie a rope round theirnecks. We then pulledthem over to the other bank, andlanded them safely,nappredativeperhaps,ut alive andmost certainlyicking.

As it was then about ten o'clock,we sat down andbreakfasted,assingthe time of day with a small crowdof Wa'M'bu, who had bj this time collected on the slopenthe side of the ravine we had justquitted.

At eleven o'clock we resumed the marcL If the junglein HiTbu was bad,this side of the ravine was ten times worse,beingone impenetrableall of vegetation.he heat at thebottom was terrific,nd we all felt its effects severely.Palms grew on every side,intermingledith giantforesttrees,which were in their turn covered with exotic creepers*orchids,and climbingplants,hicklyinterlaced with rattans,which formed a solid wall extendingrightup to the summitof the ridge.

Our two guidesow went on strike. They demanded tobe released,s they declared that theywould be killed onsightby the Wa'zuka. We offered to protectthem fromsuch an untimelyfate iftheyled us safelyo the top of theridge and we promisedto send an escort back with them toM'bu. seemed nd were o in


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78 THROUGH KIKUYU TO GALLA-LAND.The prospect did not alann us, however, as, after ourexperiencen HiTbu,we considered onrselves equal to anylittletribe thereabouts;o we dismissed our guidewith apresent.

We had been vegetariansor a coupleof days,o thatwhen I shot a partridge,hile the tents were beingpitched,the addition to our larder was greatlyppreciated,hou^one small bird between three hungry men does not govery far.

On the followingmorning we packed up, and, havingconsulted our compass, cast about for a path. A faint trackwas soon found leadingapproximatelyn the direction wewished to travel For some hours we followed it ov^ veryrough gravellyand rocky country, with here and tiiereoutcropsof white quartz.

Late in the afternoon we came to a deep,swift stream,rushingtumultuouslybetween grey granitewalls,as per-endic

and smooth as a dock-walL This narrow gorgewas spannedby a rude bridge,onsistingf three roughvery rough ^hewn planks. El Hakim was ahead, anddismounting,alked across leadinghis mule. Halfwayacross the mule slippedand fell,and in endeavouringorecover herself,lippedagain,and finallylungedwith aterrificsplashinto the stream 20 feet below. She turnedover as she felland struck her back on a projectingnob onthe cliffwall Fortunately,he saddle saved her back frombeing broken, though the saddle itself was badlyripped.She disappearedeneath the surface,nd remained underfor some time. We feared she was drowned,but presentlyshe rose to the surface,shakingher head in a very dii^roste


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FROM M*BU, ACROSS EAST KENIA, TO ZURA. 79and succeeded in tnmmg her head down-stream ; and abouthalf an hour later they turned up with her quiteunharmedTheyhad swum down-stream tilltheyfound a ford,wheretheyhad scrambled ashore. The rest of the animals weresent down to the ford,and were got across without difficultThere was a largehill with a flat summit a few hundredyardsaway, and we camped on the top.

The day had been exceedinglyot and dry,and we foundthat all the pnppies,except one, that were bom in Marangawere dead. The man who carried the bucket containinthem had put his blanket over the top to keep the sun firomthem,and they had been suffocated. Their mother howeverdid not seem to be much concerned.

We saw a lot of natives hangingabout on the adjacentheights,ut did not encourage them to come any nearer,bearingn mind the warningof our Zuka guida We werenow fairlyn the Imbe country, and the next day woulddecidewhether theywere inclined to be friendlyr otherwise.

The next morning on resumingthe march the characterof the coimtry againchanged. The quartz boulders andgravellytretches gave placeto prettywoodland scenery.Lovelytretches of greenswardoccurred at intervals,ottedwith statelyrees. Magnificentaobabs and tall sycamores(Egyptianig)ere numerous. The sycamores are called bythe Swahilis *' Mikuyu.'' Unfortunately,hey were not infruit It was quiterefreshingo see the smooth green grassdotted with the gigantictems of the baobabs,which gaveOS the idea of beingin some beautiful park.

