RowLanp WaRD & Co. 
LIMITED 
“THE JUNGLE” 
366 PiccADILLY, LONDON 


iiROUGH JUNGLE AND: -DESERT 


) 


ROUGH JUNGLE AND 
DESERT. 


Fay 


“BY. 


oe WILLIAM ASTOR CHANLER 
OS or NE. (Harv), ERGS: : 


HONORARY MEMEER Or THE, IMPERIAL AND. ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL 
; fie aA Ty Society OF VIENNA 


thcdineawinee xxxiv. 1X) 


“MACMILLAN | AND CO. Lp. 


(NEW YORK: MACMIDLAM: AML GP, 
) 
1806 


Bd Wiggs: Feernens 


ay sia 


a PAO pce eh nc ee SL NALIESAND Ra Came eer erences 
ena ee 


enki nem 


ii OwuGh JUNGLE AND 
DES ERD 


ied eS INGE AS TERN. APRICA 


BY 


WiLDEVAM ASTOR CHANLER 


A.M. (Harv.), F.R.G.S. 


HONORARY MEMBER OF THE IMPERIAL AND ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL 
SOCIETY OF VIENNA 


WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY THE AUTHOR 


AND MAPS 


“When I travelled I saw many things; and I understand 


more than I can express”’ 
EcCLESIASTICUS Xxxiv. I 


London 
VACWIEEAN AND ‘CO: Lrp. 


NEW YORK: MACMILLAN AND CO. 
1896 


All rights reserved 


CopyRIGHT, 1896, | 


By MACMILLAN AND CO. 


Norwood ress 
J. §. Cushing & Co. — Berwick & Smith 
Norwood Mass. U.S.A. 


TO 


JUDGE (CHARLES: P.. DALY. 


PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY 
IN RECOGNITION OF MUCH KINDLY ADVICE AND ENCOURAGEMENT 
THIS NARRATIVE OF TWO YEARS’ WORK IN AFRICA 


IS DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR 


le Reh eA Cale: 


In giving this book to the press I gratefully acknowl- 
edge the help I have received in preparing it from 
numerous friends, and especially from the Hon. Theo- 
dore Roosevelt, to whose encouragement and advice its 
present appearance is largely due. 


THE AUTHOR. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 
CHAPTER: I: ; : ; ; : , : : : I 
CHAPTER II : ‘ 3 ‘ ‘ : : - 40 
CHAPTER III ; : ; : i g : , = | 46 
CHAPTER IV : : ‘ : : : ; : an EL, 
CHAPTER |v. : ; ; 5 : : : : oe SA 
CHAPTER VI : ; 3 : : : : é 54203 
CHAPTER VII : ; ‘ ‘ : : . : 200 
CHAPTER VII): : : : j : 5 ; eg27 
CHAPTER IX : : : : : : : : - 378 
CHAPTER X . : : ; : : , : : - 448 
CHAPTER XI : : : ‘ : 3 ; : . 482 


INDEX . 6 ‘ : ‘ 3 : : ‘ : 52 


EIS OF Ter ustRATIONS 


William Astor Chanler : : : : : Frontispiece 
Lieutenant Ludwig von Hohnel . : : : : . Face 
Borassus Palm 

Outskirts of Lamu 

Type of Porter 

Whole Force of the Zanzibari 

Our Camp at Mkonumbi 

Somali Hut 

A Village of Mkonumbi 

Galla Girl . 

Our Pokomo Boatmen 

Vignette 

Village of Kinekombe 

Scene in Camp on the Coast 

Pokomo Boat Builders at Work . 

Our Canoes 

Camels on the March . 

Camp at Hameye 

My Whole Force drawn up. 

Hippopotamus Hunt on the Mackenzie River 
Hippopotamus Hunt on the Mackenzie River 


Acacia and Thorn Scrub 


xi 


PAGE 


xil LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 


Baobab Tree 

Dhum Palm and Acacia 

Chanler Falls 

Canyon above Chanler Falls 

Dead Rhinoceros 

The Author, with Vanguard of Soudanese 
Camp on the Plain near Lorian 

Scene near Lorian 

Wamsara Elders 

Type of Landscape 

A Charge of Wamsara 

Mode of carrying the Sick . 

Porters on the March . 

Loading Camels — pile of ammunition in the foreground 
Unloading Camels — showing mode of carrying Berthon boat 
Scene on the Tana 

Native Huts of the Wa-daitcho 

Ant Hill 

Embe Girl carrying Wood . 

Our Camp at Daitcho 

Chief Natives of the Embe 

Embe Shepherds 

Liria, most Influential Man among the Embe 
An Embe Donkey 

Tent Boys . 

Oryx Beisa 

Dead Rhinoceros 

Unloading of Camels . 

Karscho 


Mahomet Aman 


PAGE 


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 


Scene in Camp . 

Guaso Nyiro River, near where we found Rendile 
Type of Landscape 

Native Bridge— a chasm in the Guaso Nyiro River 
Men playing Cards in Camp 

Scene on the Guaso Nyiro River 

Some of my Men with Ivory 

Donkeys crossing Dry River-bed 

In Trouble with our Donkeys 

At the Head-waters of the Mackenzie . 

Native Village — wall and gateway 

Camp Scene at Daitcho 

Soudanese Guard at Gate 

Daitcho Dancing 

Daitcho Dancing 

The Leader of the Dance 

Daitcho Ladies in Full Ball Costume . 


Beri-Beri, Medicine-man and Poisoner of the Daitcho . 


Cervicapra Chanleri 
Scene on the Tana 
Scene on the Tana 
Country near Guaso Nyiro River 
Large Baobab Tree 
Wakamba Warriors 
Bridge across the ‘Tana 
Vignette 

Wakamba Medicine-men 
Dick’s Grave at Mwyru 
Mgundu 


Ramazan and Mgundu 


xlv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 
Cocoanut-oil Mill : : : : F ; : F ; SOL 
Variety of Porters’ Habitations  . : : : : ; 2 Sie 
Vignette. ; , : ; : ; F : ; . 516 


Map of Tana District and Northeastern Kenya Region. 


General View of East Africa, showing the Route of the Expedition. 


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LIEUTENANT LUDWIG VON HOHNEL 


THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT 


—-0 594, 0-0-——_. 


CHAPTER 1 


Tue journey the description of which will be found 
in the following pages was one planned and undertaken 
by me in codperation with Lieutenant von Hodhnel, 
for the purpose of adding something to the world’s 
knowledge of that portion of East Africa hitherto 
unexplored, lying between the Tana and Juba rivers. 

Lieutenant von Héhnel, my companion upon this 
journey, is an officer in the Imperial and Royal Austro- 
Hungarian Navy. In the year 1888 he accompanied 
Count Teleki, an Hungarian nobleman, upon an expe- 
dition into East Africa, which lasted nearly two years, 
as a result of which much was added to the scientific 
knowledge of this portion of that continent, especially 
by the discovery of the great lakes Rudolph and 
Stephanie. The wonderfully exact map made by Lieu- 
tenant von Hohnel attracted the attention of all geog- 
raphers to his work; and the book descriptive of 
that journey added greatly to his fame, and conveyed 
a vast amount of new and interesting information. 

My journey was undertaken purely in the interest 
of science, and, such being the case, I esteemed myself 


B au 


NS 


THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


most fortunate in securing the codperation of Lieu- 
tenant von Hodhnel. What he accomplished for geog- 
raphy will be seen from an inspection of the maps 
accompanying this volume. 

But one other white man accompanied us; this was 
my servant, George Galvin, an American boy nineteen 


‘1 sy Vy 


EN AlZ 

WS VF 
say 
ik IN 


NSS i "es AWW SOAP y 
LSS SNE VAG / 
ERK WS XN i 
WS WQS 


BORASSUS PALM 


years of age. He had accompanied me upon my first 
expedition to Africa, at which time he was but sixteen 
years of age, and had not only proved himself capable, 
in an astonishing degree, of withstanding the hardships 
incident to African travel, but had also developed 
marked capability in the work connected with the 


I TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 3 


caravan. Throughout the narrative, I shall speak of 
him as George; and as the story progresses, the reader 
will be able to judge of his behaviour. 

The expedition of Count Teleki and Lieutenant von 
Hohnel determined the northern limit of the Masai 
race, and penetrated almost to the regions inhabited 
by the Galla. Between Lakes Rudolph and Stephanie 
and the Indian Ocean there lies a large area of country, 
which until our journey had resisted attempts at explo- 
ration. The natives inhabiting that portion of the 


OUTSKIRTS OF LAMU 


coast are Somali, and they proved in every way hostile 
to Europeans. Baron Vanderdecken had met_ his 
death at Bardera, a few miles from the coast, in the 
year 1867. Since that time few efforts had been 
made, and they were attended with anything but 
success. 

Both Lieutenant von Héhnel and I had had some 
experience in African travel, and we decided that an 
exploration of this part of the country was feasible, 
provided entrance was made south of the region over 
which the Somali held sway. The River Tana, which 
flows from Mount Kenya to the Indian. Ocean, had 
been proved by the journeys of Denhardt, Peters, and 


4 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT * CHAP. 


Dundas to be navigable for more than 200 miles from 
the sea; and, in consequence, it seemed to us a suitable 
point at which to commence our journey. It was our 
intention to ascend the river, and, upon reaching the 
limits of navigation, to strike to the north, and penetrate 
as far as possible into the interior. 

From information received, we had come to the con- 
clusion that the Somali tribes did not extend their 
wanderings many miles from the coast lying between 
Kismayu and Lamoo, at the mouth of the Tana River, 
and that the Juba River formed the southern boundary 
of the wanderings of the Somali inhabiting the country 
immediately south of Berbera; so that, by taking the 
Tana route, we should effect an entrance into the 
country without coming into contact with the Somali. 
Of the tribes inhabiting the country between the 
Juba and the Tana rivers we had no definite knowl- 
edge. Lieutenant von Hohnel and Count Teleki, on 
their former journey along the eastern shore of Lake 
Rudolph, saw signs and gathered intelligence of a large 
tribe called Rendile. The exact habitat of this tribe 
was unknown, but they were supposed to range from 
Lake Stephanie, in the north, to some point near Mount 
Kenya, in the south. They were said to be possessed 
of vast herds of camels, horses, donkeys, sheep, goats, 
and cattle. This wealth had made them the object 
of attacks from the Somali on the coast, and from the 
Masai and other tribes lying to the south and west of 
them. Owing to this fact, it was said, they were con- 
tinually on the move — stopping but long enough in 
one place to exhaust the pasturage, and then moving 
on again in search of food and water for their flocks. 


I TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 5 


The presence of this tribe in the part of the country to 
which I have referred we took for granted; and the fact 
that they were possessed of beasts of burden, suitable 
for the purposes of a caravan, entered largely into our 
calculations. 

In the make-up and personnel of our caravan we had 
so arranged matters that, upon meeting this tribe, we 
might renew our means of porterage (sure to be weak- 
ened and reduced by the journey); we hoped that our 
caravan, strengthened by this means, would be enabled 
to proceed without difficulty for a great distance and 
length of time in search of fresh fields for exploration. 

Both Lieutenant von Hohnel and I had come to the 
conclusion, that the use of men as a means of porterage 
was not only troublesome and costly, but, from the very 
exigencies of African travel, cruel in the extreme. Our 
ideas then turned in the direction of obviating, as far as 
possible, the necessity of using men; but not knowing 
whether the climatic conditions of the country lying be- 
tween the coast and the Rendile (from whom we hoped 
to purchase cattle, etc.) were suited for beasts of burden, 
we were forced to employ, at least for the outset of our 
expedition, men for the transportation of our goods. 
To these we added fifteen camels, fifty donkeys, and 
ten oxen. The porters used in East Africa are the 
people called “Zanzibari,” and made famous by Stanley 
and other travellers. Few of these people are natives of 
Zanzibar — being mostly slaves bought by the Arabs 
from the numerous tribes in the interior, and leased out 
by their masters as porters to any European making up 
a caravan. As is to be expected, their intelligence is 
not of a high order, and they are accustomed to but one 


6 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


sort of work; namely, bearing burdens upon their heads 
and shoulders. We hoped, however, should we be fort- 
unate enough to reach the Rendile, and purchase 
camels from them, to instruct our porters in the care of 
these beasts, and, further, to use them, should necessity 
arise, as an armed force. 

For the management and care of the beasts of burden 
I engaged seven Somali. These people possess camels, 
flocks, and horses of their own at home, and conse- 
quently are well fitted for such work. Owing to the 
warlike nature of the tribes through which we expected 
to pass, we engaged twelve Soudanese soldiers from Mas- 
sowah. Thus my caravan was composed of three dis- 
tinct peoples. These we hoped to weld into one efficient 
whole, notwithstanding the fact that we had been 
warned that their cohesion was not to be expected in an 
African expedition, particularly when it is borne in mind 
that their customs as well as characters differ in a great 
degree. As the narrative of our journey progresses, it 
will be found which view was the correct one. 

The Tana River enters the Indian Ocean near the 
town of Lamoo, and we, pitched upon this place as the 
starting-point of our journey. The preparations for a 
journey of exploration in the interior of Africa cannot 
possess great attraction to the general reader, and, there- 
fore, little stress will be laid upon the detail. 

All the material which it was possible to procure in 
Europe had been purchased and packed either in Lon- 
don or in Vienna; and from these points we shipped 
them directly to Lamoo. There yet remained, however, 
the enlistment of men, the purchase of beasts of burden, 
with their pack-saddles, etce.. and a thousand and one 


I TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA a 


little things which are procurable only on the coast of 
Africa. Through the kindness of the Italian authorities 
at Massowah, we were enabled to procure the Soudanese ; 
and it is not the fault of our kind friends there that the 
quality of these men was not better than it later proved. 
The Somali were engaged at Aden; there, likewise, we 
purchased the saddles for our camels and two horses. 
This portion of the work was attended to by Lieutenant 
von Hohnel —I going to Zanzibar to engage porters. 

I could not have chosen a more inopportune time for 
the enlistment of porters at Zanzibar. The British East 
Africa Company, bent upon the retention of Uganda, 
had practically exhausted the supply of porters, and a 
missionary Caravan was on the point of starting to the 
interior. Apparently, a porter was worth his weight in 
gold, and almost as difficult to procure as is that precious 
metal. However, I brought excellent letters to the au- 
thorities at Zanzibar, and my friend, Sir Gerald Portal 
(since deceased), was at that time the British Agent and 
Consul-General at this place. This gentleman offered 
me every assistance in his power, and instructed General 
Sir Lloyd Matthews, the efficient Prime Minister to the 
Sultan of Zanzibar, to throw the great weight of his 
local influence into the scales in my behalf. Moreover, 
the American Consul, Mr. Jones, procured me an audi- 
ence with His Highness the Sultan, Seyd Al, who 
kindly permitted me to enlist porters in my service. 

Although permission had been granted me, yet, in 
order not to excite the jealousy of others in search of por- 
ters, the enlistment of the men was carried on in a more 
or less secret manner. Runners were sent out to the 
neighbouring plantations with the news that an expedi- 


8 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


tion having the sanction of the Government was about 
to be formed; and soon, by twos and threes, men came 
to my agents, received three months’ wages in advance, 
and signed on as porters. Each man brought with him, 

Wl as sponsor, some responsible 
person, who was held answer- 
able for his appearance on the 
day set for our departure from 
Zanzibar. 


SS SSS 


= 
——~ 


It may have interest 
for some to state the 
wages paid these por- 
ters — each man re- 


SSS 


ceived twelve rupees 
per month. At. this 
time the rupee was low, 


and the equivalent 
of twelve rupees 


was somewhat 
less than $4.00, a 


sum which 1s there 
considered very 
good pay. If the 
porter is a free- 


TYPE OF PORTER 


man, he _ retains 
the entire amount received; if a slave, he must give 
one-half to his master. 

In the course of one month I secured 136 men—- 
though “man” is a term which could be properly ap- 
plied to but few; for, owing to the scarcity of material, 
in many instances I was compelled to accept mere 
youths and men of inferior physique. 


I TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 9 


As all readers of African travel are aware, the most 
important of the porters of a caravan is the headman. I 
had hoped to engage the headman of my former jour- 
ney, who had also accompanied Royal Phelps Carroll 
upon his shooting expedition to Masai Land. Unfortu- 
nately, he, being a slave, was at that time away upon a 
trading journey up-country in the service of his master. 
I deemed myself fortunate, however, in being able to se- 
cure the man who had performed the duties of second 
headman on my former journey—by name, Hamidi. 
He was a young and intelligent native of the Comoro 
Islands; he had served in many up-country expeditions, 
and had behaved, as far as my experience and the testi- 
mony of others went, in an efficient and trustworthy 
manner upon all occasions. To him I left the choice of 
three under-headmen. 

As his first lieutenant he chose one Mohamadi, who 
had been second headman on the unfortunate expedition 
which resulted in the death of Captain Stairs. The 
other two headmen were unknown to me, but I was 
assured by Hamidi that they were capable and trust- 
worthy. 

I succeeded in getting but one porter who had accom- 
panied me on my former journey, but was more fortu- 
nate in the matter of tent-boys, employed as body 
servants. Two of these are worthy of some mention — 
I refer to those attached to my own person, Sururu and 
Baraka. Sururu had served with Mr. Stanley three 
years on the Congo, and had been engaged in any num- 
ber of missionary caravans. He had on one occasion 
seen his master shot before his eyes during an Arab up- 
rising, had travelled more miles on foot than I care to 


10 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


state, and carried with him testimonials of good conduct 
from every one he had served. In temperament he 
showed but few negro traits —he appeared to be actu- 
ally fond of work, and, until his allotted task was com- 
pleted, never allowed himself to rest. He was silent 
and attentive; somewhat stern with his fellow-servants 
during work time, but when work was over, and he was 
stretched at ease among his companions, he was one of 
the most garrulous talkers it has been my lot to hear. 
He had a round bullet-head, supported on the slightest 
possible frame; round, but intelligent, eyes; scarcely any 
nose; and lips full, to be sure, but firmly pressed _to- 
gether. 

The other boy, Baraka, was an absolute contrast to 
his companion, being strong and sturdily built. His ex- 
perience in caravan work was nearly as great as that of 
Sururu, but of a very different sort, for Baraka had been 
employed in every capacity, from that of donkey-boy to 
porter. His disposition was cheerful and even, and re- 
sembled in greater degree that of an American negro 
than any other native African I have met. For Lieu- 
tenant von Hohnel I was able to procure one of the ser- 
vants whom he had employed on his former journey. 

Lieutenant von Hohnel and I sailed from Europe on 
the 12th of June, 1892. On August 14 we reached 
Lamoo with all of the men and some of the beasts of 
burden. There we met George, who had arrived some 
days before with the goods from Europe. 

Town-life in Africa is not well suited to the native 
members of a caravan. Temptations, small to the 
civilized European, surround the native at every turn; 
so that it was with all speed that we shipped our men 


I TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA II 


and goods upon small native dhows, and transported 
them to a village called Mkonumbi, twenty-three miles 
from Lamoo and its dangerous allurements. Here we 
pitched our first camp. 

We had already ascertained that it was possible to 
buy camels at Kismayu, a little over 100 miles north 
of Lamoo. Shortly after our arrival at Mkonumbi, 
Lieutenant von Hohnel, attended by four of our Somali, 
set out by steamer for Kismayu in order to procure the 
camels. During his absence I devoted my time to put- 
ting the camp in order, and arranging everything for - 
our departure into the interior. 

Mkonumbi, till within a few years of our arrival, had 
been a portion of the Sultanate of Witu. The Sultan- 
ate of Witu consisted of the territory lying between the 
Tana River and the town of Lamoo. Its autonomy 
was not recognized by the Sultan of Zanzibar, who had 
at many different times sent expeditions thither for its 
subjugation; none of which, however, proved successful. 
In 1886 the Germans established a protectorate over 
this sultanate; and, following upon the protectorate, a 
number of Germans settled in the neighbourhood of 
Witu as colonists. In 1889, eleven of these settlers 
were murdered at the instigation of the Sultan, Fumo 
Omari by name. 

By treaty, dated 1890, Witu was transferred by the 
Germans to the British, who at once sent an expedition 
for the punishment of the natives who had murdered the 
eleven Europeans. This expedition was crowned with 
the usual success of such undertakings. The town of 
Witu was totally destroyed, and the Sultan, Fumo 
Omari, together with most of his followers, fled to the 


12 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. I 


forests of Pumwani, in the immediate neighbourhood, 
where he made a stand. 

At the time of my arrival he was said to have 1000 
guns at his command. His followers, thus armed, he 
employed for the most part in ravaging the neighbour- 
ing Arab plantations and native villages. What plunder, 
such as slaves, etc., he managed to acquire by these 
raids, he exchanged with the Somali for ivory, guns, 
caps, powder, and lead. 

The Somali with whom he traded came from points 
as far north as Kismayu. One of their number, Bar- 
falatta by name, finding the business engaged in by the 
Sultan of Witu profitable, attracted to himself a number 
of runaway slaves and renegade Arabs. With these he 
established himself at a point not far from Pumwani, 
called Jongeni. Both of these places, Pumwani and 
Jongeni, were in the neighbourhood of Mkonumbi, 
where I pitched my first camp. The British East 
Africa Company, as a check upon these raids, had 
established upon the site of the old town of Witu a 
garrison consisting of 150 Indian soldiers, under the 
command of two officers. This force had had several 
engagements with the raiders established at Pumwani 
and Jongen1; but had been unable, owing to their small 
number and the difficult nature of the country, to drive 
the raiders from the territory. 

My arrival at Mkonumbi, with a respectable force at 
my command (160 men), was construed by the rival 
chiefs (Fumo Omari and Barfalatta) as a demonstra- 
tion of increased hostility on the part of the Europeans; 
and, perhaps in consequence, the raids during my stay 
at Mkonumbi became fewer and upon a smaller scale. 


INVEIZNVZ AHL AO AONOY AIOHM 


ae See 
- eee = 


CHAP. I TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA i 


The town of Lamoo is situated about twenty-three 
miles from Mkonumbi, on an island bearing the same 
name. It is inhabited by a people very different from 
the Arabs of Zanzibar. While it is true there are some 
pure-blooded Arabs among them, yet most of the people 
are the product of union between Arabs and natives of 
the islands of Lamoo, Manda, Patta, and Siu. It is un- 
certain whence the natives of these islands originally 
came. They are lighter in colour than the inhabitants 
of the coast, more intelligent, and, in a degree, their life 
is more civilized. In the native manufactures they ex- 
cel; and the caps and sandals of better manufacture 
worn in Zanzibar all come from these islands. They 
are a light-hearted and treacherous race. They carry 
to a much higher point than the natives of any other 
portion of the coast of East Africa ideas of organized 
amusement. As far as it went, they had a keen idea of 
sport. On certain days of the year they had boat races, 
foot races, and matches of all sorts, in which both sexes 
took part. It is needless to add that their morals were 
of the lowest possible order. 

The governor of the town of Lamoo was a cousin 
of the Sultan of Zanzibar, by name Abdullah Ben 
Hamed. The British East Africa Company had 
leased the trading rights of the coast from the Sultan of 
Zanzibar. At the town of Lamoo this company was 
represented by two officials, who, through the influence 
of the Arab governor, and by his assistance, managed to 
preserve some sort of discipline and order there. Be- 
side these two representatives of the British East 
Africa Company, two other Europeans resided there, 
Germans, named Teide and Denhardt, engaged in trade 


16 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


with the natives, and in the management of several 
plantations. 

Gustave Denhardt, in company with his brother and 
the late Dr. Fischer, had been the first to ascend the 
Tana River. At this time he had been a resident of 
that portion of the country about twelve years; during 
which period he had endeared himself to the natives, 
and had acquired a considerable influence over them. 
Both Messrs. Denhardt and Teide proved of the great- 
est assistance to our expedition, and we are much 
indebted to them for their kind offices. 

Having decided to make use of the Tana River as a 
means of transporting a portion of our goods a distance 
of 200 miles into the interior, it became necessary for 
me to engage canoes and boatmen for the purpose. 
Shortly after my arrival at Mkonumbi, Mr. Denhardt 
and I set out for Kau, on the banks of the Tana River, 
to arrange our little river column. We engaged eight 
large dug-outs; and, through Mr. Denhardt’s relations 
with the natives inhabiting this portion of the banks 
of the Tana, I was enabled to engage twenty boatmen. 

These people are called Pokomo. They are here 
small cultivators, and derive most of the means for 
their subsistence from their canoes, which are much in 
demand to convey the produce (such as rice, corn, etc.) 
grown near the banks of the Tana at inland points to 
the coast, whence it is shipped to Lamoo. Living, as 
they do, in small, ill-protected villages, they are an 
easy mark for the raiders from Pumwani and Jongeni; 
who, when the crops are ripe, swarm down upon the 
Pokomo, and force them to cut their crops and carry 
them away to these two towns. In physique, as a 


I TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 17 


result of their canoe labour, these people are wonder- 
fully developed. 

I placed in charge of the Pokomo, as captain of the 
fleet, a native of Kau, Zanzibari in race, named Sadi. 
He was a suave, good-mannered, and at the same time 
trustworthy negro, who had accompanied Messrs. Den- 
hardt and Fischer upon their first trip up the Tana, 
and had since then been engaged in many trading 
expeditions. He spoke the language of the Pokomo, 
and was loved and respected by them. He was par- 
ticularly proud of his birth, and with great satisfaction 
did he mention the fact that his sister had at one time 
been a concubine of the former Sultan of Zanzibar. 
Having arranged for the presence of the canoes and 
their crews at Kau upon a date in the near future, we 
returned to Mkonumbi. 

Surrounding Mkonumbi is an undulating plain, 
covered, for the most part, with high grass, the conti- 
nuity of which is at a few points broken by small 
groups of dhum palms. Here and there, bordering 
upon swamps and small streams, were found forests 
composed of tall sycamores and other trees, whose 
branches, burdened with trailing vines and creepers, 
were filled with hordes of small monkeys and birds of 
gayly coloured plumage. The appearance of the country 
as a whole would not be called tropical, at least at the 
time of the year when I visited it; namely, the middle 
of the dry ‘season. | 

Owing to the raids of the Pumwani and Jongeni 
people, cultivation of the soil was carried on but in a 
meagre manner. In former days, when the Sultan of 
Witu held sway, the whole country was covered with 


Cc 


18 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. I 


plantations devoted to the cultivation of Indian corn, 
millet, and tobacco; and before the herds of the people 
were destroyed by the cattle plague, which occurred in 
1889, many thousands of cattle, sheep, and goats were 
raised. At that time this country was one of the richest 
on the east coast of Africa. In the midst of this vast 
plain, now covered with tall grass, may yet be found 
stalks of wild millet and stunted Indian corn, which 
lend their testimony to the fact that what is now but 
a prairie had once been the scene of considerable agri- 
cultural industry. Along the banks of the Tana, and 
for some distance to the eastward, dense forests are 
to be found, where the rubber plant is plentiful. 

Our camp at Mkonumbi was 200 to 300 yards from 
the shore, along which were scattered fifty or sixty 
palm-thatched huts. These comprised the village of 
Mkonumbi. In the centre of our camp rose two large 
mango trees, whose thick branches afforded a grateful 
shade from the tropical sun. Under these trees we 
pitched our three tents. A space of three acres in 
extent was cleared of grass and brush, and fenced in 
by a strong thorn hedge. Around the inner side of 
this enclosure we placed the huts, thatched with straw 
or palm leaves, for the use of the porters. Two gates, 
one on the side toward the river, and the other on 
the opposite side of the camp, were guarded by my 
Soudanese. In front of our tents, in a space left open 
for that purpose, were placed the tents in which were 
stored the ammunition, trading-goods, and provisions. 
In one corner of our camp was placed a square, box- 
like edifice, constructed from camel saddles. This was 
the habitation of the Somali. 


IGWANOMJN LY dWVD Ano 


aff pie 


| | ne ee ALY 
ying Na Zul Mi Ml Sizer 
poh mg fe ah ng 
is MMU LIS Tih 


rae 


6, AES Wihyilxecrrr ' 
age his 


=: “. 5 re a 


ee 3 . 


CHAP. I TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 21 


Upon arriving at Mkonumbi, I had the roll called 
and arranged the men in alphabetical order, giving to 
each a number. This number I had stamped upon the 
outfit given to each man. The outfit consisted of a 
Werndl carbine, a belt, cartridge-box, bayonet, and 
water-bottle. The Soudanese I armed with Mannlicher 
repeating rifles of the latest pattern. Moreover, they 
were clad in a species of uniform, which, though it may 
sound ridiculous in civilization, was the pride of the 
Soudanese, and the envy and admiration of all behold- 
ers. This uniform consisted first of baggy trousers of 
Turkish pattern made of white cotton drill; putties, 
such as are worn by the Indian army, encasing their 
calves; a long, blue, butcher’s jumper, reaching nearly to 
the knees, and a bright red fez placed on their heads. 

They were particularly pleased with the fez, which 
was identical with the headgear of the Egyptian army. 
Wearing it once more made them forget that they had 
ever revolted against His Highness, the Khedive, and 
consider that in some way I was connected with his 
government. Most of my twelve Soudanese, as I after- 
wards discovered, were ex-Mahdists, some of whom had 
taken part in the battle against General Hicks, while 
others boasted of having slain British soldiers at Abu- 
klea, and in the fights about Suakim. 

The Soudanese were tall, martial-looking men, wild- 
eyed and savage, to be sure, but in appearance, at least, 
accustomed to the discipline of a soldier. In a short 
time, however, I learned that their martial bearing was 
more the result of a defiant spirit than of any concep- 
tion of soldierly obedience. The chief of the Soudanese 
gloried in the title, Balook Bashi. He had seen service 


N 
wN 


THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


with the Italians, and, as I afterwards learned, had been 
dismissed for continued drunkenness and chronic ineff- 
ciency. His name was Mahomet el Hussein. He had 
been placed in command of the men at the time of 
their engagement in compliance with their expressed 
wish; and they had sworn to obey him and, through 
him, the Europeans connected with the expedition. 

It was soon made manifest why he had been the 
choice of the men as their officer. He disclosed won- 
derful capabilities for incessant importuning, never, as 
he persistently declared, in his own behalf, but in the 
interest of his devoted followers. Day after day, when 
I left my tent in the morning, I would find him seated 
near its valance with an expression of modest depreca- 
tion upon his face. Upon seeing me, he would rise, 
salute in the most approved military fashion, and then, 
in a low, whining voice, he would proceed to unburden 
himself of a long list of complaints. His part of the 
conversation was carried on in the only language with 
which he was familiar— Arabic. At that time I was 
totally unacquainted with this tongue; so it became 
necessary at these recitals to call in the assistance of an 
interpreter. The interpreter to whom we had recourse 
was another of the Soudanese, named Ramazan, who, 
having seen service in German East Africa, spoke Swa- 
hili fluently —a language with which I was well con- 
versant. 

The difference between the Balook Bashi and his 
interpreter was very marked. Ramazan stood six feet 
two, without his sandals, was as black as coal, possessed 
fierce eyes and a smooth, round face. The Balook Bashi 
was the shortest of my Soudanese. His complexion was 


I TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 23 


of a chocolate colour; he carried his head forward, as 
though in the act of avoiding a blow; his eyes were 
furtive in expression, and the slightest movement of his 
hands seemed to lead to a deprecating shrug of his 
shoulders. He alone, of all my Soudanese, lacked the 
martial bearing of a soldier. 

During these interviews, Ramazan translated fluently 
and, as far as possible, with dignity the ridiculous com- 
plaints of his superior. After a short experience I 
came to the conclusion that, although it would be impol- 
itic to check these complaints, it was a prodigal waste 
of time to listen to them. So, at the end of a long 
harangue, I would dismiss Mahomet el Hussein with as 
pleasant a smile as I could conjure up, and an assur- 
ance that I would look into the matter. This method 
of dealing with the complaints achieved the result antici- 
pated and intended. The men, discovering that their 
choice of Balook Bashi was an unsatisfactory one, treated 
this officer with all the contempt he deserved, and paved 
a way toward a change of my relations with them. Find- 
ing the complaints made through their chief officer were 
unheeded, the Soudanese began to come individually to 
make their statements, and by this means I was able 
to gather a more or less clear knowledge of the indi- 
vidual character of each. 

One among the Soudanese, Juma Moussa by name, 
I soon discovered was at the bottom of every complaint 
made, no matter by which of the men it was presented. 
This man was a native of Wadai,a kingdom situated 
in the very centre of Africa, and lying between the 
province of Bahr el Ghazal and the kingdom of Bornu. 
In early youth he had wandered with a caravan to 


24 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


Suakim, where he had been promptly sold as a slave, 
and sent to Jiddah. There he spent many years as a 
soldier in the body-guard of one of the chief Arabs, 
acquiring, as may be supposed, all the habits and man- 
ners of a soldier of fortune. 

He eventually made his escape from Jiddah, going to 
and settling in Massowah, over which place the Italians 
exercised a protectorate. He there learned the trade 
of a stone-mason, at which, it was reported, he was an 
adept; but his lawlessness and drunkenness were such 
that he spent much of his time in prison, and was finally 
dismissed from the town by the authorities. He, how- 
ever, made himself useful to them by stealing guns from 
the Mahdists, who at that time were stationed in the 
immediate neighbourhood of Massowah. As can well 
be imagined, this was an occupation which required the 
utmost daring and address; for, had he been captured, 
his life would have been forfeited. When engaged by 
Lieutenant von Hohnel, he had just completed a term 
in prison. 

He had enlisted with us only for the purpose of get- 
ting the advance money and promptly deserting. This 
resolution on his part, I am sorry to say, he was pre- 
vented from carrying into execution. He now longed 
to return to Massowah, and spared no pains to cause all 
the trouble and discontent possible among the Soudan- 
ese, with such end in view. In appearance, he was 
about forty years of age, tail and powerfully built, with 
small, ferocious eyes, a straight nose, a fierce moustache 
which would have brought pride and credit to any 
dragoon, and a sharply pointed beard. His voice was 
harsh, and his manner of speech that of a braggart. 


I TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 25 


Being voluble in conversation and cheery in manner 
towards his companions, he soon established an ascen- 
dency over them. 

Among the other Soudanese but two seem worthy of 
mention. Herella, a native of Darfertit, a country to 
the southward of Wadai, was about twenty-four years of 
age. He had served as a Mahdist, and was present at 
the defeat and death of Wad el Nejumi, who was one of 
Mahdi’s most trusted Ameers. Unlike the rest of the 
Soudanese, he made no pretence of being a Mohamme- 
dan, but frankly admitted that the people of his country 
ate pig (which means death to the followers of Islam); 
and added, with cheerful insistence, that a hungry stom- 
ach knew no law. He was one of the most perfect sav- 
ages I had then met. His bearing was at all times that 
of a wild animal, and his hatred of discipline was made 
manifest at every turn. 

Hussein Mahomet was the other; and he, perhaps, 
was the most serviceable type of any of my Soudanese. 
Born a Hadendowa (a tribe found near Suakim), he had 
from the first followed the fortunes of Osman Digna, his 
chief, in the wars of the Mahdi. Until the continued 
defeats which Osman Digna suffered at the hands of the 
English, and the death of the Mahdi, he had been thor- 
oughly convinced of the divine mission of the Mahdi, 
and the wickedness of all Europeans. When, however, 
his tribe was almost destroyed by incessant war, and his 
chief a fugitive, he decided to give up his allegiance, and 
trust himself to whatever treatment the Italians would 
accord. I found him stupid in the extreme; a fanatical 
Mohammedan, never so happy as when at prayer, but 
obedient and trustworthy to the last degree. 


26 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


The men who proved the most useful in my caravan 
were the seven Somali. Two of these had served with 
Count Teleki and Lieutenant von Hohnel in the years 
1888 and 1889; their names were Mohamet Aman and 
Karscho, The former of these I placed in command of 
his compatriots, and the latter I made my gun-bearer. 
Mohamet Aman was a very black fellow, some thirty 
years of age, with the well-developed head of his race, 
and very large, intelligent eyes. As a worker he was 
practically untiring. He was able to read the numerals 


SOMALI HuT 


on my boxes and loads, and capable of carrying in his 
head many details which a European would find it nec- 
essary to transmit to paper. His special province was 
the charge of all the goods. Karscho was tall, light 
in colour, possessed of really beautiful features of abso- 
lutely Caucasian type, and active and lithe as a panther. 
He was devotion itself, but lacked the qualities of pa- 
tience and self-control, which are so necessary for a 
leader. Another of the Somali was Achmet Dualla. 
He had been employed as a soldier with Dr. Peters’ 
expedition. He was very stupid, but willing and un- 
tiring in his work. The other four Somali lacked 


I TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 27 


distinctive characteristics, and need have no special 
mention. 

On August 24, 1892, Lieutenant von Hohnel arrived 
by steamer from Kismayu, bringing with him 15 camels 
and 10 fine oxen capable of bearing burdens. He had 
found Kismayu and the natives thereof in an excited 
state, and the reception accorded him was anything but 
friendly. The cause of this was soon made manifest. 
A Somali named Jama Yusuf, who had formerly served 
Count Teleki and Lieutenant von Hodhnel, but who was 
at this time employed as court interpreter at Mombasa, 
had sent a letter to the chiefs at Kismayu, warning them 
against us, and advising them to hinder our entrance 
into the country as far as lay in their power. Lieuten- 
ant von Hohnel, however, allayed their fears, and besides 
the purchase of the animals above mentioned, acquired 
some interesting information in regard to the country 
lying to the westward of Kismayu. 

Before the return of Lieutenant von Hohnel, life in 
camp at Mkonumbi had begun to assume a busy as- 
pect. I divided my porters into three companies, and, 
in order to render them accustomed to the word of com- 
mand, put them through simple drills daily. After a 
few days of this work I set about giving them instruc- 
tion in the use of their rifles, as but few had the slightest 
conception of the nature and purposes of the weapons. 
It took days before I could teach most of them the use 
of the sights. At the beginning many were actually 
unable to close but one eye; for, after closing one, the 
eyelid of the other invariably drooped until that eye too 
was shut; and to the very end of the expedition some 
two or three were forced to do their shooting with both 


28 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


eyes open. Day after day I took them to a level spot 
near camp, and instructed them to load and raise their 
rifles to their shoulders, and aim at the word of com- 
mand. 

After two weeks of this sort of work I put up targets, 
and gave each of the men three shots. By this I learned 
that but a small number of them had derived any profit 
from the hours of toil which I had spent daily in their 
instruction. I discovered, nevertheless, that some thirty 
of them could hit a large packing-case at a distance of 
eighty yards, if given sufficient time to take aim. After 
the expenditure of 2000 rounds of ammunition I was 
compelled to satisfy myself with this result. 

The Soudanese, needless to say, were soon all excel- 
lent shots, and took a certain pride in their weapons. 
The Somali likewise readily acquired a good knowledge 
of shooting. 

I will outline a day of our life while in camp at Mko- 
numbi. At 5.30 A.M. the tomtom beat, and the porters 
fell in, drawn up in two companies. The roll was called 
by George, and he examined the rifles, pouches, water- 
bottles, and bayonets. Each man had a number, and all 
his outfit bore the same; so inspection was quickly 
made. Then I summoned the Soudanese, inspected 
their rifles, and told them the hour they were to drill. 
At 6 a.m. we had breakfast, consisting of eggs, bacon, 
coffee or tea,and jam. At 7 the Soudanese were drilled 
for two hours, and then one of the companies of porters 
was taken out and exercised until noon, when we had 
luncheon. This consisted of chicken and curried rice, 
with a bottle of mild beer, followed by a small cup of 
strong coffee and a cigarette. After luncheon we took 


I TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 29 


a short siesta, and then again to the drill-ground, where 
I gave the men a little target practice. In this work I 
was assisted by Lieutenant von Hohnel, and sometimes 
by George, when he was not engaged in arranging the 
boxes and loads. 

At 2 p.m. the tomtom was sounded, and the men again 
fell in for their rations. They were then mustered in 
companies by George, and each man was given a quart 
measure of millet and a bit of fish, or a measure of rice; 
and once a week I gave them tobacco. The Somali 
and Soudanese received a little better food than the 
porters. At pocho (ration) time the punishment due 
the men was meted out. For the first few days many 
cases of insubordination occurred, but promptness and 
severity soon taught the men that it was better to avoid 
giving offence. 

At 5 p.m. the cry of “ Watu wa gonjwa” (sick men) 
was heard throughout the camp. At this cry all the 
lame, the halt, and the blind assembled round the tent of 
Lieutenant von Hohnel, and received treatment for their 
several ailments. Many had ulcers, and a number of 
them had pulmonary complaints. We had a wonderful 
medicine chest, and. Lieutenant von Hohnel proved a 
really good physician. 

One of the greatest dangers incident to African travel 
is an outbreak of small-pox in one’s caravan. To ob- 
viate this dreaded disease, we had taken with us a large 
quantity of vaccine. With this we vaccinated one and 
all of our men; but without producing the slightest 
result. During our stay at Mkonumbi one of our por- 
ters died of some loathsome skin disease. His friends 
refused to have anything to do with him, saying that he 


30 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. I 


had small-pox. Although we Europeans feared such 
was the case, we were forced, in order to restore con- 
fidence to our people, to treat this man ourselves ; and, 
happily, with no ill result. 

If there is one thing a native African likes more than 
any other, that thing is sympathy, be its form of expres- 
sion what it may; and in order to excite it, he will 
adopt any means, and go to any length. When our 
men first caught sight of the medicine chest, and the 
different-coloured medicines, the list of sick and ailing 
was enormous. A few doses of the most nauseous 
drugs, however, soon reduced the list of applicants to 
reasonable proportions, which saved our stock of medi- 
cine from premature exhaustion. 

As the day set for our departure from Mkonumbi 
drew near, I sent sixty loads of millet and forty-one 
loads of my trading-goods to Kau, the point at which it 
had been arranged the canoes should be in readiness. I 
placed in charge of these Mohamet Aman and four 
Zanzibari. These men I instructed to convey the © 
canoes to Kinakombe, distant up the Tana some eighty 
miles. At specified points along the route they were to 
deposit with the natives stores of food for my caravan ; 
and upon reaching Kinakombe they were to await my 
arrival. 

Reports had reached me that the inhabitants of the 
Tana district were starving, and would therefore be 
unable to sell food; for, owing to the repeated raids 
of the Pumwani and Jongeni people, they had not 
been permitted to devote the usual time to the culti- 
vation of crops. To obviate this we sent these canoe- 
loads of food. 


TAWONOMIW AO AOVITIA V 


CHAP. I TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 33 


All the goods purchased in London or Vienna had 
been packed in serviceable and easily opened wooden 
boxes. The material purchased in Zanzibar was sewn in 
strong canvas, the average weight of a load being sixty- 
five pounds. On the march, a porter beside this load 
carried his rifle, whatever clothing he had for the 
journey, and rations for from three to six days, as 
occasion demanded. This brought the total weight of 
the burden borne by each man to about eighty pounds. 
To the European it may seem beyond the power of 
the ordinary man to bear this any length of time; 
but these porters, having been from earliest youth 
accustomed to bear burdens upon their heads and 
shoulders, were capable of bearing in this manner a 
much greater weight and for a much longer time than 
would at first be supposed. 

The day preceding my departure, the Arab goy- 
ernor visited my camp. I took advantage of his pres- 
ence to ask him to give an address to my men, warning 
them against desertion, and threatening them with direst 
punishment, should they neglect his warning, or refuse 
to accept his advice. He made a speech which the 
porters received with impertinent grins, much to the 
chagrin of the Arab governor, and upon its conclusion 
they gave three loud and boisterous hurrahs. Abdul- 
lah Hamed, the governor, was much irritated, and the 
return of his accustomed good humour was delayed 
until after he had quaffed several glasses of sherbet 
and uncounted but numerous cups of coffee. 

At Lamoo I purchased a number of goats and 
sheep. These, added to my donkeys, horses, and 
camels, gave the camp a quite pastoral appearance. 


D 


34 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


We had brought with us from Europe two long-haired 
retrievers, and at Aden Lieutenant von Hohnel had 
bought a little, bright-eyed fox-terrier. 

For the two weeks immediately preceding we had 
been drilling our men in loading and unloading the 
camels and donkeys. The camel saddles consisted of 
two heavy mats; the one placed next the animal’s 
back being made of long, soft grass, and the other, 
placed over this and next the load, of coarser text- 
ure. Over these mats four poles were placed, tied 
together at the upper end, each of which was six feet 
in length. The fastening at the upper ends of the 
poles was about one foot from their tips. The poles 
were then paired, one pair being taken forward, and 
securely tied to the rear of the fore-legs, and the other 
pair being carried back, and tied just in front of the 
hind legs, thus forming a skeleton pyramid. Upon 
these sticks the loads were bound. A camel can 
easily carry from 300 to 400 pounds; so we fastened 
from four to five loads upon each animal. 

The donkey saddles consisted of two bags made of 
untanned ox-hide joined together, and falling like pan- 
niers on each side of the beast’s back. In order to 
prevent friction and the consequent soreness of the 
animal, a pad of soft grass was placed between the 
donkey and the saddle. A breast strap and a breech- 
ing retained the saddle in proper position; and equal 
weights being placed in each pocket of the saddle, 
and the gait of the donkey being even, equilibrium 
was maintained, and their positions rarely had to be 
rearranged while on the march. 

I placed in charge of the donkeys three men well 


I TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 35 


accustomed to the care of such animals. These men 
had been, from earliest youth, traders of ivory and 
slaves in- Masai Land, and were one and all thor- 
oughly conversant with the Masai language. We 
expected to fall in with tribes familiar with this tongue 
during our journey, and their acquaintance with it was 
considered an advantage by us when we engaged them. 

At 5 o'clock, on the morning of September 18, 
the resounding tomtom broke the stillness of our 
camp. Soon the air was filled with cries; some of 
the porters shouting joyfully to one another, “Safari! 
Safari!” (Journey! Journey!); others, “Haya! Haya! 
Tuta fuata bwana baranai.” (Hasten! Hasten! We 
will follow master to the desert.) Even the laziest of 
the porters seemed glad we were to make a start, for 
to them a life on the coast without the pleasures of 
towns, coupled with the hard work incident to the 
preparation of a caravan for the march, had been te- 
dious in the extreme. Others feigned joy; for they 
but looked forward to the departure from Mkonumbi, 
and the march through the tall grass and_ thick 
coverts, as a means of happy deliverance from an 
expedition of whose outcome they were in total igno- 
rance. All the loads and pack-saddles had been 
laid out in orderly arrangement the night before; so 
that in little more than an hour all was ready for 
marching. 

The governor of Lamoo came to bid me God-speed, 
but in the hurry and bustle I fear he failed to have the 
courtesies offered him which his official dignity seemed 
to demand. He eyed the loads, however, with a longing 
expression. To him it seemed very ludicrous that any 


36 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


to him to be vast wealth. He had, before this time, 
questioned me as to the contents of my boxes; and, 
despite the fact that I assured him they contained either 
food or supplies, he exchanged sly glances with his staff, 
and doubtless was fully convinced that they contained 
gold and precious stones. Having bade him farewell, I 
ordered the tomtom to sound again; and with one long 
resounding cheer my men seized their loads, and the 
expedition was under way. 

The order of marching was as follows: I in the lead 
with six Soudanese; then the second headman, Mo- 
hamadi, and the long single line of porters — some sing- 
ing cheerily, others stolidly silent, while yet others, even 
at the start, groaning and shrinking beneath their bur- 
dens. Lieutenant von Hohnel and George brought 
up the rear with six Soudanese, while immediately in 
front of them were placed the camels, donkeys, sheep, 
and goats. All the animals gave much trouble the first 
day, and necessitated many delays. Lieutenant von 
Hohnel had a bad foot and slight dysentery, and so 
he rode one*of. the horses. 

The camels were wonderful animals, fourteen of them 
carrying fifty loads and doing it well; and thirty of the 
donkeys were carefully loaded, each with two full loads. 

We reached our camping-place at 1 p.M., and gradu- 
ally, by threes and fours, the men straggled in; for it is 
not until several weeks have elapsed, and the men have 
become hardened to their labour, that anything resem- 
bling order can be maintained in a caravan composed of 
porters. Just before reaching camp we forded a small 
stream, which the camels had much difficulty in doing. 


I TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 37 


It is three days’ march from Mkonumbi to the Tana 
River, and the country passed through is similar in 


topography to that surrounding Mkonumbi. 


At a point one day’s journey from the river we 


reached a small Galla village. 


insignificant and impov- 
erished race, far differ- 
ent from their brethren 
who inhabit the country 
lying to the west of Ab- 
yssinia. It is estimated 
that throughout the en- 
tire length of the Tana 
River there are not more 
than 1000 Galla. These 
people have had a sad 
history, and their story 
is as follows: 

Many years ago, two 
brothers reigned over a 
large Galla tribe, located 
at a point several hun- 
dred miles to the north 
of the Tana — presuma- 
bly the Aroussa. These 
brothers quarrelled, and 


The Galla here are an 


Gay 
Mi 


Ns 


GALLA GIRL C 


concluded they could not inhabit the same country. 


The younger set out with half the tribe, and, after 


wandering many years, arrived at the upper regions of 


the Tana River. At that time they possessed cattle, 


camels, sheep, and goats. 


They had with them, so the 


legend runs, a sacred book, which they called “ kitab,” 


38 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


an Arabic word for book. What this book was, it is, 
of course, impossible to say; but it is not altogether 
improbable that it was a Bible; for, since we know the 
Abyssinians had accepted Christianity many years ago, 
it is not unlikely that they had communicated some 
knowledge of it to the Galla, who inhabited the country 
adjacent to Abyssinia. 

Whatever this book was, they guarded it with most 
jealous care; but one day, while repelling an attack of 
some hostile and marauding natives, the book disap- 
peared. It was thought by the Galla that it had been 
eaten by one of their cattle. From the disappearance of 
the book evil fortune has followed them till now, and to 
this day they continue search for it, as their talisman. 
Whenever a cow is killed, they search within its stomach 
in the hope of finding it. From this habit of searching 
the intestines of a cow, they have adopted the old Roman 
custom of foretelling the future by the appearance of the 
entrails. At present there is not the least indication 
displayed by these people that they possess Christianity. 
On the neck of one, however, I saw a white shell, with a 
cross rudely carved upon it. 

On September 23, we reached the Tana River at a 
place called Merifano. At this point the Tana is quite 
a respectable stream, being about 150 yards in width, 
and flowing with rapidity between steep clay banks, 
which are surmounted with tall sycamores, heavily laden 
with festooning creepers. 

Here we fell in with the Pokomo. These people we 
found to be a simple and kindly race, eager to please, 
and delighted beyond expression when they discovered 
that our intentions were peaceable. The day we 


I TRAVELS [VN EASTERN AFRICA 39 


reached the Tana one of our camels died, and was 
greedily eaten by our men, who considered meat in any 
form a luxury. 

From our arrival at the Tana dates the real beginning 
of our journey, for at this point we left behind all thought 


OuR POKOMO BOATMEN 


of even the partial civilization of the coast. It was with 
more than curiosity that Lieutenant von Hohnel and I 
gazed at the swirling, muddy stream at our feet, wonder- 
ing whence it came, and seeking to interpret its loud 
murmur into words of cheer and welcome to the new- 
comers upon its banks. 


CHAPTER. di 


On the morning of the 24th many Pokomo came into 
camp, bringing small presents, consisting of Indian corn, 
a few fowls, and a bushel or two of millet. They prayed 
for my protection against the raiders. I told them I 
would drive the raiders back if they made an attack dur- 
ing my stay along the river, and that they could rest 
assured that in a short time the English would drive 
these people forever from their neighbourhood. At the 
time of writing (1895) this result has been happily ac- 
complished, and peace reigns once more along the banks 
of the Tana. 

The Pokomo are undoubtedly of Bantu origin, and 
their language is very similar to that of the Zanzibari. 
They clothe themselves in waist-bands of cheap cotton, 
and the men, one and all, carry long spears, which con- 
vey a warlike impression, but which are used more as 
paddles, or as poles for their canoes, than as implements 
of war. The length of these spears is about eight feet, 
and the blades are short and trowel-shaped. 

Our camp was pitched among the ruins of a village 
recently destroyed by the raiders. As the natives be- 
came more accustomed to our presence, they swarmed 
into camp, bringing small parcels of grain for sale. 
The trading-goods taken by the Pokomo in exchange 
for their products are rods of soft lead, having a thick- 

40 


CHAP. II TRAVELS IM EASTERN AFRICA 4! 


ness of one-fourth of an inch and a length of fourteen 
inches. These are used as ornaments — either as brace- 
lets or anklets. The cheapest of cotton goods finds a 
ready demand, and salt, ghee, and spearheads are much 


asked for. 


Upon the day of our arrival at the Tana it was ascer- 
tained that one load of ammunition was missing; and 
upon calling the roll of the men we found that one of 
our porters had disappeared. I sent runners back to 
Witu to report the matter to Captain Rogers, who had 
charge of the station. I succeeded in getting the load, 
but heard nothing more of the man. 

The march from Marefano to Kinekombe was un- 
eventful; we journeyed along, at times close to the river 
bank, and at times prevented from so doing by the thick 


42 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


undergrowth, and forced to take a line some distance 
from the river, where the country was more open. We 
usually broke camp about 7 a.m., that is, an hour 
after dawn, and took up the march. As it was our 
invariable custom to camp near the river, our path at 
first led through very tall grass and over plantations. 

While on the march, from my horse’s back I could 
just see the heads of the tall spears carried by the 
Pokomo guides, which danced and gleamed in the light 
of the rising sun. Presently we emerged from the grass 
and were confronted by a tangled and impassable grove, 
which called for the use of axes and machettes. These 
came at a call, and soon the forest rang with the re- 
sounding blows of the axes, the cracking of broken 
boughs, and the shouts of the workmen. In three- 
quarters of an hour a path was made; and where but 
a short time before all was noise and disorder, the cara- 
van wended silently and smoothly on its way. 

There was something imposing in the picture pre- 
sented by the caravan, when viewed from a short dis- 
tance. The camels swayed gracefully and majestically 
onward beneath their high-piled burdens, followed by a 
winding line of men, made tall and imposing by the 
massive loads borne upon their heads. Following the 
men, were the cattle and donkeys, which added solidity 
to the column; and, bringing up the rear, as a fitting 
finish to the whole, rode tall Lieutenant von Hoéhnel on 
his white pony. Asa rule, not a sound was to be heard. 
Occasionally, however, some porter, bursting with vitality 
unsuppressed by the eighty-pound burden he bore, car- 
olled forth some simple lay, such as: “Vily vily, sawa 


tee 


sawa, pocho!”—the burden of the song being of food 


II TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 43 


just partaken of, or looked forward to with expectation. 
Occasionally an obstacle was encountered by the cara- 
van, and then the even, and I might say almost solemn, 
movement was at once broken. The camels were 
forced to kneel, bellowing forth the while their displeas- 
ure at such an indignity; the donkeys ran hither and 
thither among the loads thrown down by the men; 
shouts, curses, and blows from the ever-ready stick filled 
the air, and the pandemonium continued until the diff- 
culty—whether river, hill, thicket, or forest—had been 
surmounted and passed, when the caravan again swung 
into its accustomed smooth and_ noiseless movement 
toward its goal. 

At times the guides proved very poorly informed as to 
the route, and led us through tangled masses of mimosa, 
aloes, and creeping vines. In such cases the axes were 
in constant requisition; and in consequence, often for 
hours at a time, our progress was dismally slow. 

During the afternoon of this day we encamped on the 
banks of the river. As it was customary to pitch our 
tents under tall trees in the cool of the evening, with the 
knowledge that a certain portion of the distance had 
been covered, our minds were filled with pleasant 
thoughts (despite the fact that Lieutenant von Hohnel 
was suffering greatly from his feet), when turned to the 
distance yet to be accomplished before reaching Kine- 
kombe—the point at which we were to find the canoes. 
One of the canoes contained what we regarded as pre- 
cious freight,—ninety-six bottles of Tennent’s Pilsner 
beer, —the thought of which acted as a tonic to our 
spirits, and lent energy to our tired feet while on the 
march, 


44 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


As a rule, the Pokomo were friendly and easily con- 
vinced of our good intentions; but at times we met with 
difficulty in procuring guides. Along the banks of the 
Tana, except at points where the natives had made 
clearings, the forest growth was really picturesque and 
imposing. The Pokomo have a slight knowledge of 
irrigation, and in their little openings in the forest an 
idea can be had of the productiveness of the soil, and 
what might be accomplished by cultivation of the soil, if 
European methods were in vogue. This, however, is 
only in the immediate neighbourhood of the river; for at 
distances varying from too yards to one mile from the 
banks of the river, the aspect changes into that of a 
sandy desert, gleaming here and there with mica. Such 
trees as are found on this desert are stunted mimosa 
and aloes. 

Continued march brought us on September 30 to a 
point on the river bank opposite the village of Kine- 
kombe, which is the largest Pokomo village on the 
Tana. The village contains about 500 conical-shaped 
huts, covering a space of not less than forty acres. 
It is surrounded by a strong hedge on the landward 
sides, as a protection from attacking parties; while the 
steep clay banks of the river afford protection on the 
water side. This is the only town of the Pokomo 
which is able to repel the attacks of the raiding tribes; 
in consequence, cultivation of the surrounding planta- 
tions is carried on extensively, and food is cheap and 
plentiful. 

Here I found Mohamet Aman with my river column, 
which had arrived in safety a few days before. Think- 
ing we would follow the right bank, he had built a nice 


II TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 45 


camp. I crossed to the camp and at once opened a 
bottle of beer. What nectar it seemed! Seven hours 
in an arid desert turns water into wine, and beer into a 
drink for the gods. The Pokomo employed in my canoes, 
after greeting me pleasantly upon my arrival, expressed 
an ardent desire to return to the coast. A few words 
and a small present changed their purpose, and _ they 
were eager with protestations of devotion, and expressed 
a willingness to follow me to the ends of the earth. 


VILLAGE OF KINEKOMBE 


The chief of the village was named Kula; he brought 
me a present of unshelled rice and a lot of Indian corn. 
Up to this point the route had been a good one, as 
regards supplies. The deposits of millet left by my 
canoes at points along the route proved unnecessary, for 
the natives even in the poorest districts had sufficient 
to supply the wants of my people. With modern means 
of agriculture and intelligent irrigation, the banks of the 
Tana should yield abundant rice and corn. This is by 
far the richest country I had yet seen. 

At Kinekombe I remained several days, for the pur- 
pose of allowing the backs of the donkeys, which had 


46 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


become sore, to heal; and to give the camels a much- 
needed rest. On the road to Kinekombe I had four 
deserters, only one of whom I succeeded in capturing 
with his load. On the day after my arrival there some 
of my men took their rifles and went to the village; 
whereupon, all the natives fled. It was only after pro- 
longed effort that I was able to reassure them and bring 
them back. I placed one of my headmen on duty to 
prevent outrage, and limited the number of my men 
permitted in the village at one time to thirty. 

One day during my stay at this place the Soudanese 
appeared in front of my tent, and expressed themselves 
as dissatisfied with everything connected with the expe- 
dition. They asserted, among other things, that their 
food was insufficient and of poor quality. As these men 
had before boasted to me of the fact, that during the 
campaigns of the Mahdi they had for weeks lived upon 
grass, I gave little heed to their complaint; but in- 
formed them that if they were dissatisfied with the 
quantity of food, the only change possible would be a 
reduction in it. They, thereupon, wished to depose the 
Balook Bashi. As they had sworn to obey this man, 
and as I had not yet pitched upon one of their num- 
ber suitable to succeed him, I told them they must 
keep their oath. They then returned sullenly to their 
quarters. 

Lieutenant von Hohnel’s feet became worse, instead of 
better, so that we decided it would be advisable for him 
to travel, at least a portion of the distance up the river, 
in a canoe; and on October 2, he, in charge of the river 
column, left Kinekombe. As soon as the canoes dis- 
appeared around a bend in the river, I began to feel 


u TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 47 


badly and took to bed. In the afternoon fever set in, 
and my temperature rose to 103. I took phenacetine, 
and it fell to 101. At 9 P.M. my temperature again rose, 
and reached 104; phenacetine and castor oil brought it 
down to 101, and oft-repeated doses of quinine kept it 
there. 

On the following day I attempted to resume my jour- 
ney, but found myself too weak (I suffered from slight 
dysentery); so that I spent the day in bed. 


SCENE IN CAMP ON THE COAST 


The next day, October 4, I felt slightly better, and 
with effort was able to sit my horse; so we set out 
upon our way. We lost another deserter that day. 

On October 6, the road on the left bank of the river 
was so full of thick growths as to be almost impassable ; 
so, upon reaching a village called Subaki, we crossed to 
the other bank. In this crossing we were greatly assisted 
by the natives, who provided ten canoes, and in a few 
hours all my loads were transported across the river. 
The cattle gave no trouble, and swam across almost of 
their own accord; but the crossing of the camels, don- 
keys, and horses was a more serious matter, and required 


48 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


nearly twenty-four hours for its completion. It was 
effected in the following manner. One of my men sat 
in the stern of a canoe, and held the head of an animal 
(camel, horse, or donkey) above water; two natives in 
the bow propelled the canoe across the stream. By this 
means all my animals were transported in safety. The 
exercise incident to the superintendence of this cross- 
ing did not improve my dysentery; nevertheless, I was 
forced to push on. Another deserter that day. 

The following day I reached Massa, opposite which 
Lieutenant von Hohnel and the canoes were stationed. 
Again one man deserted. This time the runaway took 
with him a valuable load consisting of flannel and 
blankets, which made a serious loss. Lieutenant von 
Hohnel seemed to improve and do well in the canoes, 
and reported that the natives were thoroughly friendly. 
I sent two Somali and twenty-four men under Hamidi 
back to our last camp to search on both sides of the 
road for the lost load of flannel and blankets, which I 
thought might have been thrown into the bush. I sent 
this force, as rumours had reached me that a large war- 
party was in the neighbourhood. 

The Pokomo at Massa are different from their breth- 
ren inhabiting the lower portion of the Tana; they are 
smaller in stature, and speak a different dialect. From 
all I could observe and learn, they have few character- 
istic customs. Their fear of tempting Galla or Somali 
raiders forces them to make it a rule never to keep live- 
stock: if by chance they get a sheep or goat in trade, 
they at once slay it. They cultivate their plantations 
sufficiently to provide for their wants, and have, more- 
over, stores of grain hidden away to avert famine, in 


II TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 49 


case of a bad crop. Their method of dividing labour is 
as follows. The inhabitants of the village, at least those 
that are able-bodied, are divided into two parts, each 
taking its turn on alternate days at the cultivation of 
the plantations. This keeps them employed but one- 
half of the time — the other half they spend in sleep and 
idleness. The canoes here are smaller than those used 
lower down the river. 

At Massa my men took it upon themselves to raid a 
plantation of the Pokomo. I promptly punished the 
raiders and restored the stolen property. This action 
filled the natives with surprise and pleasure, and it 
appeared to be the first time that such an event had 
happened to them. 

Upon leaving, owing to the non-appearance of the 
guides, we were compelled to make a late start. When 
they at length arrived, I arranged with them to guide us 
to a point called Dukulh, said to be about twelve miles 
up the river. The sun was very hot, and my retrievers 
appeared to suffer intensely; I gave them all the water 
I could spare from my bottle, but it seemed to afford 
them no relief. We marched on and on until 2.30 
p.M., and my guides seemed either knaves or fools. 
They insisted that the camp lay still farther to the front, 
although I was confident that had it been the distance 
they stated we must long since have passed the place. 
But I was too weak and ill to initiate a search for the 
camp, which might after all prove fruitless, and so I 
struggled on. My men, with their usual thoughtless- 
ness, had neglected to put water into their bottles, and 
in consequence they all suffered from thirst. Owing 
to my dysentery I still suffered from weakness; and, 


E 


50 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


finally, at four o'clock, I fell from my horse, and was 
compelled to lie under a tree for some time before | 
could recover sufficient strength to move on. I sent the 
camels on in front, and the donkeys followed. The 
porters were not in sight, and my poor retrievers had 
long since fallen to the rear. At 5.30 I started after 
my camels, and found them lying in a thick under- 
growth, surrounded by the donkeys and their drivers. 

Where were the guides? It seemed, one of my 
Soudanese (Herella) felt thirsty, and upon asking the 
guides for water, and being told by them that it was 
still some distance in front, flew into a passion and 
began beating them; whereupon these gentle creatures 
fled. This had not been reported to me, or perhaps I 
might have caught them and brought them back. The 
question now presented was: Where were we to get 
water? and its early, if not immediate solution was fast 
becoming an important necessity. I sent a Somali to 
look for it, and he soon returned with the welcome 
intelligence that it was not far distant. 

The tangled mass of undergrowth, in which my 
camels and donkeys were found, was so thick that I 
found it necessary to cut a road for them. All the 
available men were set to work with axes, and by 6.30 a 
road was completed. At 7 we managed to reach a pool 
of water formed by the back-wash of the Tana dur- 
ing the rainy season. There the camels and donkeys, 
together with twenty men, formed the only visible por- 
tion of my caravan. I sent the twenty men back, laden 
with water, to my struggling porters. This done, I 
threw myself down to rest, but not to sleep. All 
through the night the men straggled in by twos and 


II TRAVELS IM EASTERN AFRICA 51 


threes; I had the tomtom beaten, and guns fired at 
intervais, to inform them of my whereabouts. At 1 a.m. 
George reached me, and reported that the dogs had 
died at a point far in the rear; also, that Mohamadi, 
the second headman, and eight of the men whom | 
had sent back with him in search of the flannel and 
blankets, were not far away. He also reported a rumour 
that one of my men had been drowned in crossing the 
river, and that shots had been fired at the Pokomo, re- 
sulting in the death of one or two of them. This was 
sufficient for one day, so I went to sleep, thoroughly worn 
out. 

When I awoke in the morning, all the men had 
arrived. I called Mohamadi, and questioned him as 
to the rumours of trouble with the natives. He said 
that he with his eight men had searched along the 
road for the lost load, and, not finding it, had crossed 
ther tiver to the village: of Sissini, to search there. 
During the search his men had been attacked by 
the natives; and, as his force had but six cartridges 
in all, they were soon driven out, and in crossing the 
river one of my men and five rifles had been lost. 
Upon cross-questioning him, it appeared to me that his 
story was false. Knowing, as I did, the peaceful charac- 
ter of the Pokomo, and the lawlessness of the Zanzibari, 
I had no doubt that, instead of searching for the cloth, 
they had devoted their time to raiding, and had at 
length forced the poor natives to resistance. I punished 
Mohamadi sufficiently for his breach of discipline. 

Lieutenant von Hoéhnel was at Tuni, and I learned 
that that point was but a short distance from our 
stopping-place. Accordingly, as rain was expected, and 


52 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


as my caravan was much fatigued by the long marches 
we had lately taken, I decided to rest there for some 
time, at least until the rains were over, and our beasts 
of burden had put on a little flesh,—they by this time 
being mere skeletons. The autumn rains were then 
due, and during the rainy season the country on the 
banks of the Tana is absolutely impassable, its soft, 
loamy soil becoming one vast swamp. Bearing this in 
mind, we made preparations for a more or less prolonged 
stay at Tuni. 

In the course of a few days we had a quite respect- 
able camp built. The porters were exceedingly clever 
at building huts. Given some poles, plenty of grass, 
and an axe or two, in half a day they will erect a cool 
and water-proof habitation. Instead of nails, they use 
withes and vines, of which they make excellent rope. 

In Tuni the weather was excessively hot, and the ther- 
mometer never fell below 88° Fahrenheit, even at night; 
while in the daytime the rays of the sun were scorch- 
ing. We spent three weeks there, waiting patiently 
for the rains, while our men distinguished themselves 
by attempting on several occasions small raids on the 
natives. For this they were invariably punished; but, 
notwithstanding all my efforts in their behalf, the 
natives persisted in holding aloof from us, so that it 
was difficult to purchase food. At length, however, I 
managed to lay in a supply sufficient for my wants. 
The rains, although due at this time, and expected by 
the natives as well as ourselves, amounted to practically 
nothing; not more than three showers fell, and they 
were very light. Our stay did the beasts a great deal 
of good; not such, however, was its effect upon the 


tt TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 53 


Somali, Soudanese, and Europeans. There was con- 
tinuous suffering from fever, and some of the men had 
really sharp attacks. The porters seemed proof against 
the attacks of fever and climatic influences, and in fact 
were greatly benefited by our stay, in appearance at 
least. 

One evening during our stay at Tuni six elephant- 
hunters appeared in our camp. These men were na- 


POKOMO BOAtT BUILDERS AT WORK 


tives of Giriama, a country lying a little to the north of 
Mombasa. They stated that they had been away seven 
months hunting ivory, and had managed to get seven 
tusks. On their way down the river they had been 
attacked by the Somali, who killed two of their number, 
and robbed them of their ivory, at a point about two 
days’ march above our camp. I questioned them closely 
as to the whereabouts of the Somali, and then persuaded 
them to act as guides to the point. 

Early the next morning I set out with seventy men, 
and after crossing the river marched quickly along 


54 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


the left bank. At the end of two days’ march the 
guides said we were then but a short distance from 
the point where they had been attacked. 

Upon first telling their story, they had described the 
attacking party of Somali as consisting of several hun- 
dred men, and stated that these, with large flocks and 
herds, were camped near the river. Now, however, 
upon being questioned, they changed their story to 
the effect that the Somali were few in number, and 
like themselves were elephant-hunters. We pushed on 
the next day, sending out Somali scouts to reconnoitre. 
In a short time they returned with the intelligence that 
they had seen Somali tracks leading to the river. It 
is easy to distinguish from the appearance of the im- 
pression made in the soil by a sandal, whether it is 
made by a Somali, or by a member of some of the 
other native tribes. The sandals of the Somali are 
made with much greater care (often consisting of as 
many as four or five thicknesses of leather in the sole), 
and have a well-defined shape. Those worn by the other 
tribes consist of but a single thickness, and have no defi- 
nite shape. 

Upon receiving this intelligence from the scouts I 
had sent out, I halted the caravan, and sent four Somali 
to reconnoitre the neighbourhood, and bring back intel- 
ligence as to the force I was likely to encounter. In 
less than one hour these men returned, bringing with 
them a small, ill-fed negro with a head covered with 
a veritable bush of hair, dyed by some means to a yel- 
lowish colour. This colour of hair I had noticed among 
the Somali I had met at Aden. The man proved to be 
a Midgan; that is,a member of a tribe held in subjec- 


II TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 55 


tion by the Somali, and used by them as hunters, scouts, 
and herdsmen. 

The account of his capture given to me by my men 
was as follows: On taking up the trail leading from 
the river they had suddenly come upon a small zeriba. 
This, at first, they thought to be empty; but upon 
entering it they were startled to see their present cap- 
tive spring to his feet with an arrow strung in his bow. 
Before he could find time to discharge his weapon, 
however, he was knocked down by a blow with the 
butt-end of a gun in the hands of one of my men, and 
after a scuffle was bound and brought into my presence. 
Upon being questioned, he admitted he was one of 
the party who had robbed the Giriama. He said the 
party consisted of eight men belonging to Hassan 
Burgan (a Somali ruling over a portion of the coun- 
try between Kismayu and the Tana). He and his party 
had been sent out by their master to hunt ivory, but 
had secured none; and they were surprised and de- 
lighted to find the Giriama, and had taken their ivory 
from them. The captive insisted that at present he 
was alone, and that his companions had gone to the 
coast with their plunder. 

I went to the zeriba, and found it full of Somali 
utensils. It looked as if it had been occupied by a 
larger party than our captive had told me of. All 
around were bits of giraffe meat drying in the sun, 
and, when surprised by my men, the Midgan had been 
engaged in making sandals from a piece of the giraffe 
hide. The presence of prayer mats disclosed the fact 
that they were Mohammedans. I gave the captive a 
good lecture, and told him to inform his master, Hassan 


56 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


Burgan, that raiding along the banks of the Tana 
must cease. I doubt if he ever delivered my message. 

After this little experience I returned to my camp 
at Tuni, having acquired but little satisfactory informa- 
tion, and a sharp attack of fever. 

While at Tuni two of my men deserted. One of the 
most difficult phases of African travel is the desire, latent 
in nearly every porter, to desert at one time or another 
during an expedition. There are but few porters em- 
ployed on the east coast of Africa who have not at 
some period in their career tasted the sweets of French 
leave. I have questioned many of them, but they, 
themselves, could give no reason for their desertion. 
Generally, if closely pressed, they would laugh, shrug 
their shoulders, and say: “ Nimechoka, bwana” (I was 
tired, master). Sometimes a porter will work in a cara- 
van an entire year, and then, without apparent cause, 
when perhaps hundreds of miles from his home, will 
desert; not only forfeiting all the pay he has earned, 
but running a very considerable risk of not reaching 
the coast alive. 

During my first journey into Africa I had but four 
desertions from my caravan; which I attribute to the 
fact that my porters were, for the most part, Wanyan- 
wezi, a tribe inhabiting a section of the country about 
300 miles south of Victoria Nyanza. Those men made 
the best possible porters, and rarely, if ever, deserted. 
In this expedition, however, I had succeeded in secur- 
ing but one of this tribe, and he proved one of the few 
who remained faithful to the end. A traveller explor- 
ing an unknown portion of Africa is dependent for the 
safety and success of his expedition upon the fidelity 


II TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 57 


of his men. The first instinct, therefore, is to humour 
them as much as possible, and thereby firmly bind 
their affections to the interests of their master. But 
I had found to my extreme disgust, upon questioning 
my men after enlistment, that but twenty-three of them 
had been on an expedition before. With this rabble 
of youths which I had at my command, such was their 
lawlessness and wanton abuse of the natives, that I was 
forced to adopt more severe measures than [ liked. 

In the short period intervening between our start 
from Lamoo and our departure from Tuni we had lost 
nine men and two valuable loads by desertions. I had 
discovered from the behaviour of Mohamadi at Sissini, 
when he went back in search of the runaways, that | 
could not trust even my headmen to treat the natives 
with consideration, when not under my eye. On the 
march my Soudanese were required to prevent the 
porters from deserting, and my Somali had their time 
fully occupied with the camels; so that I had no trust- 
worthy means for the apprehension of deserters while 
on the march. 

We left Tuni on November 7, Lieutenant von 
Hohnel again going with the river column. We ar- 
ranged to meet at a point three days’ journey up the 
river. On this day two men deserted, and three others 
made repeated attempts to do likewise. My porters 
were all armed, and from this point carried ten rounds 
of ammunition per man. In one instance, the would-be 
deserter, upon finding himself tracked to his hiding-place 
by George and the Soudanese, slipped a cartridge into 
his rifle, and aimed it at the chief of the Soudanese. 
He was disarmed by a man crawling behind him. That 


58 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. II 


night, upon coming to a halt, I called the men of the 
caravan together, and explained to them that desertions 
must cease. I asked them if they had any complaints 
to make, to which they of course, as is customary with 
the negro, replied, “No; bwana Ngema” (Master is 
good). I then said that all the porters who wished to 
return to the coast had my full permission to do so, 
provided they took advantage of this permission at 
once. No one volunteered. I then told them that 
should any further desertions be attempted, the deserter 
would do so at the peril of his life. I little thought 
that this threat, made for the purpose of strengthening 
their fidelity, would have a serious result. 

On the third day from Tuni, after a brisk march, I 
reached Lieutenant von Hohnel and the canoes shortly 
after noon. An hour after I arrived, George and the 
last of the caravan appeared. George came direct to 
my tent, bringing the Balook Bashi with him; and with 
the aid of the interpreter, Ramazan, I gathered the fol- 
lowing story. It appeared that one of the porters who 
attempted to desert on the day of our departure from 
Tuni had, during this day’s march, again made repeated 
efforts with the same end in view. He had _ been 
deprived of his load, and placed in front of the Balook 
Bashi, who had been told to drive the man along in 
front of him, and watch him. The man feigned fatigue, 
and his pace was very slow; the Balook Bashi endeav- 
oured to hasten the man’s movements, whereupon the 
porter bolted into the bushes as fast as he could run. 
The Balook Bashi chased him for some distance, and 
being unable to catch him, fired a shot, with the hope 
of frightening the culprit and bringing him to a halt. 


SHONVD YAO 


i = 


CHAP. II TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 61 


Unfortunately the rifle was too well aimed, and the man 
fell to the ground, shot between the two shoulders. 

I was forced to accept the Balook Bashi’s statement, 
though unsupported by corroborative testimony of others. 
As it happened that this man had not only continually 
boasted that he would desert, but also had made repeated 
attempts to do so, and was in fact the man who had 
loaded his rifle on the previous day, I cannot say that 
my pity for the poor wretch was as great as it certainly 
would otherwise have been. However, I took this oppor- 
tunity to break the Balook Bashi to the ranks, and pun- 
ished him severely. I then made Ramazan chief of the 
Soudanese, in his stead. 

From this time on, Lieutenant von H®ohnel left the 
canoes and marched with the caravan. I put four of 
my best men with the river column, and arranged to 
meet them about four days’ journey up the river, at a 
place called Malkakofira — the first village of the Galla. 

The Tana River has on its shores three distinct tribes. 
At the coast, in the neighbourhood of Kau, there are 
some four or five hundred Galla; then for 100 miles 
the Pokomo inhabit both banks; then comes a reach 
of about sixty miles, uninhabited, with the exception of 
small and scattered bands of people, who live by hunt- 
ing and fishing. These people are called Wasania, 
and are not akin to either the Galla or Pokomo. From 
Malkakofira to the district of Korokoro, the country is 
inhabited by both Galla and Pokomo. The Galla 
inhabiting this portion of the river are a finer type 
than those who live near the coast, and much more 
numerous. They keep the Pokomo in a state of sub- 
jection, forcing them to give them a certain portion of 


62 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


their crops, and convey them up and down the river 
when they so desire. ‘This state of affairs has evidently 
lasted for many years; for at present the Pokomo, 
although preserving their racial characteristics, have 
not only adopted the language of the Galla, but have 
lost all remembrance of their own tongue. The distinc- 
tion between the two tribes is, however, clearly main- 
tained, and they never intermarry. In return for the 
tribute above mentioned, the Galla protect the Pokomo 
from the raids of the Somali on the left bank, and the 
attacks of the Wakamba on the right. 

In this neighbourhood, some miles from the left 
bank, Dr. Peters located on his map the Galla moun- 
tains and the Friedrich Franz range. These ranges 
were invisible to us, and most careful scrutiny failed to 
reveal anything with even the proportions of what we 
term a hill, in the direction indicated by Dr. Peters. 

Owing to cloudy weather for the last two days, Lieu- 
tenant von Hodhnel had been unable to take observa- 
tions; but by dead reckoning we calculated we were 
near the point where the canoes were to meet us, 
— Malkakofira. On November 15 we made a late 
start, thinking we should find the canoes near by. 
We were prevented from following the river by a 
dense growth of bush. About noon, fearing lest we 
had passed our canoes, we decided to cut our way 
through the bush to the river, cost what it might. 
From noon until seven o'clock at night every knife 
and axe in the caravan was at work; and after a ter- 
rible day we succeeded in reaching the river. Fortu- 
nately, there was a small open space of about half an 
acre at this point; so we camped there. 


II TRAVELS [NM EASTERN AFRICA 63 


I had taken with me, for the purpose of crossing 
rivers, a canvas Berthon boat, capable of holding six 
men. On the following day I put this boat together, 
and crossed to the other bank, which I found to be, 
in this neighbourhood at least, fairly open desert, and 
consequently good for marching. We returned about 
luncheon time, and, in the hope of discovering a road 
on the bank upon which we were encamped, Lieu- 
tenant von Hohnel and myself, with ten men armed 
with knives, attempted to cut our way to Malkakofira, 
which we were convinced must be in the immediate 
neighbourhood. At the end of five hours’ hard work 
we had proceeded less than half a mile. The growth 
through which we cut the path was the most tangled 
jungle imaginable, and armed at every point with 
sharp thorns. Added to this, there were innumerable 
red ants, called by the natives “boiling water”; and 
the designation is just and appropriate. Before we had 
been in the bush fifteen minutes, we one and all were 
covered with them, and bitten from head to foot. It 
was dark before we gave up the attempt to cut the 
road, and started to wend our way towards camp. 
To add to our misery, rain began to fall; so we 
took shelter under a large tree in an opening in 
the bush. We fired guns, hoping our men could 
hear us, and would send out guides. We rejoiced to 
hear them answer, and about eleven o’clock at night 
we were again in our tents, thoroughly worn out. 

The following day Lieutenant von Hohnel and I 
took forty-five men, crossed the river, and followed it 
for four hours, when thick bush again forced us to 
make a detour. We made camp, and sent men to the 


64 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


river for water, which we found to be distant more 
than a mile. Up to that time there was no sign of 
a village. The next day we followed an elephant trail, 
which had become overgrown with bushes, and by the 
use of our axes, at the end of four hours reached the 
river. To our joy, we found an island in the middle 
of the stream, which was covered with banana trees. 
We sent two men to swim the intervening stream, 
who found a storehouse on the island with 3000 ears 
of Indian corn, but not a sign of natives. Our food 
supply being low, and not knowing when we should 
find our canoes which carried the grain for the men, 
we built a raft: with our table, a chair, and some 
sticks, using the water-bottles of the men for floats; 
and by this means succeeded in getting all the food 
to our side of the stream. 

Late in the afternoon we again tried to force our 
way along the river, when we heard the splash of a 
paddle. Looking through the intervening branches, 
we saw two natives paddling a small canoe. One of 
our men understood the language of the Pokomo, and 
he shouted greetings to them, and asked them the 
whereabouts of the next village. Instead of making 
a response, the men threw themselves into the water 
on the far side of the canoe, which drifted rapidly 
past us, and was carried on down-stream by the cur- 
rent. I am afraid they were the owners of the food 
on the island. If such was the case, by their timidity 
they missed an offer of payment for their store. I 
suppose the poor creatures mistook us for Somall. 

Next day at noon the sun appeared, and Lieutenant 
von Hohnel was able to get an observation, which 


II TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 65 


showed that we were still more than a day’s march 
south of our canoes. We returned to camp, and at 
once set to work cutting a road through the bush for 
the camels, donkeys, and men. 

During our absence from camp two of our camels 
died. These beasts seem to have the slightest pos- 
sible hold upon life. Upon this occasion, however, 
their deaths were not inopportune, as there was no 
food in camp, and the men were delighted to get the 
meat. With the corn we discovered on the island, 
we were able to give the men two days’ rations. 


ee: yy Mi | hi 


CAMELS ON THE MARCH 


The next morning we made an early start, but were 
again harassed by the thick undergrowth, and prevented 
from reaching the river. This time we could not get 
nearer than two miles from it. All the men were then 
sent to the river to get water, and some of them did 
not reach camp until the following morning. 

From the light rains the desert had become positively 
beautiful; the vicious thorn-bushes were disguised in 
delicate shades of softest green, and their thorns hidden 
by blossoms, — veritable wolves in lambs’ clothing. One 
of the men deserted here. I am sure he never reached 
the coast, and his death in that horrible bush was a 
terrible penalty for his stupidity. 


F 


66 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


Through fear of encountering the thick bush, instead 
of pushing ahead the following day, I took two of my 
men, and set out for the river, in the hope of finding a 
Galla village, and there procuring guides. Four hours’ 
work brought me to the river; but when I reached it, 
there was no sign of habitation to be seen, not even a 
path along the bank. The bush was annoyingly thick, 
and my clothing was torn in many places by the thorns. 
My temper suffered also; and after resting an hour, I 
returned to my disconsolate caravan. The men looked 
at me with questioning eyes. They seemed to be losing 
their confidence in me; and certainly the preceding 
three or four days were likely to instil any opinion 
rather than that we were good guides. The country is 
so covered with swamps here, that without a native 
guide it is positively dangerous to travel. A day or 
two without water would ruin the most perfectly 
equipped caravan; and this is a risk one runs. 

Late in the afternoon, after more cutting, we reached 
the desert, and at 6 p.m., much to our joy, found a large 
swamp filled with drinkable water. 

Soon after starting next morning, we came upon old 
trails, which indicated to us we were near habitations. 
On the road I killed a large and hideous puff adder 
about four feet in length, which was lying across my 
path. We made camp early, and I took George and 
100 men to the river, distant half a mile. From this 
point on, we appeared to have left behind us the 
impenetrable bush. We divided into two companies; 
George went north, and I south. 

In my absence, Lieutenant von Hoéhnel went to a vil- 
lage which one of the porters had discovered, and there, 


II TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 67 


greatly to his joy, found one of our canoes with three 
days’ food. I joined them in half an hour. The village 
proved to be Benayo, inhabited by Pokomo. My canoes 
were safe, one day’s march farther up the river. This 
was good news; for I had feared that without a Euro- 
pean there might be danger for them among the Galla, 
as they were insufficiently manned. 

After our days of toil and worry in the bush, we 
hailed with delight the prospect of a little rest; so we 
remained here one day. During the night it rained 
continuously, and we congratulated ourselves on the 
good fortune which prevented the fall of these rains 
while we were in the bush. 

The following day we broke camp at 6 a.m., took two 
Galla guides, and marched steadily for seven hours, 
when we reached Tulu Kuleso, where we found our 
canoes safely moored. The sight of our canoes all safe 
and sound, and the hearty greetings of our men in them, 
rendered our meeting a pure delight; for the separation 
of the caravan from the river column for such a long 
period had been a point of great weakness in the expe- 
dition, freighted as the canoes were with twenty-five 
days’ food and many valuable loads. It appears that 
when the Galla first saw our boats, they threatened 
violence; but the eloquence of Sadi soon persuaded 
them of our peaceable intentions. 

After our arrival at Tule, we received word from the 
Galla chief that he would come to our camp on the 
morrow, and pay his respects. Accordingly, early on 
the following morning, we were not surprised to see 
two tall, good-looking natives appear, who announced 
through Sadi, our interpreter, that their father, the chief, 


68 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


was on his way to our camp. Soon he appeared, an old 
man bowed down with years, with features quite Euro- 
pean, a short and ill-trimmed white beard, and a well- 
shaped head. While walking he supported himself with 
a stick, and he wore, thrown loosely over his shoulders, 
a square cloak, made of some rough, white cloth of 
native manufacture. He brought with him, as a present, 
a goat, two chickens, and some honey. 

By means of Sadi, I had a long palaver with him. 
We parted good friends, and I gave him notice that I 
would return his visit in the afternoon. We established 
trade relations, after which trade became very brisk. 
The natives were very timorous at the outset, but 
through the efforts of Sadi they soon gained confidence, 
and as the prices he gave them seemed very good, 
they were constantly offering to trade. For ten pounds 
of corn about fifteen inches of the cheapest cotton 
goods were given. 

The canoes were anchored just below our camp, 
which was on an open sandy ridge, about ten yards from 
the river. Sadi and his boatmen pitched their tents 
just on the brink of the stream, under a wide-spreading 
tree, which even at noon-time cast a deep shade. By 
twos and threes the Pokomo canoes came across the 
river, laden with produce, which they took to Sadi’s 
tent, where it was measured and its equivalent in cloth 
given for it. Soon a great pile of sacks was to be seen 
near the market-place, which gave an air of plenty to 
the camp. 

At 5 p.m. Lieutenant von Hodhnel and I, together 
with Sadi, went to the chief’s quarters with a present. 
After a little conversation we endeavoured to get some 


II TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 69 


information concerning the Rendile and Galla tribes to 
the north; but these poor river people seemed to know 
nothing of their surroundings or neighbours. They 
spoke with fear of the Wakamba, and said that it would 
be only a matter of a few years ere these dreaded war- 
riors wiped the Tana Gallas off the face of the earth. 
I never saw a people so convinced of their evil fate. 
This hopelessness they attributed to the fact that they 
had lost their holy book, of which I spoke in a former 
chapter. 

The limit of navigation on the Tana is at a place 
called Hameye, a short two days’ march up the river. 
At this point the British East African Company had at 
one time erected a station, built by Commander Dun- 
das, who had ascended the river in a _ stern-wheel 
steamer. This station was now deserted, and we in- 
tended to make it our camp for some time. We sent 
our canoes on to Hameye, and two days’ leisurely 
marching brought us to a point on the river opposite 
the station, which we found to be in capital repair. It 
was defended by a strong log fence on three sides, the 
fourth being sufficiently protected by the river. Here 
a good building made of wattles and clay, and well- 
thatched with dry grass, stood ready for the Europeans, 
and there were a few huts for the porters. 

Hameye Station stands upon dry ground on the left 
bank of the Tana. The river at this point is dotted 
with many small islands well covered with tropical ver- 
dure. Up-stream it widens out into a large lake fringed 
with tall poplars, and literally filled with islets, between 
which the Tana quietly and pleasantly ripples. I can 
imagine few more charming places for a lengthened 


70 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. II 


stay. It seemed healthy, food was abundant, but one 
day’s journey down-stream, and for those that do not 
long for hills it was certainly a most beautiful spot. 

On the march to Hameye I shot a. fine specimen of 
walleri antelope. While buried in the woods, waiting 
until my men finished the road, I was startled by the 
crackling of bush; when suddenly a beautiful specimen 
of water-buck leaped past me, his horns lying along his 
neck, and his head thrown back. In a moment he was 
gone. Iam glad I had laid my gun aside, or I should 
have been tempted to shoot him. At 8 p.m. all the men 
reached the river, and we camped on the shore. The 
following day all the loads and beasts were safely ferried 
over the stream, and the place began to look as if it had 
been inhabited at all times, instead of having been 
deserted for more than a year. I gave the guides pres- 
ents, and sent them home. 

In contrast with the two weeks of work we had just 
finished, our life at Hameye seemed a Paradise. Our 
cup of happiness seemed filled, when we realized that 
we had a cool roof over our heads, a stream of clear 
water flowing at our feet, and meals consisting of good 
food served with regularity three times daily. Camps 
like the one at Hameye are welcome oases in the desert 
of African travel; but to yield to the attractions of any 
one spot does not subserve the ends for which an 
expedition into Africa is promoted. Onward! Onward! 
is the cry ever ringing in one’s ears; so after two days 
of this delicious idleness we began preparations for the 
continuance of our journey. The canoes were returned 
to the coast, as we had agreed with Sadi and the Po- 
komo to return them as soon as we reached Hameye. 


AAAWVH LV dNVO 


n 


CHAP. II TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 73 


We sent back in these canoes five worthless porters, our 
letters for Europe, the specimens we had up to that time 
collected, photographic plates we had used, and our third 
headman with four trustworthy companions. The latter 
were sent to endeavour to enlist fresh recruits from the 
coast, and procure some things we found to be abso- 
lutely necessary for the well-being of the caravan, which 
we had neglected to procure at an earlier date. We 
calculated that, as these men had the current with them 
to the coast, they should be able to transact our busi- 
ness and return in five weeks. This period Lieutenant 
von Hohnel and I decided to spend in a journey to the 
north. We intended to follow the Mackenzie River to 
its source, which at that time was supposed to be Lake 
Lorian. We also hoped to fall in with the Rendile, as 
Lieutenant von Hohnel had heard at Kismayu_ that 
they often pastured their flocks and herds in the neigh- 
bourhood of this lake. In order that we might cover 
ground as quickly as possible, we took with us but 
eighty picked men, with food for thirty days, trusting 
to find on the road sufficient game to supply us with 
provisions, should we be gone for a longer period of 
time. 

George we left at Hameye. The place seemed healthy 
for both man and beast. The camels were sorely in 
need of rest, as was also the case with most of the 
donkeys. Many of the men, too, seemed suffering from 
fatigue, and there was much work to be done, such as 
training the oxen to carry loads, and making up in 
proper parcels the goods which up to this point had 
been transported in the canoes. Food was cheap here, 
and we concluded that, if ever there was a place where 


74 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


a portion of our caravan could with safety and advan- 
tage be left behind, it was Hameye. Many of our men 
were sick before our arrival at Hameye. Within a 
few days after, three died from dysentery, and one 
who had been an opium eater, and had taken with 
him but sufficient opium for six weeks, died from the 
lack of it soon after the exhaustion of his store. 

At Hameye the Soudanese again attempted to assert 
their independence. One day some of the natives came 
to me, and complained that some of my men were plun- 
dering their plantations. Investigation discovered that 
the culprits were four of my Soudanese; these four men 
I promptly punished. After receiving their punishment 
they went to their quarters, but in a few minutes the 
whole body of them appeared, drawn up in line in front 
of my house. I went out to them, and was immediately 
informed by their new Balook Bashi, Ramazan, that he 
regretted to state that his brethren wished to return at 
once to Massowah. They said they were tired of the 
severe work they had been compelled to perform (up to 
this point their work had consisted of marching only — 
even their mats and extra clothing had been carried by 
the donkeys); they said they had signed on with the 
expedition in the expectation of fighting and glory, and 
they had imagined they would receive the treatment of 
soldiers. They also stated (and this I found to be the 
real cause of their irritation) that they could not stay 
in the same camp with the Somali. Undoubtedly there 
was a great deal of jealousy between these two races. 
The Somali were rigorous Mohammedans, but the Sou- 
danese, although they professed that religion, made no 
practice of it. For this laxity they had been twitted by 


II TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 75 


the Somali; and from that small beginning their mutual 
feelings had grown to intensest hatred of each other. 

I felt the time had come when it was necessary to use 
prompt measures to teach these spoiled children of fort- 
une their proper position in the caravan; so there was 
first administered to each of them a sharp reprimand, 
and then a severe punishment. This little scene over, 
the spirits of the Soudanese appeared to rise; their faces 
were wreathed in smiles, and for the next few days they 
appeared the happiest people in the caravan. 


CHEAT TER Li 


From the coast to Hameye there had been little occa- 
sion for using our rifles,—a few water-buck and one 
or two small antelope made up our game-bag, — but 
from this point onward game was much more plenti- 
ful, and our rifles were in constant requisition. 

Were it not for the rifle, the difficulty of provisioning 
one’s caravan in Africa would be much increased. It 
is not for sport alone that one shoots in that country ; 
though it is safe to state that the desire to slay is gener- 
ally present in every fully developed and vigorous man. 

It has been the fashion of late years to draw a 
marked distinction between scientific travellers and 
sportsmen, and the comparison has not always been 
favourable to the latter. Many men who from physi- 
cal reasons or inexperience have not been qualified 
to use a rifle with success, have taken pains to dis- 
close this fact by saying they were no sportsmen; 
thereby seeking to imply that their lack of sporting 
instinct was more or less to their credit. On _ the 
other hand, there have been, unquestionably, many 
persons who, in the name of sport, have indulged 
in a wanton slaughter of God’s creatures. But, hap- 
pily, there is a mean between these two extremes. 

Both Lieutenant von Hohnel and I had in our former 
African experience indulged to the top of our bent the 

76 


CHAP. IIL TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA oH) 


desire for sport; but even then we had not been guilty 
of any unnecessary slaughter of game; for what we shot 
had been eaten by our men, so that the brute lives we 
sacrificed went to increase the vitality of human beings 
who stood much in need of it. 

Bearing in mind the necessity of being fully pre- 
pared not only to slay game for the pot, but also in 
self-defence, to check the rush of dangerous animals, 
we had expended much time and forethought on the 
formation of our battery. Upon his former journey 
Lieutenant von Hohnel had used with great success 
an eight-bore express rifle; and although I, on account 
of its weight and the poor results I achieved with 
large weapons, was prejudiced against the express rifle, 
we took with us one of these weapons, made by 
Messrs. Holland & Holland, of New Bond Street, Lon- 
don. We also had three .577 express rifles and one 
.500 from the same makers. 

During my former journey George had achieved ex- 
cellent results upon antelope and thin-skinned animals 
with a .45/90 Winchester, and I had used this weapon, 
and found it perfectly satisfactory, upon a shooting-trip 
to the Rockies; therefore we took with us three Win- 
chesters. Having armed the Soudanese with the Mann- 
licher repeating rifles, we decided to equip ourselves with 
these also, in the hope that they might prove useful as 
sporting rifles; though, because of the size of the bullet, 
we had little faith that they would prove successful. 

All the bullets for the express rifles were hardened 
with a certain proportion of tin, and we took with us 
for use with the .577 express rifles 100 or more car- 
tridges having a steel core surrounded with soft lead. 


78 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


The latter was purely an experiment, and did not prove 
a success; for upon impact the lead invariably left the 
steel core, the light weight of which prevented a suff- 
cient degree of penetration to prove effectual. 

On the march, for the first year at least, | invariably 
carried a Winchester —if on horseback, across my 
saddle-bow; if on foot, across my shoulder. From 
continued use, often under trying circumstances, I 
came to have the greatest confidence in this weapon. 
I had had my Winchesters sighted with the ordinary 
express sight by Messrs. Holland & Holland; and it 
is to this fact I in great measure attribute their accu- 
racy when used on running game. The ordinary Win- 
chester sight is very good when one has sufficient time 
for taking aim, but with it I found great difficulty in 
getting a bead upon an animal moving with rapidity 
across the line of vision. 

On this trip George invariably carried a Mannlicher, 
and from constant use acquired as great confidence in 
it as I in my Winchester. It is undoubtedly a fact | 
that different rifles suit different men; but it is equally 
true that any one can, by constant use, become accus- 
tomed to a rifle of almost any pattern; so accustomed, 
in fact, that he will think, after a time, that his choice 
is the only weapon for him; and not only will he be 
satisfied with it, but also, because perhaps of some 
weakness in human nature, will become prejudiced 
against all others. 

It is impossible to lay down a fixed rule, and say 
which rifle is the best for general use. There is such 
a variety of weapons, that if one takes the slightest 
pains, he can, by experiment, pitch upon the rifle which 


111 TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 79 


best suits him; and having found it, my advice is for 
him to stick to it, and not be moved from his position 
by theorists. A rifle which, on a shooting-ground in 
Europe and from a rest, will do marvellous work 
against a steel target, may, and most probably will, 
under the changed conditions of shooting in the field, 
particularly when such field is the tropical climate of 
Africa, prove a most treacherous object upon which to 
place reliance. At least, this has been my experience. 
Some military man has said: “It is not more the 
power or accuracy of the gun than the man_ behind 
the gun, which achieves satisfactory results.” 

Lieutenant von Hohnel, in the early part of his 
shooting experiences during this journey, used only 
his express rifle. It was not until he almost by acci- 
dent discovered the accuracy and power of the Mann- 
licher rifle, that he came to have confidence in that 
weapon. However, when once he had tried it, the 
express rifle was laid aside. 

During my stay in Africa I wrote a letter to the 
London Freld, stating what satisfactory results we had 
achieved with both Winchester and Mannlicher, and 
expressing our preference for these weapons over the 
express. This letter provoked a vigorous, and, in some 
cases, highly amusing correspondence. One would 
almost think that I had assailed the British Consti- 
tution, so bitter were some writers against me; but 
it was matter of extreme gratification to me, upon my 
return to Europe, to learn that the very gun-makers 
most ardent in their condemnation of my views, were 
turning out as many small-bore rifles as their work- 


shops could produce. 


80 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


But one more word upon the subject of rifles and I 
have done. There has always been a vast deal of talk 
about ‘‘shock,” and not only of its value in stopping 
the rush of large animals, such as elephants and rhi- 
noceroses, but also of the means to adopt in order to 
ensure this quality ina rifle. I am afraid that I must 
frankly state that I am not an ardent believer in shock, 
at least as produced by a weapon which one is capable 
of carrying in one’s hands. Even the smallest bullet, 
provided it is possessed of sufficient penetration when 
directed against a nerve centre such as the brain or 
spine, will produce the same shock as a cannon-ball. 
But if the bullet does not strike a nerve centre, even 
though a four-bore and propelled by fifteen drams_ of 
powder, it will not give sufficient shock to either the 
rhinoceros, which weighs about two tons, or the ele- 
phant, which weighs in many cases five tons, to stun 
or disable it. 

To my mind, “shock” is a gun-maker’s phrase. A 
man of average weight, at a shooting ground, upon 
the discharge of an eight-bore, or even a .577 express, 
having felt against his shoulder the recoil of one of 
these heavily charged weapons, is in a fit frame of 
mind to absorb with facility and credulity the theory 
of shock, as expounded by the merchants desirous of 
selling him an expensive express rifle. 

In one word: As speed is the most necessary qual- 
ity in a race-horse, so is accuracy the first requisite of 
a rifle; provided that, when used against big game it 
is possessed of sufficient penetrative quality. This 
quality cannot be measured at a shooting ground by 
a comparison of the size or depth of holes made in a 


1 TRAVELS [VM EASTERN AFRICA 


steel target by the impact of a bullet. 
Happily, even the mightiest pachyderm 
is not possessed of a steel hide; and if 
the bullet of a .45/90 Winchester is suffi- 
cient to break the leg of a rhinoceros, it 
possesses sufficient penetration, at least 
to my mind, for all practical purposes. 

On December 5, Lieutenant von Hoéhnel 
and I, with eighty men and ten donkeys, 
left Hameye. We took all the Soudan- 
ese and four Somali, and, in order that we 
might travel as quickly as possible, we 
took only a few loads of trading-goods 
and ammunition. It is astonishing how 
even a slight rest from the fatigues of 
marching will throw one out of condition ; 
and so for the first day we made but little 
progress. 

The rains had changed the appearance 
of the desert so much, that it then ap- 
peared almost a Paradise. What before 
had been a desert, with a scant sprink- 
ling of dried acacias, looking like the 
skeletons of giant umbrellas, had now 
become vividly green parachutes, every 
leaf and twig of which gave forth a deli- 
cious odour. Many little flowers peeped 
up out of the sand,—one like a small 
tiger lily, and others coloured white, blue, 
and red. Butterflies were everywhere, and 
from tree to tree stretched great spider- 
webs. The desert was a desert no longer. 


S 
G 


dQ NMVUd AOYOY AIOHM AI 


82 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


Shortly after leaving Hameye, the topography of 
the country underwent a distinct change. From the 
coast thus far the road had been almost level; but 
from this point onward it was marked with dried 
watercourses and ridges covered with broken quartz 
and gneiss. Although our feet suffered somewhat 
from the change, it was a great relief to encounter 
hills, however disagreeable their ascent, after having 
marched for weeks over a monotonous plain. 