Presentlye encountered some of the Wa'Imbe headedby their chief,who, to our astonishment,welcomed us most


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FROM M'BU, ACROSS EAST KENT A, TO ZURA. 8iThe Wa'Imbe chief made us a presentof a sheep,hich

was very acceptable,s, with the exceptionf that solitarypartridgen Zuka, we had had no fresh meat for six days.

The next day, thonghvery sick and dizzy, was so mnchbetter that we resumed our march, and travelled for threehours,when we halted and breakfiBtsted.After an hour'srest we went on again.At four o'clock in the afternoon wediscovered that we were in IganL We saw natives hurryinghither and thither among their shambas, but thoughtheywere rather noisy,theyshowed no signsof open hostility.When we camped theycame and visited us in largenumbers.Once in our camp they appeared rather more ready toquarrel,nd made a deal of noise; so much so that wewere compelledto use force to dear the camp, our menbelabouringhem soundlywith the butts of their rifles,which had a very salutaryffect,s theyat once grew muchmore respectfulnd well behaved. They went away, andreturned later with some bunches of green bananas and ajar of very fair honey as a present. They came backeady the next morningwith a sheep,and desired to make" muma " (blood-brotherhood)ith us ; an honour we declinedforthe present,apparentlyo their greatdisappointment.

We then departed,and travellingapidly,hook thedust of Iganifrom our feet. The next littlekingdom onour route was Moravi, which we crossed in an hour or two,and finallyntered Zura,where El Hakim was well known.We were now in the limeru district,hich compriseshewhole of North-East Eenia, and contains numerous smalldistricts,ach ruled over by its petty chief. In the imme-iate

vicinityof Zura are O'nainu, N'dakura, Munithu,Eatheri,and Karanjui To the north-east lay the Jom-beni mountains, which are inhabited by the Wa'Emba

o


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Between the Jombeni mountainfl and Earanjuiwas a smallrange of hills called yarionsly* Chanjai or '' Janjai,''ndbetween Chanjaiand Embe resided the Wa'Mthara.

The destinies of Zora were presidedver by a Masainamed ''Diiito/'ho was a greatMend of "1 Hakim's.He had even then some cattle belongingo El Hakim inhis charge.We were presentlyet by Dirito himself,afine-lookingan with a good reputations a fighter,hoappearedvery pleasedto see ns, and welcomed us warmly.We camped justoutside his village,hich was surroundedby a very strong stockade,and soon afterwards he broughtus a quantityf honeyand some milk for our refreshment


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84 THROUGH KIKUYU TO GALLA-LAND.food theyrequired,nd then went on to Embe. They were,by all accounts,welcomed by the Wa'Embe, who even madeblood-brotherhood with them. The next night withoutwarningtheir camp was treacherouslyushed by a largeforce of the Wa'Embe, some of their cattle and trade goodsbeinglooted,and nine of their men killed outright.Theymanaged to make good their retreat with the remainder oftheir caravan, and at Munithu met Jamah Mahomet and hisparty coming up. They asked their assistance,nd JamahMahomet, havingsomehow received news of our approach,advised them that El Hakim and the other two Wasungnwould be at Munithu in a few days,and suggestedthattheyshould wait and consult them, so theyhad waited. ElHakim heard their account of the afbir,and afterpromisingto consider the matter, he and G^rge returned to Zura.

After breakfast the followingorningwe moved bag andbaggageover to Munithu, where we were well received bytiie chief,ld grey-headedei-Munithu, an old firiendandallyof El Hakim's. The Somalis had started the samemorning for M'thara,so we did not see them. We lunchedjust outside Bei-Munithu's village,onversingmeanwhilewith the old rascal. He broughtus some splendidhornhoney. It had a very pleasantacid taste, which wemuch appreciated.unithu is about 5000 feet above sea-level,the climate beingvery moist and warm, thoughcold atnight. Bei-Munithu had a largequantityof trade goodsbelongingo El Hakim stored at his village,ver fortyloadsin fact,esides two or three dozen head of cattle and somedonkeys.