Two days from Hameye we saw our first herd of 
game. Ina small valley, I saw at one time zebra, oryx 
beisa, walleri, and rhinoceros. They got our scent, how- 
ever, and made off at top speed; so I did not halt the 
caravan to give chase. Some of the hills of this portion 
of the country are from 400 to 500 feet high, and it was 
impossible to ride, as the acacias became too thick, and 
stones in too great plenty. At this point the Tana 
loses its almost majestic appearance, and becomes a 
brawling trout stream. It is but 125 yards wide, and 
its course is broken with many stones and rocks. 

On the plain, one day, we passed an old native zeriba. 
There must at one time have been 400 or 500 people in 
it, and that less than a year before the time we saw it. 
On the same day, Mohamadi, whom I had taken with 
me, as I felt I could not trust him at Hameye, reported 
that he saw ten elephants on a hill half a mile away; 
but as he neglected to make this report until after we 
reached camp in the evening, I did not go in search of 
them. 

Every few miles the Tana changed in appearance. 
Now the rapids were at an end, and the river flowed 
sedately through narrow valleys and rocky hills. The 


III TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 83 


hills on the right bank were bold and precipitous, of red 
sandstone, flecked here and there with green vegetation. 
The largest of these hills is called Saleh’s Hill, because 
a few years before a Somali of that name was slain 
there while raiding the natives. The country is now 
deserted, and but for a few unoccupied kraals gives no 
evidence of ever having been inhabited. 

On December 9, four days from Hameye, upon rising 
at camp just at sunrise, we saw from a small hill a long, 
blue range of high hills stretching in the far distance 
to the north. What could these be? Perhaps they 
were the southern parts of the General Matthews range. 
While I was gazing my fill, Karscho, my gun-bearer, 
cried out: “Look, master; down there is a large moun- 
tain. 1 think it is the Kenya.” -He-had seen this 
mountain on the former journey with Lieutenant von 
Hohnel. I seized my glasses, and unmistakably there 
stood forth, free from clouds, the snow-peaked rival of 
Kilimanjiro. I looked and looked; but while gazing, as 
if jealous of my eye, clouds gathered one by one, and 
piled themselves around the crest, until it was hidden 
from sight. At last we were in sight of new country; 
and my feelings were almost as joyous as those of 
Moses, when he viewed the Promised Land. We knew 
our route lay in the direction of that long range of 
blue hills stretched far to the north of Kenya; and 
beyond those we knew there lay a country as yet 
untrodden by any white man. On the following day 
we expected to reach the Mackenzie River; and 
the thought that from that point onward our work 
would be wholly original filled us with pleasurable 
excitement. 


84 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


I marched, as was my custom, at the head of the 
caravan, and behind me came six of the Soudanese. I 
had noticed, in the few experiences we had had with 
game up to this time, that these people made the 
worst possible shikaris. At the sight of meat in any 
form, their eagerness to possess it deprived them of 
all self-control; and they would burst into such loud 
shouts of pleasure that the animal became alarmed, 
and made off with all haste. Continued disappoint- 
ments, instead of teaching them a little wisdom .and 
the advantages of silence, only added to their enthusi- 
asm upon the sight of game. On one occasion, when 
we were very much in need of meat, the sight of a 
water-buck within easy shooting range wrung from 
them such a chorus of enthusiastic yells that I not 
only missed the opportunity of getting meat, but finally 
lost my temper, and taught them, one and all, that 
at least one personal advantage would accrue from 
their silence. Shortly after that little incident I saw 
another water-buck, and the lesson they had _ just 
received gave me an opportunity of shooting it. It 
was standing too yards distant, broadside on, and I 
shot it behind the shoulder. It started off at full 
speed, and in a moment Karscho, my gun-bearer, was 
after it like a sleuth-hound. When I came up to hin, 
I found he had already gralloched a fine male. On 
searching for my bullet, I found it had penetrated 
the heart; but, notwithstanding this, the animal had 
been able to run a distance of 100 yards. This will 
convey an idea of the vitality of these antelopes. 

We had now reached a part of the country where 
the hills were steep, and difficult for the donkey to 


Ill TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 85 


climb. Consequently our progress was very slow. In 
the thick bush we lost our donkey on this day. That 
night we camped at a sandy stretch on the river bank. 
The men were actually afraid to go for water, owing to 
the number of hippopotamuses heard snorting near the 
camp; yet we were unable to get a shot. During the 
night rain fell, and the next day it poured in torrents. 
Late in the afternoon of this day we reached the Mac- 
kenzie River, about 500 yards from its junction with the 
Tana. At this point the Mackenzie River is forty yards 
wide, and not more than three and one-half feet deep. 
Fortunately, the rain ceased before sunset, and we made 
our camp on a pebble-covered rise. 

On African expeditions the porters usually have but 
little protection against the weather, unless the country 
is sufficiently grassy to permit them to make their huts. 
If camp is pitched in a desert, on sandy or stony soil, 
they cover themselves with about four yards of Amer- 
ican sheeting, rigged in the shape of a little A tent. 
This affords some protection against the weather, and 
in fact seems sufficient for these hardy people. 

The next day, Sunday, December 11, I recalled that 
it was six months since I left London, and I was filled 
with satisfaction by the thought that at last, after some 
trouble and difficulty, we were on the border of a hith- 
erto unexplored country. 

While encamped on the banks of the Mackenzie we 
had some excellent hippopotamus shooting. At one 
point along the bank of the river the bank rose to the 
height of forty feet above the stream, and formed a pre- 
cipitous cliff. On looking over into the stream from 
the top of this cliff, I discovered a pool formed by a 


86 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. III 


bend in the river, in which I descried the heads of four 
hippopotamuses. I shot one. He struggled to where 
the stream was shallower, and stood there snorting; 
another shot finished him. Lieutenant von Hohnel 
and I then set to work to kill the remainder; and 
after half an hour we had six stretched on the bank. 
The men were set to work cutting up the meat. Mean- 
while, one of the animals which I had shot, but which 
was not yet dead, rushed along the shore, and stood not 
more than twenty paces from my terrified men. Blood 
was streaming from his wounds, and he snorted with 
fury. My men seemed terribly frightened, and made 
off in every direction. Another shot, in the region of 
the heart, finished him. 

After considerable experience with hippopotamuses I 
have come to the conclusion that almost the smallest 
weapon is sufficient to reach the brain; this, however, 
being very small, accurate shooting is necessary. The 
best shot is in the ear. On many occasions I found the 
cartridge of the carbine carried by the porters, the cali- 
bre of which is .38, was amply sufficient to kill these ani- 
mals. A hippopotamus, if unaccustomed to being shot 
at, will expose his head for an indefinite period of time, 
and even permit one to take several shots at him; so 
it is not a difficult matter to kill him. But should the 
river in which they are be deep, as is often the case 
in the Tana, and the current strong, it is very diff- 
cult to get them after they are killed. In fact, I am 
sorry to state, we lost a great many by the force of 
the stream. On other occasions the slain hippopotamus 
was undoubtedly held down beneath the surface by 
his companions; for what reason, I am ignorant. 


YFIATY AIZNAMOVIN AHL NO INNH SANVLOdOdd1H 


ig 
\' 
(, 


N 


CHAP. III TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 89 


All the members of my present caravan with the ex- 
ception of the Somali ate hippopotamus meat. Accord- 
ing to the Mohammedan religion, at least as interpreted 
by the Arabs at Zanzibar and the Somali, there are cer- 
tain beasts which it is unlawful for good Mohammedans 
to eat. I am not sure whether they are the same as 
those mentioned in the Mosaic Law, but, as far as I 
could learn, they are as follows: elephant, hippopota- 
mus, rhinoceros, horse, donkey, zebra, monkey, hawk, 
vulture, and any beast of prey, such as the hyena, jackal, 
or hon. The more devout of the followers of the faith 
conform to this command; but under the stress of hun- 
ger religion is often lost sight of, and all the men of a 
trading caravan, composed of Arabs and their slaves, 
have been known to subsist upon their own donkeys for 
weeks at a time. Although the Soudanese were pro- 
fessed Mahometans, I have yet to see them hesitate 
for a moment between religious scruples and the attrac- 
tions of a hearty meal; for they love fat, and the meat 
of a hippopotamus is as much covered in adipose tissue 
as that of a hog. 

We set all our men to work cutting the meat off into 
long strips. We then built platforms of small sticks, 
about three feet in height, upon which we placed the 
strips and then beneath them started a roaring fire. As 
the sticks were green, the platforms did not burn; and 
after the meat had been scorched and smoked for three 
hours it was thoroughly dried, and even in that hot 
climate would keep in good condition for several days. 

The quantity of this meat a porter is able to consume 
seems incredible. On the road, these men ordinarily 
eat but once a day, their hunger being satisfied only at 


go THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


night at the end of the march. They are divided into 
groups of from four to eight men. When camp is made, 
these groups throw together their store into a common 
stock, and appoint one of their number as cook; the 
others gather twigs to make the fire. After all prepara- 
tions have been made, they surround the pot, and take 
turns at dipping their hands into its contents until all is 
finished. But in a game country each man will carry 
with him as much meat as is allowed him. While on 
the march, from morning until night, they were busy 
devouring the flesh they had with them. At home, in 
Zanzibar, these people are accustomed to a fish and 
grain diet. Consequently, upon their entering into a 
game country and eating an unlimited quantity of meat, 
dysentery soon breaks out among them. We found 
great difficulty in checking the ravages of this ailment, 
but at length managed to devise a cure which proved 
effectual in almost every case. I very much doubt 
whether this cure would meet with the approbation 
of the medical profession; but, nevertheless, for the 
porters it proved of great service. When one of the 
men complained of pains in the abdomen, we at once 
gave him a strong purgative of castor oil, if we had it 


” 
’ 


in stock; if not, three or four “ Livingston rousers,” or 
several vegetable laxatives. Two hours later, we gave 
him twenty-five grains of ipecac and five grains of 
opium, pulverized and mixed with five drams of water. 
This dose we repeated every two hours, and I know 
of no case in which it proved ineffectual. However, it 
was not until after months of experiment that we 
discovered this cure; and in the meantime we had the 


misfortune to lose many of our best men from dysentery. 


III TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA gl 


We had decided to follow the Mackenzie, in the hope 
that it would lead us to Lake Lorian and the Rendile; 


therefore, after waiting one day for the drying of the 
meat, we set out, and pushed our way along the left 
bank of this river. The route lay over rough, rocky 
soil, covered to an irritating degree with acacias. In 
order that we might be able to march as lightly as 
possible, we had taken for private consumption only 
a few luxuries. We depended upon two loads for the 
sustenance of the Europeans. These contained dried 
beans and rice. On coming into camp after our first 
day’s march along the Mackenzie, what was our dis- 
gust to find that the two men carrying these loads 
had disappeared! We searched for them in vain; for, 
owing to the rocky soil, tracking them was impossible. 
From that time on we had to face the journey with 
the prospect of living upon the same food as the 
porters; namely, dried beans of the previous year’s 
growth and Indian corn of the same age. Thankful, 
indeed, were we that we had with us salt, pepper, 
and one bottle of Worcestershire sauce. When the 
latter would get low, we refilled the bottle with water; 
and by lively play of the imagination taught ourselves 
that the pungency of its flavour rather increased than 
diminished, as time went by, and water went in. 

As we ascended the Mackenzie, the stream became 
smaller and smaller, and after two days’ march one could 
almost leap across it. The water was clear as crystal, 
and deliciously cool. Owing to the dense bush through 
which we marched we could get but few shots at 
game, although at this point the country was undoubt- 
edly filled with animals of all sorts. Now, for the first 


92 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. III 


time since the expedition started, we came upon amor- 
phous, volcanic rocks; and as the sun was setting we 
got a magnificent view of the range of mountains we 
had seen some days before. These mountains were 
now but fifteen miles to the westward, and upon their 
slopes we could clearly distinguish the smoke of many 
fires. What people inhabited them we had no infor- 
mation upon which to base a guess. It was at this 
time evident to our minds that, unless Lake Lorian 
lay between us and these mountains, the Mackenzie 
River. could. not derive its source from “t.. - The 
country was much more open, and upon the march 
our eyes were continually greeted with herds of game, 
—walleri, grantii, zebra, water-buck, and rhinoceros. 

On this day’s march I killed a fine rhinoceros. He 
was standing in the open, apparently asleep, and per- 
mitted me to approach him within too yards. One 
shot in the region of the heart caused him to spin 
around rapidly, as on a pivot, and then drop dead in 
his tracks. My men were delighted with this their 
first rhinoceros of the journey. The Soudanese im- 
mediately indulged in a violent discussion respecting 
the relative merits of rhinoceros and hippopotamus 
meats. Several of their number had determined to 
secure the heart, which they considered a tid-bit. This 
oneness of desire soon led to a difference of opinion, 
and in a few moments they were hard at it, fighting 
like hungry hyenas. They were soon quieted, how- 
ever, and the innocent cause of all this trouble was 
removed by my presentation of the heart to Hamidi, 
the headman of the Zanzibar. 

While the men were engaged in cutting up the rhi- 


YAATY AIZNAMOVIY AHL NO LNOH SAWVLOdOdd!1H 


7 oh 


y > 


CHAP. II TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 95 


noceros I took my field-glasses and swept the surround- 
ing country. Ata point about 600 yards distant I saw 
what I supposed to be a black-and-white ox, standing 
behind some rocks. After examination, Lieutenant 
von Hohnel concluded that what we saw was two 
native women. We both came to the conclusion that, 
whether cattle or women, it was a happy sign that 
natives were in the vicinity. I moved off silently 
in that direction; when my ox and Lieutenant von 
Hohnel’s native women, upon close inspection, proved 
to be four marabout storks. These stately birds were 
nearly four feet in height, and on the plain (oddly 
enough) the greater the distance from which they 
were viewed, the larger they seemed to be. 

After the rhinoceros meat was cut up and divided 
among the men, we set out on our journey. Soon the 
bush closed around us again, and we were forced labo- 
riously to cut our way through it. At length, about 
3 p.M., the aspect of the country changed as though by 
magic. Before us, stretching to the foot of the moun- 
tains, lay a beautiful grassy plain, thousands of acres in 
extent, and marked here and there by strips of green 
foliage, outlining the course of streams tributary to the 
Mackenzie. Scattered over the plain were groves of 
tall and graceful dhum palms, and clumps of a well- 
rounded, close-growing bush, with glazed leaves similar 
in appearance to the holly. It resembled a vast park. 
My men gave forth a cheer upon realizing that the hard 
work incident to forcing passage through the thick bush 
was at an end, at least for a time, and that easy march- 
ing lay before them. However, the way was not so 
smooth as it at first appeared to the eye, for beneath 


96 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


the tall grass the soil was strewn with large and irregu- 
larly shaped blocks of lava, which tripped the feet at 
nearly every step. At many places on this plain herds 
of game were quietly feeding, and within view I counted 
six rhinoceroses. We pressed onward and made camp 
by the side of a little stream filled with clear water. 
After pitching camp I went for a stroll, and shot a 
rhinoceros and a grantiil. 

The flesh of the East African antelope is, with the 
exception of the water-buck, excellent food The sad- 
dle of an oryx beisa or grantii and the brisket of the 
eland form, to my mind at least, as tempting morsels 
as any procurable in civilization. 

Another day’s march over this plain, and we reached 
a cone about 300 feet high, within two miles of the foot- 
hills of the mountain range. On this day’s march the 
caravan was twice charged by rhinoceroses. The first 
adventure occurred in the early morning, just after sun- 
rise. I was mounted upon my horse, and Karscho, my 
gun-bearer, was walking at my side, carrying my .577; 
across my saddle-bow lay my Winchester. Suddenly, 
from the grass on our right, which was about three feet 
in height, and at a distance of not more than fifteen 
yards, rose a rhinoceros, with an angry snort. After a 
moment’s hesitation he rushed straight at us; I raised 
my Winchester, cocked, and pulled the trigger; it was 
empty. I threw it aside, seized the .577 from Karscho, 
cocked, and pulled both triggers, only to find, much to 
my disgust and, I may admit, alarm, that it also was 
unloaded. All this took time, and the rhinoceros was 
almost upon us, before I was able to get my pony into 
a canter and make off in a direction at right angles to 


oul TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 97 


the line of charge of the beast. Karscho, unarmed and 
motionless, now became the goal of the rhinoceros. 1 
was unable to assist him, and looking over my shoulder 
I every moment expected to see him gored. My cara- 
van was 300 yards in the rear, and behind the crest of 
a small hill. As the rhinoceros approached Karscho, 
he prepared for a spring, and, just as it was upon him, 
he leaped with great agility to one side; and just in 
time, for the nose of the animal (luckily not his horn) 
struck him a sharp blow on the elbow and knocked him 
to the ground. Satisfied with this little diversion, the 
rhinoceros passed on. I felt very thankful for this 
escape, and its teachings were very useful; for from 
that time I always examined my rifles before I left camp 
in the morning, to see whether or not they were loaded. 
The carelessness of even the best of these natives is 
proverbial; so in East Africa it is necessary to keep 
a supervising eye on the smallest detail entrusted to 
native hands. 

The other charge was less exciting. My caravan was 
drawn out into a long, straggling line, marching through 
the open, when a female rhinoceros with a young one at 
her heels dashed toward the caravan at right angles to 
our line of march. The men in the forward part of the 
caravan rushed forward, and those in the rear dropped 
behind; thus making an opening, through which the 
mother and her interesting child dashed harmlessly. 

As before stated, our camp was pitched in the neigh- 
bourhood of a small hill, which Lieutenant von Hohnel 
and I climbed, and from its top surveyed the surround- 
ing country. To the westward rose mountains, their 
tops covered here and there with thick forests. Between 


H 


98 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


these forests were large open spaces, upon which I 
counted fifty fires. To the northward there stretched 
what appeared to be an endless plain, broken in one or 
two places by cone-shaped hills. This plain gleamed 
white and barren as the Sahara, and shimmered in the 
light of the setting sun. We were puzzled to conclude 
what natives inhabited these mountains. Dr. Peters, 
writing of his journey up the Tana, had spoken of a 
range of mountains lying to the north; but he had not 
reached them. With our minds filled with thoughts 
of the Rendile, we hoped, as we could distinguish no 
plantations, though using our glasses, that the natives 
might prove to be the tribe of which we were in search. 
That night we made our first zeriba, which we con- 
structed in circular form. Asa rule, a zeriba is built of 
thorns, and forms a very good means of defence, either 
against wild beasts or savage men; but as at this place 
there were no thorns, we were forced to satisfy ourselves 
with a hedge, which, though formidable in appearance, 
would prove of little service in case of an attack. 
The following morning, December 17, Lieutenant 
von Hodhnel and I, with forty-eight men, set out to 
ascend the mountain, for the purpose of reconnoitring. 
For three hours we marched through grass tall as a 
man and thick as one’s little finger. The sharp edges 
of the lava blocks under foot made walking painful, 
and we were not displeased when at length we reached 
a thick forest, which crossed our path. I halted the 
party, sent four men ahead to reconnoitre, and awaited 
their return near the edge of the forest. We were 
all bathed in perspiration from the exertions of the 
climb, for the rise from the plain had been quite steep. 


ina TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 99 


A cool breeze was blowing, and soon to my intense 
disgust I felt a chill creeping over me. 

In Africa a chill invariably foretells fever, and I knew 
that ere the sun set I should be prostrated; but it would 
not have done to turn back. My men, unaccustomed to 


"P) 


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ACACIA AND THORN SCRUB 


travel in unknown countries with so small a command 
as we had (forty-eight men), appeared to be anything but 
comfortable at the prospect of meeting natives; and had 
I at this juncture turned back, their superstitious minds 
would have interpreted it as an ill omen. 

In half an hour my scouts returned and reported that 
they had found plantations near by in the forest; and 


100 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


that they had heard the voices of men, and sounds as of 
people at work. We set out at once, and shortly after 
entering the forest came upon a narrow foot-path. The 
forest was extremely thick, and consisted of baobab and 
other mighty trunked trees, from whose branches de- 
pended myriad vines and creepers. The morning sun 
had difficulty in penetrating the canopy overhead, and 
extreme caution was necessary to pick one’s way noise- 
lessly. In less than an hour I heard voices, and in a 
moment, through the intervening growth, I descried a 
little clearing in the forest, where some natives were 
at work. There were four men and five women; the 
women appeared to be young—the men, one and all, 
had the shrunken appearance of age. 

The women were quite naked, with the exception 
of a string about the waist, from which hung a short 
skirt composed of green banana leaves. The men 
were absolutely unclothed. They were of medium 
stature, black in colour, and their heads were shaven. 
For some time I watched them at their work. They 
were using axes with iron heads not broader than the 
blade of a carving-knife. This head was run through 
a hole cut in a stick, in appearance far too heavy to 
serve as a handle for such small implements. These 
they used in cutting away the undergrowth. Here 
and there in the clearing lay prostrate the trunks of 
tall trees, and I marvelled at the patience of these 
people; for the cutting down of such trees with the 
small axes they used must have been the work of weeks. 

From my experience with the natives I knew that as 
soon as my presence became known to these people, they 
would flee and alarm their tribe; our progress into the 


UI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA IOI 


country would probably be interrupted by their warriors, 
and perhaps it would be necessary to fight. This, above 
all things, I desired to avoid, and so took the only steps 
possible to such an end. With four of my men I crept 
noiselessly forward, and then with a sudden rush we 
dashed upon the natives, and in a trice we had two of 
the old men bound. The women, as appears to be 
the custom in Africa (and, I may add, elsewhere) looked 
on with more interest than surprise at our approach. 
I suppose this is to be accounted for by the fact that 
from infancy they are brought up with the expectation 
of being, at one time or another during their lives, 
captured by some neighbouring tribe; and as they are 
possessed of no very strong love of home, they look 
forward, certainly with indifference, and perhaps with 
pleasurable expectation, to a change of life and scene. 
The men, however, acted in a different manner. The 
two we had seized were struck dumb, while the three 
we had left untouched made off with incredible speed, 
making the forests ring with their wild shouts. 

Our purpose in seizing the two men was to hold 
them as hostages for the good behaviour of the tribe; 
knowing it was unlikely we should be attacked as long 
as they were bound and walking at the front of our 
caravan. In a few moments the rest of my men came 
up, and calling one of my Masai interpreters, I set him 
to questioning our captives. They understood but a 
few words of Masai, but when my interpreter (Mwinyi 
Hadji) began speaking to them in Kikuyu, their faces 
showed signs of intelligence, and they replied in a 
dialect of that tongue. Kikuyu is the generic name 
of the tribes inhabiting the slopes of Mount Kenya. 


102 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


Not wishing to be surprised by the natives while in 
the forest, I told my hostages to lead us at once to the 
villages, and assured them that we would do them no 
harm, and that we had seized them simply for the pur- 
pose of having them to guide us to their people; for 
which service, if satisfactorily performed, they would 
receive a reward. They received these words with dull 
indifference, and it required considerable persuasion on 
our part to induce them to lead us onward. Hardly 
had we gotten under way ere loud cries were heard, 
and some fifty warriors, armed with spears, bows, and 
arrows, appeared. Those who carried spears bore large, 
painted oval shields on their arms, and many of them 
had headdresses of monkey skins, or ostrich feathers 
stuck in their hair. They approached until they reached 
a point about fifty yards from us; then halted, and eyed 
us with curiosity and apprehension. They ceased their 
shouting, and I took advantage of the silence (well 
knowing it would be of short duration) to advance 
toward them with a branch in my hand,—a sign of 
peace throughout all East Africa,—and through my 
interpreter endeavoured to persuade them of our peace- 
able intentions, and induce them to lead us to their 
villages. My efforts met with no success; and begin- 
ning to feel feverish from the effects of the chill I had 
received a short time before, I decided there was no 
time for useless parley; so by a quick flank movement 
we managed to seize four of the burliest warriors. 
These we disarmed and promptly bound; the rest fled 
hastily in every direction. I placed these four hostages 
in the rear of the caravan, and then instructed the old 
men I had bound in front to lead the way. 


11 TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 103 


Throughout my parley with the warriors the old men 
had shouted continuously to their younger brethren not 
to make an attack, and that we were dashoméa (traders). 
After we had seized and bound the four warriors, the 
former assured us of their willingness to lead the way 
to their village. On the march hundreds of natives 
appeared and threatened us at every turn; but see- 
ing their friends both in the front and rear of our 
party, they did not dare let fly their poisoned arrows, 
through fear of hitting one of them. 

After an hour’s march we reached the edge of the 
forest. Following our guides, we pressed westward 
across a grassy valley dotted with small huts similar in 
appearance to those built by the Pokomo, to a knoll 
about three miles away. Upon reaching this I was 
quite prostrated by fever, and was forced to lie down. 
My fever was so strong that I had but dim conscious- 
ness of what was going on around me. Lieutenant von 
Hohnel thereupon took charge of affairs, and, having 
had experience with the Kikuyu on his former journey, 
endeavoured to induce the natives to bring a sheep and 
make friends. 

Friendship among these tribes is always sealed by the 
slaughter of a sheep or goat. Owing to the fact that 
these people spoke a language similar, it is true, to the 
Kikuyu, but yet differing from it in many ways, my 
interpreter had much difficulty in making himself under- 
stood, and this difficulty was increased by the presence 
of about 400 warriors, who surrounded us on all sides, 
and continued to shout defiance and shake their spears 
in a threatening manner. They were apparently en- 
deavouring to work themselves up to such a degree of 


104 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


frenzy, that, throwing caution to the winds, they would 
have courage or recklessness sufficient to attack us. 

Upon setting out in the morning I had served out 
twenty-five rounds of ammunition to each man; so that 
even with my small force, should my men have profited 
in the least by the gun practice I had given them at the 
coast, we felt quite able to hold our own against even 
the vastly superior force of the natives. But the behay- 
iour of my men did not inspire me with great confidence. 
We had passed several herds of goats on the way from 
the forest, and this had excited the cupidity of the Sou- 
danese to such an extent that they appeared warlike 
enough, and only too desirous of a scrimmage. On the 
other hand, the Zanzibari stood around in a lethargic 
manner, their faces wearing expressions of dull appre- 
hension and helpless terror—seemingly stunned by 
the presence of so many warriors and their threaten- 
ing shouts. 

In the midst of this excitement there appeared a man 
about thirty-six years old, wearing a short cloak of goat’s 
skin over his shoulders, and bearing a long staff in his 
right hand. He spoke contemptuously to the natives 
about him, and then addressed Lieutenant von Hohnel 
in excellent Swahili. There was no time for parley; 
natives were gathering from all sides, and Lieutenant 
von Hohnel knew that soon, gathering courage from 
overwhelming numbers, the natives would attack us. 
So without hesitation he persuaded the new-comer to 
accompany us to our camp, which he somewhat unwill- 
ingly agreed to do. We thereupon released the hos- 
tages, and gave each a small present. This reward filled 
them with surprise, but they evinced little gratitude. 


II TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 105 


On the contrary, they immediately joined their brethren, 
and contributed their quota to the chorus of deafening 
shouts and yells. 

Making a hammock of a pole and the cotton sheet of 
one of the men, I was placed in it (by this time almost 
unconscious), and we started back toward our camp. 
The savages followed in our rear, hurling defiance, but 
left us upon our entrance into the forest. After five 
hours’ marching we reached camp, and I was at once 
put to bed. 

The people upon the mountains we learned were 
called Embe. Judging from the appearance of their 
clearings in the forest and their plantations, they are 
industrious and have a fair knowledge of agriculture. 
They grow beans, cassava, bananas, a little millet, and 
Indian corn. We saw no large cattle, but many flocks 
of sheep and goats. The portion of the range to which 
we paid this brief visit seemed very thickly inhabited. 

For the following three days I suffered continually 
from fever—much of the time being unconscious. Dur- 
ing these three days Lieutenant von Hohnel was not 
idle. Accompanied by our newly found guide, he paid 
a visit to an extinct crater called Kora, distant ten miles 
to the north of our camp, from the summit of which he 
got a good view of the country along which our route 
for a few succeeding days would lie. 

Our guide’s name was Motio. His was one of the 
most original and curious characters I have ever met 
with among the natives. Although he remained with 
us nearly a year, we could never get a clear story of 
his past. His teeth were filed to a point, and this fact, 
together with some of his statements, led us to believe 


106 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


he had been born a Mkamba, a people inhabiting the 
country stretching from the Tana almost to Mombasa. 
He said he had visited the coast upon two occasions, 
where he had acquired his knowledge of Swahili. Most 
of his life, however, had been spent on the mountains, 
where he cultivated a small plantation. At one time 
he had been married, but for some reason or other his 
wife had left him, and he seemed to have no particular 
attachment to his home. 

During his stay with us he associated but little with 
the porters, whom he appeared to look down upon as 
a lower order of beings.- The porters returned this feel- 
ing with interest, their feeling being caused not only 
by his treatment of them, but also by the fact that 
he was afflicted with a curious skin disease. His black 
body was covered here and there with large yellow 
spots, and the skin of his hands and feet was cracked 
in many places. Our men said he was a leper, and 
this may have been the case; but, leper or not (cer- 
tainly none of our men, as far as I know, suffered 
any ill effects from his close contact with them), he 
proved of the greatest assistance to us on many occa- 
sions. Throughout his stay with our caravan he showed 
that he had cast his lot with ours, and was ever ready 
to place at our disposal whatever knowledge he pos- 
sessed concerning the countries and peoples through 
which we passed. 

From him we learned that the highest peak of the 
mountain range was called Jombeni; so we gave this 
name to the entire range. He said that it was inhabited 
by many tribes, which, although they remained distinct 
from one another, spoke very much the same dialect. 


Ill TRAVELS [VN EASTERN AFRICA 107 


He also told us that a river, called Guaso Nyiro, was 
distant from our camp three days’ journey. This river 
has its source on the western slopes of Mount Kenya, 
and flows thence in an easterly direction. It was re- 
ported by him to empty into Lake Lorian. He had 
never visited this lake, but had followed the river for 
some distance in a direction toward it. 

Motio told us that he had seen the Rendile on several 
occasions, when they had come to trade with the natives 
on the mountains, and that he understood they were 
to be found somewhere in the neighbourhood of this 
lake. This was good news to us, and our hopes rose 
high; we really were on the right trail to find these 
people. 

It is astonishing how suddenly the African fever 
strikes one down; but it is equally surprising how 
quickly a fairly vigorous constitution will throw it off, 
and recover from its ill effects. On the fourth day after 
my visit to the mountain I was on my feet again. 

During my illness Lieutenant von Hohnel had shot 
three rhinoceroses and several antelopes. It was while 
shooting the rhinoceroses that he discovered the won- 
derful efficiency of the Mannlicher rifle upon this species 
of game. On this occasion, expecting to find only ante- 
lope, he had taken with him his .500 express, and had 
exhausted all his ammunition in killing three of these 
animals. While returning to camp, he came suddenly 
upon a rhinoceros standing broadside on, at a distance 
of 150 yards. He took the Mannlicher from his gun- 
bearer, and fired at the animal’s body. It at once 
dropped; and what was his surprise at that instant to 
see another rhinoceros, which had apparently been 


108 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


standing exactly behind the one he had first seen, and 
hence was invisible to him, run forward a few paces, 
and then fall to the ground dead. Incredible though 
it may seem, one Mannlicher bullet passed through the 
body of one animal, and penetrated sufficiently into the 
body of the other to kill it also. 

Owing to our ignorance of the duration of our journey, 
it became necessary for us to hoard our little store of 
grain food; so that at such times as the camp was 
plentifully supplied with meat we fed the men on that 
alone. Although the Soudanese had upon first tasting 
meat expressed their love of it, and their preference for 
that form of diet above all others, a week of nothing but 
animal food forced them to turn from it in disgust, and 
longingly to eye our sacks of beans and corn. On the 
day of my recovery they came to me in a body, and 
frankly told me that they could no longer eat meat, but 
wished to indulge, for a short time at least, in a purely 
grain diet. I did not yield to their solicitations, how- 
ever, and they, like the children they had on many pre- 
vious occasions proved themselves to be, refused to eat 
anything. They swore they would starve themselves 
to death; but the next day they were found cheerfully 
accepting with evident pleasure large hunks of rhinoc- 
eros meat. 

Motio told us that the journey from this point to the 
Guaso Nyiro led through an almost waterless desert; 
that perhaps we should find one small water-hole, and 
that he also knew of one pool of alkali water, which 
at some periods of the year was drinkable. While in 
Europe we had purchased a tin water-bottle, capable of 
holding three litres, for every member of our caravan; 


Ill TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 109 


and as an extra precaution had procured, while at Aden, 
thirty goat-skin water-bags, each capable of holding two 
gallons. We had on the present trip but twelve of 
these goat-skin water-bags, as our means of transport 
would not permit taking a greater number. These 
water-bags do very well if carefully handled, but after 
being carried for a few days the water they contain 
assumes a most disagreeable flavour. 


PF lh 
i / ae 239 
4 yay Dis) 


Vee 


IF). 


Rss 


tj j WY 
LEE ee Mg NYY YY 


BAOBAB TREE 


We filled these water-bags, and on December 22 
set out upon our journey. We made our camp two 
miles to the northwest of Kora crater, beneath a giant 
baobab, the girth of which was forty-eight feet. We 
were fortunate enough to find near this a little pool of 
stagnant water left by the rains. The mountain range 
proper ends at Kora, but for some miles to the north 
there are a number of craters of different sizes, mostly 


110 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


irregular in outline and broken down on the southerly 
side. After the rains they were, one and all, covered 
with green vegetation. Due north, as far as I could 
see, stretched a trackless desert, very arid and forbid- 
ding in aspect. 

Upon our arrival at this camp Lieutenant von 
Hohnel shot a male rhinoceros. While Karscho was 
engaged in getting out the liver for our table, he looked 
up and saw a female rhinoceros with a young one stand- 
ing within ten feet of him, and looking as if they were 
about to charge him and revenge the death of their rela- 
tive. He had barely time to make off in safety (with 
the liver), when the rhinoceroses appeared to alter their 
minds, and went off at a slow canter, soon disappearing. 

The nights at this time were deliciously cool, but 
the heat of the day was terrific. The following morn- 
ing we attempted to start s:- ly after five, but upon 
awakening we found the camp enshrouded in a thick, 
cold mist. This prevented our getting under way until 
some minutes after six. A few moments’ march, and 
the fog had shut out all trace of our camp, as if Nature 
sought in this way to warn us to make up our minds that 
we were not to see this place again. After a few hours’ 
marching we crossed a trail running to the eastward 
from the mountain range. Motio said it was the trail 
of a large band of Rendile, who visited the Embea 
few years ago. At noon we crossed the highest point 
in our route over the slopes, about 3500 feet above sea- 
level. We were then shut in on all sides by steep, 
grass-dressed hills of volcanic origin; no sight of the 
desert gave variety to the view; all was forbidding, 
confining, threatening. 


III TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA III 


Marching on, we came to a small water-hole, and while 
the men filled their water-bottles, I went forward alone 
into a great opening between many hills. There I saw 
about 400 yards away, what I took to be a small herd of 
oryx beisa. I raised my rifle to my shoulder, and fired 
into the midst of the herd; one sprang into the air, and 
then fell. Upon reaching it, I found I had shot a beau- 
tifully horned female. The herd made off, I after it. 
Mounting a slight rise, I saw them standing about 350 
paces distant, all but one facing me. This one immedi- 
ately fell to my Winchester. Upon examination, I found 
the bullet had broken the animal’s shoulder and gone 
through its body diagonally, until checked by the thick 
skin on the animal’s further loin. The skin of the 
oryx beisa is very thick; so thick, in fact, that it is 
preferred by the Somali above all others for the pur- 
pose of making shields. 

We rested here for three hours, while the men cut 
up the meat and we had luncheon. After luncheon 
Lieutenant von Hdéhnel climbed a hill to take bear- 
ings, and I was sitting in a camp-chair, smoking a 
pipe, when my men shouted, “Nyama” (game). I 
called for my Winchester, and, just as I got it, a herd 
of grantii ran past in single file, about 150 yards away. 
Without leaving my chair, I took aim at a point three 
feet in front of the shoulder of the leading animal, and 
had the good fortune to bring it down, shooting it 
through both hips. 

The scenery at this camping-place was grand. There 
were but two openings between the high hills, and these 
permitted a view, far away across the desert, of the south- 
ern peaks of the General Matthews range, blue in the 


112 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


distance. We knew that at some point this side 
of the range the Guaso Nyiro flowed. The spot where 
we lunched brought to my mind the following lines 
from Browning’s poem, Childe Roland: 


¢ 
The hills like giants at a hunting lay, 
Chin upon hand, to see the game at bay. 


From this point our route lay downhill and desert- 
wards. We found an excellent and well-beaten trail. 
This trail was made by the mountain people, who use 
it on their way to a crater distant six miles. It is 
called Ngombe (ox), from a fancied resemblance 
between its outline and that animal. In this crater 
there is a large deposit of sulphate of magnesium, 
which is used by the natives in lieu of salt; and it is 
much prized by them as a delicacy. Along the trail 
I picked up a native bag made of leather, which 
Motio said had been carried by a friend of his, who 
had gone in search of salt two weeks before. On his 
return journey he had been attacked by a lion, left by 
his friends, and, in consequence, eaten. I was glad 
the king of beasts was not a vegetarian, for in the bag 
were two yams, which proved a welcome addition to 
our beans and meat. 

We reached Ngome at five o’clock, and pitched camp 
half-way up the side of the crater. Near our camp 
I noticed that the side of the mountain was rent apart. 
Entering this opening, I pursued my way for some 
distance between high and jagged walls, when I found 
the gulch narrowed until it resembled the gateway of 
some ruined medizval castle. Beyond the gateway it 
again widened, and my eyes were resting upon a vast 


III TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 113 


amphitheatre at my feet. It is about 500 feet deep, 
and about its top runs a rim of rugged rocks, from 
which steep, grass-covered sides descend to the bottom 
far below. In the centre of this hollow, cup-like bot- 
tom there was what appeared to be a large rectangular 
slab of marble broken at one end. From a distance it 
bore a striking resemblance to such a stone as is placed 
on the top of a vault, suggesting the idea that it was 
the last resting-place of some giant king. This, upon 
closer examination, proved to be a deposit of sulphate of 
magnesium, and is what the natives prized as salt. Near 
this deposit were found pools of water, but their contents 
were undrinkable, and so my men went to bed thirsty. 

The following day we served out the water we had 
carried in the water-bags. It was sufficient to give 
each man about one quart; and this, I was careful to 
tell them, must suffice until the Guaso Nyiro was 
reached. Motio assured us that we should undoubt- 
edly reach the river before dark, but a careful examina- 
tion of the desert before us discovered not the slightest 
sign of tree or bush. When these are absent from the 
landscape in Africa, one has a right to be sceptical of 
the presence of water. The following day was Christ- 
mas, and the only gift we one and all prayed for on 
that occasion was the sight of a rushing river. 

Upon leaving the crater, although the native path 
had come to an end, the ground under foot was not 
very bad. The hilly region was now behind us, and 
we faced a plain covered with stunted, sun-dried grass. 
Here and there were scattered awkward bits of lava, 
which tripped unwary feet. We met several herds of 
antelope and zebra. 

I 


114 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


The severe marching of the preceding two days had 
told upon my caravan, and I was often forced to halt 
in order to allow the stragglers to catch up. On the 
march I saw five rhinoceroses, two of which were very 
white in colour, and at first both Lieutenant von Hoéhnel 
and I took them for a new species; but closer inspec- 
tion disclosed the fact that they had wallowed in white 


4p 
% a 


ian My yall AN “ 
Jos: dl (i ae an ane \ 


DHUM PALM AND ACACIA 


\ NY vs 


ES 


ay 


clay; hence their odd appearance. I knocked over a 
fine young male oryx, and we stopped for a few mo- 
ments to cut up the meat. The men, who by this time 
had finished every drop of their water, attempted to 
quench their thirst by chewing bits of the raw meat. 

From nov on, the piain descended visibly to the 
northward, and keen eyes might detect the tops of 
palm trees. At sight of these the men seemed to 


IIL TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA IIs 


become imbued with fresh vigour, and even the lame 
and the halt stepped forward briskly to where they 
knew they would find water. The ground here was 
absolutely white with sulphate of magnesium, so bright 
in the sunlight, indeed, that the eyes were pained by 
the glare. 

On our right there rose a cone to a height of 1500 
feet, and to the southwest, in the far distance, we caught 
a glimpse of the sloping sides of Mount Kenya. In the 
rear towered the Jombeni Mountains; in front, and not 
far to the west, rose high hills. We were on the border 
of volcanic and aqueous formations, between which the 
Guaso Nyiro flowed. At this point the river had 
worn its bed deep below the level, so that our camp, 
pitched upon the river bank, was sheltered from the hot 
winds which blew across the desert. The river here 
is 100 feet wide and not more than six feet deep, but 
this depth is attained only in few places. Its current 
is swift, and the course is frequently interrupted by 
gneiss rocks, which in some spots are so large and 
numerous as to almost dam the river’s flow. My de- 
light upon reaching this river was truly great, but it 
was surpassed by the joy of Lieutenant von Hdohnel. 
He, on his former journey, had been the first to dis- 
cover the source of the Guaso Nyiro, and had followed 
it to within about seventy-five miles of our present 
camp. 

Up to the time of our journey it had been asserted 
that the Guaso Nyiro emptied into the Tana. This 
we discovered not to be the case. So it appears there 
are at least three separate river systems having their 
sources at Mount Kenya, viz.: the Sabaki, the Tana, 


116 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. III 


and the Guaso Nyiro. These, with their affluents, are 
sufficient to drain the water of the melting snow at the 
top of this mountain. 

We celebrated our arrival at the river by opening 
one of our two remaining pints of champagne. Our 
dinner on that day consisted of the German army soup, 
fish from the river, the liver of an oryx, steaks from the 
same animal, beans, biscuit, and jam, followed by a cup 
ot coffee. 


CHAPTER IV 


We honoured Christmas Day by making it a day of 
rest; and although our surroundings were not such as 
are usually associated with this day, we at least were 
perfectly satisfied with them, and received what Provi- 
dence had given us with a thankful spirit. The rushing 
river assisted our minds in reverting to home and our 
people; and both Lieutenant von Hohnel and I uttered 
the hope that they were as contented and joyful on this 
day as we. 

Lieutenant von Hohnel spent a portion of the day in 
working upon his map; while I passed an hour or two 
in questioning Motio about the neighbouring countries 
and peoples. He said that, at one time, the upper 
reaches of the Tana and the banks of the Guaso Nyiro 
had both been inhabited by a people called Mumoniot. 
Those on the Tana had been destroyed by the raids of 
the Wakamba, and those on the Guaso Nyiro had been 
so harried by the inhabitants of the mountains on one 
hand, and the Masai on the other, that all but a small 
remnant had been destroyed; and not many years ago 
this remnant had joined the people on the mountains, 
and became amalgamated with them. 

While strolling along the river in the afternoon, I 
came across a small native bridge spanning the stream, 
which at that point was not more than thirty feet wide, 


I17 


118 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


as it forced its way between rocky banks. This bridge 
was made of withes and looked frail, but it was suff- 
ciently strong, and afforded room for the passage of a 
lightly laden native. 

We had exhausted our store of meat at dinner the 
night before, so that our Christmas feast consisted of 
soup, fish, and beans. 

The next day we made an early start, and pursued our 
way along the bank of the river, which at this point ran 
nearly due east. From what Motio told us, we hoped to 
reach Lake Lorian in three days. As we advanced, the 
current of the Guaso Nyiro became swifter, and flowed 
so deeply below the surface of the surrounding country 
as to form a cahon more than too feet deep and about 
300 feet wide. The soil on our side of the stream 
was composed of lava dust, strewn with innumerable 
blocks of the same material. The other bank, however, 
gleamed with mica, showing that the formation there 
was gneiss. 

Toward noon, just as I began to think of halting for 
our mid-day meal, a dull, roaring sound reached my ears. 
After going a half-mile further, the noise increasing all 
the while, we reached a point where the plain fell to the 
level of the river. There we found explanation of the 
roaring sound. The Guaso Nyiro, meeting a wall of 
black lava in its course, flows over it, and has a drop of 
sixty feet. Even at the season of the year when we 
visited it, and when the autumn rains had been very 
slight, the falls presented an imposing appearance. The 
wall of lava, being higher in the middle than at the sides, 
divided the river into two streams. Below the falls these 
two streams again met, and forced their way between 


IV TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 119 


two precipitous walls of black lava; foam was churned 
and thrown high into the air, and the leaping, tumbling, 
frothing stream had a really wild and savage aspect. This 
place we named Chanler Falls. We pitched our camp 
five miles below the falls, at which point the river again 
peacefully wended its way between rows of tall palms. 


Ky 
i 


We 


WSN \ \;{i Nate emerge 
(SEGRE RB 
x < \ Mikes SS 
SES, 


ZENS 
THAN 


Ws 


CHANLER FALLS 


While the men were building a camp, I went in search 
of meat. We were sorely in need of it; and as Lieu- 
tenant von Hohnel had fallen and injured his knee so 
badly as to incapacitate him for hunting, all prospect 
of satisfying my hungry men centred in the presence 
of game and the accuracy of my single rifle. I found 
game plentiful, but the country was too open to get 


within range of it. I walked three miles, led along by 


120 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


a herd of oryx beisa, which would in the most tanta- 
lizing manner remain standing until I could get within 
500 yards from them, and then wheel in their tracks like 
a regiment of cavalry, and charge briskly on. However, 
they proved good guides, for they led me to a mass of 
thick bush, where they disappeared; but shortly after 
entering the bush, from a small rise, I saw at a distance 
of 300 yards, two rhinoceroses. The soil at this point 
was of a reddish colour, and from rolling in this the 
rhinoceroses had assumed its tint. As I descended 
from the rise, I lost sight of them, but proceeded cau- 
tiously in the direction in which I had seen them. At 
length I caught a glimpse of a reddish body in the bush, 
not more than forty yards in front of me. I took careful 
aim and fired at what I supposed to be a shoulder (I saw 
but a portion of the beast’s body), and the animal fell. 
The smoke of my shot had scarcely cleared away, before 
crashing through the bush came another, and I had but 
time to fire a snap-shot, owing to the close quarters. 
The animal changed its gait and direction at once, 
coming down from a gallop into a trot; and I followed 
after it. In my eagerness I almost stumbled over the 
rhinoceros I had first shot. He was far from dead, 
having been hit not in the shoulder, but in the quarter. 
Upon seeing me, he staggered to his feet, and with a 
savage snort rushed at me. A lucky shot brought him 
to the ground, dead. ‘This was a most fortunate circum- 
stance, for my gun-bearer had allowed me to leave camp 
with but three cartridges in my magazine, all of which by 
this time I had fired; so that, had I failed to bring the 
animal down, I should have been placed in a most 
unpleasant predicament. 


IV TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 121 


I returned to camp, tired out with my day’s work, and 
sent Karscho with some porters back to bring in the 
meat. On the way they came across the second rhinoc- 
eros, which Karscho found limping slowly along on 
three legs, my snap-shot having broken one shoulder. 
I had given Karscho my .577, for use in case he fell in 
with dangerous game; and two shots from the rifle 
despatched this my second rhinoceros of the day. The 
meat of these two animals was sufficient for three days’ 
food for my men. 

After passing Chanler Falls all mountains seemed to 
be left in our rear, and the river flowed between dry 
and arid deserts. 

While in camp, Lieutenant von Hohnel and I spent 
most of our time in conjecture as to the whereabouts 
and size of Lake Lorian. When Lieutenant von Hohnel 
was at Kismayu to purchase camels, he met a Somali, 
who said he had visited this lake. This man told him 
it was many days’ journey in length, but that in parts it 
was so shallow that it was possible to drive cattle and 
camels across it. He also said that the Rendile had 
their home upon its shores. Motio added his assurance, 
that from what he had heard the lake must be very 
large; and that he had no doubt that the Rendile lived 
in its neighbourhood. He said that none of the people 
on the mountain ever had the courage to visit the Ren- 
dile, but that in former times, when they had raided the 
Mumoniot (who had inhabited the banks of the Guaso 
Nyiro), they had often fallen in with small bands of 
them. He said that they were a very warlike people, 
and that invariably upon meeting them conflict had 
ensued, in which the mountain people were generally 


122 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


worsted. The Rendile, however, at least once a year, 
sent trading parties to the Jombeni range. These 
always consisted of aged men and women; for, had 
young men been sent, they would have met with a hos- 
tile reception from the mountain people. He also said 
that the articles taken for barter by the Rendile con- 
sisted of goats, sheep, and the partly tanned skins of 
these animals. Motio’s wanderings along the Guaso 
Nyiro had taken him but little farther than the point 
we had by that time reached. He assured us, however, 
that after one long day’s march to the eastward we 
should reach a high plateau, and said he had been told 
by his fellow-tribesmen that from the top of this plateau 
the vast expanse of Lake Lorian could be seen. With 
all this information at our disposal, the hopes of both 
Lieutenant von Hohnel and myself rose to a high pitch, 
and we felt that we were about to make a great geograph- 
ical discovery. 

As we advanced, the going seemed to become worse 
and worse. The surface of the soil was almost paved 
with sharp, jagged lava blocks, and our feet were fast 
becoming swollen and: painful from continued march- 
ing over such material. The desert on our side of the 
river gleamed to such a degree that the eyes suffered in 
consequence; and the only redeeming feature to be 
found in the landscape was the narrow strip of verdure, 
from which sprang palm trees and acacias, stretching 
along and following the river. 

The course of the Guaso Nyiro is ever-changing, and 
the character of the soil through which it flows pre- 
sents a great variety. At times the stream forces its 
way between impeding rocks, while at others it winds 


IV TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 123 


smoothly and broadly over a shallow bed. Game was 
fairly plentiful; yet, as we were pressing on in the hope 
of reaching the lake, we rarely stopped while on the 
march, but contented ourselves with supplying our 
men with what game we could procure after camp 
was reached. 

For a few days the fish of the Guaso Nyiro proved a 
welcome addition to our diet, but at last we were forced 
to give them up. We had usually eaten them after 
dark, from a table illumined by the flame of a single 
candle; so that in judging of their quality we employed 
but taste. One morning, however, a large and _ fine- 
looking fish was put before us. Upon cutting it open, 
we found, to our disgust, that its flesh was filled with 
small worms. Needless to add, we discontinued eating 
fish from that time. 

All along the Guaso Nyiro, not only were the mos- 
quitoes troublesome, but we suffered great annoyance 
from flies. These were black in colour, shaped like the 
ordinary house fly, but with heads of a bright carmine 
colour. A bite from one of these insects was a disagree- 
able matter; for they inserted the proboscis not so 
much for the sake of securing food as to deposit and 
hatch their offspring. A few days after the bite was 
inflicted the flesh swelled considerably, and a little 
later the part bitten would open, and disclose a well- 
developed larva, with a black head, about the size of 
its progenitor. 