After lunch we started for Earanjui,which is a sort of


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Z(/RA TO M'THARA, AND A VISIT TO EMBE. 8$It was almost impenetrable,ut fortunatelyl Hakim, on aformer expedition,ad cut a paththroughit,which we nowfollowed. It was a weird and gloomy-lookingorest,thetrees being twisted and tangledin every direction without-spreadingbranches which, growing low down, maderidingimpossible. One would look in vain for a straighttree-trank or branch. Nature had apparentlymused her-elf

by twistingthem into all sorts of curious and fantasticshapes. The men crept throughwith dlent footsteps,ndonlythe rattle of a rifleor the feeble twitter of a solitarybird broke the intense stiUness of the semi-twilight.n theway I noticed some black-and-white hombills. Presentlywe reached Earanjui,n oval depressionn the ground,perhaps700 yardslongand 500 yardswide, and perfectlydear of trees. In the rainyseason itis swampy, but at thetime of our visit it was quitedryexcept for a poolat oneend, and covered with coarse grass. All round it andbeyond stretched the silent forest. Here we camped forthe night

Near Earanjui live the Tomori people,with whomEl Hakim had had a difference of opinionsome monthsbefore. After our eveningmeal we persuadedEl Hakimto tellus the yam. Brieflyt was as follows :

Travellingrom Munithu to IkCthara,e was passingthroughthe forestbelt,intendingo camp at Earanjui Onhis arrival there he foimd that two of his portersweremissing. He thereuponsent his headman and some otherportersback into the forest to look for them. They returnedan hour or two laterwith the mutilated bodies of the missingmen, which were perforatedll over with spear-woimdsndalso horriblyhacked and chopped about with "simes"(nativeswords). Their loads had disappearedaltogether.


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S6 THROUGH KIKUYU TO GALLA-LAND.

El Hakim gave directions for the safari to go on with theircampingarrangements,nd,selectingour men, immediatelyset out for the villagef the Tomori chief. Arrived there,he stood outside and summoned him. That worthy soonswaggeredout, accompaniedby fiftyr sixtywairiors as abodyguard,and insolentlydemanded |theM'sungu's busi-ess.

El Hakim, throughhis interpreter,uietlystatedhis grievance,nd asked that the young men who hadmurdered his servants should be givenup to him for punish-ent

; also that his missingtrade goodsshould be restored.The chief laughedin his face,and turningto his admiringfollowers,erisivelyepeatedhe M'sungu'sdemand, whichwas received by a shout of laughter,accompanied bythreateningestures in El Hakim's direction. The chiefagainturned to him, and in a most insolent manner, shakinghis spear, bade him begone,accompanyinghis words withcontemptuousgestures. El Hakim never moved a hair,butquietlyrepeatedhis demand, adding that if the murdererswere not given up he would hold the chief personallresponsibleand deal with him accordingly.When thiswarning was interpretedo him, the chief worked himselfinto a rage and proceededto violentlyaranguehis warriorB.Suddenlyhe turned and,with upliftedpear, made a rushat El Hakim, who forthwith shot him. His four mensimultaneouslyoureda volleyinto the excited crowd ofwarriors,who immediatelyled to the shelter of the villagefrom which pointof vantage theypeppered El Hakim andhis escort with poisoned arrows. Walking round to theback of the village.l Hakim discovered his missingloads


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ZURA TO M'THARA, AND A VISIT TO EMBE. 87when the waniors,reinforced by others from a neighbouringvillage ade an ngly rush from the rear npon his littleforce. Tellinghis now frighteneden to go on to campwith allspeed,e sat on an ant-hill and pat in some Ceuicyshootingt short range, which was rightlynterpretedy hisassailants as a hint to keepaway and not crowd him, a hintthey wiselyacted npon with considerable promptitude.Hethen rejoinedis men, and theyproceededn their way tocamp. Several times duringthe next hour the natives triedto rush the littleparty,but whenever theygot unpleasantlynear El Hakim repeatedis former tactics with continuedsuccess, until the crestfallen warriors realized that theywere gettingore kicks than halfpenceut of the game,and sullenlywithdrew with the loss of twelve killed andwounded ; El Hakim returningo camp, perfectlyerene inthe knowledgethat he had come out of a bad business in avery satisfactoryanner.