Up to this time we had lost but few of our donkeys; 
and none of these, so far as we knew, had died on 
account of fly-bites. Our horses, however, appeared to 
be ailing, particularly Lieutenant von Hohnel’s, which, 


124 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. IV 


being unable to bear any burden, was driven listlessly 
along behind the caravan. 

On the 29th we had reached a point where the coun- 
try through which the Guaso Nyiro flowed was park- 
like in appearance; groves of tall dhum palms were seen 
extending 500 yards from the river bank, and here and 
there were groups of magnificent acacias. The going 
became delightfully smooth and easy. We seemed to 
have reached the end of the lava flow from the Jomben1 
range. In the branches of these trees innumerable 
birds had their nests. Some of these birds have sweet 
voices, the notes of one or two sounding purely liquid 
to the ear. In shaded places, flowers like our morning- 
glories peeped up from the soil, mostly of a pale purple 
with red centres. Small herds of zebra and antelope 
wandered about, or fed placidly beneath the trees. The 
soil appeared to be extraordinarily rich, and with irri- 
gation this portion of the country should yield large 
crops of rice and millet. On this day I shot a beautiful 
lesser koodoo, the only one we saw upon this journey. 

On the following day’s march we came to a point 
where the river made a sharp bend to the north. It 
flowed eight miles in that direction, and then abruptly 
turned to the east upon reaching the foot of a high 
plateau. Motio told us that this plateau was called 
Marisi Alugwa Zombo; and from its top we expected 
to see Lake Lorian. 

We cut across the plain to the eastern end of the 
plateau, and reached it about half an hour before sun- 
set. Near camp I shot a fine female oryx beisa and two 
pallah. I also killed a fine female antelope, of what I 
considered a previously unknown species. We took a 


CANYON ABOVE CHANLER FALLS 


CHAP. IV TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 127 


photograph of its head and neck, which will convey an 
idea of its peculiar appearance. 

Just before sunset Lieutenant von Hohnel and I 
crossed the river, and climbed the plateau. It rises to 
a height of nearly 500 feet above the plain, with sides as 
steep as the glacis of a fort, and covered with large 
blocks of lava. After a difficult climb, we reached the 
top, which we also found to be covered with these 
jagged blocks of larva, between which, at intervals, 
could be seen a stunted euphorbia, aloe, or cactus forc- 
ing its way. The top of the plateau is almost level, 
but there is a perceptible rise to the westward. The 
sun was just setting as we reached the top, so that we 
were not permitted to gaze for any time at the panorama 
spread out before us. However, we could trace the 
course of the Guaso Nyiro for twenty miles further, 
between the plateau and the desert, which stretched 
indefinitely to the westward. Fortunately, there was a 
full moon shining as we descended, so that we were 
able to reach camp without much difficulty. In this 
portion of Africa, as is well known, there is no twilight, 
and within half an hour after sunset the darkness of 
night has covered all. 

During this night we had a curious adventure. 
About midnight Lieutenant von Hohnel woke me up 
with a vigorous shake. I leaped to my feet and found 
the whole camp in an uproar—the men all rushing to 
and fro and shouting: “Zayart! Tayari!” (“Make 
ready! Make ready!”)in terrified tones. In the moon- 
light the trees cast weird shadows, and it was difficult 
to make out at once what was going on in camp. Sud- 
denly a loud laugh was heard, and then the men imme- 


128 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


diately burst into mirthful shouts. We learned that the 
Soudanese night-watch had been suddenly startled at 
what they took to be a large body of men crawling 
towards the camp for the purpose of making an attack. 
They shouted to the men, and at once every one sprang 
to his feet, loaded his rifle, and screamed with excite- 
ment and fright. When all hands were fully aroused, 
it was then seen that the attacking party of savages 
consisted of a horde of monstrous apes, which had 
probably been attracted by our fires, but, terrified almost 
as much as my men, made off at once upon hearing the 
uproar. Some of these creatures weigh more than sixty 
pounds. 

We crossed the Guaso Nyiro the following morning, 
and marched four miles along the foot of the plateau. 
Upon reaching its end we made camp, and Lieutenant 
von Hohnel and I at once ascended it, this time climb- 
ing its northern face. We were rewarded by getting 
a view of the boundless desert, stretched on all sides 
to the horizon. Across this desert flowed the Guaso 
Nyiro, enshrouded in dhum palms and acacias. 

In the northeast our eyes were greeted by the sight 
of what appeared to be an enormous sheet of water, dis- 
tant about thirty miles. Lieutenant von Héhnel and I 
turned silently to one another, and with deep feeling 
clasped hands, delighted to think that the stories of the 
size of the lake had not been exaggerated. I at once 
set about guessing the number of days required to reach 
it, and Lieutenant von Hohnel, taking its bearings with 
his compass, decided and announced that it must be 
nearly sixty miles in length. 

On both sides of the green strip which marked the 


IV TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 129 


course of the Guaso Nyiro stretched the desert, dazzling 
white, and level as the sea. At the point on which we 
stood the face of the plateau made a sharp turn west- 
ward, and in that direction continued as far as the eye 
could see. 

After three days’ march over the desert in a direction 
parallel to the river we came to a spot where on all 
sides roamed herds of zebra, oryx beisa, ostrich, and 
grantii, and standing here and there was the huge black 
body of a rhinoceros. One marvelled how these ani- 
mals could sustain life on such a desert; for with the 
exception of a few low, parched bushes there was 
scarcely any vegetation. Here and there a few strag- 
gling blades of grass forced their way through the soil; 
but at no place was there apparent a growth sufficient, 
in one’s opinion, for the sustenance of such vast herds 
of game. 

On one occasion while in this part of the country I 
had a narrow escape from a rhinoceros. It was toward 
evening, and we intended to soon make camp; when, 
at a point about 400 yards in advance of the column, 
I saw a small herd of zebra and two giraffes. I halted 
the caravan, and unaccompanied set out to stalk the 
game. While so engaged I noticed to my right, at 
a distance of about 200 yards, a solitary rhinoceros 
placidly feeding. We had sufficient rhinoceros meat, 
so I did not disturb him. The wind was blowing from 
where I stood toward him, in short and irregular puffs. 
I had approached to within 200 yards of my quarry and 
was about to take aim, when a shrill whistle from my 
men reached my ears. I turned around, and just in 


time, for the rhinoceros upon scenting me at once made 
K 


130 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


for me. The soft soil had deadened the sound of his 
approach, and as I was at the time thoroughly engrossed 
in the stalk, I had not heard him. The whistle from 
my men, warning me of my danger, gave me just a mo- 
ment in which to leap to one side and avoid the rush 
of the animal. 

As a rule the rhinoceros snorts when it charges; but 
this one had not made a sound. Needless to say, I 
failed to get a shot at either the zebras or giraffes. 
However, while the men were pitching camp, they were 
charged by another rhinoceros, which paid the death 


AAR 


\\\ 


i ”) ) ql i, Na 


\ 


DEAD RHINOCEROS 


penalty for its temerity. We did not cut this animal 
up at once, and during the night it was visited by a 
hyena. One may form a conception of the thickness 
and toughness of the hide of a rhinoceros from the 
fact that, although the jaws of the hyena are very 
powerful, the beast had to satisfy itself with the ends 
of the ears and the tip of the tail, being unable to 
make any impression upon the other parts of the 
body. 

Near this portion of the river we saw several large 
zeribas. In these were unmistakable signs that they 
once held camels, sheep, donkeys, and goats. Judging 


IV TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 131 


from appearances at that time, they had been unoccu- 
pied for more than a year. 

On the third day after leaving the plateau we entered 
a thick forest of acacias. This forest was literally alive 
with rhinoceroses, which charged the caravan at almost 
every turn. We also saw many giraffes at this point. 
There one of our porters died of dysentery, and was 
buried by his companions. They made a shallow grave 
with their axes and machettes, and wrapping him in 
about four yards of sheeting, left him as silent evidence 
of our visit to this part of the world. 

After another day’s journey we emerged from the 
forest, and entered upon a treeless plain covered with 
coarse grass, which grew to a height of eight feet. 
The river at this point was much narrower — not more 
than forty feet wide — and flowed between steep banks. 
At intervals along its shores were little sandy strips, 
on each of which we would find a monstrous crocodile 
lying. Upon our approach, these saurians would noise- 
lessly slip off and disappear in the water. Along both 
banks of the river elephant trails were to be found, 
but for which it would have been impossible to  trav- 
erse the jungle. These trails did not afford the very 
best paths for travel, having been worn in the rainy 
season, and in consequence filled with deep holes made 
by the ponderous feet of these animals. 

At noon we reached a small, solitary group of poplars. 
My men climbed some of these trees and reported that 
across the river in the jungle, at a distance of 1000 
yards, there was a herd of twenty-two elephants. The 
grass was so tall we knew it would be impossible to 


get them, so we contented ourselves with gazing at 


132 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


them. At that time they were not feeding, but ap- 
peared to be enjoying a sun-bath. As the wind was 
then blowing from them toward us, we hoped they 
would come to the river to drink, thereby giving us 
an opportunity for a shot. In this we were disap- 
pointed. All that day and the next succeeding we 
plodded over this elephant trail, always but a short 
distance from the river bank. 

Shortly after we left camp a hippopotamus, disturbed 
by our approach, suddenly emerged from the tall grass 
and plunged into the river, crossing our path not more 
than four feet in front of where I stood. Although my 
men wished me to shoot him, I refrained from so doing, 
and amused myself in watching his furious antics in 
the water, which at this point was so shallow that he 
could not conceal his body beneath the surface.. Like 
the ostrich, he endeavoured to conceal his head, but the 
shouts of the porters so terrified him that he raised it 
again, and splashed along by the side of the caravan, 
every now and then opening his cavernous mouth and 
then bringing his jaws together with a vicious snap. 
At length he reached a deeper portion of the river, 
into which he plunged and disappeared. 

Many times during the morning we heard the snort 
of rhinoceroses in the tall grass on our left, and at 
length, toward noon, we heard a violent snort not more 
than forty feet distant. In a moment we heard the dull 
thud of his feet, but the grass was so high and thick 
that we could catch no glimpse of the animal, yet all 
the time knew he was coming in our direction. Soon 
he reached the trail at a point about twenty feet behind 
where I stood. I had my rifle ready, but could not 


IV TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 133 


shoot, as my boy, Sururu, was between me and the 
onrushing animal. In an instant he caught Sururu, 
and with horror I saw the boy’s body. flying through 
the air, and had just sufficient time to throw myself to 
one side into the bush, ere the animal thundered past 
me and disappeared in the long grass. 

When I reached Sururu I found him lying on his 
side, groaning. At the time of this adventure Sururu 
was wearing an old canvas coat of mine, much too large 
for him. In a lower pocket of this coat he kept my 
compass and a heavy silver watch. The horn of the 
rhinoceros, after passing between his legs from the rear, 
broke the compass to bits, dented the thick case of the 
watch, and glancing off, inflicted a dangerous-looking 
wound in the groin. Had it not been for the thick 
canvas coat, the compass, and the watch, I think the 
blow would have been attended with fatal results. 
After a few minutes Sururu recovered sufficiently from 
the shock to be placed upon my horse, when we started 
on our way with any but pleasant thoughts and feelings. 

As before stated, the grass was so thick that it was 
impossible to see a rhinoceros until the animal was 
actually upon one, so that avoiding the rush of one 
of these animals in this thicket was more a matter of 
good luck than good judgment. 

Fifteen minutes after the accident to Sururu we 
reached a small open space in the tall grass. At this 
point there was lying across our path the trunk of a 
small, dead tree. Here my attention was arrested by 
a disagreeable sight only ten feet away, but on the 
other side of the fallen tree. There stood a _ rhinoc- 
eros facing me. It was impossible for us to turn back, 


134 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. IV 


and, as the fallen tree hid the animal’s shoulder, I could 
see no vital spot exposed at which to aim. I gazed at 
it—fascinated. Its small eyes appeared to look into 
my very heart, and I could distinctly hear the grinding 
of its teeth as it fed. The wind was blowing in my 
direction. 

For some moments we stood facing one another. 
Almost unconsciously I raised my rifle to my shoulder 
and ranged my eye along the sights. Still no move- 
ment on the part of the animal. After remaining in 
this position for, say, thirty seconds, the animal appeared 
to become restless and swung its horned snout to one 
side, thereby giving me an opportunity for a good shot 
at its neck. In an instant my rifle was discharged; 
then through the smoke rushed the rhinoceros. In- 
stinctively I leaped to one side, and, as it passed me, I 
gave it a second shot, almost without taking any aim. 
It fell—dead. Beyond doubt this was the same rhi- 
noceros which had tossed Sururu, for upon the tip of 
its forward horn blood was plainly to be seen. I partly 
account for its utter unconsciousness of our approach 
from the fact that in the bright sunlight a rhinoceros 
is quite blind; but how to explain why it had not heard 
us forcing our way through the tall grass I am unable 
to say. It could not smell us, for the wind blew in our 
direction, so that I am forced to the conclusion that 
the rhinoceros depends more upon its sense of smell 
than upon either its sight or hearing. 

By this time the faces of my men wore solemn and 
frightened expressions, and many of them muttered that 
I must be bewitched to follow such a path, and through 
such a dangerous country. But had not Lieutenant 


ASANVGNOS AO GUYVNONVA HILIM ‘YOHLAY FHL 


CHAP. IV TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 137 


von Hohnel and I seen from the top of Marisi Alugwa 
Zombo plateau the wide expanse of the waters of Lake 
Lorian? That was sufficient, and no thought of turning 
back could enter our minds until we had reached this 
lake. We then thought we must be near it, and we 
expected that an early hour would find us encamped 
upon its shores. 

That night we were forced to cut a small opening in 
the tall grass so that our men could sleep. Knowing 
that it was unlikely that we should fall in with more 
trees, upon leaving our last camp we took with us a few 
dry twigs. These sufficed to make a fire upon which 
fomroast a little meat. After sunset the air became 
dank, and noisome vapours rose from the sluggish 
stream. We welcomed the coming of the following 
day with joy, and in order to hearten my men [I as- 
sured them that a few hours’ more marching would 
certainly find us in the open country. This proved 
to be the case; the grass was lower, and occasionally 
a stunted acacia could be seen above it. 

On this day the members of my caravan presented a 
most doleful appearance. Lieutenant von Hoéhnel and 
I were both stricken with fever; Sururu groaned from 
the back of my horse; one porter, borne in a hammock 
by two of his comrades, was dying of dysentery, and one 
of the Soudanese staggered along with the aid of a stick, 
his eyes wildly staring, and his lps muttering senseless 
phrases: he was unconscious from fever. Onward we 
silently and doggedly pressed. About noon we passed 
close to a herd of seven elephants, but looked at them 
with absolute indifference. Our minds were bent upon 
the single purpose of getting out of this dreadful coun- 


138 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


try, and resting from our labours upon the shores of the 
lake. The soil was becoming moist under foot, and the 
grass wore a greener appearance. Where can the lake 
be? was our thought. 

At one o'clock, seeing a tall sycamore tree across the 
river (at this point not ten yards wide), we stopped the 
caravan, crossed the stream, and climbed as high as pos- 
sible up the tree. From this vantage point we took one 
long look, and then with half-suppressed curses de- 
scended to the ground. There is no Lake Lorian! It 
is but a vast swamp, overgrown with papyrus and water- 
grass. The narrowness and shallowness of the river at 
this point (it was but a foot deep) proved to us that it 
could not continue beyond the swamp —at least, in the 
dry season. Here, then, was the end of high hopes and 
incessant effort —no lake, no Rendile. The vast sheet 
of water we had seen from the top of the plateau had 
been a mirage. We felt that we had been tricked and 
duped by Nature at every turn. Our feelings of dejec- 
tion were shared by every member of the caravan. 
They, too, had lived in glad hopes of reaching the lake. 
Time and again [ had promised them that upon reach- 
ing it they should have their fill of camels’ milk and 
goats’ flesh. The burden of their muttered and _ in- 
cessant refrain was: “Wapi?” (“Where?”) “ Wapi 
bahari? Wapi ngamia? Wapi mbuzi? Wapi maziwa? 
Hapana kitu hapa! Gehennam tu!” (“ Where is the 
lake? Where are the camels? Where are the goats? 
Where is the milk? There is not a thing here! It is 
simply hell!”’) 

Our sympathies were with them, but it was unwise to 
allow them to remain long in this state; so they were at 


IV TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 139 


once set to work getting grass to strew upon the damp 
ground, while some were sent off in parties to collect 
what few dried sticks they could find. This work was 
soon accomplished. Each group of porters had a tiny 
fire, over which they were able to warm slightly their 
strips of meat. Lieutenant von Hohnel and I retired 
to bed, ill with fever. Our spirits were still further 
depressed by the night’s experience; mosquitoes in 
myriads swarmed about us. Even the thick skins of 
the negroes were not proof against the attacks of the 
tiny denizens of the swamp. No one was able to sleep. 
Curses and impotent yells echoed throughout the camp. 
Lieutenant von Hohnel and I each had mosquito cur- 
tains ; which, however, proved of no service as barriers 
from the pests. Throughout the long night we turned 
over in our minds but one project — how to get out as 
quickly as possible from this abode of pestilence and 
death. 

From the tree we had seen that the swamp stretched 
for several miles to the eastward. On both sides of the 
small stream the grass rose to a great height, and we 
knew that we had to march close to the river, in order 
to be able to procure water; so that there was nothing 
now to do but to return over the route by which we had 
reached the place. Our food supply was well-nigh ex- 
hausted, but we calculated that by making vigorous 
marches we should be able to reach the Jombeni Moun- 
tains before it gave out. 

On the following day, ere the break of dawn, all was in 
readiness for our departure, and at sunrise the wearied 
caravan started on its march. It is highly probable that 
during the rainy season Lorian Swamp may have the 


140 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


appearance of a lake; and it is possible that after con- 
tinued and heavy rains there is an outflow in an easterly 
direction. The altitude of the bed of the swamp is 
about 500 feet above sea-level; but for all intents and 
purposes Lorian Swamp can be called the end and limit 
of the Guaso Nyiro River. 

Nine days of severe marching brought us once more 
to the Christmas camping-place. Shortly after we left 
the environment of Lorian Swamp, the Soudanese who 
was ill with fever, and the porter who had been suffering 
from dysentery, died and were buried by the banks of 
the muddy stream. 

It was with feelings of the greatest relief that we 
found ourselves once more in open country. Those six 
days spent in that tall grass were, indeed, terrible. The 
river, dark, muddy, and listlessly flowing between clay 
banks, was filled with large crocodiles; and occasionally 
from its waters there would rise some hideously shaped 
water-bird. These lent a gloomy air to what we were 
permitted by the tall grass to see. The charging rhi- 
noceroses and fierce hippopotamuses added an element 
of danger. All this, with the atmosphere heavily laden 
with malaria, increased our feelings of bitter disappoint- 
ment at our failure to discover either a great lake or the 
Rendile. 

Upon reaching the open desert Lieutenant von 
Hohnel and I recovered our spirits once more; and, de- 
spite the fact that for more than a month our diet had 
consisted of beans, corn, and what game we had been 
able to shoot (not the best food for a convalescent), we 
were able to march eight or nine hours each day with- 
out excessive fatigue. 


IV TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 141 


On this march game seemed to be in greater plenty 
than it had been for the two preceding weeks. We 
killed many zebras, of a variety called grevii. The 
Guaso Nyiro seemed to be the dividing line between the 
country abounding with that species of animal and that 
roamed by the chapmani and burcheli. We found the 
two latter species very plentiful in the neighbourhood of 
the Jombeni range, but as soon as we had crossed the 
Guaso Nyiro, only the grevii were met. The latter 
make capital food; their flesh is tender, and they seem 
to carry much more fat than the other species. This, 
when boiled down and allowed to cool, does not congeal, 
and so makes excellent cooking material. The flesh of 
the chapmani and burcheli, however, is tough and taste- 
less, and possesses very much of what I imagine to be 
the flavour of horse-flesh. 

One day, while passing the foot of the Marisi Alugwa 
Zombo plateau, I came across a herd of twelve buffalo. 
They appeared to be much smaller than the buffaloes I 
had shot on my former journey in Masai Land. [ think 
I am right in stating they were not the Bos Kaffr, as 
those found in Southern Africa and Masai Land are 
called, but the Bos Orientalis, which roam the upper 
regions of the Nile. 

I had a curious adventure with these buffaloes. Upon 
reaching them I had but four cartridges in my Winches- 
ter; and, the cover being good, and the wind blowing in 
the right direction, I was able to knock down four, ere 
they broke into a run. Seeing the bodies lying upon 
the ground, I sent my gun-bearer back to hurry forward 
the men, in order that they might cut up the meat with 
as little delay as possible. He had scarcely left me, 


142 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


when, much to my astonishment, I saw them, one after 
the other, stagger to their feet, and, slowly at first, but 
quickly enough in a moment or two, set out after the 
rest of the herd. I can account for this only upon the 
supposition that each one of my four bullets had just 
grazed the spine, and simply stunned the animals, which 
upon recovering from the effects of the shock were able 
to get up and run away. We searched for them several 


a % 
Hea Mtn Rola 
Yl fi Hy i) PHA ay cs iy 


Leal i all 
YUP Yn 


eri 


CAMP ON THE PLAIN NEAR LORIAN 


hours, but were unable to find them. In the spot where 
each animal had lain there was blood in plenty, but that 
was the only evidence that the sighting and shooting of 
these animals had been other than a dream. 

On several occasions, both Lieutenant von Hohnel 
and I killed zebra at distances varying from 600 to 800 
paces. This only happened where the country was so 
open that we were unable to get closer to the game. 
The weapon used in these cases was, of course, a Mann- 
licher, the far-carrying properties of which, during our 


IV TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 143 


entire journey, never seemed tested to their utmost. 
The trajectory of a bullet fired from one of these rifles 
seemed to be perfectly flat for any distance at which the 
eye could see the object. 

After we had crossed the Guaso Nyiro I had an inter- 
esting adventure with a lion. It had rained during the 
morning, and in consequence the soil had become a sea 
of clinging mud. I was some distance in front of my 
caravan, and had just shot a grantii, when my gun-bearer 
and I heard some curious, whining noises in the bushes 
to our left. He (Karscho) said he thought there was a 
hyena about; so we approached cautiously in the direc- 
tion from which we had heard the noise. Suddenly 
Karscho seized my arm, pointed to the right, and whis- 
pered in an excited manner, “‘.Szméa” (“lion”); and there 
I saw, standing and gazing calmly at us, a full-grown 
animal, maneless, hence probably a female. I had fool- 
ishly entrusted my gun to Karscho, and before I could 
take it from his hands the lon wheeled and was off 
through the bushes. We were after it at once. Its 
great paws left prints in the mud as large as saucers, 
so that pursuit was easy. It would run 100 yards or so, 
and then hide in a bush, waiting our nearer approach, 
when it would again break cover and be off once more, 
but always on the opposite side of the bush from where 
we stood, so that we never got a sight of the animal. 
In this way we chased the lion for nearly half a mile, 
until at length we came to a circular clump of bush, 
some sixty feet in diameter and very dense. We circled 
this clump, and found that the tracks of the animal led 
into, but not out of it; so I stationed myself down-wind, 
and sent Karscho back to bring on my porters, with the 


144 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


intention of having them beat the bush, alarm the lion, 
and drive it down in the open toward me. In half an 
hour he returned with the porters. While he was away, 
I fired two shots into the bush in the hope of dislodging 
the animal, but without this result. Upon the arrival of 
the porters I instructed them to advance slowly into the 
bush ina line, keeping close together; and each one was 
to shout as vigorously as possible, and beat his tin water- 
bottle. The porters entered into the spirit of the game, 
but the Soudanese refused to risk their lives. They 
said that in their country the lion was feared as the 
very devil, and no one with the slightest intelligence 
thought of venturing to close quarters with one. As 
they seemed so fearful, I allowed them to become spec- 
tators of the beat. 

The din made by my porters could have been heard 
for a great distance; their advance into the bush was 
slow, but steady. For nearly five minutes no result 
attended their efforts; but when they had almost got 
quite through the bush, a loud, short roar was heard, 
and like a flash of yellow light the hon darted from its 
hiding-place, and once more disappeared behind a neigh- 
bouring bush. During its flight I had but time for the 
quickest of snap-shots, and must have missed the animal 
by many feet. For more than half an hour we followed 
its trail, but finally were forced to give up the chase. 
Thus ended the hon adventure. 

On another occasion we had just made camp, and 
were resting in our chairs before our tent, when one 
of the men came up and told us a rhinoceros was ap- 
proaching at full speed in our direction. Lieutenant 
von Hohnel seized his Mannlicher, and shot the animal 


IV TRAVELS [NM EASTERN AFRICA 145 


when at a distance of eighty yards from him. The 
bullet entered the chest of the rhinoceros and raked 
the entire length of his body, passing out through his 
quarter. As soon as it received the shot, the rhinoceros 
fell dead. Many ostriches were seen, but they were so 
wary, and kept at such great distances from us, that we 
had not the good fortune to shoot one. 

Along the banks of the river we found several small 
zeribas which had been inhabited by the Wanderobbo. 


i, i a 
Mi it i Maar Ge) 

Sta Ae fh gees 
an fs ihe ne 


A) fell Nea 


Sa i NN 


\\\ ThQ SS 
WHOS 


SCENE NEAR LORIAN 


These people I shall hereinafter speak of at greater 
length. Let it suffice here to say that they are a tribe 
living entirely upon game and wild honey. Wherever 
we found signs of a camp which had been inhabited by 
these people, we also discovered in its vicinity many 
small, carefully erected blinds, in which it was evidently 
the custom of these people to lie in wait for game. 

Late on the evening of January 18, we reached our 
Christmas camping-place on the Guaso Nyiro. The 


then most pressing question was, how to make our store 
G 


146 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


of food last until we could reach the Jombeni range. 
The long marches of the last nine days had told 
severely upon the strength of my men, and they one 
and all presented a wofully emaciated appearance. 
Moreover, Lieutenant von Hoéhnel and I, not more 
from the excessive marching than from the coarseness 
of our fare, seemed in great need of rest and better diet, 
but to stop where we were was out of the question. ,in 
camp we had food for two days. Motio, our guide, told 
us that owing to the drought it would be impossible for 
us to take the route via the Ngombe and Kora craters to 
the mountains, but he assured us that there was a tribe 
inhabiting the western portion of the range. These 
people, he said, were called Wamsara. They were pos- 
sessed of food in plenty, and as they were rarely visited 
by traders, he felt sure they would give us a good recep- 
tion, and gladly exchange their products for what trad- 
ing-goods we had with us. We rested at our Christmas 
camping-place one day, and on Friday, January 20, set 
out for the Jombeni Mountains and food. 

The whole of the western side of this range, with the 
exception of the portion inhabited by the Wamsara, is 
bare of trees and wears a most forbidding aspect. From 
the eastern slopes many small streams flow either into 
the Mackenzie or Tana. From the western slopes, 
however, no streams flow into the Guaso Nyiro, but 
the water shed by these mountains silts through the 
soil, and rises to the surface again in the form of 
springs (for the most part strongly impregnated with 
sulphate of magnesium) only in the immediate neigh- 
bourhood of the Guaso Nyiro. 

Motio told us that from this point it would take 


IV TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 147 


four days’ marching to reach the Wamsara. We were 
delighted to find that in the neighbourhood of these 
springs game was fairly plentiful, as this enabled us to 
save our small store of grain-food for emergencies. On 
the evening of the 22d we camped at the foot of 
a high gneiss hill, called by Motio Chabba. At the 
foot of this hill we found a spring of cool and delicious 
water flowing, and near by sported large herds of zebra, 
oryx beisa, and grantii. They stood within roo yards of 
of our camp, looking with curiosity at us, who prevented 
them from getting to their accustomed watering-place. 
The cry of a zebra much resembles the short, sharp 
bark of a dog; and when excited, these animals invari- 
ably give vent to this cry ere making off at top speed. 
We always felt uncomfortable at having to shoot a 
zebra, but when hungry men are to be fed, too nice 
feelings have to be sacrificed. Zebras are so numerous 
upon both banks of the Guaso Nyiro, that I feel sure, 
should a party go there well equipped for the purpose, 
it might in a few months succeed in capturing a large 
number of these animals. They seem to be entirely 
proof against the ill effects of fly-bite; and the plague, 
which had lately ravaged the country from Lake 
Rudolph on the north to Kilimanjiro on the south, 
although it had exterminated vast herds of buffalo, 
and had even destroyed a large number of antelope, 
had apparently left the zebra untouched. aa 
The greatest difficulty in connection with beasts of 
burden in this portion of East Africa is, that they are 
much too susceptible to the ill effects of the climate 
and flies. Should zebras be substituted in the stead 
of the animals at present used, these difficulties would 


148 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


not be encountered, and travel in this country would 
thereby be much facilitated. I have heard it stated, 
that in South Africa zebras have been tamed _ suff- 
ciently to be harnessed to a coach. If such is the 
case, I see no reasons why, with proper methods and 
patience, they could not be broken to become excel- 
lent pack animals. I hope the British government, 
which appears to have at length decided to open up 
East Africa, will, ere it is too late, and sportsmen have 
exterminated the zebra, give this matter the attention 
which it deserves; for I feel convinced that intelligent 
efforts made with this end in view will be amply re- 
paid. In my opinion, the sum of $5000 would be suf- 
ficient for such an experiment. The zebras could be 
captured, either by building stockades near their drink- 
ing-places, into which they could be driven and secured; 
or, perhaps still better, by horsemen provided with 
lassos. The zebras in this part of the world are so 
tame, that I think there would be little difficulty ex- 
perienced in their capture. 

Near Mount Chabba, I saw for the first time what I 
might correctly term a herd of rhinoceroses. I counted 
six feeding close together. Usually these animals are 
met with singly, or at most in pairs; and when two 
are found together, they are usually a mother and 
offspring. 

At this camp I examined the rifles carried by my men, 
and found them in a very unsatisfactory condition. I 
served out a bit of rag and some melted zebra fat to 
each man, and informed the men that in three hours I 
would inspect the rifles, and I expected then to find them 
thoroughly cleaned. The result gives a fair idea of one 


IV TRAVELS IV EASTERN AFRICA 149 


phase of the character of the Zanzibari — carelessness. 
My Soudanese and Somali set to work, and soon had 
their weapons in very good condition. But at least 
half of the porters ate the melted fat given them, and 
threw away the rags, yet were much surprised and 
pained upon learning my displeasure. 

On leaving Chabba the next day, we ascended a small 
ridge, from which we got a beautiful view of the contour 
of the northern side of Mount Kenya. Viewed from the 
north, this mountain presents the appearance of a vast 
pyramid, whose sides slope gradually to the plain. On 
the eastern slope, near the apex, the regularity of outline 
is interrupted by a rounded, knob-like projection. The 
snow-capped peak gleams white against the blue sky. 
Extending to a distance of twenty miles from the base 
on the northern side, there runs a range of hills which 
form a narrow ridge. This ridge gradually slopes away 
until it ends in the plain near the Guaso Nyiro. From 
its supposed resemblance to a queue, in which fashion 
the Masai warriors wear their hair, these people have 
called the range Donyo Loldeikan (Queue Mountains). 

Motio assured us that between Mount Chabba and 
the country of the Wamsara we should find a river, 
which, having its source in the Jombeni range, flowed 
into the Guaso Nyiro. He told us we should reach 
this river early in the afternoon; so we carried no 
water on this march. 

In the neighbourhood of Chabba the formation of 
the soil was gneiss, but a few miles beyond, our way 
was once more over lava-strewn plains. We marched 
steadily from seven o’clock in the morning until after 
sunset, but found no water. I then pitched camp, and 


150 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


sent men out in search of water. They returned about 
nine in the evening, with the news that they had found 


a small hole containing liquid mud in sufficient quantity 
to suffice for the needs of our caravan. Mohamadi, the 
headman of the porters, did not reach camp until nine 
o'clock. The illness of one of the porters on the march 
had delayed him. This porter seemed to have lost the 
use of his limbs; he was wofully thin, and, owing to 
the fact that he had suffered from dysentery, had been 
unable to subsist upon a meat diet. The meagre rations 
we were compelled to allow him seemed insufficient for 
the recovery of his strength. 

The following day, within one hour’s march from our 
camp, we found a pool filled with excellent water. Had 
we known the night before of the existence of this pool, 
we should have been saved a deal of trouble and worry. 
We then had three men suffering from dysentery, and 
Sururu, although his wound was healing nicely, was 
unable to walk. Two of the sick men rode donkeys, but 
Sururu and the porter suffering from exhaustion were 
carried in hammocks. This number of sick greatly 
retarded our progress, and we made but five miles on 
that day. At every point of our route Mount Kenya 
could be seen. The beauty and grandeur of this 
mountain seemed to grow upon us. From our view- 
point, the greatest apparent width of the mountain 
extended from the northwest to the southeast. Its 
irregular, snow-capped peak seemed to be many miles 
away. Its sides declined to the northwest in a_ well- 
defined ridge, until the mountain at length blended 
and was lost in the Donyo Loldeikan. In a north- 
easterly direction from the summit, and about half-way 


IV TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 151 


down the side of the mountain, there was a series of 
extinct craters and cone-shaped hills, which extended 
to the plain below. 

The northern side of Mount Kenya is very barren- 
looking, until an altitude of g000 or 10,000 feet is 
reached, at which height one may see a narrow belt 
of forest crossing the northwestern slope, gradually 
widening until it reaches the southwestern side, which 
appears to be covered with a dense, forest-like growth. 

January 29, at 10 A.M., we arrived at the river prom- 
ised by Motio the preceding day. At the point where 
we reached the stream it was a mere brook; but 
Motio said that another stream, coming from Mount 
Kenya, flowed into it, and that jointly they made a good 
addition to the Guaso Nyiro. Rhinoceroses were plen- 
tiful here, and we saw further signs of elephant. At 
noon we reached a dense growth of acacias and other 
bushes, where we rested for a moment by the side 
of a deep ditch formed by the rains. Here, with the 
aid of our glasses, we could see on the slopes of the 
Jombeni range, about five miles distant, the huts of 
the Wamsara. The soil is a bright red. 

A few hours after we crossed the ditch and 
resumed the march, the occasional cries of men were 
heard. At length we emerged from the bush, and 
entered a beautiful forest glade about thirty acres in 
extent. In the centre of this glade bubbled a clear 
mountain spring fringed with reeds, near which an 
unsuspecting and naked savage was pasturing some 
cattle. I was riding on my white pony in front of my 
men, and when I appeared on the edge of the glade, 
the terrified negro left his cattle and fled. He had 


152 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


never in his life seen even a horse or a white man 
separately, and when the two appeared simultaneously, 
the sight proved too much for his nerves. 

In an incredibly short time a large band of fully 
armed warriors arrived, and endeavoured to persuade 
me to fall in with their ideas of a suitable camping- 
place. I waved them off, and pitched my tent under 
a tall palm tree. Through Motio we told them we 
wanted food, and were friends. They seemed incredu- 
lous, but after much talk we succeeded in purchasing 
a few potatoes, which Lieutenant von Hodhnel and I 
had cooked, and later ate with avidity. These were 
the first fresh vegetables we had partaken of since 
leaving Hameye. 

Immediately after my arrival the able-bodied men 
were set to work, and in less than half an hour the 
camp was fortified by a strong thorn zeriba. As this 
work proceeded, the natives eyed us with suspicion; 
and once or twice several elderly men actually ventured 
to seize some of the thorn bushes, and break down a 
portion of the zeriba already made. They sullenly with- 
drew, upon being told by Motio that the white man 
objected to their interference. We were one and all 
rejoiced at having reached people, and the prospect of 
food in plenty. The countenances of my men soon lost 
the appearance of fatigue and anxiety they had worn 
during the previous month, and even the sick and ailing 
raised their heads, and showed signs of interest in what 
was going on about them. 

It is characteristic of the sick African to give up all 
hope of recovery; and this, together with the hardships 
they were forced to undergo while on the march, and the 


IV TRAVELS [VM EASTERN AFRICA 153 


meagreness of their diet, made it a really difficult matter 
to restore one of them to health after being taken ill. 

On this day we served out the last of our supply of 
beans and corn. By the use of our rifles, we had been 
enabled to make the thirty days’ supply of food which 
we had taken with us when leaving Hameye last exactly 
fifty days. Had we gone unprepared, to take advantage 
of the presence of game, we should long before have 
been forced to turn back. For the preceding ten days 
both Lieutenant von Hohnel and I had suffered all the 
tortures of indigestion resulting from our coarse diet. 
With eagerness we questioned Motio as to the products 
of the country of Wamsara. He said the natives grew 
two kinds of millet, Indian corn, tobacco, squash, pump- 
kins, and three varieties of beans. The thought of this 
variety watered our mouths; and we went to sleep 
soothed with the thought that on the morrow market 
would open, and we should revel in the luxury of fresh 
vegetables. 


Clive hE RAN, 


WE were up with the dawn of the following day, and 
made haste to display our supply of trading-goods in 
the most tempting manner. These consisted of two 
loads of heavy American sheeting, several bolts of bright 
scarlet cotton goods, coils of iron, copper, and brass wire 
of varying thicknesses, and a great variety of beads — 
red, white, pink, and blue—of all sizes and shapes. 
We felt confident that our wares would arouse the mer- 
cantile instincts of the Wamsara; for had not Motio 
assured us that they were rarely visited by traders? 
We knew that what traders had reached these people 
had brought with them as articles of barter only the 
-most inexpensive materials, and a limited variety of 
even such. 

The night just passed had been very cold. Our ther- 
mometer at sunrise registered 54 Fahrenheit. When 
one bears in mind that the temperature at midday was 
120 F., the severity of this cold may be imagined. Our 
poor men, although they had built great fires, shivered 
so that they had scarcely been able to sleep, covered as 
they were with but a thin cotton sheet. It is surprising 
what a degree of cold negroes can bear, provided they 
are well nourished. Their thick, oily skins seem to 
retain the natural heat of the body, when exposed to 
variations of temperature which would prostrate a 

154 


CHAP. V TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 155 


white man. When cold, the negro invariably covers 
his head and ears, and often sleeps with his head to the 
fire; while between him and the ground, no matter 
how cold and damp, is spread but a single thickness 
of straw matting, though most of the porters preferred 
the skin of an animal, when procurable. This custom 
of covering the head and exposing the nether extrem- 
ities is practised by all inhabitants of hot countries 
I have ever met. The Arabs have a saying, “If you 
cover your head warmly and expose your feet, health 
will ever remain with you.” Of course, a European 
is forced to wear shoes and_ stockings, which, while 
they protect his feet, are very uncomfortable in hot 
countries, and often cause the feet to swell. It has 
been my experience that the thicker and warmer one’s 
head covering in the tropics, the cooler one’s head 
seems to be. For the first six months of this journey 
I had worn a white turban, similar to those worn by 
the Arabs, but had been forced to discard it, as its 
conspicuousness rendered it difficult for me to stalk 
game with success. Upon laying aside the turban, 
I made use of a double-felt Terai hat, and had _in- 
creased its weight and thickness by adding a band 
consisting of many folds of cotton sheeting. I found 
that the top of my head did not need nearly as much 
protection as the temples and nape of the neck. Many 
travellers prefer the cork helmet; but both Lieutenant 
von Hohnel and I found them not only very cumber- 
some and awkward (particularly when forcing our way 
through bush), but also not nearly so great a protec- 
tion against the rays of the sun as thick felt. 

Motio had told us that owing to the cold the natives 


156 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


of the mountains rarely ventured from their huts until 
the sun was well up in the sky; so we were not surprised, 
even at eight o’clock, at not seeing the natives we ex- 
pected; but when ten and eleven had passed, and noon 
arrived, finding the neighbourhood of our zeriba still 
deserted, we began to feel anxious and to think that evil 
was brewing. 

We called Motio and questioned him. He said: 
“Have patience; the Wamsara will surely come and 


he Ue ae 
MS 


WAMSARA ELDERS 


bring food.” While Lieutenant von Héhnel was mak- 
ing his midday observation, we heard shouts from the 
forest, and there soon appeared a motley band of na- 
tives, numbering some hundreds. There were about 
fitty old men among them; the rest were warriors. All 
were armed. The old men carried long spears with 
short, trowel-shaped heads, short bows, and arrows whose 
tips we could see were covered with a black substance, 
which we knew to be poison. They were clad in long 


Vv TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 157 


half-tanned cowhide, fastened with a loop over one 
shoulder. Their heads were shaven. 

The young men presented a much more warlike ap- 
pearance. In their right hands they carried spears 
nearly seven feet in length, in shape similar to those 
carried by the Masai. These spears had a blade three 
feet long, about five inches wide at its base, from which 
it tapered to a sharp point. Fitted into a socket at- 
tached to the blade was a short piece of wood, which was 
grasped by the hand. Joined to this latter was a heavy 
iron rod, of sufficient weight to give impetus to a blow. 
This, likewise, was sharpened to a point. While en- 
gaged in conversation the warriors drove their spears 
into the ground. Around the waist they wore a belt, 
between which and the body was stuck a short sword in 
a sheath, and a war-club. The latter are three feet in 
length, very slender where grasped by the hand, but end- 
ing in a round knob as large as a baseball. On their 
left arms they bore large oval shields, upon which, 
painted in three different colours (red, white, and black), 
were curious decorative designs. 

The warriors were clad in short cloaks of untanned 
goatskin, looped over the right shoulder by a strip of 
hide, thus leaving the right arm free. These cloaks do 
not fall lower than the stomach of the wearer. 

The Wamsara wear their hair dressed in the Masai 
fashion. From their foreheads and down almost to the 
eyes falls a thick mass of hair cut square like a bang. 
This is trained in small cordlike ringlets, dyed with red 
clay, and covered with grease. The hair at the back of 
the head is twisted into a queue, which is bound about 
by a strip of sheepskin. Many of the warriors painted 


158 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


both their upper and lower eyelids red, and several had 
adorned their cheek-bones with round red spots. In 
appearance they were very warlike, and their bearing 
was graceful and fearless. 

Upon nearing our zeriba, the crowd of natives grew 
silent. They passed without deigning to favour our 
camp with so much as a glance, but continued their 
march to a point about 200 yards beyond us, where they 
halted, and having seated themselves, engaged in excited 
parley. The speakers were always old men, and but 
one spoke at a time, while the others, gathered about 
him in a circle, sat on their heels. In his right hand 
the speaker invariably held a war-club, by wildly bran- 
dishing which he added emphasis to his harangue. 
Motio listened attentively to what they said, and his 
face fell. He told us that he was afraid that the Wam- 
sara would behave badly, and explained that they did 
not seem to recognize any difference between our cara- 
van and those of the Zanzibari, which occasionally vis- 
ited them. He added, moreover, that no Zanzibari 
caravan would dream of venturing into the Wamsara 
country, unless several hundred in number; and _ that 
the last caravan (numbering 200) which had _ visited 
these people had all their goods stolen, and were cut 
to pieces to aman. We asked why he had delayed in 
telling us this; to which question he made an evasive 
reply. We told him to explain to the Wamsara that 
our intentions in visiting them were of the most peace- 
ful nature; that we had journeyed a long time in the 
desert, had exhausted our food supply, and had come 
to them for the simple purpose of purchasing from them 
a sufficient quantity of grain to enable us to return to 


Vv TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 159 


our camp at Hameye. He told this to the old men, 
and presently returned with a request from them for a 
present. As it is customary to begin one’s acquaint- 
ance with a strange tribe with gifts, we sent a quantity 
of beads and wire to them by Motio. He returned with 
the intelligence that they were dissatisfied with the 
present. This I had expected; so I told him to inform 
them that the present I had given them was but a 
small beginning of what would be theirs, should they 
behave properly toward us; and to assure them that 
not only would we give liberal prices for food, but that, 
as soon as we had bought all we needed, we would dis- 
tribute the remainder of our goods among the tribe, as 
a proof of our friendship and liberality. 

Motio said that they refused to bring food on that 
day, but that on the following day their chief medicine- 
man would come, and make blood brothers with the 
white man; and then trade would begin. We were 
much disgusted at this turn of affairs, but decided to 
make the best of it; and so sent word to the Wamsara 
that we would expect their medicine-man early the next 
morning. Thereupon, the natives marched away, shout- 
ing what Motio told us was a war-chant, and during the 
afternoon no natives appeared. 

That night there was a good moon, and about mid- 
night my gun-bearer, Karscho, awoke me with the 
intelligence that there was a rhinoceros drinking at a 
spring not more than sixty feet away. I leaped from 
my bed, and seized a rifle; knowing that if I succeeded 
in bringing down the rhinoceros, the question of food 
supply would be solved for a period of at least two days. 
But I was destined to disappointment; for ere I was 


160 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


able to get a sight at him, he had quenched his thirst 
and disappeared in the bushes. That night my poor 
men went supperless to bed, and during the night the 
porter, who had been suffering from exhaustion and the 
effects of dysentery, died. We were careful to bury him 
in such a manner that his grave would not be noticed 
by the natives; as these people do not bury their dead, 
but throw them to the hyenas, being much averse to the 
interment of a corpse in their territory, as they consider 
it will have an evil effect upon their crops. 

The next day Lieutenant von Hohnel and I went to 
a neighbouring hill and surveyed the Wamsara territory. 
We found that we were encamped near the edge of a 
forest. From the forest to the highest peak of the 
Jombeni range, quite ten miles away, all was cultivation. 
Between us and the peak there stretched a wide valley, 
surrounded by low, red-clay hills. The available surface 
of the valley seemed to be covered with half-grown 
millet. On the hillsides we counted a large number of 
beehive-shaped straw huts. On this morning we had 
been awakened by the cries of men, instead of the 
barking of zebra or the howl of the hungry hyena. 
Warriors and old men came in parties of twenty and 
thirty, until at length about 300 were in sight. No 
women came. This we knew to be a bad sign, as 
the natives invariably show their peaceful intentions to 
a caravan by permitting their women to visit it. Then, 
too, almost all trading is done by the women; so from 
their absence we apprehended another day of no market. 

After a great deal of talk, Motio succeeded in pur- 
chasing three yams and a package of tobacco. We 
found the tobacco of the Wamsara to be very strong, 


v TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 161 


but of fair flavour. Their preparation of it was curious. 
When dried, they tear it into small pieces and soak it 
in water. They next knead it into a ball, and wrap it 
up tightly, covering it with a banana leaf; then they 
hang it up in their huts for several months, until it has 
become quite dry. Its flavour is not disagreeable, but 
owing to this method of treatment it is very strong. 
One and all of the natives chewed tobacco, most took 
snuff, and a few smoked pipes. Their pipes have 
small stone or clay bowls, with long reed stems. 

After assembling, the natives took themselves off to 
a shady spot, and again indulged in a long harangue. 
Accompanied by Motio, I went to them, and said that 
our patience had become exhausted; that my men and 
myself were actuated by the kindest impulses towards 
the Wamsara, but that unless food was at once brought, 
and the market opened, we should be forced to take 
strong measures to supply ourselves with the neces- 
saries for existence. While I was speaking, Lieutenant 
von Hoéhnel was making his noon observation; and 
I took pains to explain to the people that Lieutenant 
von Hodhnel was a very great medicine-man; that he 
was then engaged in making a medicine which would 
frustrate any evil intentions which the Wamsara might 
have formed in regard to their treatment of us, and 
that at the same time it would imbue my caravan with 
such enormous strength that we should be absolutely 
irresistible. I told them to think over the matter, 
and come to a quick decision to bring food and open 
market. 

They received these words with incredulity; so after 
reiterating my statement I returned to camp; whereupon 


M 


162 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


the natives rose in a body, grasped their arms, and in- 
dulged in a war-dance. Motio explained that it was use- 
less to expect any good behaviour from the Wamsara; 
and added that his advice was for us to return at once 
to the desert, and endeavour to find some other road 
back to our camp at Hameye. 

The shortest route to Hameye lay across the Jombeni 
range, and Motio assured us that our march across this 
range in our present condition would consume at least 
three days. He added that, as the mountains were 
densely populated, it would be absolutely impossible 
to push across them with our small force, should the 
natives prove hostile, and that they would so prove he 
declared himself fully convinced. 

Up to the time of our arrival at Wamsara the 
behaviour of Motio was all we could desire, hence we 
were loath to suspect him of treachery; but the fact 
that he did not warn us of the possibility of a hostile 
reception at the hands of the people on the mountains 
forced us to think that whatever were his intentions, 
his judgment, at least, was not the best in the world. 
Our first duty was to our caravan and ourselves; so 
Lieutenant von Hohnel and I both came to the con- 
clusion that but one road was open to us, and that it 
led across the mountains, and through the territory of 
the Wamsara. With the caravan in its then weakened 
state, it would be impossible to make a long detour in 
the desert, and trust to our rifles alone for our supply 
of food. We weighed the matter carefully, and went 
to rest that night with our minds fully made up. 

At two o'clock in the morning I had my men 
awakened, and all preparations were silently made for 


Vv TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 163 


our departure. I served out twenty rounds of ammu- 
nition to each of the porters, and provided each of 
the Soudanese and Somali with fifty. This well-nigh 
exhausted the store of cartridges we had taken with us. 
Owing to the amount of shooting I had done while on 
this journey, I had at that time but fifty-five rounds left 


vi) és TEN WAT, 
NIRA \ 
\\ » Ss 


| \ MW 
\ \ Y 


, 
\ 
\\\ aie 


‘ ! Wa 


& 


i Te Wh n Saree 


f 4 Ni \ Nina m ur’s fe 
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i h 
iy 


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TYPE OF LANDSCAPE 


for my Winchester, and Lieutenant von Hodhnel had 
sixty-four left for his Mannlicher. After serving out 
the ammunition to the men, we discovered that we had 
300 rounds as a reserve supply in case of emergencies. 

It was a bright moonlight night, and strict watch 
was kept, lest the natives should attack us; for Motio 
had told us that the Zanzibari caravan, which had been 


164 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


destroyed by the Wamsara a few years before, had been 
attacked in the night; but no sign of natives could be 
seen. The Somali spent the night in prayer and sing- 
ing of religious songs, as is their custom upon the eve 
of a dangerous enterprise. 

By five o'clock in the morning all was ready in camp, 
and we started on the march which we hoped would 
lead to food, but feared would in all probability be 
attended with many difficulties and no little danger. 
My men, to stay the pangs of hunger, one and all 
tightened their belts around their bodies. Lieutenant 
von Hohnel and I fortified ourselves with a cup of 
coffee, and placed in our pockets a few handfuls of 
corn. These handfuls of corn were the only food in 
the caravan. 

Our order of marching was as follows: I was in the 
front accompanied by five Soudanese, Karscho my gun- 
bearer, my tent-boy Baraka, and Motio our guide. To 
guard against treachery on the part of Motio, he was 
securely bound about the waist with a rope, the end 
of which was held by a stalwart porter, who bore in 
his other hand a small American flag. Behind the 
little advance guard came half of the able-bodied 
porters, bearing on their heads loads of trading-goods 
and trophies of the chase. Following these porters 
(some eighteen in number) came the sick; two were 
carried in hammocks, and one rode a donkey. Then 
came the donkeys which had been used to carry our 
food while it lasted. Their empty panniers rattled 
against their sides, and gave noisy but unassailable 
evidence of the desperate straits to which we were 
then reduced for supplies. Following the donkeys 


Vv TRAVELS IM EASTERN AFRICA 165 


came the remainder of the porters. The rear of the 
caravan was brought up by Lieutenant von Hdhnel, 
his tent-boys, five Soudanese, the remainder of the 
Somali, and Hamidi, the headman of the porters. 

Through the forest there lay a well-beaten path, 
and the rays of the setting moon enabled us to make 
our way over it without difficulty. Half an hour’s 
march, and we began to enter the bordering planta- 
tions of the Wamsara. The path then became better. 
On both sides millet rose to the height of two feet, 
and the plantations were dotted here and there with 
what in the weird moonlight looked like watch-towers. 
Such they proved to be. The natives had raised 
wooden platforms to the height of fifteen feet, on 
which fires were burning, and around these fires we 
could just descry the forms of warriors. Our advance 
was made as silently as possible; but we had not 
entered the cultivated portion of the Wamsara terri- 
tory a quarter of a mile, ere from tower to tower were 
exchanged fierce cries, and the brightening dawn 
enabled us to distinguish large bodies of natives 
hurrying on to some point in front of us. 

Soon it was daybreak, and, as our approach had 
already become known to the natives, I gave the 
order for the tomtom to sound. The first rays of 
the rising sun illumined the stars and stripes carried 
at the head of my little force, as with flying colours 
and sounding tomtom we advanced briskly into a 
country which we felt convinced was inhabited by 
people in every way hostile to us. 

When Lieutenant von Hoéhnel and I had ascended 
the hill near the camp which we had just left for the 


166 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


purpose of getting information as to the contour of 
the territory of the Wamsara, we had noticed that 
the valley inhabited by these people was wider at its 
centre; hence our endeavour was to reach this portion 
of the country, if possible, ere we were attacked by 
the natives. At 6.30 we crossed a little stream, and 
by seven had halted upon a small knoll commanding 
a good view of the surrounding country, and _inter- 
sected by many broad paths. Near us (in fact, not 
more than 200 yards distant) in several places were 
scattered groups of native huts. These appeared to 
be deserted by the male inhabitants, but were thronged 
with women and children, who eyed us curiously for 
a short time and then made off. 

Upon reaching the knoll, I placed at its centre our 
sick, with the loads of trading-goods and donkeys, 
and with my men formed a circle around the stores. 
We had scarcely taken our position ere I noticed at 
one of the villages near by a man past middle age, 
who was clad somewhat more luxuriously than any 
of the Wamsara I had seen before. About his head 
was bound a wide strip of red cotton, and from his 
shoulders depended a cloak made from the skins of 
monkeys. Through Motio I entered into conversa- 
tion with this man, but could learn nothing from him; 
so by a quick movement I succeeded in seizing and ° 
binding him. I then brought him to our little knoll, 
and explained to him that even then our intentions 
were purely friendly. We had waited long enough 
for the Wamsara to bring us food and open trade 
with us. Under the circumstances we felt justified 
in seizing food, but in order to prove our good inten- 


Vv TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 167 


tions I was willing to wait until the sun reached a 


certain point (which I indicated — about nine o’clock), 
to afford the Wamsara ample time in which to bring 
us food and open trade.- Should they not avail them- 
selves of this opportunity, but one course remained 
for us—to seize sufficient food to supply the imme- 
diate needs of our caravan at all hazards. If they 
wished to attack us, well and good; but let them 
first get our trading-goods by barter; then, if they 
considered themselves sufficiently strong, they could 
attack us and deprive us of all the food they had 
sold us. 

The old man listened to my remarks with stolid 
countenance, and at their conclusion a shadowy smile 
lit up his features. Motio shook his head and said: 
“Master, there is no use in waiting any longer; the 
Wamsara will attack us in a moment.” With these 
words he waved his hands to the surrounding hills, 
then black with warriors, and ringing with their savage 
shouts. 

The eyes of my men were all centred upon me. 
They seemed to lose sight of the danger in which they 
were placed, as if their minds were imbued with but 
one idea—food. They murmured: “In these villages 
near at hand there is food in plenty; we must fight 


soon, but before fighting let us eat.” 

Some one has said that Scotchmen fight better when 
they are hungry; but my small experience has con- 
vinced me this is not the case with negroes. 

The numbers of the natives upon the surrounding 
hills momentarily increased, and I felt the necessity of 


striking an immediate blow, before the courage of my 


168 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. V 


men should be dampened by the onrush of hordes of 
shouting savages. I made four divisions of my force: 
one consisted of Lieutenant von Hohnel and myself, 
the sick, and six able-bodied men —this party remained 
on the knoll; the other-three parties I sent to the 
neighbouring villages with instructions to bring such 
food as they could find, sufficient for the day’s needs. 
They cheerfully set out upon their errand, and in a few 
moments had driven a few head of cattle, some goats, 
and a few sheep to our knoll, and brought with them 
a few loads of beans and millet. They had scarcely 
reached the knoll, ere with loud shouts a body of 
warriors, at least 200 in number, sprang from the 
plantations where they had been in hiding, and dashed 
toward the knoll by a road. Advancing in column, 
they presented a front of but five or six men. I placed 
six men across this road to repel their attack, and 
when the attacking force had reached a point about 100 
paces distant they received the first volley. The aim of 
this volley was bad, and had no deterring effect upon 
the advance of the savages. The command, “Aim 
lower!” was given, and when the second volley rang 
out, the advancing column was seen to waver. At 
the third and fourth volleys the natives in the front 
of the column scattered and broke; but those in the 
rear came pluckily on. 

This was the opening of the ball. Soon we were 
engaged upon all sides, and for two hours our atten- 
tion was directed to stemming the onrush of hundreds 
of natives. Upon seeing them weaken, we would 
charge the retreating column with a small force, and 
endeavour by excessive punishment to prevent their 


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SRNR 
ANAT S 


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A CHARGE OF WAMSARA 


CHAP. V TRAVELS IM EASTERN AFRICA I7I 


return. For the first hour of the engagement our fire 
seemed to daze the natives, and they would retreat to 
a point beyond range. They would there reassemble, 
and after being harangued by their chiefs would again 
charge us, only to be beaten back again. 

We, however, did not get off scot free. There were 
many hand-to-hand combats between my men and the 
natives. Three of the porters were stretched upon 
the ground. By 11 A.m., when the natives left us in 
peace, we discovered that twelve more of our band 
were wounded, some so seriously as to be unable to 
walk, and all seemed to suffer acutely from pain. 
Two of my men had been shot through the leg by 
poisoned arrows, which throughout the combat had 
rained over our little knoll; but in most cases the aim 
was so bad, that the natives overshot their mark. 
Fortunately the poison placed upon the arrows with 
which my men were wounded had not been freshly 
applied, and did not dissolve in passing through the 
flesh. In each of these two cases the arrow-head 
passed through the leg, leaving the shaft transfixed ; 
so we had to break off the feathers and pull out the 
arrow-stems. However, we then had but little time 
to devote to the treatment of the wounded, as we 
knew not when the natives would return in greater 
numbers, and resume the attack. So we gathered 
such supplies of food as we could, with the intention 
of continuing our march. By noon we had secured a 
number of goats and cattle, and cereals sufficient for 
eight days’ rations for our men. At the start we had 
great difficulty in driving the cattle and goats— they 
were as wild as hawks; but I soon discovered, to 


172 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


my great satisfaction, that the Somali and Soudanese 
appeared to be accustomed to the cattle-punching 
business, and were able to drive the wildest cow 
along with comparative ease. 

Before setting out on the march I released the old 
native I had captured, and sent him to a large band of 
warriors I had noticed upon one of the surrounding 
hills, with the following message: ‘Tell your people 
that they have now learned the futility of harassing the 
white man and his caravan upon the march; that they 
must be convinced of our power and strength, and of 
the further fact, that our medicine was better than theirs. 
That we felt we had inflicted sufficient punishment upon 
them for their ill-treatment of us, and for the dastardly 
manner in which they had massacred the Zanzibari cara- 
van some years before. That we were unwilling to de- 
stroy any more of their tribe; and, as we had already 
supplied ourselves with sufficient food for the journey, 
they could rest content that we would no longer remove 
even a single grain from their plantations, or one head 
of cattle from their kraals. That it was our intention 
to march peacefully through their territory, and so it 
would be wise for their warriors not to harass us upon 
the march. However, should they prove deaf to this 
warning, and repeat their attacks upon us, we would 
again make use of our mighty medicine, lay waste their 
country, and wipe the tribe of Wamsara off the face of 
thesearth.” 

The old man was delighted to escape, and set off 
in the direction indicated. From subsequent events I 
doubt very much whether he delivered the message. 

Our condition at the time of sending this message 


Vv TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 173 


could not have struck the casual observer as sufficiently 
satisfactory to warrant its confident tone. The caravan 
did not number sixty men, all told. Of this number 
twelve were wounded, and all but twelve of the able- 
bodied were heavily laden. Moreover, we were ham- 
pered with the flocks and herds we had captured. 

From the little knoll on which we had taken our 
stand Motio had pointed out to us, winding up the 
side of the range and passing near the summit of the 
highest peak, the road over which our route must lie. 
This path was bright red in colour, and was distinctly 
outlined by the verdure bordering thereon. Motio 
assured us that between our position and the peak 
the way was intersected by many deep ravines; and 
that shortly after leaving the knoll it would lie between 
masses of dense undergrowth, well suited for ambush 
and surprise. 

There was no time to be lost, as the peak which 
was the limit of the Wamsara territory was more than 
ten miles distant, and noon had already passed. Beyond 
the peak lived the Embe; would they receive us in 
a friendly manner? It seemed unlikely, but Motio 
assured us such would be the case. However, our 
hopes were not high, as he had failed to give us the 
best information regarding the treatment we should 
receive at the hands of the Wamsara. To remain 
where we were was impossible. So, reflecting that suff- 
cient unto the day is the evil thereof, we hardened 
our hearts; I gave the command to fall in, and our 
little force moved slowly toward the peak. 

On both sides of our line of march great numbers of 
natives followed, at distances varying from 100 to 300 


174 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


yards. Occasionally an arrow, discharged by some one 
in ambush near our flank, would whiz over our heads, 
or fall harmlessly on the path in front of us. Then 
again, stones as big as Dutch cheeses would come hur- 
tling in our direction. These stones were discharged 
with great force, and with the slings with which they 
were thrown the natives were capable of sending them 
a distance of 100 yards. The arrows came with greater 
velocity, and had a flight of 150 yards. 

The forces of the Wamsara appeared to be divided 
into three parts: first the old and middle-aged, who 
confined themselves exclusively to the use of the 
bow; then the young men, armed with spears, swords, 
and war-clubs; then lads of sixteen years and under, 
who employed themselves with slings. At one time 
and another during this day’s fighting the Wamsara 
had from 2000 to 3000 men in the field sufficiently 
brave and active to have annihilated a force four times 
as great as mine, though armed with rifles; but their 
lack of organization and their ignorance of the first 
principles of warfare enabled us, as the event proved, 
to be more than a match for them. 

Our progress was necessarily slow. Upon reaching 
the ravines in our path the caravan had to be halted, 
scouts sent across them to discover whether or not 
natives were lying beyond them in ambush, and then, 
having seized that point with toil and difficulty, our 
heavily hampered caravan was led across it. On sev- 
eral occasions the natives crept up in the bush to 
close quarters with us, and then made quick flank 
attacks. These attacks were made by small numbers, 
however, and we invariably managed to beat them off. 


V TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 175 


Had they attacked us in these places with large par- 
ties, we would have been unable to use our rifles to 
advantage, and undoubtedly should have been cut to 
pieces to a man. These attacks occurred only dur- 
ing the first two hours of our march. The Wamsara 
then appeared to change their tactics, and having 
convinced themselves of the direction in which our 
route lay, they took advantage of the formation of the 
country, and attempted to block our way by ambush 
and surprise at the ravines. In one of the ambushes 
I had a very narrow escape. The path ascended to 
a narrow gully, which crossed it at right angles, and 
beyond the gully the path changed direction and ran 
parallel with it. Before entering the opening in the 
neighbourhood of this gully, I halted the caravan. In 
company with Motio and two men I advanced to its 
edge, and examined the nature of the surface beyond, 
to ascertain the feasibility of crossing. 

We had just reached the bank, when my attention 
was arrested by an old man standing alone on the 
other side of the gully, and waving a war-club while 
he shouted to us. Motio listened attentively to what 
he said, and translated it as follows: ‘“ The Wamsara 
recognize the might of the white man and his people. 
They wish for no more war. From now on the road 
will be free from attack. I am a friend of the white 
man and his people, and I tell him this. Let him 
have no more fear.” 

I instinctively distrusted the words of this prophet, 
and raised my rifle to my shoulder. Hardly had 
I done so when thud! thud! upon the hard path 
around me fell a dozen arrows, with such force that 


176 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


after striking they remained fixed upright in the soil. 
I had just time to leap behind a neighbouring rock 
with my two men, when a volley of arrows struck close 
by us. Upon raising my head I distinguished about 100 
men at work with their bows, discharging arrows with 
such rapidity as they could in my direction. At the 
same time, under cover of this thick fire, 200 warriors 
were approaching us as silently and rapidly as possible. 

A few well-directed shots dispersed the bowmen, but 
the spearmen were almost upon us ere I could devote 
attention to them. They came on very pluckily, but 
were unable to resist the effects of my Winchester 
and Karscho’s Mannlicher. 

Throughout the marching, owing to the looseness 
of our formation caused by the attention we had 
to give the flocks, Lieutenant von Hohnel and I 
rarely caught sight of one another. His presence at 
the rear of the caravan was made known to me, 
however, by the familiar sound of his Mannlicher, 
which rang out every now and then, and convinced 
me that he, likewise, was very busy curbing the 
impetuosity of the natives in our rear. Throughout 
the engagement I found my Winchester most service- 
able, but Lieutenant von Hohnel was convinced of 
the superiority of the Mannlicher. Its accuracy of 
fire, with its extremely long range, enabled him not 
only to disperse those parties immediately upon him, 
but also to break up bands of warriors forming at 
a distance of 500 yards, for the purpose of making 
concerted attack. Had it not been for him and_ his 
Mannlicher, I am convinced that this story would 
never have been written. 


Vv TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 177 


On one occasion he was able to save one of our men 
by a hair’s breadth. Through some means this man 
had become separated from our column, when suddenly 
he appeared, running at full speed after us. Behind 
and close to him chased four natives with their gleam- 
ing spears almost in contact with his back. When 
he sighted the caravan, he pluckily stopped, dropped 
to a kneeling position, and fired at the nearest native; 
but he missed him. He at once sprang to his feet and 
away, but with only a few inches separating his back 
from the pursuer’s spear. Lieutenant von Hohnel had 
just time to kill two of the enemy, whereupon the 
others abandoned the chase, ere the man’s foot caught 
in some obstacle and he was thrown to the ground. 

At four in the afternoon the peak appeared to be 
within easy reach, but between it and us stretched a 
ravine 100 feet in depth, the sides of which were very 
steep. Here the natives made a determined stand, and 
it was only by sharp fighting that we were able to force 
our way across. At six o'clock we had crossed the 
ravine, and camped in the shadow of the peak. There 
was no thorn with which to make a zeriba, and we 
were compelled temporarily to neglect the wounded, 
in order to construct a compound for our cattle, sheep, 
and goats. As Lieutenant von Hohnel with a small 
force was engaged in guarding the ravine over which 
we had just crossed, the duty of attending the wounded 
devolved upon me. My treatment, however unskil- 
ful, proved satisfactory; for, though many of the 
wounds took a long time to heal, none had fatal results. 

An impression of the warlike nature of my men will 
be conveyed, when I state that all the wounds received 


N 


178 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


had been inflicted upon the rear. Only one Somali 
had been wounded from the front, and he had been 
literally covered with stabs from swords and _ spears, 
both in front and behind; but the Zanzibari, owing to 
their lack of nerve and their bad shooting, had been 
unable to face the enemy, and so received no wounds 
in front. Had it not been for the good shooting of the 
Soudanese and Somali and one or two of the Zanzibari, 
we should undoubtedly have been annihilated. 

Shortly after dark Lieutenant von Hohnel and the 
men with him reached camp. Twenty of the goats 
were at once slaughtered, and milk from the cows 
filled every available vessel in camp; so that night my 
men revelled in plenty. The cold was intense, but 
the negroes heeded it not; all night long the camp 
rang with laughter and song. They ate, and ate, and 
ate until the hour of dawn. Throughout the entire 
day Lieutenant von Hohnel and I had had no food 
but the few handfuls of parched corn we took with us. 
Fortunately we carried two boxes of cola tabloids, a 
small number of which proved sufficient to sustain us 
throughout the long day of fatigue and anxiety. We 
also found them of greatest use in keeping up the 
spirits and fortitude of the wounded. Owing to the 
wakefulness of our men that night, we were not 
attacked by the natives; and at six o'clock in the 
morning, Friday, January 27, we were again under 
way. 

Motio told us that we had reached the country of 
the Embe, where we hoped to find a peaceful reception 
and friendly treatment. Before setting out on the 
march we served out the remaining ammunition, and 


Vv TRAVELS [NM EASTERN AFRICA 179 


I found, much to my disgust, that the porters were 
reduced to six cartridges per man; that the Soudanese 
and Somali had but twenty rounds each; while Lieu- 
tenant von Hohnel and I had, respectively, twenty-five 
and seventeen. With such a small supply of ammu- 
nition on hand, it can well be imagined that we did 
not look forward with confidence to the issue of any 
attack by the natives. 

The road led us under the peak, and in many places 
was cut by deep ravines and small streams. After two 
hours’ marching we crossed one of these ravines, and 
on the opposite side were met by a large band of Embe. 
They greeted us with smiling faces, and had tufts of 
grass and small branches tucked in their greasy locks 
as signs of peace. We gladly accepted their overtures, 
clapped them heartily upon the back, and cheerfully 
followed them as they preceded us upon the road. In 
crossing the ravine the donkeys and cattle caused some 
delay, and upon reaching an open space I halted the 
caravan, in order to give Lieutenant von Hoéhnel and 
the rear-guard an opportunity to close up. 

Motio was still bound and guarded by our standard- 
bearer. His behaviour throughout the preceding day 
had been gallant in the extreme. He exhibited no 
sign of fear, and when the battle raged hottest, shouted 
defiantly to the Wamsara, and clapped his hands with 
savage glee upon seeing them beaten off. After the 
first few hours of sharp fighting he could not under- 
stand our moderation at taking only what we needed; 
but eagerly urged upon us the advantage of marching 
behind a small hill on our right, where, he said, the 
country teemed with flocks and herds. He said the 


180 THROUGH JUNGLE. AND DESERT CHAP. 


small number we had taken was not nearly enough 
even to reward him for his services, and that people 
like ourselves should not be satisfied with anything 
less than all we could possibly take. Upon entering 
the territory of the Embe, he had asked to be released 
from his bonds. I told him this would be very danger- 
ous for him, as his home was some distance over the 
Embe country, and should we be forced to fight the 
Embe, they would take revenge upon him after our 


I 
Y 
wh fA ME dW egy 


MODE OF CARRYING THE SICK 


departure; but that, as they could see he was our pris- 
oner, bound, and unable to make his escape from us, 
he would be absolved from our actions. This struck 
him as an excellent argument, and throughout our stay 
with the Embe (a period of five days) he never un- 
fastened the rope from his body, but walked about 
camp with the end trailing on the ground, seemingly 
proud of his appendage, and looking for all the world 
like one of his arboreal ancestors. 

Upon reaching an open glade, we had a palaver with 
the Embe and assured them of our peaceful intentions. 


Vv TRAVELS IM EASTERN AFRICA 181 


I told them that the fame of their good actions and 
sterling worth had reached us in far-distant Europe, 
and that it was my hope that throughout my stay 
among them they would treat me in such a manner 
that I should be able to take to the white people whom 
I represented a favourable account of them; whereupon, 
trade would be opened with them, and they would grow 
opulent, and amass great flocks and herds. They 
listened to my words with evident pleasure, and seemed 
only too anxious to assist me on my way; but they 
did not appear overjoyed at the news that I intended 
to remain a few days in their country. 

This, however, was absolutely necessary. Even the 
short distance we had marched this day had been most 
painful to the wounded, and they had continually cried 
to me ina most pitiable manner on the march, either 
to stop, or go on and leave them behind. Either course 
was not to be considered: I could not camp in the 
neighbourhood of the Wamsara, and I knew that, as 
soon as I reached the heart of the Embe country, I 
should be forced to remain until my wounded could 
recover strength. 

By ten o'clock Lieutenant von Hohnel had caught 
up with the caravan, and we again set out. From 
this point the road was downhill. We had crossed 
the saddle of the range, and had an easy descent to 
the Mackenzie River, where we expected to find our 
old camp. At noon I crossed a fair-sized stream, and 
halted to give the men and cattle time to drink, as 
Motio assured me it would be four hours before we 
reached other water. This done, we again took up 
the march, which lay across what might almost be 


182 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


termed a plain. It was the eastern slope of the Jom- 
beni range, which is very gradual. High to our right 
and left towered green hills, dotted with men, goats, 
and cattle. Here and there beside the path grew 
clumps of deciduous trees covered with flowers. It 
seemed to be a country in every way suitable for 
Europeans. 

The Embe who accompanied us had most cheerfully 
assisted us upon the march; but had appeared, to me 
at least, somewhat nervous, whenever we made the 
slightest halt. If I stopped for a moment, to enable 
the caravan to close up, they danced with impatience, 
and beckoned me to hurry on. I soon discovered the 
cause of their anxiety. We had just finished watering 
our cattle at the stream, when from a high hill on 
our right (one of the northern spurs of the peak) came 
a wild cry. Looking up, I saw 300 warriors, decked 
in their most terrifying war costume, dashing fiercely 
down the hill toward us. Motio shouted to me: 
“They are Wamsara! Kill them! Kill them!” The 
elders of the Embe clung to me, and urged me not 
to fire. I had no intention of shedding blood in this 
country, but the case seemed difficult to meet without 
such action. 

I drew my men up in a circle, in the centre of 
which I placed my cattle; and then I ran back to 
Lieutenant von Hohnel, who was accompanied by only 
two men. With me went Motio and six of the elders 
of the Embe. Through Motio I explained to them 
that unless they checked the charge of these warriors, 
I should be compelled to open fire; and told them 
that I was as anxious as they to avoid all trouble in 


Vv TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 1383 


a friendly territory. I had just reached Lieutenant 
von Hohnel (the warriors in the meantime having 
advanced rapidly), when the Embe elders shouted to 
them to halt. The young men listened to them, and 
stopped at a point about 150 yards distant from where 
we stood, panting with excitement, and their eyes flash- 
ing fire. 

I was glad to hear the old men insist that we were 
the friends of the Embe, and that they would not per- 
mit the Wamsara to attack us in their territory. At 
the end of the harangue of these elders, the warriors 
suddenly wheeled to the right and started off, not back 
toward their own country, but in a direction parallel 
to the route which we were to pursue. Motio said 
that we had missed an opportunity, and that these 
men would now attack us at night, when we would 
not be half so able to cope with them as in an 
open, during daylight. 

By four in the afternoon we reached a small native 
compound formed of a low, wattle fence, in which we 
gladly made our camp, tired out with the events of 
the past two days. About us the country was open, 
so that we could guard against attack, and we were 
told that water was not far distant; so the place 
seemed as suitable as any for the stay we intended 
making in the Embe territory. Hundreds of natives 
gathered about our camp and eyed us curiously. In 
contrast with their number our party looked pitiably 
small. We counted on the moral effect of our victory 
over the Wamsara to deter the Embe from attacking 
us; and we also hoped to arouse their mercantile in- 
stincts by a display of our trading-goods. 


184 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


After reaching camp I took thirty armed men, and 
went in search of firewood and water. Water we 
found within half a mile, but the firewood we were 
able to secure was of a most miserable quality; and 
as throughout the night the temperature was but 
53° F., we suffered very much from lack of good 
fires. In the early morning we awoke, eager to ascer- 
tain whether the feelings of the Embe, as evinced on 
the previous day, had undergone a change during 
the night. 

The little compound in which we pitched our camp 
had formerly contained goats. As it was not  par- 
ticularly strong or in good repair, we set most of our 
men at work building it up, and making it strong in 
appearance, at least. The spot where we were camped 
was beautiful; it was at the end of a small valley 
hemmed in by gently sloping hills covered with velvety 
green turf. Behind our camp were thick growths of 
banana trees, and small patches given up to the culti- 
vation of manioc, cassava, and yams. 

At eight o’clock two of the elders, who said they 
were the proprietors of our camp, appeared and brought 
with them a large gourd containing delicious honey, 
also some sugar-cane and a bushel of millet. The 
cane of the sugar grown there is not of good size, 
and has a very poor flavour; the honey, however, of 
the consistency of dough, was delicious. It was nearly 
white in colour, and possessed a fine flavour. We loaded 
our visitors with presents, after receiving which they 
told us that the Embe wished to make blood-brothers 
with us. This ceremony is termed by these people 
“muma.” We told them we were quite ready when 


Vv TRAVELS [NM EASTERN AFRICA 185 


they were. They said the ceremony would take place 
the following day. ; 

We slept comfortably that night. Shortly after rising 
the following morning some elders appeared, and told 
us they were ready to arrange the preliminaries of the 
blood-brotherhood; so I went with Motio to confer 
with them. I found about 100 of them gathered in 
a circle, at the edge of which I placed my chair. 
Silence ensued. Presently an old man with a long 
stick in his hands arose, and in loud and_ boisterous 
tones harangued for about ten minutes. The bur- 
den of his speech was: “Why have you, the La- 
shomba (traders), taken cattle from our brothers the 
Wamsara?) Why have you killed their young men?” 

I told Motio to translate my reply into the most 
vigorous language he could command: “ We fought 
the Wamsara because they fought us; they fought us 
because they are bad people. You, the Embe, know 
they are bad. Who, two years ago, slew an entire 
caravan of Lashomba and took all their goods and 
ivory? Who, but the Wamsara? The punishment 
we inflicted upon them in some measure avenged their 
murder of the traders. I hoped they would profit by 
the lesson, and in future meet all traders, whether 
black or white, in a friendly manner. We, as are all 
traders, are friends of the Embe; but between us and 
the Wamsara there could be no peace until they made 
restitution for the Lashomba they slew, and the cattle 
and ivory they stole from them.” 

This reply seemed to make a great impression upon 
them, and “True! True!” was heard on all sides. 
After some further talk of a much more friendly and 


186 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


peaceable strain, the elders agreed to sell food, after 
muma had been made. They then went away. 

At 11 a.m. I attended another palaver. This time 
I found nearly 400 natives assembled, mostly warriors 
and old men. They were seated in a circle, on the 
edge of which Lieutenant von Hodhnel and I placed 
our chairs. We were accompanied by Motio, a Masai 
interpreter, and three Somali. After a preliminary con- 
ference I learned that this was not to be the muma; 
but that, ere the blood-brotherhood could be made, 
a preliminary .ceremony had to be performed for the 
purpose of convincing the Embe of our good inten- 
tions, and to clean the road over which our feet had 
passed. They said we had entered their country prior 
to making a treaty with them, and in consequence each 
footstep we had taken from the line between their 
territory and that of the Wamsara might, for all they 
knew, have some dire effect upon their crops. They 
said, however, that their suspicions would be allayed, 
should a male sheep be slaughtered, and portions of 
its body strewn over the path by which we had come. 
This was soon done, and the old men-went gayly away, 
promising to return in the afternoon of that day, and 
perform the impressive and imposing ceremony of blood- 
brotherhood. 

It is politic to conform, as far as possible, to the 
native customs, at least until the natives are fully 
convinced of one’s good intentions. They place no 
value whatever upon promises; but all I have met in 
East Africa seem to attach great importance to any 
agieement, which they bind either by the killing of 
a goat or sheep, or by drinking milk, exchanging 


V TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 187 


blood, or some one of their many other customs. I 
have never found that the natives construed in any 
but a favourable manner the white man’s willingness 
to adopt their customs in ratifying an oath; and al- 
though it is annoying, and often a great waste of 
time, to submit to the tedious and often disgusting 
ceremonies connected with the making of blood- 
brotherhood and the ratification of oaths, still, one’s 
time cannot be said to be wholly wasted, for there is 
no better opportunity of learning native customs and 
studying native character than at these ceremonies. 

At 4 P.M. word was brought to us that the natives 
wished to go through the ceremony of binding us 
together forever in the ties of blood-brotherhood. 
This time we found about 600 warriors and old men 
assembled; but when we noticed that one and all of 
them had come armed, we were disagreeably affected 
by the sight. For the gathering more resembled a 
hostile demonstration than one for the ratification of 
a treaty of unending peace. 

On this occasion a young male goat was sacrificed. 
Some elders, who seemed to be impressed with a 
sense of their importance, together with Lieutenant 
von Hodhnel and I, seized and held on to the hind 
legs of the goat, and its head was pointed carefully 
in the direction of the highest peak of the range. 
While the sacrifice was going on, the two elders, 
Lieutenant von Hohnel, and I gave vent in the most 
solemn manner to the direst curses and most vindic- 
tive threats, which, however, were to take effect only 
im) the “event of treachery on the part of the other 
high contracting party to this treaty. This portion 


188 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT ' CHAP. 


of the ceremony concluded, a bit of the goat was 
roasted over a quickly improvised fire, and the con- 
tracting parties partook of this flesh. 

The fact that during the sacrifice the head of the 
beast was pointed with such accuracy toward the 
highest peak was significant. I noticed that through- 
out East Africa the natives seemed to attach a cer- 
tain religious sanctity and importance to anything of 
extraordinary size. In the island of Zanzibar, where 
the hills are low, the natives reverence the baobab 
tree, which is the largest growing upon the island, 
and they consider it haunted by genii and devils. 
In all portions of the country where hills are not 
found, they worship some great stone or tall tree. 
The natives in the neighbourhood of Kilimanjiro call 
the mountain “God’s Home,” and direct their prayers 
to the deity they suppose to occupy its snow-clad 
peak. The Kikuyu, who inhabit the slopes of Mount 
Kenya, have the same reverence for their mountain. 
We found that the Embe, although from the top- 
most range of the Jombeni Mountains Kenya was 
visible, preferred to attach importance to their local 
peak, rather than the great mountain which almost 
overshadowed it. 

Both the Wamsara and the Embe, if one may 
judge from their appearance, rarely indulge in baths. 
In place of ablutions with water, which there is 
plentiful, they anoint their skins with as much castor 
oil or other grease as they can obtain and smear 
upon themselves. The hides with which they are 
clothed are continued in unremitting active service 
for many years, and in consequence the odour arising 


Vv TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 189 


from them is not pleasing. Bearing this in mind, it 
can easily be imagined that both Lieutenant von 
Hohnel and I hastened through the process of blood- 
brotherhood with all despatch, and it was with a feel- 
ing of absolute relief that we returned toward camp. 
Even there we were not destined to breathe the pure 
air a long time, for the hedge was soon surrounded by 
hundreds of peering natives, who successfully warded 
off the evening breeze. To add to this, our new- 
found brothers insisted upon entering our compound, 
and even endeavoured to seat themselves upon our 
beds. Needless to say, from this they were gently 
but firmly dissuaded. Their talk was now of trade, 
and they were full of promises to supply the wants 
of the entire caravan in order to prove their friend- 
ship for us. We showed them our trading-goods, 
and willingly entered into the spirit of the game; 
knowing that, as soon as we had established trade 
relations with these people, there would be no dan- 
ger of hostility from them. It was sunset ere the 
camp was at length free from these disagreeable 
visitors. 

The natives of these mountains are very fond of 
chewing the leaves and tender shoots of a tree here 
called “Miraa.” This tree is similar to one found in 
Arabia and Abyssinia, which has already been de- 
scribed by botanists, and is called in Arabic, “ Kaht.” 
The Arabs, Abyssinians, and Somali resident at Aden 
chew only the green leaves of this tree; but the natives 
of the Jombeni range carefully strip the leaves from 
the twig, and then chew only the green bark. The 
juice of this plant is highly stimulating to the nervous 


Igo THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


system, and, among other effects, it seems to produce 
excessive activity of the brain. By constant chewing 
of this bark one may go several days without sleep, 
and yet feel no great ill effects, as the reaction does 
not appear to be violent. The older men among the 
inhabitants of the Jombeni range are unable to carry 
on any business whatever without the spur derived 
from chewing this plant. They carry a small sheaf 
of the twigs in a bag, bound together, and covered 
with a strip of banana leaf, which, upon entering into 
conversation, they at once produce and begin to chew. 
I found that a very small quantity of the bark was 
sufficient to produce in me a considerable elevation 
of spirits, but some hours after eating it I perceived a 
distinct feeling of lassitude. The young men among 
the natives are not allowed to eat it, the reason as- 
signed for this restriction being that if the young men 
were allowed freely to indulge in this plant, they would 
be apt to remain awake at night, and be tempted, under 
cover of the darkness, to gratify desires which the light 
of day forces them to curb. 

The Embe are not nearly so fine looking as the 
Wamsara. I account for this by the fact that among 
the Wamsara are settled many Masai. The cross 
seems to have added greatly to the vigour of the 
tribe, as well as to have much improved their appear- 
ance. Then, too, the Wamsara are nearer the plain. 
It may be stated as a law in that portion of Africa 
which I have visited, that the inhabitants of the plains 
are better looking and have finer physical develop- 
ment than the natives living on the peaks or moun- 
tain tops. The Wamsara possess larger herds than 


Vv TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA I9I 


the Embe; but, on the other hand, the Embe are 
by far the more industrious cultivators. Although 
these tribes may be said to be quite distinct from 
each other, still the friendliest relations are main- 
tained between them. Trading is carried on daily 
atma spomnt near the frontier. ihe Embe bring the 
products of their plantations and exchange them for 
meat and skins produced by the flocks of the Wam- 
sara. These, a few years before, possessed many hun- 
dred head of cattle; but we found at the time of our 
visit that their flocks had been largely reduced by 
some plague (I suppose pleuro-pneumonia), and they 
were then forced to undertake a little agriculture. 

We heard that a tribe called Daitcho inhabited the 
eastern slopes of the range lying between the Embe 
country and the plain where the Mackenzie River 
winds its way. These people are said to be on excel- 
lent terms with traders, and were visited several times 
a year by parties of Arabs and Zanzibari, who jour- 
neyed to them in search of ivory. 

On the following day the market was not nearly so 
brisk as we had hoped would be the result of the 
blood-brotherhood, but sufficient food was brought 
to enable my men to revel in a quantity of fresh 
vegetables. 

Our little herd of cattle and goats, together with 
our donkeys, were pastured in a valley adjoining our 
camp, and as a precaution. we had it guarded by 
thirty of our best men. When these men left camp, 
it appeared almost deserted; for the wounded were 
concealed in their tents, and the few people remain- 
ing presented a ridiculous contrast, as regards number, 


192 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT’ CHAP. 


with the hundreds of peering natives who hovered 
about the compound. 

Upon awakening the following morning, the Sou- 
danese, who had been on watch the night before, 
brought to us six freshly poisoned arrows, which they 
said had been discharged at the camp during the 
night. We sent word to our blood-brothers to come 
to us, ostensibly for a pleasant conversation, but in 
reality to question them about the arrows, and to ask 
why there was no more trade stirring. Towards 
afternoon they came. After presenting them with a 
goodly gift, we remonstrated with them on the score 
of their deficiencies, and when the climax of our com- 
plaints was reached we produced the arrows. Upon 
seeing them, our blood-brothers exchanged glances one 
with the other, and seemed loath to speak. Upon 
being questioned by Motio, they said that doubtless 
“the arrows had been left in our camp the day before 
by some careless warrior; and they absolutely refused 
to admit the possibility of any of their tribe having 
discharged them with ill-intent toward their newly 
made brothers. We told them this explanation was 
quite satisfactory; but should we find any more ar- 
rows in the neighbourhood of our camp, we should 
be forced to construe the same into an evidence of 
hostility, and take necessary measures to prevent its 
Recurrence: 

They went away full of promises of an increased 
market and protestations of warmest friendship. That 
night Motio came to us and told us that the blood- 
brotherhood we had made with such pains and 
patience was purely local in scope, and_ established 


Vv TRAVELS IM EASTERN AFRICA 193 


friendly relations with only the people in the valley 
in which we were encamped. He said that he had 
learned during the day that the inhabitants of the 
hills, and in fact nearly all the members of the Embe 
tribe, regarded us with anything but friendly eyes, 
and since our earliest arrival, had been busy with 
preparations to gather a sufficient force from the 
Wamsara and neighbouring tribes to fall upon and 
annihilate us. His advice was to get out of the 
country at once; in fact, he thought matters so seri- 
ous that we should leave that night. But the state 
of our wounded rendered this impossible; moreover, 
we had expected to buy many donkeys, for we had 
seen large numbers of these animals during our 
march through the Embe country. 

The next day not a native visited our camp until 
late in the evening. All about the surrounding hills, 
however, cries were heard, which Motio assured us 
boded no good. Towards sundown, about twelve old 
men, including in their number those elders with whom 
we had entered into blood-brotherhood, approached 
camp, leading a female donkey and a ewe. Upon 
seeing them, Motio told us that, judging from the 
sounds heard during the day, a large gathering must 
have taken place just behind one of the neighbouring 
hills. The old men entered the camp with many 
protestations of friendship, and presented us with a 
pot of honey, which emitted so vile an odour that we 
at once suspected poison, and so hid it in our tent. 

These wily old savages possessed an astonishing 
amount of diplomacy; their faces were wreathed in 


oily smiles, and they passed among my men endeav- 
oO 


194. THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


ouring by gestures and pleasant looks to inspire them 
with the feeling that they were their best friends. 
After they had visited with curiosity every portion of 
our camp they returned to our tent; whereupon, Lieu- 
tenant von Hohnel and I, bent on showing them what 
hospitality we could, offered them some of the honey 
they had just brought. They declined in their polit- 
est manner to partake of it, and said it was not their 
custom in any way to decrease the value of a gift 
which they had made to their friends. I cannot say 
this action on their part inspired us with greater 
faith in them. They then expressed a desire that we 
should keep in our camp during the night the female 
sheep and donkey they had brought with them, offer- 
ing no explanation for their odd request. They also 
endeavoured to procure a fez from one of my Sou- 
danese. We failed to understand their purpose in 
making such a request, until two of our Masai inter- 
preters came to us in an excited manner, saying that 
this which the Embe wished us to do would abso- 
lutely deprive our caravan of all the fighting power 
it possessed. They said that should one of the 
attacking party wear upon his head a hat worn by 
one of our men, they would at once become imbued 
with all the courage of our party. Further, that if 
for one night they should leave in our camp two 
female animals, over which they had doubtless spoken 
many words of magic import, these animals upon 
being removed from the camp in the morning would 
draw with them the vigour and courage of my men. 
I was then struck by the marked similarity between 
my own followers and the savages with whom we were 


Vv TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 195 


dealing. What little intelligence my men seemed to 
possess, and what skill they had acquired from contact 
with Arabs and Europeans, had not in any way re- 
moved them from the mental condition of the most 
primitive native. They were equally superstitious. At 
the same time it occurred to me, that if my men 
really possessed these superstitious ideas, and were 
convinced of the power worked by the medicine-man 
of these people, if we should treat the matter lightly, 
and permit these elders to do as they wished, our 
men might actually lose courage; so we politely but 


PORTERS ON THE MARCH 


firmly refused to entertain the request of the savages. 
But in order to conceal from them our plans, we as- 
sured them that we were in every way delighted with 
the Embe, and that it was our intention to remain 
with them for many days, in the hope of convincing 
them of our friendliness, and of profiting not only by 
their wise counsels, but also in the way of trade. 

Upon learning our professed determination to spend 
some days in their country, the faces of the old men 
took on a most pleased expression. This satisfied us 
that, whatever their purpose, they were not prepared 
at that time to carry it to execution. 


196 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


As the sun set, our minds were filled with forebod- 
ing; would the natives attack us that night? The 
moon was just at the full. Should the natives prove 
treacherous, we felt confident, even with our small sup- 
ply of ammunition, that we should be able to hold our 
own as long as the ammunition lasted. But, bearing 
in mind the small quantity of ammunition we then had, 
the number of wounded, and the inexperience of the 
majority of our force, we did not look forward with 
high hopes to the outcome of such a conflict. 

All that night Lieutenant von Hoéhnel and I took 
watch by turns, each watch lasting two hours. While 
on watch I sat near the gate of our zeriba in a chair. 
Before me stretched a little valley, gleaming in the 
moonlight, and surrounded on all sides by hills. In 
the immediate neighbourhood of the camp all was 
still, save for the tramp of the night-watch outside the 
zeriba, and the occasional groan of a wounded man 
in his tent; but from behind the hills which sur- 
rounded us, every moment there rang out loud cries, 
as if the whole country was up in arms, and engaged 
in fiercest conflict. 

Motio showed no inclination to sleep, and I whiled 
away the weary hours of my watch in conversation 
with him. He did not think the natives would attack 
that night, but he said: “There is no doubt about 
it; they are getting ready, and in a day or two they 
will be upon us. The cries heard echoing from hill 
to hill can be explained in but one way: there are 
many strangers, young men, warriors, now gathered 
together, and encamped in the immediate neighbour- 
hood of our zeriba. These men, attracted by the 


Vv TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 197 


promise of profitable attack upon your caravan, have 
brought with them but few supplies; and in order 
to satisfy their hunger they are robbing the planta- 
tions in the neighbourhood. The cries are made by 
the owners of the plantations, shouting from one to 
the other to keep watch against the thieves.” 

I asked Motio if he wished to remain with his peo- 
plese «said, no; he hiked it much better’ with .us. 
With us he had no work, and with the exception 
of the time spent on the desert he was well fed. 
And then he said that I was a great medicine-man 
and could, if I willed it, cure him of his disease. 
He said he was not afraid to return to his people; 
he was perfectly confident that, if I left him there, 
I would give him medicine to thwart all their evil 
designs against him. 

We had really become fond of this man. His con- 
fidence in us was so great, and his willingness to per- 
form any service we might require of him was so 
remarkable, that we came to look upon him almost 
as a friend, and lost sight of the fact that the poor 
creature was suffering from some disagreeable com- 
plaint. We decided that, should we not be attacked 
during the night (in which case our plans would very 
much depend upon the outcome of the struggle), we 
should set out at early dawn, and endeavour to escape 
from the neighbourhood of a people bent upon our 
destruction. 

At 4.30 the camp was aroused, and all preparations 
made for departure. Shortly after five a thick mist, 
like a pall, settled down upon the valley, and effect- 
ually screened us from prying eyes; so that our prep- 


198 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


arations were all made in secret. At six o’clock the 
caravan was drawn up in the usual order, and I en- 
deavoured to inspire my men with a few words, telling 
them that, though doubtless we should meet with 
some difficulty in getting out of the country, never- 
theless they might rest assured that my efforts would 
meet with success, and not one of them be injured. 
While I was addressing them, all eyed me eagerly, 
and, when I had concluded, one of the porters (Mda- 
homa) grinned light-heartedly, and said: “We are not 
afraid of the Washenzie (savages). Have we not seen 
master make a fog, so that we could get out of the 
country in safety; and haven’t we seen him during 
the past night walking up and down in the camp 
making medicine against the Embe people? Why 
should we be afraid? Haya watu; songo mbele!” 
(Onward, men; push to the front!) 

He spoke these words in a low tone, but they 
were heard by every member of the caravan and pro- 
duced at least one marked effect: no man wished 
to be the last out of the camp. We had just left the 
zeriba, and were about to plunge into the banana 
plantations, when the fog lifted. A solitary native 
spied us, and raised a mighty shout, to warn his 
brothers of our departure. Soon from hill to hill 
echoed cries, among which we could distinguish the 
words: “ Lashomba are going! Warriors, run to the 
boma.” 

I asked Motio what “boma” meant; and he in- 
formed me that it was a word used throughout East 
Africa to signify a zeriba or camp. He said that 
between us and the desert we so longed to reach 


Vv TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 199 


there was a strong camp, always inhabited by a band 
of warriors, which was used as an outpost to prevent 
attacks from the plains; and that we doubtless should 
recelve some opposition at that point, as it lay directly 
in our path. 

Our route lay between banana plantations, and 
along a narrow road overhung with the branches of 
trees. Fifty determined boys could have cut our 
caravan to pieces at that point without difficulty, for 
there was no room to use our rifles, and the number 
of beasts we had rendered our formation anything 
but regular. We were almost persuaded to leave 
behind us the profits of our victory over the Wam- 
sara; but we realized that the effect of such action 
would have been entirely to obliterate the good ac- 
complished by our victory. -It would have had the 
moral effect of a victory for them, and the next Euro- 
pean who visited the Jombeni range would meet with 
a warm reception. 

At intervals along our route we came to an open 
bit of pasture land, where the caravan was halted and 
brought up into as reguiar formation as was possible 
under the circumstances. The experience gained by 
my porters in the few days immediately preceding, 
added to the wholesome fear they had of the natives, 
made them march up briskly and keep well together. 

We had marched for two hours, and I began to 
think that the boma of which Motio had spoken 
was a myth, when I saw a large number of older 
men and boys gathered in front of us. I told Motio 
to wish them a hearty farewell, to tell them that we 
should return very soon to their country, and also that 


200 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


I had had a dream during the night that some of the 
Embe people were inspired with treacherous ideas; 
so that I was afraid that the blood-brotherhood just 
made would be broken by some of their people; in 
which case they knew what would result. Then I 
advised them to run and tell the young men _ the 
folly of attacking us. The eyes of these people rested 
upon Motio while he was speaking; but as soon as 
he ceased, they fixed their eyes upon the cattle and 
flocks. These were the coveted prize. Had they 
taken them, not one would have reached the Wam- 
sara. A woman is quoted in the East African mar- 
ket at only five goats (in the Embe country), and the 
value of a cow is equivalent, in the minds of these 
people, to the lives of ten men. 

On we pressed, and soon came in sight of the boma 
of which Motio had spoken. It was deserted by all 
but a few old men, and we hoped our warning had 
proved effectual. Not so, however. Just as we had 
passed the boma, and entered a path, somewhat wider, 
it is true, than the one along which we had just passed, 
but edged on both sides with a hedge which made 
ambush easy, one of my men behind me_ shouted: 
“Washenzie” (savages), and pointed to the hedge on 
our left. Through the thick branches I could distin- 
guish a large number of painted warriors, peering with 
fierce eyes over the rims of their many-coloured shields. 
In a moment a number of large stones and arrows flew 
over our heads. Crack! went our rifles, and the natives 
broke and fled. Not fifty yards beyond where we had 
seen these warriors, we were met by a small body of 
determined young men, charging down the path toward 


Vv TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 201 


us. After a short but sharp conflict they were dis- 
persed. The air was filled with the sound of whizzing 
arrows and branches crackling, as they were broken by 
the hurtling stones. However, the aim of the natives 
was not accurate, and no one of our band was hit. 

Just before nine o’clock we emerged from the bush, 
and saw stretched at our feet the plain, across which we 
could faintly discern the dark-green line showing the 
course of the Mackenzie. As we entered upon this 
open plain, we gave vent to three hearty cheers. In 
the open country we felt capable of dealing with any 
number of savages. From the frontier of the Embe 
country we could see a small cone near our last camp 
on the Mackenzie River; so without delay we headed 
in that direction. 

The grass on the eastern slopes of the Jombeni range 
grows to a great height, and we had the utmost diff- 
culty in forcing our way through it. Moreover, the 
sides of the mountain were cut up with innumerable 
deep and dried watercourses, which so hindered our 
march that it was 5 p.m. (eleven hours) from the time 
we left our camp until we reached our old zeriba. We 
were completely worn out, and went to sleep without 
so much as setting a night-watch. 

We knew that we had sufficient grain to last us 
throughout the march to Hameye, but not sufficient 
to permit us to spend much time on the march; so 
we set out on the next day. 

Our march back to Hameye was uneventful. We 
succeeded in killing some zebra and antelope, which 
proved a welcome addition to our diet. Upon reach- 
ing the mouth of the Mackenzie, we found a large party 


202 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. V 


of Pokomo, which had left Hameye for the purpose of 
hippopotamus-hunting. As these people possess no 
flocks or herds, they are passionately fond of meat, and 
make occasional excursions into the interior for the 
purpose of gratifying their appetite for flesh. 

The Pokomo gave a gloomy account of the state of 
affairs at our zeriba at Hameye. From what they said, 
we gathered that everybody, with the exception of George 
and a few men, had either died or deserted, and that 
all the cattle, camels, and donkeys we had left behind 
had disappeared. We were not absolutely cast down by 
this statement, for we had learned that the natives in 
giving accounts of the affairs of others were wont to dwell 
at great length upon the gloomy side of the picture. 

At 4 p.m. on the i1oth of February we caught a 
glimpse of the Stars and Stripes proudly waving in the 
breeze over our camp at Hameye. We welcomed this 
pleasant sight with a salute of sixty rifles from my 
men. Directly, with joyful shouts, the porters who had 
remained in camp at Hameye rushed forth to greet 
their companions, whom they had given up for lost. 
Their appearance was sleek, and in marked contrast 
with that of the men who had accompanied me. Soon 
George appeared, looking pale but fat, and it was with 
the pleasantest feelings that we grasped hands. 

“What is the news, George?” I asked. 

“Pretty good, sir,” was the reply; “all the oxen are 
dead, only three cattle are left, and five camels, and the 
donkeys are dying fast.” 

One would scarcely term this ‘“ good news,” but it was 
not sufficiently bad to dampen the pleasure of again 
reaching Hameye. 


CHAPTER. Vi 


Durinc our absence up-country, the men we had 
sent to the coast had returned. They had captured 
two runaways and brought with them two Gallas, one 
to take our letters back to the coast, and the other 
to accompany us as interpreter, should we meet with 
Galla farther up-country. 

These men reported that they had seen a large 
expedition at our camp in Mkonumbi, in charge of 
Captain Villiers, of the Guards, and two other officers. 
They said they had seen 200 Somali and 150 Abys- 
sinians, and that preparations were being made for an 
expedition on a gigantic scale. We rejoiced that we 
had 200 miles’ start of this expedition; for although 
Africa is a large place, there never seems to be room 
for two expeditions to work in the same part of it. 
It happened, however, that this expedition under Cap- 
tain Villiers met with a variety of mishaps, and was 
prevented from ever getting more than six days’ 
march from the coast. 

During our absence from Hameye George had em- 
ployed the men in improving the zeriba and cultivat- 
ing a twenty-acre plantation of corn and millet. The 
grain was not then ripe, but we knew it would prove 
a boon to our friends the Pokomo. The reduction of 
the number of our camels to five was a serious loss; 


203 


204 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


and this, together with the loss of our load-bearing 
oxen and the sickness prevalent among the donkeys, 
reduced our means of transport in a marked degree. 