We leftKaranjuiearlynext morning and re-entered theforest belt,the second part of which we were not quitethree-quartersf an hour in crossing.The character of thecountry now changed considerably,he dense bush andcoarse, rank v^tation of east Kenia givingway to openplainswith small rockyhillsscattered here and there. Thelevel of the country now descends slightly,'thara beingsituated about 4500 feet above sea-level,200 feet lessthan Munithu. To our rightose the succession of roundedprominencesknown as Chanjai,hich are inhabited by atribe who, though reallyA'kikuyu,show many markedMasai characteristics. They are war-like and treacherous.In front,some miles away, rose the frowningheightsof theJombeni range, inhabited by the Wa'Embe, with whom we


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SS THROUGH KIKUYU TO GALLA-LAND.

slopes,t the foot of the Jombeni Mountains, and to west-ardof them, reside the Wa'Mthara people,who gave

Mr. Ghanler^ so much trouble when he visited Eenia in1893,and to whom we were making our way.We were now about 4600 feet above sea-level,nd notmore than ten miles north of the Equator. The heat duringthe day was very great,varyingfrom 100**to 110"*Fahr.,buta cold north wind blew in the eveningand duringthe night, |and the temperaturedroppedto about 60^ a variation which jmade an overcoat comfortable after sundown. The groundwas of a gravellyature, and cultivated only in patches.We had said good-byeat Earanjuito all the shady foresttrees,coniferon,ta, which were replacedby the inhospitablethorny acacia or umbrella thorn,and farther north, theDoum palm,which two were henceforth to be our constantcompanions. The men all turned to and made themselvessandals,it being impossibleto walk barefoot where theumbrella thorn flourishea The thorns are white,severalinches long,and wonderfullysharp. They stick out from |the branch in all directions,o that when a twig is broken joff by the wind or any other cause, the fallen twiglyingon jthe ground resembles a miniature chevava de /rise,s someof the spinesre alwayspointingupwards,lyingin wait for |the bare foot of the unwary. i

The chief of ITthara is an old man named N'Dominuki. jIn his youth he had a great reputations a warrior,andwas commonly credited with the slaughtert various times Iof thirty-fiveen with his own spear. It is uncertain Iwhether he joinedin the attack on Mr. Chanler's expeditionat any rate,no mention is made of him by name in that' 1 " Through Jungleand Desert,"by William Astor Chanler,AM,


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ZURA TO M*THARA, AND A VISIT TO EMBE. 89explorer'sook; his first appearance in printbeing inNeumann's book/ he beinga great Mend of Neumann's,having,n fact,ade blood-brotherhood with him. Neumannhad had a very laigeexperiencef natives,nd soon reckonedup Mr. N'Dominukl At the outset of their acquaintance,he very plainlyintimated to that worthy that Mendshipand fair dealingwith the white man would certainlyay,and, on the other hand, treacheryand hostilityould ascertainlyot. N'Dominuki, being no longerin the firstflushof youth,was old enoughand wise enough to take thehint,nd as will be seen, he was by far the most honest andtrustworthyld savage that we ever had dealingsith. Hehad a very greatadmiration for his blood-brother Neumann.On one occasion he told us that Neumann was '' a very goodwhite man, he alwaysspokethe truth,and he told me thatotherwhite men who might come here would treat me wellifI were Mendly to them and gave them food and guidesand itis even as he said. I have alwaysspokentrulyandhelpedhe white men, and,behold,ow I am a rich man."

El Hakim had had dealingsith N'Dominuki on severaloccasions previously,nd was very Mendly with the oldchie who had a number of cattle belongingo him in hischarge.El Hakim seemed to have cattle and trade goodsscatteredall over North Eenia in chargeof various natives.He had also a score or so of loads of brass,copper, and ironwire buried on the Waso Nyiro. I mentallylikened ElHakim's head to Aladdin's lamp. If we wanted cattle ordoth or wire,El Hakim would, metaphoricallypeaking,rub his head,and lo ! after a moment's cogitation,e wouldannounce that buried in such and such a spot a few days'

1 "Elei^iantHnnting in East EquatorialAfrica,"by Arthur H.Neumann, pp. 42,43.


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march away, or in chargeof such and such chief not fardistant,ere the identical articleswe required.