The appearance of the country about Hameye had 
seemed to us in every way adapted for the pasturing 
of cattle and beasts of all sorts; but evidently such is 
not the case. George reported that soon after our 
departure the animals had done anything but well. 
Whether they had been bitten by flies, or made sick 
by drinking the waters of the Tana, will never be 


LOADING CAMELS 


Pile of ammunition in the foreground 


known; but I think it is probable that the cattle and 
donkeys died from fly-bite. The camels doubtless ate 
some plant poisonous to them. The Somali have 
often told me that in their country they are partic- 
ularly careful to see that the camels eat nothing but 
dry grass. 

After reaching Hameye I distributed among the 
men who had followed me to Lorian many presents; 
and allowed each of them, instead of the regular 
ration, as much as they could eat: they were also 
given a complete holiday from all work. Under these 


vI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 205 


conditions they picked up wonderfully, and a few days 
after our arrival it was difficult to distinguish between 
the men who had remained at Hameye and those 
who had undergone the hardships of the up-country 
trip. 

Our feelings of disappointment at not having found 
the Rendile or a lake were not mitigated by the fact 
that ten valuable lives had been sacrificed in this 
effort at discovery. All but one of the men who had 
died or disappeared had been porters, and this meant 
a reduction in our facilities for transport, already much 
lessened by the death of the animals. 

Upon reaching Hameye I was at once prostrated 
by sickness. I suffered continually from fever caused 
by congestion of the liver, and for two weeks was 
confined to my bed. Having discovered that between 
the Jombeni range and Hameye there was no food, I 
sent George and sixty men shortly after my arrival 
to make a food station six days’ march along the 
road. “After ten days he returned,-and reported ten 
desertions. We hunted high and low for the desert- 
ers, and eventually succeeded in capturing six. When 
we questioned them as to the cause of their desertion, 
they replied that they had heard the country in front 
was bad and full of dangers, and they wished to return 
to the coast. 

Of course the men who had been with us on the 
trip, in order to increase their prowess in the eyes of 
their brethren, had unstintingly exaggerated the trials 
and difficulties through which they had passed. This, 
after the life of ease to which the men who had re- 
mained behind at Hameye had grown accustomed, did 


206 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


not inspire them with a desire to proceed further upon 
the journey. 

The means of transport being so much reduced by 
these causes, I broke some of the cattle captured from 
the Wamsara, and soon found them trained to bear 
two light loads each. We reduced our stores as much 
as possible, as we were unable to carry all we had. 
We distributed as gifts among our men such of the 
goods as they could carry without reducing their ca- 
pacity for burden-bearing. We destroyed our canvas 
boat, and gave to the Pokomo and the Galla in the 
neighbourhood many loads of wire and beads. But even 
then, in order not to weaken the effectiveness of our 
caravan by throwing away too much, we were forced 
to increase the weight.of the loads to be carried by 
the porters. From Hameye we sent back to the coast 
our entomological collections to be forwarded home. 

Before we left Hameye all but two of the camels 
died, and these two were very weak, bidding fair soon 
to follow their fellows. When the Pokomo had left 
for the coast, Sadi, who had been in charge of them, 
left behind a pariah bitch, which, during our absence 
at Lorian, gave birth to five puppies. We kept three 
of them —two bitches and a dog. Felix, the fox- 
terrier bought at Aden, was their sire. As will appear 
later, these puppies proved most useful to us. I think 
I am safe in saying that a cross between a fox-terrier 
and a native dog is best suited for almost all purposes 
in Africa. The touch of native blood enables them 
to withstand the heat without much difficulty, and 
they seem to inherit the qualities of determination 
and pluck from the fox-terrier cross. 


VI TRAVELS [VN EASTERN AFRICA 207 


By March 8 all was ready for departure, and at 
eight o'clock on the following morning we set out. 
Before starting, I warned my men against attempts 
at desertion. A few of them shouted, “ Never fear; 
we will follow you,” but the majority looked forward 
with no pleasure to the toils of load-carrying after 
their long rest at Hameye, and it was with foreboding 
that I beheld the looks of discontent upon most. of 


Cf 


A aie ay) 
* al 4 . 
BAYAN, 


UNLOADING CAMELS 


Showing mode of carrying Berthon boat 


their faces, and heard a low murmur run through my 
caravan. My horse (Lieutenant von Héhnel’s did not 
live even to reach Lorian) was so ill that he was 
unable to carry me; so I hobbled along at the head 
of my men, supported by a stick. 

The sun was intensely hot, and as the porters from 
their long rest were unfit for the march, they sweated 
and groaned beneath the weight of their burdens. 
Shortly after noon I camped under some dhum palms 
near the river, and by 3.30 all the men were in camp, 


208 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


with the exception of one runaway, who could not be 
found. George reported that the cattle went badly, 
and that about thirty of the men showed a disposition 
to throw down their burdens and bolt. It was a hard 
day, but I knew the next would be no easier. Here 
we left one of our camels, and threw away the loads 
it had carried. George worked untiringly at the loads, 
lessening some and increasing others. I knew that 
we should be able to start on the following day, but 
it remained with the men whether we should get our 
loads to camp or not. 

That night, Hamidi, the headman of the porters, 
who had remained behind with George at Hameye, 
and who seemed somewhat jealous of the prowess of 
Mohamadi upon the Lorian journey, desiring to prove 
his efficiency, gave the men a long and almost elo- 
quent address, in which he urged them not to run 
away and desert the expedition. At the close of his 
speech the camp rang with cheers and cries of “ Eh 
wallahs ” (Swahili words, indicating hearty assent). But, 
alas, although I knew that these poor creatures had 
no premeditated purpose to desert, yet experience had 
taught me that, if during the heat of the day, while 
marching, they found their burdens heavy, they would 
throw them down and run off. 

The following morning we made an early start, and 
marched briskly for three and one-half hours, when 
we reached a swamp where camp was made. Hours 
after I arrived at this spot, the men straggled in by 
twos and threes. George reported four more run- 
aways, two of whom were caught. 

The next day’s march was again an easy one of 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 209 j 


three hours, during which we covered but four miles. 
Hamidi and another headman did not reach camp at 
all; they were searching for deserters. As ‘fast as we 
caught the runaways, we tied them together in a line 
with ropes, and placed them under the charge of the 
Soudanese.. I sent back two Somali to search for 
deserters, and divided among my men two loads of 
cloth as a present, for we could carry them no farther. 
One of the runaways we had caught the day before 
had found a tusk of ivory in the desert, worth perhaps 
fifty-five dollars. In the rainy season this portion of the 
Tana River must be almost infested with elephants. 

For two days more we struggled on in this fashion, 
losing two men each day through desertions, until at 
length we came to a point along the river where there 
was one of our old resting-places. Here Hamidi turned 
up with four captured deserters; their loads, however, 
could not be found. The runaway squad now tied 
together consisted of eleven men. Four of the Sou- 
danese were placed in charge of them, two on the 
flank, and two in the rear. At night they were care- 
fully watched, for it was only by unremitting vigilance 
that we were able to frustrate their numerous attempts 
at desertion. 

Of all difficulties connected with travel in East 
Africa, desertion is perhaps the most serious; and it 
seems impossible to overcome it. Mr. Stanley, describ- 
ing his last expedition, undertaken for the relief of 
Emin Pasha, although his caravan consisted of Zanzi- 
bari who had been carried by sea from Zanzibar to 
the mouth of the Congo, thousands of miles from their 


home, tells in his book, how throughout the entire 
iP. 


210 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


journey, even when he was traversing the ‘“ dark forest,” 
he was unable to prevent these ignorant people from 
throwing away their lives by desertion. The Zanzi- 
bari is ever ready to retrace his steps, no matter how 
difficult the road. It is the facing of the unknown 
that seems to fill him with dread. 

On the afternoon of the seventh day from Hameye 
we reached the food station established by George, 
distant from Hameye only thirty-five miles. It was ter- 
rible work getting the men to cover even this short dis- 
tance in the seven days. At this food station two of 
the cows were killed (just in time to prevent natural 
deaths on their part), which the men ate with avidity. 
My horse also died at this place. 

George, through his skill in arranging the loads, had 
prevented the loss of many of them; and there always 
seemed to be carrying power for just one more, even 
when apparently every man and beast was staggering 
under a burden. Even the headmen, Somali and Sou- 
danese, were laden down. We rested at the food station 
two days, then set out for the Mackenzie River, which 
we reached after one day’s march, and having crossed 
this river we camped near the Tana. 

The small distances we were accomplishing in our 
daily marches convinced me that we should be unable 
to reach the Jombeni range before exhausting our food 
supply; so we halted at the Tana for two days, which 
were spent in hippopotamus-shooting. At this point 
the Tana is 150 yards wide, and its current is obstructed 
by a mass of gneiss rocks, over which the water brawls 
and rushes. We saw several groups of hippopotamuses 
sleeping in the river, and set to work to get as many 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 211 


of them as possible. In a short time we killed five. 
Knowing the courageous nature of Felix, the fox- 
terrier, we had tied him to a tree while engaged in 
shooting; but in some manner he managed to escape 
from his bonds, and plunged into the river in the midst 
of the wounded hippopotamuses. He swam from one 
to the other, barking all the time. Now and again the 


ss — 


SCENE ON THE TANA 


swift current dashed him against the rocks, and his barks 
were drowned by the roar of the stream; but he in- 
variably reappeared and continued as before. On one 
occasion Felix pursued a wounded bull hippopotamus 
until near the shore where the water was shallower, and 
the beast stood at bay. Felix leaped upon his back, 
and barked paeans of victory, much to the discomfort 
of the wounded animal. Another shot laid the bull low. 


212 THROUGH JUNGLE. AND DESERT CHAP. 


Motio told us that there was a river two days’ march 
distant, called Ura, which flowed from Daitcho on the 
Jombeni range. We started for this river, which is 
nearly as large as the Mackenzie. On the road we 
killed two more hippopotamuses. 

We also heard from Motio that the regular caravan 
route from Mombasa to Daitcho crosses the Tana 
River at a point two days’ march beyond the junction 
of the Ura with that stream. We feared to follow the 
Tana to this place, as our men, in all probability, would 
take advantage of it as a means of reaching the coast. 
It appeared, some one had told our porters that the 
object of our journey was to visit the Somali. This, 
then, was undoubtedly one of the reasons for desertion ; 
for if there is a people which the Zanzibari dread more 
than any other, it is the Somali. Their brethren, who 
inhabit the coast in the neighbourhood of Lamoo, are 
harassed continually by these people from Kismayu, 
and are forced: to become their slaves. To be the 
slave of a Somali little resembles the same servi- 
tude under an Arab. The Somali treat their slaves 
worse than animals; the Arab, on the contrary, per- 
mits them to live in almost the same comfort as 
himself. 

We made slow progress along the banks of the 
Ura, owing to the thick bush; moreover, rain fell 
daily, making the soil muddy and difficult to march 
over. One day while upon the march I saw through 
an opening in the bush, at a distance of 150 yards, a 
young lion, trotting slowly along in a direction at right 
angles to that which I was following. I took a snap- 
shot at him, and must have struck him, for he leaped 


VI TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 213 


many feet in the air. As we were on the march, I could 
not halt a sufficiently long time to make careful search; 
so I failed to get him. 

Just after crossing the Ura, which we did on the 
third day after reaching its mouth, I saw at a point 
eighty yards in front of me, and near a scattered 
clump of mimosa, five giraffes. I stopped the cara- 
van, for the animals seemed utterly unaware of my 
approach, and was so fortunate as to kill four of the 
five with a shot each from my Winchester. These 
shots were delivered in such rapid succession, that 
the giraffes seemed puzzled as to the direction from 
which they came and so made no movement. Each 
shot was aimed at the neck, which it penetrated, and 
broke the spine; so that the animals dropped at 
once. When a giraffe is facing the sportsman, I 
think there is no shot so good as one at the neck, 
for its great length and considerable thickness give a 
very good line, and so help the aim. 

As we approached the eastern slope of the Jombeni 
range, we passed millet plantations, on which were 
erected, in the tops of low trees, many neat little 
straw huts. These are used as habitations by the 
warriors of the Daitcho, who are made to perform the 
double duty of guarding the frontier, and frightening 
away beasts and birds that would destroy the crops. 
As soon as the watchmen seated in these huts spied 
our caravan, they raised a mighty hullabaloo, and ran 
to warn the villages of the approach of the caravan. 
I made camp on the eastern slope of an extinct vol- 
canic cone, covered with waving, green grass. Water 
was secured at a place but 300 yards distant from 


214 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


camp, and there was a nice brook. Soon after our 
arrival, old men came and asked our intentions; to 
whom we gave assurance that we desired but three 
things; namely, peace, food, and donkeys. 

A small caravan of Zanzibari was encamped near 
the villages of the Daitcho, buying donkeys. This 


party was thirty in number, and composed entirely 
of slaves. They had left Mombasa five months before, 


lh el ( i \ | 


\" ih oi 
mA a oi ne \¥ 


int ae Bn any i 
ig 

Alla foe Aah a sub 
Y AM, Ru ae 


NATIVE HUTS OF THE WA-DAITCHO 


whence they had been sent by their masters to trade 
for ivory. The method adopted in fitting out one of 
these caravans is generally as follows. Several Arabs 
get together and agree to enter into a loose partner- 
ship for a trading journey into the interior. Each 
member of the partnership furnishes a number of 
slaves, generally from six to eight. He then gives 
his note to some Hindoo or Banyan merchant for 
such trading-goods as he supplies to his slaves for 
purposes of barter. This note generally bears inter- 
est at the rate of twelve per cent per annum, or one 


VI TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 215 


per cent per month, as the duration of such a jour- 
ney is very uncertain. 

When the slaves who are to form the party are 
gathered together, the slave possessing the greatest 
experience in caravan work is made the leader. The 
qualifications necessary for this position are, first, a 
knowledge of the language and customs of the tribes 
through which the caravan will pass; next, an inkling 
of the route over which the journey is to be made; 
last, but far from least, ability as a magician. No 
caravan leaves the coast without a “ Mganga,” who is 
supposed to be able not only to tell future events, but 
also to ward off evil by his skill in the black arts. 

On these expeditions there is always a copy of the 
Koran taken along, and the leader must possess a 
slight knowledge of the contents of this book. From 
its pages he derives information of the future, and by 
the repetition at given times of some of its phrases 
he is supposed to ward off evil from his followers. 
Mey also» carry at the. head of , the: expedition a 
white flag called ‘““kome,”’ which is covered with curi- 
ously wrought figures, triangles and circles, and many 
phrases from the Koran. This flag is supposed to be 
possessed of occult power. The makers of these 
kome are great medicine-men, who for the most part 
have made long journeys into the interior during 
their youth, and in their old age derive a fair income 
from the manufacture of these flags. I have known 
a caravan leader to pay $200 for one of them; but 
this flag was so highly valued principally from the 
fact that it had been carried by Tippoo Tib upon one 
of his marauding expeditions into the interior. 


216 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


These medicine-men also make charms — phrases 
from the Koran, scribbled on bits of paper, which are 
then wrapped carefully in many folds of cloth. <A great 
traveller will often possess fifteen or twenty of these 
charms, some of which he will wear around his neck, 
while others are attached to the trigger-guard of his 
gun. 

The groups of slaves furnished by their several mas- 
ters for a trading journey have no common interest but 
that of mutual protection. Each master receives the 
profits made by his group of slaves, and these are 
entirely independent of those made by the others. The 
slaves taking part in these expeditions are very poorly 
paid, and are never paid by the month. They are given 
a round sum for the journey, one-third in advance, and 
the remaining two-thirds after their return. As the 
chance of their getting anything upon their return de- 
pends upon the success with which the expedition is 
attended, occasions upon which they receive the two- 
thirds are rare; for it is seldom that the masters of 
these men will admit having made any profit out of 
their trading operations. 

While at the coast, and under the eyes of his master, 
the life of a slave is not one of luxurious ease; but upon 
the road, as he is furnished with a considerable quantity 
of trading-goods, he generally loses sight of the interest 
of his master, and lives as well as the country through 
which he is passing can afford. 

The caravan which I met at Daitcho had travelled in 
a most leisurely manner, and had exhausted more than 
half of their trading-goods before reaching Daitcho. 
At Daitcho they expended the remainder in purchas- 


vI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 217 


ing beans, millet-flour, and donkeys to carry the same. 
Thus equipped, with plenty of food, they set out to trade 
with the Wanderobbo, who, they said, were in a starv- 
ing condition, and would gladly exchange whatever 
ivory they possessed for food and donkeys. 

All of the thirty men were armed with rifles — some, 
Snyder carbines, but the majority Enfield muzzle- 
loaders or Tower guns. They had very little ammuni- 
tion with them, as they depended almost wholly upon 
the magic skill of the leader to prevent harm coming 
to them; and they used the guns simply to fire salutes, 
which they did as frequently as their supply of ammuni- 
tion would warrant. Many of these caravans are cut 
to pieces, even though they take pains to avoid danger- 
ous countries and go only where they are not likely to 
fall in with hostile natives. In former times, before 
Masai Land had been opened up, no caravan of less 
than 300 persons ever ventured into that country, and 
ofttimes the force consisted of from 600 to 1000. When 
in such numbers, Zanzibari caravans invariably take 
advantage of their strength to harass the natives, and 
live more by plunder and rapine than by trade. One 
of my Masai interpreters boasted of having taken part 
in an expedition consisting of 1000 men, which had 
been formed at Pangani and other places on the coast 
opposite Zanzibar. This caravan had spent two years 
in the interior. At first it had been most successful in 
trade and plunder, but small-pox broke out among them. 
This reduced their numbers, they were attacked continu- 
ally by the natives, and but 200 of them reached the 
coast alive. 

I asked him what he thought of the medicine-man 


218 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


who had led them on that occasion. He said the medi- 
cine-man had been supplied with the best sort of magic 
for everything but small-pox, and it was owing to this 
oversight on his part that they met with such misfort- 
unes. As a proof of this, he said that he later went 
on a journey under the lead of the same medicine-man, 
and on that journey they had no small-pox, and their 
expedition was crowned with success. This stubborn 
faith in the medicine-man renders it most difficult for 
a European to manage these people, without resorting 
to the expedient of giving them the impression that he 
too is possessed of a thorough knowledge of witch- 
craft. 

At first we had great difficulty in inducing the 
natives of Daitcho to bring food to our camp; so I 
sent George to trade near the camp of the Zanzibari 
traders. The food we could procure at Daitcho con- 
sisted of two kinds of beans (one large and_ black, 
the other small and white), yams, cassava, and a few 
bananas. The yams, cassava, and bananas come from 
the Embe, as the country inhabited by the Daitcho 
is not suited for the growth of these edibles. Trade 
soon became brisk, and we were able to purchase four 
days’ rations each day. 

The rains, which began to fall on the 18th of March, 
were now of daily occurrence and fairly heavy, though 
nothing in comparison with the rains of the wet season 
I passed in Zanzibar. 

While at Daitcho, Lieutenant von Hohnel had a 
sharp attack of fever, which lasted four days, and 
throughout the rainy season I suffered from _ liver 
complaint. 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 219 


After we had been in Daitcho eight days, some old 
men came to our camp bringing a sheep, and went 
through the ceremony of blood-brotherhood. During 
this function I placed a little spirit in a saucer, and 
lighted it with a match, meanwhile pronouncing some 
nonsensical words in an impressive tone. Then I 
dropped a pinch of salt upon it, and changed the colour 
of the flame from blue to yellow. This act inspired 
the old men with an enormous amount of reverence 
and respect for my ability as a magician. 

Upon concluding the muma ceremony, the elders 
told us they had heard of our victory over the 
Wamsara, and, as the Wamsara were their particular 
enemies, they felt certain we should be their friends; 
but in order to prove our friendship for them in the 
most satisfactory manner, they urged us again to attack 
the Wamsara, and also to exterminate another tribe 
called Janjy, against whom they appeared to have some 
grudge. Needless to say, we did not acquiesce in their 
desire. 

Our camp at Daitcho was pitched thirty minutes’ 
walk from the nearest village, and in the midst of 
millet plantations. Daitcho consists of a portion of 
the country about 10,000 acres in extent, half of it 
being situated upon the lowest foot-hills of the eastern 
slopes of the Jombeni range; the other half, in the 
plain below. It is inhabited by not more than 3500 
people. These people subsist entirely upon the prod- 
ucts of the soil. They grow millet, Indian corn, and 
a few bananas. They are particularly fond of the 
edible roots growing higher up on the hills in the 
Embe country, and exchange their surplus crops for 


Nv 
nN 
ie} 


THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


cassava, yams, etc. Their flocks of sheep and goats 
are small, and they have no large cattle whatever. 
They are greatly in dread of their neighbours, and are 
in a measure subject to the Embe, the Wamsara, and 
other powerful tribes inhabiting the Jombeni range; 
but their poverty saves them from frequent raids by 
their more powerful neighbours. 

Almost without exception, in all the large trees 
growing in the neighbourhood of Daitcho, there are to 
be found small, hollow logs, which are used as hives 
for bees. The honey found upon the plains is much 
inferior to that to be had upon the mountains; but, 
after it has been diluted with water, and placed near a 
fire to ferment, it is sufficient to keep the older men 
of the Daitcho tribe in a condition of intoxication. 
After a few hours fermentation sets in, and then, 
although the liquid is not strong to the taste, it seems 
to produce high spirits in these simple-minded savages. 

The plantations in the Daitcho country are not 
divided by hedges, as is the case with the Embe, 
but a narrow uncultivated space is left as the divid- 
ing line between one plantation and another. They 
get two crops from the soil annually, and each _pro- 
prietor of a plantation has near his little hut several 
storehouses for grain. They are not very industri- 
ous or prudent, and cases of suffering from famine 
are not infrequent. All work on the plantations — 
children of tender years, as well as the most aged 
people. They work the soil with sharpened sticks, 
hardened by charring in a fire. I tried to induce 
them to use hoes (several of which I had_ brought), 
but to no purpose. 


VI TRAVELS INV EASTERN AFRICA 221 


The government of the country is entirely in the 


hands of the old men, and each little clump of huts 
has its sage, who settles every dispute which may arise 
in his neighbourhood. Warriors are armed somewhat 
after the fashion of the Embe, but with weapons of 
inferior quality; so it is fortunate they rarely have 


an opportunity of testing their prowess. Marriage is 
considered a binding tie. When a young man among 
them wishes a wife, he enters into negotiations with 
the parents of the chosen creature; and either serves 
for a certain length of time on the father’s planta- 
tion, or cultivates a piece of land until he has earned 
sufficient to buy seven or eight goats, which he 
hands over) as. the’ purchase price “of his -, bride. 


222 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


Some of the richer of the inhabitants have several 
wives. A wife is looked upon more as a servant 
or slave, to work upon the plantations, than as a 
companion and friend. As soon as a man acquires 
a sufficient number of wives to work his plantations, 
he ceases from labour, and spends the remainder of 
his days in drinking honey wine and eating miraa, 
which he gets from the Embe. 

Tobacco is not grown by these people. In fact, 
this is the poorest of all the countries in the neigh- 
bourhood of the Jombeni range. As the Daitcho 
are a weak people, and consequently not aggressive, 
they receive frequent visits from the traders of the 
coast, who go to them for the purpose of purchasing 
food for their journey through the desert inhabited 
by the Wanderobbo, from whom the traders purchase 
ivory. From these frequent visits the Daitcho have 
assumed the position of middle-men between the 
wealthy Embe and the traders in the purchase of 
donkeys. The donkeys are much in demand among 
the Zanzibari traders for use as beasts of burden, 
and are greatly prized by the Wanderobbo, who will 
exchange a large tusk of ivory, and at times two, 
for a donkey. 

During our stay at Daitcho, which lasted through- 
out the rainy season, we were enabled to enter into 
comparatively close relations with the natives, after 
they had satisfied themselves that we had no _ hostile 
intentions toward them; but, owing to our conflicts 
with the Wamsara and the Embe, the Daitcho seemed 
loath to act as go-betweens in the trade which we 
opened for donkeys. We found a Zanzibari cara- 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 223 


van there, which in a short time had been able to 
purchase sixty of these animals, but we found it a 
much more difficult matter; and where the Zanzi- 
bari were able to purchase six or seven in a day, 
we considered ourselves most fortunate if we secured 
one. 

The principal character among the Daitcho was 
an old man named Bykender. He spoke Swahili 
and Masai, as well as his native tongue, and had had 
much experience with traders. For a native I found 
him to be very intelligent; and owing to this quality, 
he had amassed sufficient wealth in goats, sheep, and 
wives to place him far above his fellow-tribesmen in 
wealth and authority. He had six plantations in the 
Daitcho country, and two near the Embe frontier. 
Upon each of these plantations lived one of his wives, 
and his life was spent in journeying from one to 
the other, looking after his interests. 

One of his wives was a Rendile woman. It was 
a long time before we could induce him to tell the 
story of his marriage with her, but he finally gave 
us the following statement. Fifteen years before the 
date of our stay the Daitcho received a visit from a 
small band of Rendile consisting of 100 people. 
They brought with them their camels, some sheep 
and goats, and had come for the purpose of trade, 
wishing above all things to purchase tobacco. While 
in the Daitcho country all their camels died, and 
they were forced to exchange their sheep and goats 
for donkeys, which the Daitcho procured for them 
from the Embe. But their supply of sheep and goats 
was not sufficient to purchase what beasts of burden 


224 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


they needed; so they were compelled to dispose of 
some of their women. 

Among those sold was the wife of Bykender. 
She appeared to be his favourite consort, and was 
possessed of a really pleasant disposition. At the 
time we visited the Daitcho, she was perhaps forty 
years of age. She frequently came to our camp, 
always bringing with her a small present, in. return 
for which we loaded her with beads and bits of 
coloured cloth. 

One day, while she was seated in our camp, I 
called a Somali and asked him to speak to her in 
his own tongue. Upon hearing Somali spoken, she 
evinced every sign of mental excitement, became 
speechless, and went away. It was not before some 
days had passed that she returned. She explained 
the excitement she had shown on the former visit by 
saying that my people who had spoken to her had 
used words of the Rendile language, and she was 
convinced that I had Rendile in my caravan. 

This was most interesting to us, as it indicated 
that the Somali were in some way akin to the Ren- 
dile, or at least that their languages had a common 
origin. We endeavoured to get as much information 
from her in regard to the Rendile as possible; but 
she was uncommunicative on this subject, and con- 
tented herself by saying that they were a very great 
tribe, very brave and very powerful. When asked if 
she wished to return to her people, she shook her 
head, and said that her interests were now all bound 
up in the Daitcho. She was at least sure of a home 
with the Daitcho; but among the Rendile a woman 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 225 


of her age would be forced to satisfy herself with the 
position of a slave. 

During the first month of our stay at Daitcho, all 
the donkeys we had brought with us from Hameye 
died. Their sickness appeared to be a species of lock- 
jaw, but we were never able to discover its origin; 
though, doubtless, it was the same complaint which 
carried off our other animals at Hameye. We took 
the greatest care of our animals; made good stables 
for them, to protect them from the rain, and pastured 
them only in places where the grass seemed suitable 
for them. Notwithstanding all our efforts, we not 
only lost all those we brought from Hameye, but 
also the donkeys which came from the Embe died 
shortly after they were purchased. We knew that we 
should be absolutely unable to proceed further without 
beasts of burden; for the country through which our 
journey would lie offered no food supply except game, 
and our porters were but sufficient in number to carry 
our trading-goods. 

Several times we called Bykender, and explained to 
him our needs. He told us that the Embe were un- 
willing to sell us anything, and in fact had threatened 
the Daitcho with all sorts of destruction, because they 
permitted us to live in their territory. He said the 
only thing for us to do was to ascend the mountain, 
camp in the Embe territory, and there purchase as 
many donkeys as we needed; that he was convinced 
the climate of the Daitcho country was entirely un- 
suited in the rainy season for animals of any sort; 
and for that reason, if no other, the Daitcho were 
unable to keep cattle. 

Q 


226 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


We carefully weighed this matter, and came to the 
conclusion that what Bykender said was true enough; 
but as both Lieutenant von Hohnel and I had suffered 
continually from fever, we felt unfit even for the short 
journey up the mountains; and we did not lke to 
separate our caravan into two parts. However, there 
was no other course open to us. 

About this time, according to the Nautical Almanac, 
an eclipse of the sun was to occur, which would be 
visible in Africa. We looked upon this as a fitting 
moment to prove our power as wizards. Accordingly, 
for several days before the date assigned for the eclipse, 
we took pains to inform Bykender and the other leaders 
of the Daitcho that we would, for the purpose of con- 
vincing them of our occult power, cause the sun to 
be darkened for the greater portion of one day. With 
these people seeing is believing; so they listened with 
polite indifference to our predictions. What was our 
horror upon the day assigned, to find that our read- 
ing of the Nautical Almanac had been all too care- 
lessly done, and that the eclipse we had prophesied 
with so much insistence was visible in all parts of 
Africa but that small part in which we were encamped ? 
We did not make this discovery until a few hours before 
the time set for the eclipse to occur. 

It would not do to appear as false prophets. So 
we sent runners to all the leaders of the Daitcho, ex- 
plaining to them that we considered the darkening of 
the sun, and the consequent shortening of the day, too 
serious a matter; that it would be such a proof of our 
power as would probably frighten them; moreover, they 
needed all the hours of daylight to work their planta- 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 227 


tions; therefore, we would postpone the solar eclipse 
until some other time, when daylight was less essential 
to them; but, in order to prove our power, and not 
cause them to suffer disappointment, we would give 
them a demonstration in the evening, in every way as 
convincing as the eclipse, and possessing the advantage 
of being less troublesome to them. 

As already stated, our camp was pitched upon the 
slope of a volcanic cone. Being the highest hill in the 
Daitcho country, this cone is looked upon by the natives 
with great reverence, and is said by them to be haunted 
by the spirits of the dead. None of the Daitcho will 
cultivate so much as the slopes of this hill; and in 
the memory of the oldest inhabitant no member of 
the tribe had ever had the hardihood to ascend to its 
summit. Shortly after dark on the day we stated that 
the eclipse would occur, we ascended to the top of this 
hill, carrying with us two large signal rockets and 
an eight-bore express rifle. 

Upon reaching the summit, where we knew we would 
be visible to the most distant village of the Daitcho, 
we fired two shots from the eight-bore to attract 
attention, and immediately after discharged in quick 
succession the two rockets. The effect of this demon- 
stration was made apparent upon the following day; 
trade ceased, and it was with the utmost difficulty that 
we persuaded Bykender and one or two of the more 
influential leaders to visit us in our camp. 

We asked them whether they had seen us at work 
the night before, and if they fully realized what potent 
wizards we were? They shook their heads and shud- 
dered. After some time had elapsed, Bykender said 


228 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


that most of the women of the Daitcho, upon seeing 
the first rocket discharged, had clutched their children 
to their breasts and fled into the forest. We then 
expressed anger at their stupidity, and explained to 
them at great length that the magic we had _ per- 
formed the night before would in no way prove harm- 
ful to the Daitcho. 

At this Bykender seemed much relieved, and talked 
eagerly with his companions. Soon after, they left 
our camp, and trade resumed much more briskly than 
before. The news of our performance soon spread 
beyond the regions of the Daitcho. After a few days 
several of the leaders of the Embe paid us a visit, osten- 
sibly for the purpose of craving our aid in a war with 
some of the neighbouring tribes, but we discovered that 
their real purpose was to secure some charm from us, 
by which each of them could increase his individual 
power among his people. We hailed the visit of these 
Embe leaders with delight, and retained four of them 
as hostages, sending back the other three who composed 
the party to inform their people of our intention to 
visit them in the near future; when we hoped they 
would promptly open up a large trade with us in 
donkeys. 

On the day following the departure of these emis- 
saries I sent George with forty-five men to the Embe 
country. He took with him Motio as interpreter, and 
the few donkeys purchased from the Daitcho which 
were still alive. After an absence of a few days, 
George sent us word that the trade in donkeys was 
getting on much better in the Embe country than at 
Daitcho; but that they were still coming but slowly. 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 229 


After a short period five of the most influential of 
the Embe leaders came to ransom their friends, whom 
we had detained. Asa ransom they brought with them 
three donkeys. We greeted them kindly, and bought 
the donkeys at reasonable prices, saying that we were 
unwilling to receive presents from our friends. We 
then brought forward the four hostages held by us, 
and after loading them with gifts, told them they were 
free to return to their people, and explain how good 
and kind we were. They were delighted with their 
presents, but seemed eager to depart. Their delight 
was somewhat lessened when they found that the new- 
comers (who, by the way, we learned were the chief men 
of the Embe) were to be retained in their stead. We 
explained that we were desirous of entering into close 
relationship with the Embe, and could imagine no 
means so well adapted to that end as prolonged inter- 
course with their wisest and most influential chiefs: 
we therefore considered it advisable to extend our 
hospitality to the elders who had just come. 

Both Lieutenant von Hohnel and I excessively dis- 
liked going through with such affairs; but we knew it 
was necessary, for George would have been absolutely 
unsafe in the territory of the Embe, had we not held 
these influential men as hostages in our camp. During 
the days immediately ensuing several messages were 
received from George, telling us that his experiences 
with the Embe were of the most pleasant character, that 
trade in donkeys had been going on as well as could be 
wished, and that he had managed during the first two 
weeks of his stay to purchase thirty-seven of these 
animals; but that at the time of writing, because either 


230 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


the supply of donkeys held by the Embe had been 
exhausted, or they were unwilling to sell any more, none 
had been brought for sale for the past two or three days. 

Thirty-seven donkeys would suffice for a journey of 
exploration similar to our recent journey from Hameye 
to Lorian; but it was far from sufficient to enable our 
entire caravan to advance into the desert; particularly 
as we had been informed that starvation reigned over 
the entire country lying between our position and the 
country of the Reschatt. This was our route to the 
north, at least the only one with which we were at that 
time familiar, and with steady marching fifty days would 
be required for its accomplishment. From George’s 
account of trade in the Embe ‘country it seemed im- 
probable, no matter how long the stay there, that we 
should ever succeed in purchasing a sufficient number 
of donkeys to enable the entire caravan to move. We 
therefore decided to set out with but a small portion 
of our men, and once more endeavour to find the Ren- 
dile, and purchase from them beasts of burden; or, if 
this failed, to move on to a tribe called Turcana, who 
inhabited the country to the south of Lake Rudolph, 
which had been visited by Lieutenant von Héhnel on 
his former journey, where he had seen many donkeys 
and not a few camels. 

In order to guard against absolute failure, even 
should we not succeed in getting beasts of burden 
while on this journey, we decided to send our head- 
man, Hamidi, and six others to the coast, there to 
procure as many donkeys as possible, and twenty or 
thirty good men besides, to take the places of those 
who had died or deserted. We knew that this step 


VI TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 231 


was fraught with many dangers to the success of the 
caravan; for it is a principle of African travel, when 
once you have left the coast, to keep your back to it 
until your journey has been accomplished and you are 


EMBE GIRL CARRYING WOOD 


on your homeward way. But the loss of our beasts of 
burden, and the number of deaths and desertions which 
occurred in our caravan, had entirely upset our calcula- 
tions, and reduced our burden-bearing capacity to such 
an extent that further advance into the interior with 
our whole caravan would be impossible, unless we had 


232 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


been willing to throw away such a quantity of our 
supplies as would greatly weaken its efficiency. Hav- 
ing carefully weighed the matter, we decided that the 
step was not only well worth taking, but an absolute 
necessity. 

I had sufficient confidence in my agent at the coast 
to feel hopeful that he would give his best attention 
to satisfying my wants. At the same time, I knew 
that in Africa, at least, white men are much less apt 
to be painstaking or particular in their regard for the 
interests of a person who is far away in the interior 
and perhaps may never return, than they are to per- 
form creditably the commission of a person near at 
hand, and in position to criticise their work. How- 
ever, there was no alternative. 

I wrote a letter of instructions to my agent; and, 
after explaining our wants to Hamidi at great length 
and with much particularity, we got one of our men, 
who was something of a scribe, to put the whole com- 
mission in writing in the Swahili tongue, so that there 
could be no mistake in the matter. 

The rains for the past ten days were not so heavy 
as previously, but to prove that the rainy season was 
not quite over, we had an occasional light shower. 
During the heavy rains, not only the beasts, but also 
my men, suffered continually from sickness. Six of the 
porters died from pulmonary complaints; for, as the 
rainy season was prevailing at the time we arrived, we 
had been unable to make a sufficiently healthy camp 
by providing our men with good huts. We had done 
our best, however, and before the rains ceased each 
hut was well-thatched and water-proof; but to do this 


VI TRAVELS IM EASTERN AFRICA 233 


required tons of grass. The huts were huddled closely 
together, so that they almost touched one another; and 
the camp presented the appearance of a field covered 
with small haycocks. After the rains ceased, the grass 
upon the huts quickly dried. 

We had made a rule, which we endeavoured to 
enforce, that no fire should be built in the huts; but 
despite our most careful watching, some of the men, 
particularly the Soudanese, would build a small fire 
near their beds to warm themselves. While the rains 
poured in torrents, this was not particularly dangerous ; 
but after the rains had ceased and the grass dried, only 
a spark was needed to set the whole camp in flames. 

One afternoon during our stay at Daitcho, Lieutenant 
von Hohnel and I were enjoying a siesta, when we 
were rudely aroused by the cry,“ Moto! Moto!” (Fire! 
Fire!) We leaped to our feet and rushed out, there 
to see that a portion of the camp was in flames. We 
knew that in a few moments not a hut would be left 
standing. All hands were set to work removing the 
goods, particularly the ammunition; and ere the con- 
flagration was over, and the camp reduced to smoke 
and a mass of ashes, nearly every load had been car- 
med to a safe distance. While it lasted, the fire 
raged with great fury, and the terror caused by the 
flames was increased by the explosion of a great 
number of cartridges; for the men, in their hurry, 
had neglected to remove beyond the reach of the 
fire, cartridges which they had in their huts. Fortu- 
nately, no one was wounded. 

After the fire was over, we looked upon it as a 
joke; in fact, as something in the nature of a blessing, 


234 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. VI 


for we were then compelled to build a better camp. 
We first cleared away all the tall grass in the im- 
mediate neighbourhood; then we marked out a square, 
just one-half an acre in extent, and this we fenced in 
with tall palisades. It took 1300 logs, each more 
than six inches in diameter, to complete the circuit. 
Inside and close to the palisade we placed the huts 
of the men. These huts were made, not of straw, as 
we feared another fire, but open on the inside like 
lean-tos, and roofed with thin strips of the midrib of 
a large palm growing along the banks of the neigh- 
bouring brook. In two weeks’ time we had completed 
a capital camp, sufficiently strong to withstand the 
attack of a great number of natives. 

When our new camp was finished, we released the 
Embe hostages we had detained. After loading them 
with presents we sent them back to their people with 
the intelligence that upon the following day we 
should visit them for the purpose of entering into 
the bonds of blood-brotherhood with the whole tribe. 
We told them we would not be satisfied with any- 
thing less than the most solemn ceremony, such as 
would be binding for all time; and insisted that this 
ceremony must be accomplished during our coming 
visit to them; also, that, should they not be willing 
to become our blood-brothers, we should then know 
they were our enemies, and we would act accordingly. 

This step was absolutely necessary; for when Lieu- 
tenant von Hodhnel and I set out upon our journey, 
George would be left at Daitcho with comparatively 
few men. Though our camp was strong, and our 
relations with the Daitcho people friendly, neverthe- 


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CHAP. VI TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 237 


less, it would not do for us to set out until we were 
convinced of the peaceable intentions of the Embe, 
our most powerful neighbours. 

Shortly after our arrival at Daitcho, the Zanzibari 
traders whom we found there left for the north, with 
sixty donkeys well laden with flour and beans, which 
they hoped to exchange for ivory among the Wan- 
derobbo. 

The day following the fire, twelve other traders 
arrived at Daitcho. This small caravan was in 
charge of two natives from Beloochistan, named Gwa- 
haram and Abdurachman. It may seem extraordinary 
that Beloochi should be found in the interior of 
Africa, but at Zanzibar and many other points along 
the east coast, such as Mombasa, Pangani, and Bur- 
gamoyo, many Beloochi have settled during the past 
fifty years. The Sultan of Zanzibar is in close rela- 
tion with the Sultan of Muscat, Arabia. The latter 
place lies not far from Beloochistan; and it is wa 
Muscat that most of these Beloochi came to the 
coast of Africa. To me. they appeared: to -be a 
much finer race than the Arabs, more energetic, and 
willing to undergo more hardships and dangers. 

These two Beloochi, accompanied by ten men, came 
from Njemps, a country lying to the south of Lake 
Baringo. They were, so they said, but a part of a 
very large caravan which had left Mombasa eighteen 
months before, the major portion of which had_pro- 
ceeded along the left bank of Lake Rudolph in search 
of ivory; but that no reports had been received from 
them during the past nine months. They said that 
the famine at Njemps had forced them to come all the 


238 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


way to Daitcho to buy food. They had a few donkeys 
with them, and hoped to purchase more. They added 
their testimony to reports I had already heard, that 
famine was existing everywhere to the north of 
Daitcho. On their way to Daitcho they had met the 
party of thirty Zanzibari, half of whose donkeys, they 
said, had already died, and the remainder seemed suf- 
fering from sickness. 

These Beloochi had been trading in East Africa for 
many years. They said that it was impossible to 
account for the disease among the donkeys. At inter- 
vals varying from three to four years, some disease 
seemed to break out among these animals, and carried 
them off in large numbers. Generally the donkey 
seemed proof against all sickness, and was the most 
useful animal possible for caravan work. 

On May 26, accompanied by forty well-armed men, 
Lieutenant von Hohnel and I set out to join George 
in the Embe country, for the purpose of making a last- 
ing treaty with that tribe. Our path through the 
Daitcho country was overgrown with grass and bushes 
which had sprung up under the influence of the rains, 
but it was very easy under-foot. Upon reaching the 
foot-hills on the border of the Embe country, the road 
became steep, winding, and rough. We _ had _ not 
ascended more than a few hundred feet above the 
plain, ere the aspect of the country changed, and we 
found ourselves in a land rich with verdure, covered 
with plantations, and thickly dotted with groups of 
native huts. The natives exhibited no fear of us; in 
fact, they scarcely deigned to favour us with a glance, 
as we steadily plodded along through their plantations, 


VI TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 239 


often passing within a few feet of their villages, or 
making our way through the midst of large flocks of 
sheep and goats. We saw no cattle or donkeys what- 
ever. 

At one o’clock we reached the spot where George 
was encamped. On our march between the frontier of 
the Embe country and George’s camp we had passed 
two market places. These consisted of openings in 
the plantations, beaten hard and bare by many feet. 
Thither came the women of the neighbouring districts 
of the Embe country daily, and expended many hours 
in exchanging their produce one with the other. One 
old woman would bring a large bag upon her back con- 
taining thirty or forty pounds of cassava; another, 
manioc; another, yams; while a fourth would bring 
bananas. Some few brought beans or millet. These 
they exchanged, one with the other, but it appeared to 
me that more time was devoted to conversation than 
trade. The market place echoed with the shouts of the 
women, as they talked and gossiped among themselves 
of bargains or the news of the day; and often after 
many hours spent in this way a woman would return 
to her home, bearing just what she took from it in the 
morning. All trade in the products of the soil is car- 
ried on by the women; but the business relating to live 
stocks, spears, shields, honey, etc., is carried on by the 
men. 

These people do not seem to be particularly well 
nourished, for one rarely sees a native who could prop- 
erly be called even stout. The little children are fat 
enough, to be sure, but only the very small ones. 

We found George in camp not more than half a mile 


240 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


from the spot where we had encamped during our 
former visit to the Embe. The view from this camp 
was lovely. It was surrounded on all sides but one 
by high hills, covered either with soft green turf or 
with thick growths of wild bananas, with here and there 
a clump of dhum palms. To the northeast the view 
was not shut in by hills, but stretched to the desert, 
which even after the rains looked grim and forbidding 
in contrast with the luxurious vegetation among which 
we were. 

George had built a small zeriba for the donkeys, 
around which he had placed the huts of the men, 
which were thickly thatched with the leaves of the 
wild banana. He reported that during his stay among 
the Embe the natives had given him but little trouble; 
in fact, his only complaint was that they had not come 
in sufficient numbers to trade. Upon one occasion, 
however, he had heard loud shouts and cries; where- 
upon an old negro came to him and said that the 
warriors of the Embe had decided to fall upon the 
European and annihilate him; but after he had fired 
a couple of shots, the shoutings of the natives ceased, 
and nothing further occurred. 

On the afternoon of the day of our arrival, a few 
hours before sunset, a few elders came, among them 
those whom we had held as hostages at Daitcho. They 
seemed pleased to see us, and we explained to them 
that we were unable to stop with the Embe for many 
days, and therefore wished to make as soon as _ pos- 
sible a treaty with the people of that tribe. They said 
they would at once send out word to the farthest parts 
of their territory, and that within two days at latest the 


vI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 241 


principal men would be gathered together, and the 
treaty ratified. We gave them presents, and they went 
on their ways rejoicing. That night the hills around 
our camp resounded with the notes of native horns, 
which we were told were sounded for the purpose of 
assembling the elders. The following day nothing 
happened. 

The change in the atmosphere was very marked. 
Here among the Embe we were encamped about 5000 
feet above sea-level, and the air was very bracing. Both 
Lieutenant von Hohnel and I found that our appetites 
increased and our spirits rose. I am sure that at this 
height above sea-level Europeans could live with com- 
fort. My negroes, however, appeared to suffer from 
the cold. They imagine that no country is healthy 
where they are not continually bathed in perspiration, 
although at ease. 

On the following day about thirty old men came to 
our camp, and asked our intentions. We had grown 
accustomed to their policy of delay and postponement ; 
but on this occasion we had no time to wait, and 
frankly told them that they were well informed of our 
purpose, and that we expected them, with more elders, 
to come on the morrow for the purpose of ratifying 
the treaty. To hasten them, we told them that delay 
on their part would be construed by us as an act of 
unfriendliness; that if they wished to remain happy 
and unmolested, they must introduce a little more 
celerity into their diplomacy; and that if the following 
day passed without the leaders making their appearance, 
the succeeding day would find their country the scene 


of rapine and pillage. 
R 


242 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. VI 


Upon hearing these words the old men rose to their 
feet, and danced with excitement and fury; but after 
a short time they calmed down, and said that surely 
the next day would see the treaty made. We ascer- 
tained that the reason why the principal leaders among 
the Embe appeared so bent upon prolonging the dis- 
cussion of any question was that it was customary for 
these old men, when considering a weighty matter to 
subsist entirely upon a meat diet. The meat they eat 
is the flesh of either sheep or goats, derived from the 
fines which they inflict upon any delinquents in the 
tribe who have been brought to them for trial. 

Meat is considered so highly as a luxury, among 
these people, that one of these old men is willing 
to speak for an hour or two upon any subject, in 
order to secure a pound or two of flesh. A story, 
illustrating the methods of these elders in such mat- 
ters, came to my ears during my stay among the 
Embe upon this occasion. An old man_ possessing 
a small flock of ten goats was accused by a neighbour 
of having stolen two from him. Immediately the 
old men of the adjacent villages assembled to dis- 
cuss the matter, and mete out justice to the contend- 
ing parties. They spent five days in the discussion, 
during which time two goats per diem were needed 
for their sustenance, which was supplied by the 
defendant to the action, When they found his stock 
had become exhausted, they adjudged the case in his 
favour, and forced the plaintiff to pay to the defendant 
two goats, for having accused him falsely. 

I found that the government of the Embe was 
in a sense patriarchal, in that the policy of the 


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Lee 
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CHAP. VI TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 245 


country lay principally in the hands of the old men. 
Their power is tempcred, however, by the fact that 
the influence of two other classes is brought to bear 
upon their deliberations in counsel. These two classes 
are the newly married men and the warriors. The 
richest and most influential old man in each  vil- 
lage is made the judge or arbiter in all disputes 
arising between the inhabitants of that village. Such 
questions as petty larceny, trespass, and violence are 
submitted to him for adjudication. When an inhabi- 
tant of one village inflicts some wrong upon a resi- 
dent of another village, a joint commission is formed 
consisting of the older and more influential men of 
the two villages; and to this body there is generally 
added a man of renowned sagacity, brought from 
some distant village to express his opinion. 

The whole Embe country, which comprises about 
10,000 inhabitants, is divided into. several districts, 
each possessing an old man who is supposed to be 
so much more intelligent than his fellows, that his 
voice carries most weight in all matters relating to 
his district. These local divisions vary in size and 
importance, and, as far as I could gather, are twelve 
in number. The richest of all the districts was the 
one in which we were encamped, and the headman of 
this division of the Embe was an elder named Liria, 
who happened to be one of the hostages we had 
detained while in the Daitcho country. 

The councils at which all questions of moment 
are discussed are composed exclusively of old men; 
that is, men who have been married for more than 
five years. The warriors, as a class, are not repre- 


246 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


sented in these deliberations. The newly married men 
(that is, those who have been married for a_ period 
not so long as five years) are given seats in the coun- 
cils, but no voice. The home policy of the country 
and its internal affairs are regulated entirely by the 
old men. The foreign policy (if their dealings with 
neighbouring tribes may fittingly be thus designated) 
and the defence of their native land rest entirely in 
the hands of the warriors; although in case of invasion 
every able-bodied man is supposed to render all assist- 
ance in his power. 

For many years the warriors of the Embe nation 
have not indulged in attacks upon neighbouring 
tribes. Some years ago, however, the Masai were 
accustomed to pasture their flocks on the Leikipia 
plateau, but a few days journey from the Jombeni 
range. In those days the young warriors of the 
Embe country gathered together, formed raiding par- 
ties of several hundred and ventured forth in search 
of plunder. If successful, they would bring back many 
head of cattle from the Masai; in which case they 
would give a certain number to the influential men of 
their village, the remainder being divided among the 
warriors who composed the raiding party. The spoils 
were supposedly divided among the warriors according 
to merit; that is, the warrior who had performed the 
doughtiest deeds claimed the greatest share. The 
divisions of spoil often presented scenes of much more 
bitter conflict than the preceding raid. It was not 
always the warrior who had performed the bravest 
feats at the time of the raid who profited most, for 
perhaps he was incapacitated by his wounds from 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 247 


making an appearance, but it was he who at the time 
of the division ‘was strongest, and was able by the 
might of his strong right arm to seize and retain the 
greatest amount of spoil. 

Among the Embe as among the Daitcho, and in 
fact among all the people who inhabit the slopes of 
Mount Kenya and the Jombeni range, marriage is 
by purchase; and the young warrior whose heart is 
fired by the smile of some maiden whom he wishes 
to possess is induced to go forth from his home 
and plunder his neighbours, in order that he may 
thereby acquire the means to purchase her from her 
father. 

It is only by means of the rankest superstition that 
the old men are able to maintain their supremacy over 
the hot-blooded youths. They convince the young 
men that in the hands of the sages alone rest the 
fate and fortune of the warriors in battle. Before a 
war party sets out, the warriors from each district 
are presented by the most influential men of the dis- 
trict (in all cases one who is not only the richest and 
wisest, but also most fluent in, speech, and can con- 
vince them that he is possessed of supernatural power) 
with some magic emblem, which they are told will 
enable them to conquer in battle: If the party is 
successful in the foray, the wise old man claims and 
receives a share of the spoil. If they fail, he allows 
no one to exceed him in the violence of his lamenta- 
tions and imprecations; and insists that the warriors 
must in some way, by their own ill judgment, have 
interfered with the proper working of the charm he 
gave them. Owing to the superstition of these youths, 


248 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


the old men retain their control.. In fact, with the 
elders it is: “ Heads, I win; tails, you lose.” 

At the time I visited the Embe, there was not one 
man in the entire tribe, who was considered so great 
and powerful in magic as to be placed above his 
fellow-workers; but not many miles distant from the 
Embe, on the borders of the Janji country, there lived 
a mighty wizard, named Donytuli Mono Vomari (Dony- 
tuli, the son of Vomari). He was said to be an old 
man stricken in years, but one whose skill and ability 
were such that he had never been known to give 
any but the very best advice in all matters connected 
with either business or war. He was not a native of 
the tribe among whom he dwelt. His father, Vomanri, 
was a Masai medicine-man, who for some reason had 
settled among the mountain people; and upon his 
death his power, in greatly increased degree, had de- 
scended upon his son. I was told that upon the 
occasion of our visit to the Wamsara he, being asked 
his advice, sent word to those people to treat us well, 
in order that they might be treated well by us in 
turn; and that the defeat which the Wamsara had 
sustained at our hands tended greatly to increase his 
influence. So, upon some of the elders of the Embe 
going to him, and telling him that I was going to 
visit their country, he laid stress upon it, that they 
must treat us well in every way. 

As previously stated, the men of the Embe country 
are divided broadly into two classes— the warriors and 
the old men. Between these two come the young 
married men. These in some cases (for example, when 
they are poor) join the warriors— who in all cases 


vI TRAVELS [NM EASTERN AFRICA 249 


are unmarried —upon their forays; but, as a rule, 
marriage seems to sever once for all the bonds which 
tie a man to the fighting class. For the first five years 
they attend the gatherings of the old men, but are 
not allowed to participate in the debates; nevertheless, 
they are supposed to represent the warrior class in 
these assemblies, and before a meeting takes place 
they assemble, and appoint one of the old men to 
represent this class in the debates. 

I was unable to get as full information as I desired 
in regard to the manners and customs of these people, 
but succeeded in gathering a few points, among which 
I deem the following of most interest. 

The inhabitants of this mountain range, like all 
Fast Africans who are not as yet converted to Chris- 
tianity or Mohammedanism, had no clear idea of the 
Deity. They supposed there was a Supreme Being 
of some sort, and that it was their duty to propitiate 
this Being before starting upon any enterprise. He 
was supposed to be a stern God, and, as far as I 
could gather, not altogether just; but in no small 
measure open to the benign influence of bribery. 
Before essaying any enterprise, sacrifices were offered, 
not burnt offerings, but gourds filled with grain or 
some other small tribute—of value, however, to the 
giver. These were hung upon trees, or suspended 
from forked sticks in the neighbourhood of the offerer’s 
dwelling. Connected with this Supreme Being, and 
so closely as scarcely to be disjoined, were the local 
deities — such as the genii of the hills, holes, and 
rivers. These likewise were to be propitiated in 
some way, either by the inhabitants of the district 


250 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


where the hills, holes, or rivers were located, or by the 
person whose enterprise led him to the neighbour- 
hood of such places. 

The future was foretold by the wise men in two 
ways: either by means of a gourd filled with different 


i Age 


EMBE SHEPHERDS 


coloured pebbles, or by means of two bits of leather 
shaped like sandals, and covered on one side with 
ornamental designs. The gourd and pebbles were 
used as follows. The old man, placing the pebbles 
in the gourd, shook it up, meanwhile uttering some 
magic words, and then allowed the stones one by one 


v1 TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 251 


to drop out into his left hand. The message of Fate 
was conveyed by the manner in which they emerged 
from the hole in the gourd, and thus was determined 
the outcome of the enterprise under consideration. 
The strips of leather were used after the following 
manner. One strip was held in each hand, and the 
seer, closing his eyes, danced back and forth for 
a time, repeating words of supposed magic import, 
meanwhile beating the strips together. After a time 
a strip was thrown over each shoulder, and the 
position in which they fell upon the ground de- 
termined whether the omen was good or evil. — Pro- 
phesying by this latter means is not confined to the 
old men, for the old women likewise claim skill in 
thus foretelling the course of events. 
Circumcision was practised among these people 
after the manner of the Masai. The circumcisor was 
invariably a man of not more than middle age. The 
operation was performed upon the boys at an age, as 
near as I could judge, between eight and ten. 
When a young woman has reached a marriageable 
age, and her hand has been sought by some warrior, 
the young man pays his attentions to her father. He 
bargains for her as he would for merchandise — so 
many goats, so many yams, so much work upon the 
father’s plantation, etc. When the purchase price has 
been mutually agreed to, the young man must by hook 
or crook possess himself of a sufficient quantity of 
honey-wine to enable his future father-in-law to indulge 
in a state of thorough intoxication. This latter act is 
considered a necessary one, and a fitting seal to the 
bargain. After consent has been wrung from the un- 


252 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


willing parent, the young woman is decked in all her 
finery, and sent in company with another girl (invariably 
one of plainer appearance, that she may fittingly act 
as a foil to the future bride’s charms) from village to 
village, and in some cases from district to district, 
where she dances and shows herself to all her friends 
and acquaintances, in order that she may receive from 
them gifts appropriate to the occasion of her marriage. 
This is continued for several days, ceasing only when 
she or her parents are satisfied that the generosity of 
the neighbours has been exhausted. Then is she given 
over into the hands of the old women. The young 
man presently comes to claim his bride, and from that 
day on they are man and wife. 

The position of women here is from birth an entirely 
subservient one, unless by chance in their old age they 
are sufficiently intelligent to convince their neighbours 
of their possession of supernatural power; in which 
case their influence is almost as great as that of a 
medicine-man. 

The young girls and boys move about entirely unclad. 
At the age of ten, or thereabouts, the young girl dons 
a bit of leather, or a short skirt of other material, worn 
about the waist; but after marriage the women are clad, 
almost to the extent of decency, with hides and skins. 

The boys after circumcision wear a short cloak simi- 
lar to that worn by the warriors; and the old men wear 
a whole cowhide, or, if particularly wealthy, they may 
indulge in the extravagance of clothing themselves in 
a warm robe of monkey skins. After marriage the 
short cloak worn during youth and early manhood is 
laid aside. 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 253 


Among the Embe the dead are accorded scant cere- 
mony. As soon as life is ascertained to be extinct, the 
dead bodies are thrown out into the fields, where the 
keen-scented hyena, or some other beast of prey, soon 
removes all signs of the deceased. Life is to these 
people such an interesting matter, that it seems to en- 
gross their entire attention, and little thought is taken 
of the body after the spirit has forsaken it. 

The sole amusement of the people is dancing. The 
old men and old women dance together, and the war- 
riors with the maidens. At the dances of the elders 
honey-wine flows freely, and debauchery is always the 
result. The young people, however, are not allowed 
to partake of the stimulant, which among these excit- 
able people does not seem to be necessary in youth; 
but by leaping into the air, and indulging in tumult- 
uous shouts, they work themselves to such a pitch 
of fury as apparently to lose their reason; they foam 
at the mouth and hurl themselves upon the ground, 
where they writhe. The facility with which a warrior 
enters into this epileptic condition is accepted as evi- 
dence of the degree in which he possesses the martial 
spirit; and it is said of the experts in this line, that 
their enemies will vanish before them as dew before 
the rising sun. The desire to win such favourable 
opinion leads many of the warriors to assume a degree 
of frenzy which they do not possess; but should the 
counterfeiter be discovered, he is forced to submit to 
very rough treatment. 

There are three articles manufactured by the Embe; 
implements of war, implements of agriculture, and 
ornaments for the person. Iron is found in large 


254 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


quantities on the plains surrounding the Jombeni 
range —mostly in the dried watercourses. The sand 
or bits of stone impregnated with the iron are gathered 
and carried to the mountains, where they are sold to 
the smiths. There is no coal found upon the moun- 
tains; so they use charcoal for smelting purposes. The 
tools of the smith consist of a rude iron hammer, 
pincers, and bellows,—the latter being clumsily made 
from skins. In each district there are to be found 
several smiths; these are kept busy from day to day, 
welding spears, swords, arrow heads, and arrow tips. 
The spears and swords are well made, but very poorly 
tempered. They have no files, and their weapons are 
sharpened by whetting upon a stone. 

The women are very proficient in weaving bags. 
The stitch which they use in weaving appears most 
complicated, but an excellent article is the result of 
their work. The bags are made in several sizes,— 
some large enough to contain a bushel. The fibre 
used in weaving is taken from the inner bark of a 
tree growing upon the mountains. 

The bows of the warriors consist of straight sticks, 
the ends of which are not curved backward, as in the 
so-called Asiatic bow. The arrows are not more than 
two feet in length, but are very well made, — the tips 
being carefully inserted and the ends skilfully feathered. 

The natives reported that their plantations were 
often visited by elephants and rhinoceroses. As a 
safeguard against the inroads of these beasts, the 
frontier of the country was skirted with deep pits, at 
the bottoms of which sharp, poisoned sticks were 
placed in an upright position. 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 256 


The portion of the Jombeni range which we first 
visited, and where we secured Motio, is the most cov- 
ered by forests, and therefore is the most recently set- 
tled portion of the range. We found people engaged 
in making clearings in the forest and founding new 
settlements; which is evidence that the land already 
under cultivation did not yield sufficient for the needs 
of the growing tribe. 

The language of the people throughout the Jombeni 
range is much the same, and is akin to that spoken 
by the dwellers on Mount Kenya. Probably, therefore, 
the inhabitants of the Jombeni range are offshoots of 
the Kikuyu who inhabit the slopes of Mount Kenya. 
Naturally, then, it is to be supposed that they first en- 
tered into possession of the portion of the range lying 
nearest the home from which they had set out. Immi- 
gration must have taken place many years ago; for 
the Jombeni range, when I visited it, was but sparsely 
covered with forests, and the principal forest lay at the 
northern end of the range. 

In the better portion of the Embe country, I found 
that land was not only held by individual proprietors, 
but that a certain amount of territory was held in 
common by the inhabitants of one, and, in some cases, 
of several villages. On these commons were pastured 
the flocks of the people by whom the land was held. 

It is to be supposed that this condition of affairs 
was arrived at in much the following manner. When 
the first pioneers reached the country, each family 
made a clearing for itself, and reserved some land in 
the immediate neighbourhood to be used as pasture for 
its flocks. As the population grew, and the land 


256 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


already under their cultivation was no longer sufficient 
for proper sustenance, parties of young people set out 
and made small clearings; which in turn they divided 
into property held by individuals, and property held in 
common by the members of the little community. I 
inquired whether in any event the common or pasture 
land was encroached upon by plantations, and received 
a negative response. If a man’s flocks or herds grew 
so numerous that he was unable properly to pasture 
them upon the common land of the village in which he 
lived, he was forced to purchase an interest in that of 
some other village, where the common land was more 
than sufficient for the needs of the inhabitants. In 
this way, the richer men in the Embe country pos- 
sessed interest in several holdings, which in some 
cases were separated by considerable distances. 

At first sight, one would suppose that nothing could 
prevent a member of the Embe tribe, with shrewd- 
ness, intelligence, and industry, from becoming rich 
far above his fellows, and arrogating to himself a pre- 
ponderating influence in the tribe. In my first deal- 
ings with the people I had asked, “Who is your 
king?” The reply was, “There is no king.” No 
man dared to claim a greater share of power than his 
neighbour. When industry and activity coupled with 
intelligence are found, one is apt to look for and ex- 
pect ambition for power, but I was struck by the 
apparent absence of it among these people. An ex- 
tended acquaintance with them developed the cause 
of this unity of interest and lack of individuality. 
There could be no Cesar among the Embe, unless 
a man should come among them whose body was 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 257 


proof against poison. As soon as a man took it 
upon himself to claim power among these people, by 
reason either of superlative ability, or of wealth, as 
the result of such ability, he was taken off in short 
order, ~The art of the poisoner is handed down 
from father to son, and the poisoners, in almost all 
cases, are the most influential men of the villages. 
But in no community of these people is there but one 
poisoner; and the presence of several of these wretches 
seems to prevent one of their number from rising to 
supreme power. 

The poisons used are of two kinds, vegetable and 
animal. The vegetable poisons are used only on the 
tips of their arrows, or, in rare instances, upon the 
points of their spears and swords. It is by means of 
the animal poisons alone that these poisoners exercise 
their power. Their poisons, as far as I could learn, are 
extracted from serpents and decayed animal matter. 
It was easy to distinguish the poisoner from his fellows. 
He wore suspended from his neck and waist charms 
consisting of bits of wood and small antelope horns. 
Another indication was, that when he took from a 
small bag (customarily carried by all the old men of 
the Embe) a piece of cassava, manioc, sugar-cane, or the 
highly prized miraa, and offered it to his neighbour, 
the proffered gift was declined. 

The manner in which the lands are held, and the 
absolute absence of anything tending to establish the 
supremacy of one individual above his fellows, together 
with the general looseness of the government, all go to 
show the weaknesses and advantages attendant upon a 


purely socialistic state. Perhaps it is the limited horizon 
Ss 


258 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


that meets the intellectual gaze of every native of this 
country which prevents, more than all else, their advance- 
ment on the road toward civilization. ‘Their interests 
are purely personal, and, at furthest, local. They seemed 
actuated by no curiosity about my home and my coun- 
try in the questions 
which they asked me. 
In this connection they 
showed a marked dif- 
ference from the inhab- 


itants of Kilimanjiro, 
although perhaps oth- 
erwise their equals. 
There, the different 
chiefs never appeared 
so interested as when 
questioning me about 


the way I lived at home, 
and about the relative 
power of the different 
countriés of Europe; 


I although they had no 
“a i 


cil conception of geogra- 
HM cs f 


phy and had rarely, if 
ever, heard that the few 
white men who visited 
them belonged to dif- 
ferent nationalities. 

As may readily be supposed, the Embe had no 
exact measure of time. They counted from moon to 
moon, and from rainy season to rainy season. If 
more than one rainy season had elapsed between 


LIRIA 


Most influential man among the Embe 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 259 


events, they contented themselves with the statement 
that the event happened long ago. Their method of 
counting was similar to that of the Masai. They 
counted by tens to fifty; beyond fifty was “ many,” 
and a greater number was “very many.” This was 
expressed by several repetitions of the word “ipi” 
(fifty). In matters of business they were unwilling to 
trust to a verbal count. In trading, as, for example, 
in acquiring a donkey, which had a value of six goats, 
or other equivalent, they would produce six small 
sticks, and as the value of each goat was tendered, 
whether in iron wire, beads, or cloth, they would put 
aside one of the twigs, and repeat this action until the 
full value of the donkey had been accounted for. 

For all property of considerable value, such, for 
example, as a woman, a cow, donkey, land, a house, 
ivory, or the highly prized honey-wine, the unit of 
value was a goat; but in the purchase of grain, beans, 
or edible tuberous roots, trade, among themselves, 
was regulated not by any particular standard of value, 
but by the eagerness expressed by one for the goods 
of the other. For instance, a woman with a bag of 
manioc would be able to exchange it for whatever 
she considered its equivalent in grain or beans, 
should she excite in some one having such articles 
a similar desire for what she brought to market. It 
was only in the barter and sale of vegetables and 
grain that the women were allowed to engage. 
Where articles of considerable value were bought or 
sold, the matter was considered of too great moment 
to be left to the feminine mind. Among themselves, 
or with neighbouring tribes with whom they had es- 


260 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


tablished friendly relations, trade was carried on with 
great vigour; but when visited by strangers, as they 
have no idea of establishing trade with the outside 
world, the chief desire seemed to be to rob them, 
and possess the wealth of the stranger with as little 
cost to themselves as possible. 

These were the people with whom we were to make 
a treaty. We intended and hoped that the treaty, once 
ratified, would go far toward enabling Europeans and 
traders from the coast to enter the Embe country with- 
out danger and transact business with them. 

The next day, shortly after noon, Liria came to my 
tent, and with solemn mien informed me that the elders 
of the Embe were gathered together for the purpose 
of going through the ceremony of muma with me. 
After a short chat, I went with him to a hill a short 
distance above our camp, and there saw about fifty of 
their influential men gathered together. Among their 
number I recognized several who had made trouble 
with us during our former stay in this country, in 
February. After an exchange of greetings, Lieutenant 
von Hohnel and I accompanied them to a small island 
formed by a fork in a brook near by. They told us 
that this island was sacred to muma-making of the 
gravest type. Twenty selected elders joined us here, 
and hundreds of men, young and old, were crowded 
together, overlooking the ceremony. The first order 
given was for the removal of all weapons from the 
island, as the muma was to be a peace muma, and the 
presence of any sort of weapon would render all efforts 
invalid. This was followed by the presentation of a 
small stick covered with thorns to Lieutenant von 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 261 


Hohnel and me, and we were instructed to remove 
each thorn carefully from the stick. This completed, 
cheers went up from the resounding hills. Then a 
female sheep was brought and offered up as a sacrifice ; 
next a small palm branch was given to each of us— 
one, likewise, being retained in the hands of each of 
the elders, and each branch having been dipped in the 
blood of the sheep. Waving them on high, we all 
declared our everlasting friendship for one another, 
and called down curses upon the one who should first 
endeavour to break the bond of amity and_ peace. 
Then a small strip of skin was cut from each of the 
hind legs of the sheep, and, a hole being punched in 
these, they were placed upon our fingers as rings. 
This completed the ceremony, and we returned to 
camp, more than 1000 natives accompanying us, beat- 
ing their bows and arrows together, and_ shouting: 
“The European is now the brother of the Embe! 
The European is now the brother of the Embe!” 
Arrived at our camp, we presented the old men 
with gifts, which drew from them expressions of satis- 
faction and pleasure, and they said that henceforth all 
white men would be welcomed as brothers. I hastened 
to add that the same treatment must be accorded all 
Zanzibari traders from the coast. To this, eventually, 
they unwillingly agreed. They then asked us for 
“medicine” with which to fight a rival tribe, which 
inhabited a part of the country three or four days’ 
journey from them. To this request we replied that 
the time was unsuited for the making of war medicine; 
for, should we do so, it would probably have a dire 
effect upon the peace muma we had just celebrated. 


262 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


We discovered that there had been present, during 
the ceremony of muma-making, a representative sent 
by Donytuli, the great medicine-man; which proved 
his desire to enter into bonds of friendship with the 
Europeans. We rewarded him for this by sending him 
a large present; and thought it was with this possible 
end in view that his representative was sent to attend 
the treaty-making. 

The next day we returned to Daitcho, and again 
found the difference in the air very noticeable. Dait- 
cho is but 2500 feet above sea-level, while the Embe 
country is 5000. We there found the Zanzibari expe- 
dition of thirty men returned from their venture among 
the Wanderobbo. They reported that ill luck had 
attended them throughout the journey; that all their 
donkeys had died, and they were forced to eat the food. 
Doubt of the truth of their statement was removed 
when we observed their fat and sleek appearance. 
They wished me to give them a letter to their master 
at the coast, in testimony of the efforts they had made 
to earn large sums; and were very much surprised when 
I declined. I have no doubt that their meeting with 
their masters at the coast was a stormy one. 

We spent the next two or three days in preparations 
for our departure. Our long stay at Daitcho had 
enabled us to purchase and lay in a supply of food 
sufficient for nearly forty days for the entire caravan. 
Most of this was in flour. 

The day before our departure George arrived with 
thirty-seven donkeys; thirty of these were loaded with 
food. We took with us ten loads of various trading- 
goods — flannel blankets, Scotch shawls, the most 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 263 


expensive sorts of beads, brass chains, and a number 
of agates, which we heard were much prized in the 
north. These ten loads were sufficient to buy camels 
and donkeys, and we hoped the quality of the goods 
would please the most fastidious natives. We ex- 
pected by the introduction of such articles as flannel 
shawls and blankets to inspire these people with a 
desire for trade with Europeans; for we knew that no 
Arabs or Zanzibari would take such expensive goods. 

Before the departure of the Beloochi, with their 
caravan, they paid us a visit, and after the usual beg- 
ging, by which they succeeded in getting a good 
present, they told us something about the country 
to the north. They themselves had never seen the 
Rendile, but had met a man who, some years before, 
while trading with the Wanderobbo, had fallen in with 
a large party of these people. He found it impossible 
to trade with them, and was forced to decamp during 
the night lest he should be attacked. The Beloochi 
assured us that a large force would be required for 
a trip to the Rendile country, as all the rumours they 
had heard tended to show that the character of the 
Rendile was most overbearing and ferocious. 

We had decided to take with us sixty-five men, the 
pick of our caravan, and a large quantity of ammuni- 
tion. We judged this number of men to be sufficient 
for defence, at least, and we placed great confidence in 
the quality of our goods to induce the Rendile to 
trade with us. 

On the third day Hamidi with six men was de- 
spatched to the coast, accompanying the Swahili cara- 
van of thirty men. He was told, again and again, that 


264 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


he was to return without fail within three months. 
This period, should he make the slightest effort, we 
felt confident would be amply sufficient; and he as- 
sured us that, should he meet with no mishap, we 
should find him at Daitcho upon our return from the 
Rendile. 

Upon our return to Daitcho from the Embe, we 
were so fortunate as to find in one of the villages a 
Wanderobbo, who had just returned from the desert. 
He expressed a willingness to accompany us, and added 
that he knew the country well; and though he was 
ignorant of the whereabouts of the Rendile, he could 
take us to some of his own people, who would gladly 
lead us to that tribe. He said that he had been 
forced to leave the desert, owing to the famine preva- 
lent among his people; and his emaciated body served 
to confirm his statement. 

As we were about to venture upon an enterprise 
the outcome of which was clouded with uncertainty, 
I left with George a letter of instructions, which he was 
to follow in case anything happened to us. Should 
we not return to Daitcho by January 1, 1894, he was 
instructed to return to the coast; for in such case we 
should probably have met with such a mishap that 
longer stay on his part would be useless. With our 
cattle, sheep, and goats, together with the food carried 
by the donkeys, we were equipped with food for sev- 
enty-five days; and as the country to the north was 
reported to be well supplied with game, we felt that 
we had sufficient for nearly five months. 

During the afternoon of June 5, Lieutenant von 
Hohnel and I, accompanied by sixty-five men, bade fare- 


VI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 265 


well to Daitcho, and turned our faces to the north. 
Our hearts beat high with hope. We felt convinced 
that should fortune favour us in the slightest degree, 
we should not only accomplish geographical discovery, 
but return to Daitcho well supplied with beasts of 
burden; which, together with the supplies we had or- 
dered Hamidi to bring from the coast, would enable 
us to start out equipped for eighteen months’ further 
exploration; and this, after a stay of already more than 
one year in the interior. 


CHAPTER Vii 


Our guide told us that at a point two days’ journey 
beyond the Guaso Nyiro River we could find Wan- 
derobbo able to conduct us. Our route to the Guaso 
Nyiro River, at least as far as the Ngombe crater, was 
the same as we had taken on our way to Lorian. 
But two events of interest occurred on our way to 
this point. On one occasion, two days’ journey from 
Daitcho, I descended from a slight rise at the head 
of my caravan, and saw before me, browsing on the 
plain not 300 yards distant, two rhinoceroses. The 
wind was blowing from us to them, and [ little ex- 
pected that we should have opportunity to get near 
enough to kill them. As I descended the slope 
toward the plain on which they were pasturing, they 
seemed simultaneously to become aware of our pres- 
ence, and with a snort raised their heads, and gazed 
in our direction. The action of each upon making 
this discovery was different: one of them made off 
as fast as it could canter in the direction of the hills 
rising on our left, while the other, pausing for a mo- 
ment, as if to make sure of our whereabouts, lowered 
its head to the ground, and charged us in a deter- 
mined manner. I called for my gun-bearer, Karscho, 
but found that for some reason he had remained be- 


hind for a moment; so that I was forced to seize a 
266 


CHAP. VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 267 


Mannlicher from one of the Soudanese at the head of 
the column. The rhinoceros approached to within 150 
yards of the caravan, and then turned off at a slight 
angle to our right, thus presenting a fair mark. | 
fired three shots in quick succession, but as they ap- 
peared to have no effect upon the movements of the 
animal, I concluded I had missed. On it plunged for 
perhaps 200 yards; and while I was hesitating whether 
or not to give it the two remaining shots in the mag- 
azine, it suddenly tumbled to the ground, and lay life- 
less on its side. Upon examination, I found that all 
three shots had taken effect, but so far back in its 
body as not to have had immediate effect upon the 
activity of the animal. One shot entered between 
the last two ribs; the other two penetrated the space 
between the ribs and the hind leg. If these wounds 
had been inflicted with an express rifle, I feel that I 
am correct in stating that I should never have gotten 
the rhinoceros. On several occasions in my former 
journey I “put more than. nine .577 shots into the 
loins of a rhinoceros, without producing any more 
apparent effect than to accelerate its speed. 

The meat of this beast was most welcome to my men. 
It was a female, and having pastured on the new grass 
brought out by the late rains, was in excellent condition. 

The other adventure was less pleasant and satisfac- 
tory. Upon reaching our old camp under the giant 
baobab in the neighbourhood of the Kora crater, we 
found that, notwithstanding the fact that the rains had 
just ended, there was not a drop of water in the imme- 
diate neighbourhood. We went waterless to bed that 
night. Knowing that between us and the Guaso Nyiro 


268 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


there lay a weary stretch of desert country, Lieutenant 
von Hodhnel set out early on the following morning 
in search of water, with all the men, with the excep- 
tion of my two tent-boys, who remained with me to 
guard the camp. Late that night they returned, hav- 
ing watered all the animals, and filled the goat-skin 
bags and camp kettles. It was by mere chance, how- 
ever, that Lieutenant von Hoéhnel found water. For 
hours they searched in every nook and cranny. At 
length, late in the afternoon, they came upon a well- 
beaten rhinoceros path, which they followed until they _ 
arrived at what had once been a pool of water, but was 
then empty. The soil at the bottom was not yet dried; 
so by working with sharp sticks and the bayonets of 
the porters, a little well was soon dug, into which at 
the slowest possible rate water trickled. There proved 
to be just sufficient in this hollow to satisfy the imme- 
diate wants of the caravan. Had we failed in finding 
water that day, we should have been forced to retrace 
our steps to the headwaters of the Mackenzie, fill our 
water-skins there, and set out afresh. 

On the roth of June we reached Ngombe crater, and 
there camped. Our Wanderobbo guide said that the 
water in the crater was at all times drinkable. This we 
doubted, as we had tasted it on our former visit; never- 
theless, the men were sent down to verify or discredit 
his statement. They returned with water strongly im- 
pregnated with sulphate of magnesium, yet drinkable. 
This water was not taken from the main hole in the 
centre of the crater, but from a small and well-con- 
cealed spring which rose in a fissure between two rocks 
on the side. 


VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 269 


June 11 was my twenty-sixth birthday; it was spent 
upon the bleak side of the crater. With the excep- 
tion of the caravan, there was no sign of life in view. 
Even in the rainy season this portion of the desert is 
never covered with grass. Small, stunted, and almost 
lifeless mimosa raised their twisted forms here and there 
on the plain. Of game there was none; and were it 
not for the well-beaten path which leads from the crater 
to the Jombeni range, one might imagine one’s self 
thousands of miles away from life in any form. How- 
ever, I accepted as my birthday present the fact that 
the water in the crater proved drinkable. Disagreeable 
though its flavour, my men seemed really to enjoy it. 
It was months since many of them had tasted salt, so 
that they welcomed its taste as a delicacy, and feasted 
the entire day upon what was left of the rhinoceros 
meat. From the Ngombe crater our route to the 
Guaso Nyiro lay more to the southward than the one 
made use of upon our Lorian journey. Our Wan- 
derobbo guide told us that he would lead us in two 
days to a place where we could ford the Guaso Nyiro 
River. To find such a place was an absolute neces- 
sity, for we knew the stream would be much swollen 
by the recent rains, and altogether impassable in most 
places. 

The next day we marched twelve miles across the 
desert lying between the Jombeni range and the river. 
What was our surprise to find in the centre of the 
desert a large bubbling spring, shaded by acacia trees. 
There we pitched our camp. About eight miles to 
the southward rose Mount Chabba; and due east, just 
above the level of the desert, we could discern the tops 


270 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


of the dhum palms which outlined the course of the 
Guaso Nyiro. Immediately upon leaving Daitcho our 
donkeys exhibited signs of sickness, and by the time 
we reached this point, seven of them had died. When 
we set out a few days before, each one of them appeared 
fat and lusty; and we thought we had at length rid 
ourselves of the disease which had deprived us of so 
many beasts of burden. We had thirty of them left, 
and ten head of cattle; so we were not downcast, 
as we trusted the assurances of our guide, that he 
would soon take 
us to people who 
would lead us 
to the Rendile, 
where we could 
purchase more 
beasts of burden. 

While at this 
camp, Lieuten- 
ant von Hohnel 
killed a rhinoc- 
eros, and one of the Soudanese, while on watch in the 
early morning, shot an oryx beisa; so I decided to 
rest here another day. Large herds of zebra (chap- 
manz) roamed in the immediate neighbourhood of the 
camp; so near, in fact, that we were able to take pho- 


AN EMBE DONKEY 


tographs of them. 

While upon the subject of photographs, I may say 
that we had taken with us two cameras: one of small 
size made in Paris, which took a negative four by 
five inches, and could be used without a tripod; and 
another, much larger, which took a negative seven by 


VII TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 271 


eight inches. For the latter we had three lenses, one 
for landscape, another, a rectilinear, and the third, tele- 
objective. The latter is a very useful invention, and 
with it one is able to take photographs at great dis- 
tances, as the lens possesses magnifying power. We 
had goo plates with us, and took over 500 photographs 
during our journey; but on account of the poor quality 
of the water we did not deem it well to try the develop- 
ment of these plates in the interior. So we carefully 
packed and soldered them in air-tight tins, and, as 
opportunity occurred, we shipped instalments of them 
to Europe, where they were developed by Mr. Thom- 
son, of London. Unfortunately, more than one-half 
of our plates turned out poorly, and from these, of 
course, Mr. Thomson was unable to get good results. 
This may have been due to faulty packing; or, what 
is more probable, to the fact that the gelatine upon 
the plates may have decomposed, as they were kept 
for a long time before developing — some of the nega- 
tives having been kept nearly two years. 

Whenever occasion offered, Lieutenant von Hohnel 
made use of the photographic apparatus, and it is a 
matter of deepest regret that we were unable to pre- 
serve more of the plates in sufficiently good condition 
to obtain worthy results. It is difficult to obtain good 
results from photography on one of these journeys, as 
the opportunities for giving attention to development 
are few, when the caravan is on the march. Upon 
my former journey I carried a small kodak and took, 
with some pains, and not a little danger, 100 photo- 
graphs of camp scenes, natives, and big game. What 
was my disgust, upon reaching Europe and delivering 


272 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


my kodak to the Eastman Company in London, to 
ascertain that there had been no film in my appara- 
tus; consequently all my efforts had been in vain! I 
know, however, of one gentleman (Mr. Baumann, the 
Austrian traveller), who achieved the most satisfactory 
results from a large kodak, while upon a journey last- 
ing more than a year. 

It is really impossible for an African traveller to 
be an expert in all the different branches of science 
and art found useful during his journeys. To be a 
perfect traveller one should be a geographer, doctor, 
surveyor, mineralogist, photographer, ethnologist, min- 
ing expert, philologist, entomologist, and zodlogist. 
These are but a few of the qualifications required for 
the best results from effort. Added to these, there 
should be knowledge of the natives, a strong consti- 
tution, determination to proceed at any cost, money, 
diplomacy; and last, but by no means least, patience 
and humanity are necessary. The ideal explorer has 
as yet to be born. But bearing in mind the inability 
of two or three Europeans to comprise in their per- 
sons all the knowledge and qualities essential to ideal 
success, there still exists no reason that one should 
confine his efforts only to those subjects with which 
he is thoroughly familiar. Even the most limited 
success, attended by no matter how great effort, is of 
value in adding to the world’s knowledge. To me at 
least, the words of Robert Louis Stevenson seem 
true: “It is not by success alone that one should 
judge useful effort.” 

Mr. Stanley said, I think, that the time had not 
yet come for the scientific traveller to visit Africa, 


VII TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 273 


and that as yet only pioneers were necessary — men 
who should travel through the country and_ build 
roads. . lo a,;great. extent this is true; but there is 
no reason why men possessed of the will, if not of 
the most transcendent ability, should not endeavour to 
add their modicum to a more comprehensive knowl- 
edge of countries heretofore unknown. 

On the evening of June 14 we reached the forda- 
ble point of the Guaso Nyiro. It is about four miles 
to the northwest of Mount Chabba. On the opposite 
bank the land rises to the height of 1000 feet above 
the surface of the stream which washes its base. 
There it is only thirty yards wide and but five feet 
deep; -but the current, swollen by the recent. rains, 
flowed with great rapidity between its steep banks. 
Two more donkeys died there; and, as we were una- 
ble to carry the loads of food they had borne, we 
buried the loads, four in number, in a secure hiding- 
place among the rocks, trusting they would prove of 
service to us upon our return journey. We spent 
one day on the banks of the Guaso Nyiro, and 
greatly enjoyed bathing in the river. It was undoubt- 
edly well filled with crocodiles; but the soothing 
murmur and cool swirl of the waters wooed us from 
caution, and without hesitation we plunged several 
times into the stream; happily, with no ill result. 

The following day we crossed the river, followed 
along its left bank a distance of four miles, and then 
made camp. There another donkey and several goats 
died. In the afternoon I took a soup-plate, and 
spent two hours washing for gold in the sands on 


the river bank. Perhaps it was owing to my inex- 
B 


274 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


perience, or perhaps to the fact that there was no 
gold there; but be it as it may, my efforts were un- 
attended with success. After two hours I gave up 
the gold-hunting in disgust, having succeeded in ac- 
cumulating but several handfuls of black sand. 

The next day an eight hours’ march brought us to 
a low gneiss hill, down the face of which trickled a 
diminutive stream. It disappeared in the sand at the 
base of the cliff, but after digging there we succeeded 
in getting sufficient water for all the men and beasts. 
Near our camp we found some rude shelters thrown 
up by the natives. These, our guide told us, had 
been built by the Jombeni range people within the 
past year, while engaged in a raid upon the Wan- 
derobbo. As the Wanderobbo possess no cattle or 
goats, these raids are for the purpose of making 
slaves of such natives as the raiders succeed in capt- 
uring. According to our guide, the preceding raid 
had resulted in the capture of a dozen women and 
children. 

On setting out from this camp, our guide pointed to 
a mountain ten miles distant, rising to a considerable 
height, and told us that there we should find his people, 
and be able to procure guides to lead us to the Rendile. 

On the march Lieutenant von Hohnel invariably 
walked in the rear of the caravan, as it was his custom 
frequently to take bearings of the different hills with 
his prismatic compass. On this day, while making 
such an observation, he saw, running at top speed 
across the plain in front of him, four elephants. He 
quickly seized a Mannlicher from his gun-bearer, and 
fired three shots at the nearest animal, which happened 


VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 275 


to be the largest. Before it moved 600 yards, the ele- 
phant fell. Word was sent to me, and I halted the 
caravan, having first despatched our guide with two 
Masai interpreters, to search for water on the slopes 
of the large mountain pointed out to us. This moun- 
tain was called Lolokwi, and was then but a few miles 
distant. The strict Mohammedans absolutely refuse to 
eat elephant meat, but among my men were many who 
placed the gratification of appetite far above religious 
scruple, and it is almost needless to add that the Sou- 
danese were of this latter number. 

The elephant proved to be a female possessed of very 
fair tusks (the pair weighing nearly forty pounds), and 
as it was female ivory, it was worth nearly five dollars 
a pound. Those of the men who indulged in elephant 
meat attacked the huge body, and in less than two 
hours they had added to their already heavy burdens 
vast chunks of the juicy flesh. Having removed the 
tusks, we permitted our men to supply themselves with 
such of the meat as they wanted, and then resumed our 
march. By 4 p.m. we were encamped on the slopes of 
Lolokwi. Water we found, but in the smallest possible 
quantity, near a few huts long before deserted by their 
former occupants, the Wanderobbo. The Wanderobbo 
stand in such dread of attack that they build their vil- 
lages in almost inaccessible spots, and in places well 
hidden from casual view. They are careful not to 
make use of one path to and fro, so that it is not until 
we had quite reached one of their villages, that we were 
aware of its proximity. My guide was much distressed 
at finding that these people had gone away. Six weeks 
had elapsed since he left them, and they had then told 


276 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


him that they would remain on the sides of Mount 
Lolokwi for many months. Our Masai interpreters, 
who had formerly had experience with the Wande- 
robbo, were convinced that we should find some _ of 
that tribe in the neighbourhood of this mountain, and 
the following day they set out in search of them, and 
brought to camp one old man and seven old women. 
The people they brought to us were mere skeletons, 
scantily clad in well-worn pieces of antelope hide. 
Our Masai interpreters reported that they had had 
the greatest difficulty in inducing these people to 
accompany them, and it was not until they had told 
them we had slain an elephant the day before that 
they would follow them. They stopped but long 
enough to greet us, and then went forth in all haste 
to gather what the hyenas and vultures had left of the 
elephant Lieutenant von Hoéhnel had killed the pre- 
vious day. Twenty-four hours later they returned, 
bringing with them but the bones of the elephant, 
as the hyenas and vultures had devoured the meat. 
Nevertheless, these people were satisfied with the 
bones; they said they were full of marrow, and that, 
when the marrow was exhausted, they could pulverize 
the bones and make a pulp which would last them 
many days. They had been without other food than 
berries for fifteen days, as the able-bodied men of their 
village had been away hunting for that length of time, 
and had not yet returned. They expected them daily, 
and when they returned, these people said, we should 
have no difficulty in procuring guides for the continu- 
ance of our march. These Wanderobbo supported 
life to a great extent upon wild honey, which they 


VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA Big, 


found in quantities upon the slopes of Mount Lo- 
lokwi. 

The appearance of Lolokwi is most strange. Almost 
rectangular in shape, it rises to a height of 3000 feet 
above the plain, its steep sides and flat top giving it 
the appearance of a monstrous sepulchre. In the rainy 
season, abundant water is found in small streams tum- 
bling down its sides; but in the dry season one must 
be well acquainted with the surrounding country to find 
even a drop of the precious liquid. 

The Wanderobbo not only make hives by rudely 
hollowing logs, but are able to procure a great quantity 
of honey by following the honey bird. This bird is a 
most extraordinary creature, and its call is easily dis- 
tinguished. If it finds honey, it will fly to the neigh- 
bourhood of human beings, and by persistent singing 
finally succeeds in attracting attention. It then flies 
slowly off, stopping occasionally to permit the man 
following it to catch up; until at length it reaches the 
hollow in the ground, or in a log or tree, where there 
is the nest of bees. The native then advances, and 
satisfies himself; but is ever careful to leave behind a 
portion of the honey as the share of the bird. 

After our arrival at Lolokwi, four of the donkeys 
died. When we had stayed two days, our water-hole 
became exhausted, and we were forced to climb the face 
of the mountain a further height of 500 feet, in order 
to supply the wants of our caravan. We remained at 
Lolokwi six days, owing to the delayed arrival of the 
Wanderobbo, whom we were to secure for guides. 
During these days, Lieutenant von Hoéhnel made an 
excursion to some hills lying to the south of Lolokwi, 


278 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


from which he got a good view, and was able to see 
the point of the Guaso Nyiro which he had reached 
on his former journey. This enabled him to complete 
his map of that river. Owing to the arid nature of 
the country, game was very scarce, and what little there 
was, was far too shy to permit us a shot. I spent most 
of the time during our stay in questioning the old 


i 
i mM 


| 


Feraji Baraka Juma 


TENT-BOyYsS 


Wanderobbo, who, for the sake of a little food, appeared 
willing to give me all the information that lay in his 
power. 

The Wanderobbbo we saw at this place were not 
elephant hunters; so they had rarely been visited by 
trading caravans. They lived entirely upon antelope 
flesh (which the able-bodied men shot with their bows 
and arrows), wild honey, and what berries and fruits 
the desert afforded. With the exception of the few 
days immediately after the arrival of a successful party 


VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 279 


of hunters, these Wanderobbo lived in a state of chronic 
starvation ; for occasions when sufficient honey to satisfy 
an entire village was procured were rare. 

Upon Lolokwi there lived but one settlement of 
Wanderobbo, composed, all told, of but fifty souls. 
Of these ten were active enough to hunt; then there 
was one old man, and the remainder were women and 
children. It seems that in this tribe the females greatly 
outnumber the males. This perhaps is explained by 
what my old friend told me. He said that women were 
capable of supporting life without food for many more 
days than men. 

These Wanderobbo all spoke the Masai language. 
They had few implements of any sort—four or five 
rudely shaped clay pots for carrying water and cooking, 
a few small axes, similar in shape to those I had seen 
on the Jombeni range, bows, arrows, and knives. I 
asked the old man why they did not go to the moun- 
tains, settle down with the people there, and work, and 
thus be relieved forever from starvation and famine. 
He said: No, they were fond of their mode of life; 
they knew no other; their fathers had lived the same 
life before them, and they were unwilling to trust them- 
selves in the vicinage of any other people. The worst 
time for them was during the rains; for then they were 
unable to use their bows, as the strings frayed and 
broke. During the rainy season they literally starved ; 
those of greatest vitality surviving, while the weaker 
ones died. Their one pleasure is the intoxication pro- 
duced by honey-wine. 

Lolokwi is one of the southernmost mountains of 
the General Matthews range, which extends from the 


280 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


Guaso Nyiro, in a_ northwesterly direction, until it 
reaches Lake Rudolph. From our camp on Lolokwi 
we could see Mount Gerguess, at a distance of ten 
miles, rising abruptly from the plain in a series of 
jagged and forest-covered peaks. The summit of this 
mountain is 10,000 feet above the sea-level, and it is 
said to be inhabited by several bands of Wanderobbo 
who live solely upon honey, and upon no occasion ven- 
ture forth from the fastnesses of their mountain home 
to the plain below. 

From Gerguess the line of the General Matthews 
range stretches almost unbroken to Lake Rudolph. 
Its principal peaks are Mallon, Lassuran, Merkeben, 
Doto, Saddim, and Myiro. The old Wanderobbo told 
me that he had spent his entire life in the neighbour- 
hood of Lolokwi, and only on rare occasions had vis- 
ited the banks of the Guaso Nyiro; consequently he 
was unacquainted with any roads to the north. How- 
ever, he had heard his brothers talk about different 
roads, and he appeared quite willing to tell me all he 
knew about them. He said that during the rainy sea- 
son it was possible to follow the line of the moun- 
tains (meaning the General Matthews range) to Lake 
Rudolph; but other roads were also possible during 
the rains, particularly one, via Saramba and Marsabit. 
Those were the only roads to the north he had ever 
heard of. 

As to the Rendile, he said that some of the mem- 
bers of his village had lived among that tribe, but 
that he had never seen them. He thought they lived 
somewhere between Saramba and Marsabit. He had 
heard that the Rendile were very bad people, particu- 


VII TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 281 


larly of late years; for they had conquered a large 
army of Somali (called, by the Wanderobbo and Masai, 
“Eljuju”). He, added that the Rendile were always 
fighting; that they had many horses; and that he had 
heard there was a large tribe living near the Rendile, 
but not on good terms with them, called Borana. 

The tenor of all his conversation made us await 
with impatience the arrival of the men who were to 
act as our guides; and when at length they turned 
up, fat, sleek, greasy, and gorged with food, our spirits 
rose. 

The contrast between these men and their wives, 
mothers, and offspring was great indeed —the latter 
beime mere skeletons. . They brought with them a 
large quantity of meat, which their better halves seized 
with avidity, and carried off to their huts, where, doubt- 
less, it was soon despatched. The men were really 
fine-looking fellows; and I was at once struck with 
tie fact ‘that their features were entirely different 
from those of any other natives of East Africa whom 
I had seen. They approached nearer the Somali type 
—having regular features, full-rounded chins, and fine, 
bold eyes. In colour, they were brown rather than 
black. The lobes. of their ears were stretched, after 
the Masai fashion. Upon each side of the breast 
they bore a crescent-shaped scar, which started at a 
point near the shoulder and ended near the lowest rib. 

Upon receiving a small present, they sat down and 
allowed us to question them; but to our queries they 
failed to give answers at all satisfactory. They said 
they had originally belonged to the Berkenedji or 
Samburu tribe, which had originally possessed the 


282 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


country north of the Leikipia plateau, extending as 
far as Reschatt. But this tribe, having lost their 
herds by sickness and raids of the Masai, had become 
scattered. The majority of them, the more fortunate, 
such as possessed flocks and herds, settled down with 
the Rendile; the remainder joined the Wanderobbo, 
and lived by hunting game and honey. They appeared 
raost unwilling to tell us anything about the Rendile; 
but said that they lived a great distance away, and that 
between Lolokwi and their country stretched a water- 
less, and hence impassable, desert. We told them we 
were bent upon going to the Rendile, and that we 
were convinced that some of them knew the road. 
They all shook their heads. Their language was Masai. 

I then told them I was a great medicine-man, and 
in support of my claim I went through the usual farce 
of burning a little spirit in a saucer. This appeared 
to convince them of my power, and at length one of 
them offered in exchange for a present to guide us, 
not to the Rendile (for he persisted in saying he did 
not know where they lived), but to some other Wande- 
robbo, who lived in the neighbourhood of the Rendile, 
and would be able to guide us to them. He said that 
we should have great difficulty in crossing the desert; 
that the Wanderobbo never thought of doing so except 
in the rainy season; but if we were prepared for long 
marches, he thought that in three days he could take 
us to a place called Seran, where we were sure to 
find fresh guides. 

We gave this man a present, which pleased him 
greatly. After receiving it, he told us that his wife 
was about to become a mother, and that he should 


vil TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 283 


be unable to leave her until the interesting event was 
past. We satisfied his scruples, however, by provid- 
ing her with a few bushels of beans. 

On June 25) we set out on our way to the Ren- 
diles All the “cattle were forced to bear burdens, 
owing to the death of so many of our donkeys; and 
all the men who were not bearing loads carried a 


: 
la 


y 


Ws 


Sd 


ORYX BEISA 


well-filled water-skin. Our guide told us that we 
should certainly reach water that night; but the 
appearance of the country was so arid and forbidding, 
that it was with forebodings of disappointment that 
we set out upon our journey. We started at six in 
the morning, and marched steadily until noon, when 
I halted to allow the donkeys and cattle, which were 
advancing very slowly, to catch up with the caravan. 
While thus waiting, two oryx beisa ran past the cara- 


284 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


van at full speed, and I was fortunate enough to 
bring them down with one shot each from my Win- 
chester. They were very welcome, for the men could 
cook them without exhausting my little store of water. 
We waited over an hour for Lieutenant von Hohnel 
to turn up with the cattle and donkeys. He reported 
that he had had a rather exciting adventure a few 
miles back. While walking slowly along, accompanied 
by but a few men, he suddenly found himself  sur- 
rounded by about 100 savages, with arrows strung in 
their bows and pointed at his little party. He at 
once fired a shot into the air as a signal to the 
advance caravan, but we were too far away to hear it. 
He momentarily expected the natives to discharge 
their arrows; but finally, when one of the natives 
addressed him in fair Swahili, he was greatly relieved. 
They proved to be a party of Wakamba (a tribe inhab- 
iting the country between the Tana and the coast), 
who had been away for several months upon an ivory- 
hunting expedition, and were then homeward bound. 
At first they seemed inclined to attempt the capture 
of the cattle, but a few words from Lieutenant von 
Hohnel turned them from this purpose, and they left 
him in peace. 

The Zanzibari is not at all fit for work in a desert 
country. So slight is his self-control, that he is 
unable to resist the temptation to drink what water 
he may have with him, as soon as he is thirsty. 
When they have exhausted their water supply, it is 
with the greatest difficulty that they can be induced 
to continue the march. We always warned them to 
be sparing of their water, and as each man carried a 


VII TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 285 


water-bottle containing three litres, it was quite suf- 
ficient for one day’s march; but often these thought 
less people would drink every drop from their bottles 
before they had been marching two hours. On this 
occasion but one-half of my men had sufficient intelli- 
gence to control their thirst, so the remainder of the 
march was unpleasant in the extreme. The porters 
shouted to one another with hoarse voices: ‘“ Master 
is leading us into the desert!” “Maji hapana hapa!” 
(There is no water here!) ‘‘ Takufa yote!” (We shall 
all die!) 

By six in the evening we reached a high gneiss 
hill called Kamanga, where our guide had promised 
we should find water; but the hole which once held 
the precious liquid was dry. He then wished to turn 
back, saying that it was useless to go farther; if there 
was no water at Kamanga, there would be no water 
elsewhere en route. The moon was almost full; so, 
notwithstanding the gloomy view of our guide, we de- 
cided to push on during the night. At 9 P.M. we again 
set out. 

In the cool air of the night my men marched much 
better. The moonlight threw weird shadows across 
the sandy waste. Occasionally a herd of antelope or 
zebra would thunder past us, and from amid some 
low clump of mimosa or thorn bush the snort of a 
rhinoceros would be sent forth. Once or twice during 
the night my guide leaped suddenly from the path; 
the action was occasioned by the hiss of some serpent 
in the path, which his sharp ears had been able to 
note.- Every hour we would halt to allow the caravan 
to close up; and at each halt I would learn that another 


286 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


donkey had given out. During that day and night 
we lost five of these beasts. 

Just before sunrise we reached a dry and sandy 
river-bed. My men threw their loads to the ground, 
and one and all began to dig with. their hands. 
Soon shouts of joy were heard, for at a depth of 
three feet water was found. This place our guide 
called Lokoli. It is distant, in a straight line, twenty- 
five miles from the camp we had left; but by the 
winding road we were forced to follow we must have 
traversed nearly ten more. At this point we rested 
one day. 

We questioned our guide closely as to the where- 
abouts of the Wanderobbo he had promised. He 
then said that he was not sure of finding them, but 
hoped to. He added that if they were not at Seran, 
which we should reach in two days, there would be 
nothing to do but return. The closest questioning 
ended in the same response: “Seran.” “If we got 
to Seran, and there were no Wanderobbo there, we 
must come back. From Seran on there is no water; 
all is desert.” 

“Did he know just where Seran was?” 

“Mayolo.” (A Masai word meaning, I don’t know.) 

“Did he know any other road in this direction 
which was likely to lead either to the Wanderobbo 
or the Rendile?” 

“ Mayolo.” 

From his frequent reiteration of this word we 
dubbed him “ Mayolo.” 

Leaving Lokoli, six hours’ sharp marching brought 
us to a small water-hole called Lendovie. Our guide 


VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 287 


was not certain there was water in it until he 
reached it. While on the march, he would stop 
every half-hour, and run off first to one side and 
then the other, examining every little hollow for signs 
of water. Where we found a water-hole, we camped. 