We reached an acacia forest at 10 a.m" Inside,abouthalf a mile from the border, was a clearingsomewhatresembliogKaranjui,n which we pitchedur camp. Anhour or so afterwards old N'Dominuki himself,hearingofour arrival,ame down and welcomed us warmly. TheSomalis had not yet arrived,heyapparentlyavingdivergedat EaraDJui to Ghanjai N'Dominuki confirmed the newsof the mishap to Noor Adam's safari,and was curious toknow what stepswe intended taking.We did not satisfIds curiosity,ot wishingto express an opinionuntil we hadheard all the available evidenca The old chief stayedwithus until the evening,hen withdrew to his village,ronusingto return on the morrow with his peopleand bringus food.The old man was at one time the paramount chief of theturbulent Wa'Mthara, but with increasingge his powerhad graduallyweakened, so that he now exercised com-letecontrol only over his own villageand the peoplelivingimmediatelyaround. His influence,however, wasstill appreciable,nd his knowledge of passingeventsabsolute.

Our camp we found most inconvenientlyindy. Astrong gale blew night and day, and made thingsveryuncomfortable. The tents had to be fastened down veryfirmlyand additional guy-ropes rigged,nd even then theythrashed and shook in a most alarmingmcumer, threateninevery moment to blow bodilyaway. It was when we satdown to meals, however, that the real fun began. The


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others,and sometimes even among civilizedpeoples,policyof "masterlyinactivity"s an acknowledgmentof weak-ess.

These savages are civil to a safari only in directproportionto their idea of its power of reprisalOnce itenters their heads that they are the stronger,that 8a"aiiis inimminent dangerof attack,and would need a very resolutedefence,backed with a laigequantityof ammunition, toprevent its extirpation.

If that were the worst we had to fear,e could haveafforded to let matters go, as we need not have gone nearEmbe; but all the neighbouringribes had been closelywatchingevents. If we failed to restore in some way ourlostprestige,e should have allthe natives,ven those whowere at present our Mends, down on us also,and in thatcase we should be in a very awkward predicament.It isnot often that these natives get a chance to plunder caravanwhich,to them, seems to be laden with incalculable riches.When I say our lost prestige,say preciselyhat I mean,for,as I have previouslyemarked, these ignorantavages donot discriminate between one safari and another,whether itis European,Arab, or Swahili ; and neither do they wish to.

The combined Somali safaris reached M'thara at mid-ayon the day followingur arrival. They proceededto

camp near us with much noise of shoutingand blowingof" barghums" (kudu-horntrumpets). It was amusing to seethe enthusiastic greetingsetween our respectiveorters.Friends long separatedvehementlyembraced each otheramid cries of "Yambo" (greeting),ith loudlyshoutedinquiriess to each other's health. For instance,Jumbirecognized distant relative the crowd of the Somali


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ZURA TO M'THARA, AND A VISIT TO EMBE. 93"Tambo," said Jumbi, and the other answering"Yambo!"theyagainshook hands. Once more Jumbi said " Yambo/'and was againanswered " Yambo." They embraced again;" Yambo sana""continaed Jumbi '' Yambo sana/'answeredthe other once more. They embraced yet again. '' YamboSana sana," again said Jumbi. ''Yambo sana sana,"answered the other;and so they continued for quitefiveminutes^ interruptednly by intervals of embracingandhandshaking.As theywere only one coupleout of many,Uie noise may be faintlymagined.

As soon as the Somalis had built their boma and puttheir camp in order,e received a message to the effectthattheywere coming to visit us. Soon afterwards they cameover in greatstate. Arrayedin all the dignityof snow-white turbans and flowingrobes,beautifullyoloured vestsrichlyembroidered with gold,praying-beadsf amber,sandalwood or ebonyin hand,and decorated with numerouswatch-chains and jewelledcharms, they presenteda mostpicturesqueappearance. Jamah Mahomet alone woreEuropean clothes. He was in khaki serge with putteesto match, and wore a double ''Terai" hat. He had beenin the service of the Grovemment, and had also accompaniedMr. Cavendish on his lateexpeditionhroughSomaliland toLake Budolph. He was a tall,sinewy,well-set-upan withclean-cut,regularfeatures,xtremelyintelligent,horoughltrustworthy,onourable,polite,nd hospitablea man whomit was really pleasureo meet. He was about thirtyearsof age.

Ismail BobU was a short stout man with a shiftyeye,


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Adam was a littleslim man, with narrow eyes and ferret-like features. He was reportedto have shot some of hisporterson his journeyacross West Kenia, for attemptedesertion. He somehow provoked an instinctive feelingofdislike,nd we never got on with him. His two partners,Bhotan and Abdallah Araballi were much of the samekidney. All three were Ogaden Somalis,a tribe who havenot the best of reputations.here were sundryother lesserlightswho are not of suficient importanceto deservenotice.

When they came into camp we received them with dueceremony, and askingthem to be seated,interchangedreet-ngs

in the Mohammedan manner. For a moment the airresounded with such remarks as ''Sabal Kheir" (God blessyou),''Salaam Aliekoum" (Peacebe on you),nd ''AliekoumSalaam" (And on you peace),mingledwith the Swahili''XJhali ghani? Habari ghani?" (How are you? Whatnews ?),illetiquetteas satisfied.We then got to busmess,and discussed the Embe afTaurin allitsbearings.El Hakimcross-questionedoor Adam and some of his men veryseverely,ut could find no discrepancyn their variousaccounts. We discussed the matter very fuUy,and finallyfor the goodand suficient reasons I have alreadyenumerated,we determined to punishthe Wa'Embe in co-operationiththe Somalis. We instructed them to providethirty-fiveencarryingnider rifles,hile we undertook to supplytwenty-five men similarlyrmed, which,with ourselves,ade up astrong force of sixty-threeen, a number we consideredamply sufficientfor the purpose in hand. We despatched


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ZURA TO M'THARAy AND A VISIT TO EMBE. 95On the followingday we held another ''shanrie" with

the Somalia to discuss the moivs operandiof our projectedexpedition.N'Dominuki's nephew had been instructed toreturn from Embe within two days, and we decided tostart on the afternoon of the next day" by which time,baraccidents,he would have returned " and march immediatelyon receivingis report. We intended to start justbeforedusk, pass throughITthara in the darkness,and be over theEmbe border unperceiyedat midnight A short rest and adash on the Wa'Embe at dawn would completethe operation.It was a goodplan,and would have answered admirablybutfor one of those littleaccidents that make ''the best-hudschemes o' mice and men gang aft agley."As will be seen,itsuited the enemy admirably.

Embe on this side (thewest)consists of a range of steepmountains,where it rains nearlyall the year round. It has,therefore,very moist climate and fertilesoil,nd itssteepslopesand deep valleysare covered with dense jungleinterspersedith banana plantations,aking it a verynasty country to fightin,especiallygainstnatives whoknow every inch of the groundand every turn of the paths.We did not tell N'Dominuki of our plans a very graveoversighthat nearlycost us our lives and those of the wholeexpedition.

On the followingorning,s we reallyould not standthe wind any longer,e shifted our camp to the inside ofthe forest,nd while we were about it we fortifiedit as wellas we were able by fellinghorn trees,etc. We were muchmore sheltered in this new position,hough,to be sure, itwas rather damp. This wind had a nasty cold nipwith itn^^t and morning,which was the reverse of agreeable.


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96 THROUGH KIKUYU TO GALLA-LAND.our simplepreparationsor the expeditiono Embe. Wetook one tent with us in case we were away more than a dayor two. A loaf of bread and a hind quarterof boiled muttonwere also included;and^ of course, a plentifulupply ofammunition. The men had thirtyounds of Snider cartridgeeach,which was all we could spare. The Somalia' men hadfiftyounds each,and they,in addition,ad a reserve chestof six hundred rounds for emergencies.

At 5 p.m. we started. The natives in our immediatevicinityhad, with their usual unerringinstinct in suchmatters, smelt a row, and about fiftyof them turned uparmed with spears and shields. We did not want them, butcould not very well turn them away, and at the last momentit occurred to us that theymightprove useful as scouts,andwe therefore allowed them to remain. When our force hadassembled,it made quitean imposingarray with the sixtymen with riflesand the fiftythers with spears. Altogetherwe commanded upwards of a hundred men, and had

An Ivory Trader in North Kenia the Record of an Expedition Through 1000732911

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