Near Lendovie I shot five wart hogs. None of 
my men, with the exception of two of the Soudanese, 
would eat the flesh of these animals; but the two 
Wanderobbo (Mayolo and the one we took from 
Daitcho) quarrelled fiercely for what they considered 
choice bits of the flesh, and loaded themselves with 
nearly forty pounds of it. 

The following day we reached Seran. Seran is a 
perfect oasis in that arid desert. It consists of about 
two acres of land covered with graceful dhum palms, 
in the centre of which there is a large spring of cool, 
clear, and delicious water. A few hundred yards 
away from this group of palms is another, where a 
smaller spring is to be found. Under these trees the 
turf is soft and green. We felt that we had reached 
a veritable Paradise. From Lolokwi to Seran the 
country is nearly as thorough a desert as Sahara. 
Without a guide a heavily laden caravan would soon 
perish from thirst in this dreary waste. At Seran we 
found game in plenty, and during the afternoon of 
the day of our arrival I killed a female rhinoceros 
and two giraffes. The flesh of these animals we cut 
into strips, and dried in the sun. 

There were no signs of Wanderobbo at Seran, and 
our guide again urged us to turn back, insisting that 
he knew no more of the country lying beyond. We 
asked him what had become of the Wanderobbo he 


288 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


had expected to find at Seran: and he replied that 
they had probably gone to the Guaso Nyiro. It was 
useless to think of going in search of them; one 
might as well look for a needle in a_ haystack. 
Moreover, our caravan was then unable to proceed 
without throwing away many loads; for we had but 
ten donkeys out of the thirty-seven with which we 
started from Daitcho. What ailed these animals we 
could not conclude; unless it was that in some way 
they had become infected with the disease which car- 
ried off our donkeys at Hameye. Our Masai inter- 
preters told us that they had often taken donkeys 
from the coast on journeys lasting two years, and 
brought them back, although used constantly for the 
two years. They said there were times when a 
plague seemed to destroy them; but that that seemed 
to occur at intervals of four or five years. Evidently 
we had had the misfortune to undertake our journey 
in a bad year. 

With Mayolo I climbed one of the dhum palms at 
Seran, and asked him the names of the small hills we 
could see from that slight elevation. He persisted in 
asserting his ignorance of the country, but thought- 
lessly admitted that he knew the name of one hill 
lying nearly twenty miles to the eastward, which he 
said was sometimes inhabited by Wanderobbo. From 
what I saw while up the tree I promptly concluded 
to set out for this hill. 

Both Lieutenant von Hédhnel and I had decided 
that we should not turn back, no matter how great 
the difficulties which beset our path, before we 
reached the Rendile. I decided to take with me 


VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 289 


twenty-five men, laden for the most part with water, 
and make use of the full moon by night marches. 
The following day I spent in sleep, as I decided to 
set out at moonrise. 

At eight o'clock the moon had risen sufficiently 
above the horizon to afford good light; so I started 
at that hour, taking with me Karscho, the two Wan- 
derobbo guides, and twenty-three men. We marched 
steadily until two in the morning, when Mayolo said 
he was unable to march at night, and that he was 
sure we had strayed from the proper direction. I 
climbed a small hill and looked about, but could see 
no sign of any living thing; all about me the silent 
desert gleamed white in the moonlight. Occasionally 
the quiet was broken by the dismal howl of a hyena, 
or the angry snort of feeding rhinoceroses. My men 
were fresh; but being uncertain of the direction, I 
decided to await dawn; so we threw ourselves down 
upon the soft sand in the bed of a dried watercourse, 
and waited for sunrise. Ere the sun was above the 
horizon, we again set out upon our way. The desert 
was almost level, but here and there it was broken by 
the depression of some watercourse then dry, or a 
small hill of reddish rock gleaming with mica. 

At eight o'clock we, crossed one of these dried 
watercourses, and there in the soft sand I saw fresh 
tracks. A shout soon brought my men to me. I 
counted the footprints of twenty-five men, and the 
tracks of five or six camels. I turned to Mayolo: 
“Who are these people? — Rendile?” He shook his 
head, saying, “ Dthombon.” 

“What are dthombon, Mayolo?” 


U 


290 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


“My people,” he exclaimed excitedly; “Samburu, 
Berkenedji.”. (Two names for the same people.) 

“But I thought your people were poor, and had 
no camels.” 

“Yes; that is true. Being poor, and not possessed 
of any flocks, many of my people hover about the out- 
skirts of the Rendile camp, and support life by plun- 
dering from the Rendile either camels, sheep, goats, 
or cattle. That is why they are called ‘dthombon,’ 
which means in the Rendile language, ‘ robbers.’ ” 

The presence of these tracks convinced me that the 
Rendile could not be far away. ‘The tracks were made 
that morning just before sunrise, and if these dthom- 
bon had travelled three or four days from the Rendile, 
they would have rested, and feasted upon the camels 
they had captured. But they were up with the dawn, 
and pushing quickly onward; which argued that they 
had just captured the camels, and that the Renduile 
were certainly near at hand. This was a joyful thought. 
I at once despatched two men back to Seran with a 
note for Lieutenant von Hohnel, informing him of 
our discovery, and telling him to make the caravan 
ready to march in our direction, as soon as I should 
have ascertained the whereabouts of the Rendile and 
sent him word. 

The effect of the sight of these camel tracks upon 
the different members of my small force was not the 
same. The two Somali I had taken with me (Karscho 
and Achmet Dualla) jabbered with excitement, and 
endeavoured to urge me to turn aside, go after the 
dthombon, and capture the camels. ‘God has deliv- 
ered them into our hands,” they said. “The Rendile 


VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 291 


may be days away. Let us capture these five camels; 
our donkeys are dying, and the camels will be able 
to carry many loads.” On the other hand, the Zan- 
zibari seemed stunned with the fact that they were 
in the neighbourhood of people who possessed camels. 
Who could these people be but Somali? and Somali 
they dreaded as they did the devil himself. At once 
their faces assumed a dull, listless expression — among 
these people signifying fear and apprehension ; and when 
I gave the word to push on, they took their loads up in 
a half-hearted manner, and followed with halting gait. 


i 
past 


y ASS 
oS 
iN 


DEAD RHINOCEROS 


On we pressed, I with my field-glasses ever to my 
eyes, scanning the horizon for some sign of habita- 
tions or man. But one thought filled my mind,—to 
meach the  Rendile as soon as possible. 1 at first 
thought to take the back-track of the dthombon and 
their plunder; but it occurred to me that they would 
naturally have pursued a trail over ground where 
their footprints would leave but slight trace; and 
even if the trail proved good, I should in all proba- 
bility fall in with bands of pursuing Rendile excited 
by their loss, and little apt to treat us in a friendly 


292 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


manner. No; we must push on in the same direction 
we had been pursuing, keeping a sharp lookout for 
them. . 

About ten o’clock, just as we reached the top of 
a slight rise in the surface of the desert, Mayolo 
stretched his hand before him, pointed to a slope 
nearly two miles away, and shouted, “ Ndamess” (Cam- 
els). I gazed carefully in the direction indicated, and 
saw nothing which appeared to me like camels; but 
I could see what appeared to me to be hundreds 
of small huts, covering the desert as far as the eye 
could see. But whether huts or camels, it made little 
difference. People must be there, and those people 
must be the Rendile. We pushed on, and by eleven 
o'clock had reached a dried watercourse covered with 
dhum palms. A little digging with the hands, and 
water was found. 

There I left most of my men, and taking with me 
the two Wanderobbo, Karscho, and the Masai inter- 
preter, pushed on, momentarily expecting to fall in 
with the natives. Soon we reached a long, low hill. 
What little verdure had once grown upon it had been 
eaten off; the ground was marked with countless 
camel tracks, and we saw the footprints of men. We 
almost broke into a run with excitement, and soon 
came to another dried watercourse shrouded in palms. 
We had hardly entered upon its bed, when we saw 
before us a sight which gladdened our eyes, but at 
the same time made us apprehensively place ourselves 
in a posture of defence. Not 200 yards away, on the 
bed of the stream, there was a gathering of natives, 
300 or 400 in number, armed with spears, bows, and 


vil TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 293 


arrows. Behind them was a countless herd of camels, 
their tawny hides forming a distinct background to 
the picture presented by the crowd of dark-skinned 
natives. 

At first our appearance struck the natives dumb with 
astonishment, but the silence soon gave way to an ever- 
growing shout. Arrows were strung in bows, spears 
were clutched tightly, and, after a moment's hesitation, 
they advanced, at first slowly, and later at a quick run, 
We dropped upon our knees in the bed of the stream, 
and placed our rifles to our shoulders. I turned to 
the Masai interpreter, and said: “Send forward Mayolo 
and the other Wanderobbo, to assure these people we 
come in peace.” Instinctively Mayolo understood the 
command, and with a nod, he threw his bow to the 
ground, and ran forward, shouting: “Serian! Serian!” 
Peace! . Peace), The savages halted, and -eyed us 
fiercely for a moment. Mayolo turned to me and said, 
“Njo gumbao” (Give me tobacco). I handed him my 
pouch, and with that in his hand he again ran forward, 
greeted the natives in a friendly manner, and distrib- 
uted a pinch here and a pinch there. Many of them 
seemed to know Mayolo, but they did not appear to 
be filled with pleasure at seeing him again; neverthe- 
less, he at length persuaded six or eight of the warriors 
to come to us and talk. 

By this time my face and arms were so tanned by 
exposure to the sun that I resembled a negro more 
than a white man; so my appearance did not seem to 
excite much curiosity in the minds of these people. 
They pointed to my trousers, however, and asked May- 
olo if we were Borana; thus indicating that the Borana 


294 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP, 


wear trousers of some sort. He said, no; that we were 
lashomba (traders). At that word the faces of the na- 
tives assumed a more pleasant expression; they turned 
to their following, and shouted some words to them, 
which Mayolo translated as instructions to the people 
to drive the camels to the villages, and inform their 
chiefs that strangers had come to visit them. All the 
time my eyes were busy in carefully noting the peculi- 
arities of the natives before us. 

They were a tall, thin race, reddish brown in colour, 
with soft, straight, and closely cropped hair, features 
almost Caucasian in their regularity, and fierce blue 
eyes. They were clad in well-tanned robes of goat 
or sheep skin, which they threw gracefully over their 
shoulders. They were armed with short spears, or 
well-made bows of a shape very different from those 
I had heretofore seen in East Africa, the ends being 
curved outward, as in the Asiatic bow, and their arrows 
were not tipped with poison. The language they used 
while speaking with one another was different from 
any I had yet heard; but in addressing Mayolo they 
one and all spoke the Masai tongue. 

My Somali were fascinated with the sight, and whis- 
pered to me:-“ These are like our people; they must 
be Mohammedans. Is it not written, that none but the 
followers of Mohammed shall possess camels?” Ma- 
yolo’s face beamed with pleasure, and he continued 
repeating: ‘“‘Rendile! Rendile! I ama good man. I 
have taken the European to the Rendile; he will now 
let me depart in peace, with a large present.” 

After a short parley, I persuaded three or four of 
the warriors to accompany me to the spot where I had 


vil TRAVELS IM EASTERN AFRICA 295 


lett my men. Before leaying these men, I had: in- 
structed them to make a camp; and when I arrived 
at the place, I found they had thrown up a small thorn 
zeriba about thirty feet in diameter near the bed of the 
dried watercourse. I presented the natives with some 
beads, and told them that this was but a small portion 
of my caravan, that the rest would join me in two or 
three days, and that meanwhile I would like them to 
take my greetings to their chiefs, and ask them to see 
me on the morrow. Their one cry was, “Gumbao” 
(Tobacco). Luckily we had taken with us several 
loads of this when leaving Daitcho; so we were able to 
satisfy their craving. They soon left, with assurances 
that some of their chiefs would come on the morrow. 

It was then imperative that Lieutenant von Héhnel 
and the rest of the caravan should join me as promptly 
as possible, but I knew he would find it difficult in 
bringing all the loads to this point; so I decided to 
retain but four of the men, and send the rest back to 
him to assist in the transport of the loads. Mayolo 
pressed me to allow him to return. He said it was 
madness to remain where we were with but four or five 
people; that the Rendile were bad and treacherous; 
that he had lived among them for years, and that he 
knew they would murder us, if we remained where we 
were. I told him, however, that I was a great medicine- 
man, and that the Rendile would not dare to touch 
me; but, fearing lest he should escape, I took pains to 
tiemnuml wp! m) ithe camp: As the moon was full, | 
knew the men would reach Seran next morning; and 
I hoped that, before the following day had elapsed, we 
should once more be together. 


296 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


The next morning Baraka, my tent-boy, called me, 
and said the chiefs of the Rendile were waiting to 
receive me. I threw a white sheet over my pajamas, 
and, slipping my feet into my sandals, told Baraka to 
bring along my camp-chair. Together we went out 
to join the chiefs. I found a party of thirty old men 
seated in the sand of the river-bed; behind them 
lounged 100 warriors, armed exclusively with spears. 
I took my seat, and spent a few moments in making a 
leisurely survey of the people whom I had come so far 
to see, and from whom I expected so much. The Masai 
interpreter, Hassan, pointed out the three principal 
chiefs, Lokomogul, Lyserege, and Lomoro. They were 
seated a little in advance of the other old men, and 
one and all were clad in rough woollen cloth, similar 
to that worn by the Galla we had seen near Hameye, 
on the Tana. 

The eldest of the three was Lokomogul. He was 
of large frame, rather stout, and about eighty years of 
age. His hair was snowy white, as was also his short 
and well-trimmed beard. His complexion was light- 
brown, and his blue eyes appeared mild and intelligent. 
His head was splendidly shaped. Around his forehead 
he wore a band consisting of several folds of white 
cloth. 

Lomoro’s features were much more prominent. His 
nose was quite Roman, his face clean-shaven, and but 
for his colour he resembled a sturdy American farmer. 
He wore a positively quizzical expression. His thin 
lips were tightly pressed together, but turned up at 
the corners, and seemingly ready to part in a pleasant 
smile. 


VII TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 207 


Lyserege was the youngest of the three — perhaps 
not more than thirty-six years of age, well developed 
physically, and possessing the same regular features as 
the others; but his eyes were fiercer in expression, and 
his lips gave the impression of cruelty and sensuality. 
His name in the language of the Masai means “ Blood,” 
and he looked as if he would be unhappy unless wading 
through it. 

The survey concluded, I opened conversation by 
waving my hand, and saying, “Serian.” The three 
chiefs replied, as with one voice, “Serian.” My knowl- 
edge of the Masai language was unfortunately so 
limited that I was unable to converse directly with 
the chiefs, and was forced to depend entirely upon 
Hassan, my Masai interpreter, to reveal my thoughts 
to the Rendile, and explain to me their desires. Has- 
san was the most willing creature in the world; but, 
although he understood my Swahili perfectly, his stupid 
mind was unable to grasp any but the simplest ideas; 
so that he was almost more hindrance than assistance 
as a means of intercommunication. 

I asked them if they were, indeed, Rendile. They 
nodded. They asked my tribe, and seemed incredulous 
when told that I had come from a great distance, and 
across vast seas to see them. They had never heard 
of Europeans, but said that Somali traders from Barawa 
had visited them, and told them of the sea. 

The country of the Barawa tribe is on the coast, a 
short distance north of Kismayu. 

I pulled up the sleeve of my shirt, and exhibited my 
untanned arm. They were much surprised at the sight, 
and seemed to believe Hassan when he told them I 


298 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


was a great laibon (medicine-man). They asked eagerly 
about the countries through which we had passed, and 
seemed relieved when I told them all was peace. Again 
and again, they made me repeat that assurance, and tell 
them that I had seen no signs of the Masai, of whom 
they seemed in great dread. I told them that I had 
come to them for the purpose of trade, that in a few 
days my caravan, laden with all sorts of good things, 
would reach me, and that I hoped to exchange some 
of my goods for camels, horses, and donkeys. They 
said they would willingly trade with me, and asked if 
I had cloth. 

One circumstance struck them as very peculiar, and 
that was that we dared to travel in the night. They 
said they were brave people, and were one and all 
warriors; but that they never for a moment dared to 
venture from their camp after dark. They said I 
must indeed be a great medicine-man, if willing to 
venture upon the road at night, and run the risk of 
being killed by a rhinoceros, or eaten by lions. 

They asked for a present, and I told them they 
should receive one upon the arrival of my caravan. 
They said they wished to make me a present, and 
asked what I wanted. I replied that the European 
judged of his friends by the size of their gifts, and 
hoped they would bring me horses, camels, and don- 
keys. They acquiesced. Then the conversation lan- 
guished, and the chiefs, apparently overcome by their 
exertions, yawned in my face several times; so I bade 
them farewell, shook hands, and expressed the hope 
that I should see them on the morrow. 

The following morning Lieutenant von Hohneli 


vil TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 299 


turned up with all the men; and we all at once set 
to work building a strong zeriba. Only a few Ren- 
dile visited us during the day, and they were princi- 
pally young men. They seemed as friendly as possible, 
and said they wanted to trade. They brought some 
curious wicker jars, and several gallons of camel’s milk. 
This had a very smoky taste, but was not unpalatable. 

The Rendile possess but few ornaments. The 
chiefs wore upon the upper arm rudely carved ivory 
armlets, and Lokomogul had a large porcelain bead, 
as large as a pigeon’s egg, strung from his neck. 
The young men wore about their necks rings of wire, 
and upon the first joint of the thumb several rings 
of the same material. Each of these rings, they said, 
signified a man slain in battle. The warriors rarely 
carried shields; a few, however, had them. These were 
curious in shape, and utterly unlike those carried by 
the Masai. Some were made of woven twigs; others 
of oryx hide. They were not more than three feet 
high, and eighteen inches wide at both top and _bot- 
tom. In the centre they were much narrower; and 
on the rear at the centre there was a small loop of 
hide, which was grasped by the hand. 

Nearly all the warriors painted their faces with a 
white clay, which lent ferocity to their appearance. 
They all wore their hair cut short, and I was much 
struck by the fact that it appeared perfectly straight 
and of fine texture. 

During the conversation which I had had with the 
Rendile chiefs on the previous day, I had told them 
of the camel tracks we had seen in the desert; and 
they at once sent forty warriors in the direction indi- 


300 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. VII 


cated to recover them. Shortly after we finished build- 
ing our zeriba, we heard wild shouts, and at once I 
called my men to arms. The shouts drew nearer, 
and presently we saw a band of forty Rendile war- 
riors leading five camels which they had tied together. 
These they had recovered after a bloodless battle with 
the dthombon. Upon nearing our camp, they left the 
camels in the shade of the trees, the leader of the 
war party drew his men into line, and they indulged 
in a war dance. He then gave them a long address; 
but as he harangued them in the Rendile tongue, we 
were unable to understand it. However, our Somali 
said that many of the words used were of their lan- 
guage; so we were able to gather the general import 
of the address. He began his address by shouting 
“Oromo” several times. I heard this word with inter- 
est, for it is a word in use among all the Galla to 
describe their race. The Galla invariably call them- 
selves Oromo. The word “galla” in their language, 
as well as in that of the Somali, means camel. As the 
Galla at one time possessed many camels, the Somali 
gave them that name. 

After shouting the word “ Oromo” several times in 
a sing-song fashion, they proceeded to recount the 
deeds of daring they had performed in the rescue of 
the five camels. The scene was apparently for our 
benefit, and in order to impress us with the warlike 
disposition of the Rendile. When the speech was 
concluded, the warriors broke ranks, ran forward, and 
eagerly shook hands with my men, using the word 
“Nageyr” as a sign of welcome: this is a Galla word 


of greeting. 


SAN 


=f4.s 


AY \\\ 
AW ays 
AA EE 
vw 
x Bx 
we 


. = SS 
Ses, = A 
3 .== = = ¢ AN 
- SS \ SS \ 
= 


yy ; 
Yy v Or Z 

Mei? PY MC) / 
E= oo z 


Mahomet Aman 


Karscho 


UNLOADING OF CAMELS 


CHAP. VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 303 


We were much puzzled to. determine the race of 
the Rendile. According to my Somali, their language 
was somewhat akin to Somali; but they also used 
many Galla words. In colour they were lighter than 
most Somali, and_ then, 
how could we account for 
the blue eyes? 

mul vor the men” were 
mutilated in an extraordi- 
nary manner — their navels 
had been cut out, leaving | 
a small round hole. All 
Rendile have this marking ; 
and with but one exception, 
so far as I know, it is con- 
fined to that tribe. This 
exception is the people who 
inhabit the country lying 
to the north of Lake Ste- 
phanie, called Marlé. The 
Marlé are very probably an 
offshoot of the Rendile, 
who became tired of wan- 
dering, and so settled down. 
With the Rendile we found several people who said 
they were Marlé. They appeared in every way similar 
to the Rendile, but said that some of their customs 
differed; for example, they eschewed all flesh but that 
of sheep. We repeatedly asked them if they were not 
in some way related to the Somali; but the idea seemed 
to anger them. They shook their heads vigorously, 
and said: “The Somali are: our enemies.” 


KARSCHO 


304 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


“Then are you not related to the Galla, Arussi 
Galla, or the Borana?” (the latter a tribe supposed 
to live in the neighbourhood of the Juba River). 

“No; we are not in any way kith or kin of those 
people. Formerly we had trading relations with them; 
but for many years past we have been at war.” 

“Who are you, then?” 

“Weare Rendile; ‘there’ .are. rie people. lnke- “us: 
We are the great Rendile tribe.” 

Despite many further questions designed to ascer- 
tain something further in connection with their his- 
tory, this was all we were ever able to elicit from 
them. 

The following day we received another visit from 
the three chiefs. Instead of the horses, camels, and 
donkeys I had expected them to bring as gifts, they 
satisfied themselves with presenting us two very large 
fat-tailed sheep. In anticipation of a much larger gift, 
we had laid out what was in truth a magnificent pres- 
ent for the chiefs; and despite our disappointment, 
and the meagreness and lack of generosity they had 
shown, we decided to present it as originally planned. 
We gave them each a red flannel blanket, several 
shawls, knives, coils of wire, and many pounds of 
bright-coloured beads, besides several yards of the 
heaviest American drill, called on the east coast of 
Africa “marduf.” They examined it closely, and said 
that many years before a band of traders from Barawa 
had brought them some just like it. 

After they had received their gifts, they said that 
trade would begin on the morrow; but that we must 
first make blood-brothers with them, and after that 


VII TRAVELS IM EASTERN AFRICA 305 


they would prefer us to move our camp, as the place 
was too distant for such august personages as them- 
selves to have to walk. 

They went away, and in the afternoon returned to 
make blood-brotherhood. They told us there were 
two methods of performing this ceremony: one by 
means of a stone, and the other neces- 
sitating the painting of our faces many go Uy 
colours. Naturally we preferred the : 
stone rites.. The three chiefs on this 
occasion were attended by about 400 
warriors; so I arranged my little band 


WAN A] 5 Wk 

17, | i 

fy ay Ny 
Wy 


in as formidable array as possible, and 
fired two volleys. The noise seemed to 
have an irritating effect upon the sav- 
ages’, they. at once: rose to theif feet, 
shouted, and shook their fists. We 
soon calmed them, however, and_pro- 
ceeded to business. 

Lokomogul, on behalf of his | 
people, and I, on behalf of my i iil 
own, each seized in our right f’ 
hands a round stone. Upon the 
stones we liberally expectorated. 
Fach then passed his stone to his following, who did 


MAHOMET AMAN 


likewise. We then exchanged stones; and each, hold- 
ing the stone in his right hand, with his left dug a 
small hole in the soil, meanwhile uttering words of 
supposed magic import. In these holes we finally 
placed the stones, and covered them with sand. We 
then grasped hands, and assured each other that we 


were the best friends possible. After this . 1. took 
x 


306 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


forty of my men, and accompanied the chiefs to the 
place where they wished us to make a camp. It was 
two miles farther along the bed of the stream in 
which our first camp was pitched; in a few hours my 
forty men had built there a strong zeriba. 

On our way to the new zeriba we were approached 
by a band of too Samburu, or Berkenedji. They ex- 
actly resembled Masai warriors, wore their hair in the 
same style of tonsure, and were armed in identical 
manner. They were very anxious to exchange don- 
keys for our cattle. They had lain in wait for us on 
the road; for, as they said, when once we had reached 
our new camp, they would be kept away by the Ren- 
dile, and not allowed to exchange with us. As we 
hoped to exchange our cattle for camels and _ horses, 
we refused to trade with them. 

Shortly after we reached our new camp, and _ estab- 
lished ourselves therein, the three chiefs, accompanied 
by from 600 to 800 warriors, appeared. They all 
wished to enter our zeriba at once. This we 
gently but firmly refused to permit. We _ provided 
boxes for the three chiefs, and they sat down. After 
the exchange of small gifts (they gave milk, and we 
gave tobacco), they said they were then ready to be- 
gin trade, and asked what we wished to buy. We 
said, camels. Lokomogul shouted to his men, and an 
old camel, apparently suffering from a number of 
diseases, was led to the edge of the zeriba. Loko- 
mogul in a long speech extolled the merits of this 
animal, and, among other things, said it was the best 
camel they had. We told him that as he valued 
this animal so highly, we thought it a pity to deprive 


VII TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 307 


him of it;- that, in fact, we preferred younger and 
stronger animals, even though lacking in the histori- 
cal interest attached to this one. Lokomogul eyed 
us sharply, exchanged glances with his two fellow- 
chiefs, and said: “If you wish to buy any camels, 
you must buy this one first.” 

It then dawned upon Lieutenant von Hdédhnel and 
me that we had formed too high hopes of the Ren- 
dile, and that the matter of trade with them was 
likely to be productive of difficulty and perhaps strife. 

We having refused to purchase that camel, Loko- 
mogul refused to take any further part in the pro- 
ceedings. Lomoro, however, said he had two young 
camels, the flower of his flock; but that he did not 
wish to bring them near our zeriba, and for some 
reason or other had left them a few hundred yards 
away. We went out to see them; and my Somali 
burst into laughter at sight of them, and said they 
were undersized runts, and unable to bear burdens. 
They ‘were about the ‘size of a horse. We again 
shook our heads. Lomoro shook his head, stamped 
his feet, and asked what sort of people we were; it 
seemed impossible to please us. We asked if such 
were the only camels they had to sell. They re- 
plied: “Yes; the Rendile: do not sell their, camels.” 

After further conversation, they said they were 
neady to begin trade’ in. donkeys... The price they 
asked was ridiculous; they wished sixty yards of 
heavy American sheeting for each animal. They 
measured cloth in the same manner as all other peo- 
ple in East Africa; that 1s; from the elbows to the 
tips of the fingers—and a dwarf is never selected as 


308 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


a measuring-stick. Eight such measurements usually 
make about four yards. It was needless to explain 
to them that we considered this price perfectly ludi- 
erous. On the coast a donkey can be purchased for 
ten doty (forty yards) of drill, where drill was easily 
procured, and where the owner of the donkey had 
been to the expense of bringing his beast. Among 
the entire tribe of these savages there was perhaps 
not twenty yards of cloth; yet they wished us to give 
them half as much again as was asked at the coast. 

We then refused to trade. In order to impress 
them we produced the red blankets, thinking we 
should thereby excite their cupidity. We also spread 
out before them some Scotch plaid shawls. The ap- 
pearance of the latter they greeted with derisive 
shouts, and Lomoro took one of them in his hand, 
waved it above his head, and attracted to it the at- 
tention of the assembled warriors outside the zeriba. 
It seemed to madden them as a red rag does a bull. 
After some questioning, we learned that the Rendile 
loathed any colour but white—a most curious in- 
stance! for all negroes are notoriously fond of bright 
colours. 

We had spent more than an hour in fruitless en- 
deavour to arrive at some sort of trade with these people. 
Each moment the assembled warriors outside our camp 
grew more impatient; and soon the air rang with 
savage shouts. I thought they were about to attack 
us; and so I quietly went about among my men, and 
told them to load their rities, and place two extra 
cartridges in their hands. The shouts grew louder 
and louder; when suddenly the Somali came to us, 


vil TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 309 


and said they could understand sufficient of what the 
Rendile were saying, to gather that they were preparing 
to fall upon us. 

Both Lieutenant von Hoéhnel and I had been so much 
irritated by the unreasonable behaviour of these people, 
that we would have almost welcomed a struggle, as a 
relief to our feelings. It flashed across my mind that 
we should never be in a better position to attack them 
than at that time. We were in a strong zeriba, water 
near at hand, and plentiful food and ammunition sup- 
plies. Seated in front of us were, as far as we could 
learn, the three greatest chiefs of the Rendile, entirely 
at our mercy. We did not wish to begin a struggle; 
but if one arrow had flown, or a spear been cast through 
the zeriba, we should at once have entered into the 
spirit which prompted the action. Three well-directed 
volleys fired through the thorns of our zeriba would 
have laid many of the warriors low, and dispersed the 
remainder; then we could have retained the three chiefs 
as hostages, and forced the Rendile to trade on satis- 
factory terms. 

The shouting continued. ‘The three chiefs sat quiet, 
and eyed us narrowly, doubtless seeking for some in- 
dication of fear. At length I told them that we had 
made blood-brothers with the Rendile, and in conse- 
quence we were loath to treat them in any but the 
most friendly manner; but that in our country we were 
not accustomed to such shouts and cries as then filled 
the air, and we were compelled to construe them as 
signs of hostility; also, that unless quiet was at once 
restored, the Rendile would discover in short order 
what manner of men we were. 


310 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


At these words, the chiefs exchanged glances; then 
arose to their feet, and commanded their followers to 
be still. In a moment silence reigned, as perfect as 
the bedlam of the previous moment. The chiefs then 
again seated themselves, and Lomoro asked us why, 
if we had come to them for the purpose of trade, we 
did not trade with them; they were quite willing, and 
in fact anxious, to sell us what we desired, but we 
seemed obstinate and ill-disposed toward them. 

Throughout the entire transaction Lomoro exhibited 
the most intelligence and diplomacy. Lokomogul, 
although he seemed to possess great influence over 
the people, did not show nearly the same degree of 
attention; and Lyserege, his cupidity aroused by the 
sight of our trading-goods, had from the first desired 
to possess them by force. I took Lomoro to my tent, 
and with Hassan, the interpreter, endeavoured to have 
a quiet and reasonable talk with him. I asked him if 
he had previously had dealings with Arab and Zanzibari 
caravans. He said: Yes; on one occasion a caravan 
came to them and behaved badly; and so they fell 
upon it, destroyed the men, and took their goods. And 
he added that on three or four occasions they had 
been visited by small bodies of traders, principally 
Barawa, who had brought with them some marduf. I 
asked him whether or not he really wished to trade 
with us. He replied that for his part he would be 
only too happy to do so; but that he found great diffi- 
culty in restraining his young men from attacking us. 
He suggested that we should distribute a large present 
among the warriors. This I naturally declined to do. 
He then asked for another present for himself and the 


Vil TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 311 


two other chiefs. I refused this also. He then said: 
“Well, I leave you to your fate,” and turning on his 
heel, stalked out of the tent and the zeriba. He was 
shortly followed by Lokomogul and Lyserege. 

After the chiefs left, we were able to purchase ten 


donkeys by giving extraordinary prices in cloth and 
beads for them; still, the price was less than was first 
asked. To acquire these ten donkeys required more 


SCENE IN CAMP 


than half the trading-goods which we had considered 
sufficient to purchase fifty or seventy-five camels. 

The following day the chiefs did not visit us, and 
but few of the natives appeared. We asked to be 
taken to their villages, but they refused, saying that 
strangers were never permitted to visit the villages 
of the Rendile. . During the afternoon, one of the 
natives appeared, mounted upon a horse. The horse 
looked for all the world like one of our western 
ponies. I examined the bit and saddle with great 
curiosity. The former was rudely fashioned of iron, 


312 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


and was very severe; it resembled a Spanish bit. 
The saddle was made of hght wood covered with soft 
folds of sheepskin; so that it was comfortable. It was 
attached to the horse by means of a cinch girth run 
through rings and knotted. ‘The stirrups consisted of 
rings just large enough to admit the great toe. The 
saddle was held in place by a breastplate and breech- 
ing, as well as by the girth. The reins consisted of 
bits of untanned hide. The horseman was armed with 
a spear quite ten feet in length. 

I was told that the Rendile possessed about 500 
horses. These they had purchased from the Barawa, 
whose tribe was said to be possessed of thousands 
of horses, which they used in battle and also for 
the purpose of hunting giraffe and antelope, which 
are the only game eaten by the Rendile. 

During our stay in the neighbourhood of these 
people I saw but one woman. She was clad as fol- 
lows. About her hips there depended a short kilt, 
consisting of what resembled rope-ends, and from her 
shoulders fell a voluminous cloak of well-tanned sheep- 
skin. The Rendile tanned their hides very success- 
fully, and one of these bore a remarkable resemblance 
to peau de suede. Vhe woman’s hair was most care- 
fully arranged. It was gathered on the top of her 
head in the shape of a crest of an ancient Greek 
helmet, and was held in this position by means of 
pins and grease. 

In the afternoon we were able to gather an idea of 
the numbers of the Rendile flocks and herds. Just 
before sundown a herd of camels passed our camp, 
and we counted 4ooo. These were said to belong to 


VIL TRAVELS INV EASTERN AFRICA 313 


a single village, and that not the richest of the Ren- 
dile villages. There were said to be twenty villages; 
so that one might say the Rendile possessed, in round 
numbers, 80,000 camels. In former days they had 
possessed many cattle, but these had been very much 
reduced in number by plagues, so that their herds, at 
the time of our visit, consisted of but 1ooo. Of don- 
keys, they were said to possess thousands upon thou- 
sands, and it was reported that their flocks of sheep 
and goats were countless. 

From conversations with these people, we gathered 
that there must be 20,000 Rendile, not counting the 
many thousand Samburu and Berkenedji living with 
them. It was-said that when the Rendile were 
camped in one lone line; it~took six hours’ hard 
marching to pass from one end of the line to the 
other. 

Their huts were said to be made of camel saddles 
similar to those used by the Somali. They had been 
encamped two months at Kome, where we found them; 
but, as the pasturage was now nearly exhausted, they 
were on the point of moving. They said they wan- 
dered from Marlé, to the north of Lake Stephanie, as 
far south as the northern extremity of the Leikipia 
plateau. In former years they had encamped near 
Marsabit and the northern end of the General Mat- 
thews range; but five years previously they had _ suf- 
fered defeat at the hands of the Turcana, who robbed 
them of thousands of camels, and killed many of their 
tribe. Many years ago they inhabited the plain to the 
south of Lorian called Kirrimar; but owing to the re- 
peated raids of the Somali from Kismayu and the 


314 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


neighbouring towns on the coast, they had left it. 
They said that within the preceding year they had 
been attacked by a body of Somali, some hundreds 
of whom were armed with rifles; they had beaten 
them off, however, with great loss. They expressed 
hearty contempt for the rifles used by the Somali; 
which must have been muzzle-loaders charged with a 
poor quality of powder, and most probably with too 
small a charge. The Rendile said their shields were 
sufficient to turn the bullets. They had heard of our 
victory over the Wamsara, and expressed great sur- 
prise thereat; for they reckoned the Wamsara to be 
as formidable as the Masai, and the latter, in the old 
days, had always been able to rout the Somali in 
battle. 

The chief medicine-man of the tribe was called 
Lesegetetti; he was not a native of the Rendile, but a 
Masai. His sway dated from the defeat of the Ren- 
dile at the hands of the Turcana. Up to that time 
their chief medicine-man was a Rendile, named Lao- 
goum; but as his magic had been unable to ward off 
the attacks of the Turcana, his influence since that 
day had waned, and Lesegetetti was considered the 
most powerful medicine-man of the tribe. 

We waited at Kome another day, hoping there 
would be more trade; but few natives came to us, and 
they only to beg tobacco. One was an_ intelligent 
young fellow, and by means of presents we got him 
to sit down and tell us all he knew about his people 
and their customs. All our questions were answered 
with satisfactory readiness; but as we never entered 
into intimate relations with the Rendile, I am unable 


VII TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 315 


to vouch for the truth of the following items of his 
conversation; and in fact, from my knowledge of 
negro character, I would suggest that they be received 
with more or less caution. 

The Rendile believe that God first made two peo- 
ple (Rendile), a man and a woman, and two camels; 
and that from these pairs sprang the race of the Ren- 
dile and their camel herds. The original home of the 
Rendile was Naudo (meaning, in the Masai tongue, 


b) 


“a high place”), situated somewhere in the neighbour- 
hood of Lysamis; that is, the country lying between 
the General Matthews- range and Lake Rudolph, 
which from time immemorial has been inhabited by 
the Rendile. 

All males are circumcised in the ordinary Arab 
fashion, and their navels are cut away entirely, leaving 
a small round hole. This cutting away of the navel 
is done when the child is about three years of age; 
while circumcision is delayed until the age of puberty. 
When the males get their second set of teeth, the 
two lower front teeth are cut out. Only one other 
East African tribe is said to practise the same muti- 
lations; these are the Marlé, living to the north of 
Lake Stephanie, in all probability a kindred race. 

Polygamy is in vogue, the number of wives being 
limited only by the man’s ability to support them. 
The marriage ceremony is wholly a matter of busi- 
ness; but, according to my informant, is a more or 
less complicated affair, requiring time for its comple- 
tion. When a young woman finds favour in the eyes 
of a young man, he must first pay court to her father, 
and ingratiate himself by a present of seven female 


316 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


goats and three camels. If the father accepts the 
gift, the deal goes on; if he refuses, the business is 
at an end. If the present is accepted, the girl’s two 
lower front teeth are cut out, and the business is con- 
cluded by the father of the bride receiving ten addi- 
tional camels from the family of the young man. 

The funeral ceremony is as follows. The corpse is 
shaved, and then buried in a deep hole in a sitting 
posture; the hole is then filled with stones, which are 
piled several feet above the ground into a sort of 
cairn; afterward a spear is fixed in an upright position 
in the centre. This completed, the near relatives of 
the deceased kill a camel, and invite their friends to 
a feast. The whole village goes into mourning, and 
during the period of mourning they either take off 
their ornaments or hide them with skins. 

Only male relatives of the deceased share in the 
distribution of his herds. At the end of one month 
the heir of the dead man ingratiates himself with his 
immediate relatives by presenting them with goats, 
sheep, or cameis, as the case may be, and as his 
means may warrant. 

Primogeniture is in vogue, but it is customary for 
the younger brothers of the heir to receive substan- 
tial presents. The heir assumes the care of his 
mother and sisters. In return for the care he bestows 
upon his sisters, all goods paid for them upon mar- 
riage go to him. 

The Samburu, or Berkenedji, were originally deadly 
enemies of the Rendile; but since their defeat at 
Leikipia by the Masai many years ago, and the sub- 
sequent destruction of their flocks by the plague, they 


VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 317 


had been forced into semi-serfdom to the Rendile — 
watching their flocks, and performing other menial 
services for them. In return for this they were pro- 
tected in their persons and_ possessions. These 
people in no way changed their customs after join- 
ing the Rendile, and their customs are distinctly dif- 
ferent from those of the Rendile. For example, they 
do not bury the dead, but throw them out to the 
hyenas; and they scorn the use of a bow and arrow 
until old age has deprived them of sufficient strength 
to use a spear. 

Among the Rendile adultery is not punished; but 
in the case of unmarried girls unchastity meets with 
severe retribution, for the sole and simple reason that 
the market value of the girl to her parents has been 
decreased. A slip from the path of chastity by a 
young girl invariably results in her being driven out 
from her home; and she is-either forced to join the 
Samburu, or Berkenedji, or the Wanderobbo, or she 
is sold as a slave. 

Murder is punished by confiscation of property; and 
the relatives of the murdered man are at liberty to 
revenge themselves upon the person of the murderer. 

Theft is punished by a fine three times the value of 
the stolen goods. 

All questions of this kind are adjudicated by the 
older men of the village in which the offence was 
committed. 

The chief food of the Rendile is milk, meat, blood, 
and dhum-palm fruit. Upon slaying an animal, the 
blood is at once drunk by the males, who think it 
makes them not only brave and courageous, but 


318 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


healthy. I fancy they do it for the sake of the salt 
in the blood. Giraffe and antelope are hunted on 
horseback, and are the only game eaten. 

Their shields are made of the hides of animals, or 
of wicker work. The iron work on their spears, 
knives, etc., is done for the most part by the smiths 
in their villages; but they prefer to purchase these 
articles from the neighbouring tribes, as the work of 
their own smiths is not of the best. 

Over each village a chief presides in the councils 
of peace as well as of war. His office is elective, not 
hereditary. A man of wealth and position is rarely 
elected to the office of chief. Popularity, gift of lan- 
guage, and skill in war are the three prime requisites; 
but after a man has once been made chief he soon 
becomes rich; for he levies a tax upon the flocks and 
herds of his village, until his property at least equals 
that of any other member of the small community. 

The number of strings of beads around a man’s 
neck indicates the number of men he has slain in 
battle. The chief of the village gives the warrior a 
goat and a quantity of milk for each slain enemy. 

My informant also told me that for the preceding 
five or six years the relations of the Rendile and the 
Borana had been strained. The Rendile appeared 
greatly to dread the Borana, who in their opinion were 
the most powerful tribe in their neighbourhood. 

The Borana people are said to be separated into 
two divisions, the larger of which is called Rrapp. 
The Rrapp, despite the recent plague, still had a great 
number of cattle. They were reigned over by a chief 
named Kalo, and have many horses; but at the same 


VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 319 


time they cultivate the soil to some degree. Both the 
Borana and the Rrapp wear short breeches made of 
coarse Galla cloth. 

From Kome to Borana the road is good only dur- 
ing the rainy season; in dry weather it is impassable 
by reason of the lack of water en route. A journey 
of one month from Kome would be required to reach 
these people. We therefore have fixed their where- 
abouts in the neighbourhood of the Juba River. 


4! ww 


ey 


HEELZZE AY, 
Oi WTY, 
Wy 


Guaso NYIRO RIVER, NEAR WHERE WE FOUND RENDILE 


Neither Lieutenant von Hohnel nor I was able to 
come to any satisfactory conclusion as to the origin 
of the Rendile, or as to the African family to which 
their tribe belonged. In the matter of appearance, 
their prevailing light colour, straight hair, blue eyes, 
and the custom of cutting out the navel led us to 
conclude that they were closely connected with neither 
the Somali nor the Galla. Lieutenant von Hohnel 
had visited Harrar, and had there seen many Abyssin- 
lans, whose appearance, he said, was very different 
from that of the Rendile. The language of the Ren- 


320 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


dile, although according to our Somali somewhat simi- 
lar to theirs, was in so many ways perfectly distinct 
from it, that we concluded the similarities had been 
the result more of intercommunication between these 
peoples in former years than of derivation of the Ren- 
dile tongue from the Somali. They also used many 
Galla phrases, and the fact that on several occasions 
we had heard the chiefs address their followers as 
Oromo, led us to believe that they were in some way 
connected with the Galla tribe. But the insistence 
with which all the Rendile with whom we talked repu- 
diated the suggestion, forced us to give up that 
theory. 

It was easy to explain their familiarity with the 
Masai tongue, as that was the language of the Sam- 
buru, or Berkenedji, for centuries closely connected with 
the Rendile, to whom many of them for years had 
been in a state of servitude, while many of their 
females had borne children to the Rendile. They 
used the word “Ngai” to express the idea of the 
Deity alone. This is a Masai word, used by the Masai 
not only to express the idea of the Deity, but also as 
an exclamation of surprise and wonder. A watch, a 
successful shot made with a rifle, an ornament of 
great beauty, or anything which excited their admira- 
tion, called forth this exclamation. The Rendile had 
some idea of a deity, a much clearer one, as far as 
we could learn, than that possessed by the Masai, or 
any other East African race that had not come into 
contact with Christians and Mohammedans. 

The weapons of this people, and their implements, 
as well as their method of life, were in every respect 


VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 321 


similar to those of nomadic, pastoral people, such as 
the Galla and Somali, who inhabit East Africa. 

Their government, to a certain extent, was oligarch- 
ical. Each village was presided over by its chief, 
whose decisions were not final, and were influenced in 
great degree by the other rich and prominent men of 
his village. Each village was distinct in policy, and 
might act for itself quite independently of any or all 
the others—might even separate entirely from the rest 
of the tribe, if it so willed. They remained united, not 
as the result of mutual affection, but as a measure of 
safety. For the immediately preceding twenty or thirty 
years (and for how many more we were unable to ascer- 
tain) they had been the victims of raids from the Borana 
and Rrapp on the north, the Somali on the east, and 
the Turcana and Masai on the south, whenever the 
movements of the Rendile presented a fair opportu- 
nity; and the strength of unity, at least, was a binding 
tie among them. 

The position of the medicine-men, Lesegetetti and 
Laogoum, seemed similar to that of the chiefs. These 
medicine-men were the means of communication with 
the Deity, and it was through them and their arts that 
a knowledge of the future came; but the fact that these 
medicine-men were known to be not infallible (evidenced 
by the defeat the Rendile sustained at the hands of the 
Turcana, while acting under advice given by Laogoum) 
tempered their power. 

The most powerful village of the Rendile was that 
presided over by Lokomogul. For the twenty years 
past it had not suffered from depredations. This was 


supposed to be due to the fact that the medicine-man, 
VY 


322 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


whoever he might happen at different periods to be, 
had always been privileged to make his home with 
Lokomogul. There appeared to be great rivalry be- 
tween the villages, and the three chiefs with whom 
we had dealings were excessively jealous of one another. 
After receiving their presents they came singly both 
to Lieutenant von Hohnel and to me, and each said 
that, as his village was the greatest and most powerful, 
he was the most influential chief, and hence a greater 
present should be tendered him than the others. 

Owing to the fact that all our intercourse with them 
was through an interpreter, who spoke the Masai lan- 
guage, the native tongue neither of the Rendile nor 
of our interpreter, and the further fact that in speak- 
ing with our interpreter we were forced to use the 
Swahili, it was difficult for us in the short time we 
were in communication with these people to gather 
really satisfactory information from them. 

During a visit from these three chiefs, Lokomogul 
gave us a shrewd glance, and asked why, if we were 
such great people, we travelled without our wives; they 
knew of but one tribe willing to undergo the hard- 
ships of life without the companionship of the other 
sex, and that tribe was the lowest of the low— they 
were outcast robbers and criminals of other tribes— 
they were the dthombons. This question was a poser. 
We at once felt the difficulty, indeed the impossibility, 
of explaining to these untutored savages the fact that 
we were able to exist so long without the society of 
ladies; but we knew silence should be a last resort in 
dealing with Africans. Some reply is always absolutely 
necessary; so, under the spur of necessity, we said that 


VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 323 


we had left our women a few weeks’ journey back on 
the road, as they had become greatly fatigued by the 
long distances we had travelled. Lokomogul then said 
that the women of his tribe never tired. Do what we 
could later, we were never able to recover the loss of 
prestige attached to the fact that our caravan was con- 
fined in its personnel strictly to the male sex. 

Not being able to penetrate the mystery surround- 
ing the origin of these people, we were forced to con- 
tent ourselves with the fact that we had discovered 
them. It remains for some future traveller attended 
with better fortune to lift this veil. Suffice it here 
to say, that both Lieutenant von Hohnel and I feel 
firmly convinced that, when at some future time a well 
qualified and equipped traveller visits these people, he 
will find them worthy of his attention. To us, at 
least, they seemed the most original and interesting 
of all the strange and different peoples met in East 
Africa. We think there can be little doubt that hun- 
dreds of years ago they came from the far north. 
Perhaps in some way they are allied to that mysteri- 
ous people called the Shepherd Kings, who thousands 
of years ago inhabited Egypt. 

During our stay with the Rendile, our guide, May- 
olo, had daily, and in fact almost hourly, pressed us 
to flee from the neighbourhood. He said that for 
many years he had lived with the Rendile, and as- 
sured us that they were capable of any degree of 
treachery. He said that their treatment of us had 
not been such as they were accustomed to accord 
friends; but, on the contrary, showed that they looked 
upon us not only with distrust, but with positive dis- 


324 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


favour. He said that he expected them to attack us 
almost any day; and that not a night passed but he went 
to rest with the thought that he might never waken. 

The members of our caravan did not seem con- 
vinced of the friendship of the Rendile; instead of 
songs and laughter over their food and about their 
camp-fire at night, perfect silence reigned, and conver- 
sation was only in whispers. This was the conduct 
of the porters and Soudanese. The Somali, however, 
had at every opportunity urged the advisability of 
immediate attack upon the Rendile. They said that 
. a battle would be hard, but that they were convinced 
we should succeed, and that then all trouble would be 
at an end. We should then possess camels and horses 
in great numbers, and be able to travel like gentlemen. 

On the occasion when the 4000 camels _ passed 
near our camp, cupidity gleamed from the eyes of 
the Somali, and when the last animal passed from 
sight, they shook their heads and sighed. The temp- 
tation to take advantage of the vast herds and flocks 
of the Rendile was, I may freely confess, a great one. 
Their treatment of us had been anything but kindly. 
They had accepted our gifts and offer of friendship, 
it is true; but in return for these they had given us 
little but unfriendly treatment. They were absolutely 
unwilling to trade, and both Lieutenant von Hoéhnel 
and I felt that further efforts toward that end would 
be useless. 

On the other hand, we could not permit ourselves 
to fall upon these people, even though the issue of 
the present situation would be of most doubtful char- 
acter, until they had done something more than to 


VII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 325 


cheat our expectations. We had food in plenty, and 
we felt that the sacrifice of many lives for the sake 
of beasts of burden alone was unwarranted. We 
realized, nevertheless, that withdrawal from the neigh- 
bourhood would imply to the Rendile that we stood 
in fear of them; and with that idea in their minds 
the next European who visited their country would 
in all likelihood meet with even harsher 
treatment than had been accorded us. 


Ne i on ‘i \ aN \y 

i mA \V NN : Ah vi \ INOS ne 
MA f mi HIN i \ 
ia a ie 


h it 


Wie fy) 
a 


TYPE OF LANDSCAPE 


With people of a warlike nature, such as the Rendile, 
the advance of civilization must always be attended 
with more or less bloodshed. Their isolation, their 
great numbers and consequent confidence, render them 
not only averse to friendly overtures, but prone to 
turn their power into a means of easy profit by attack- 
ing their visitors. 

No African tribe I have yet met preferred trade to 
war. Plunder is with them the only means of trans- 
acting exchange, until by severe lessons they are taught 
that the people with whom’ they are brought into 


326 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. VII 


contact are able to take care of themselves, but at the 
same time are willing to make fair bargains. It has 
been the experience of almost all African travellers, that 
commercial intercourse between the European and the 
savage is impossible, until, by force of arms, the former 
has convinced the natives of his superiority. 

At the very inception of our enterprise, while in 
Europe, Lieutenant von Hohnel and I had laid our 
plans, and counted upon meeting the Rendile, from 
whom we had convinced ourselves that we should be 
able to procure animals sufficient for the porterage of 
our goods. From the coast up to the point of meeting 
with the Rendile, notwithstanding most untiring efforts, 
we had been unable to provide ourselves with enough 
donkeys. The donkeys we took from the coast were 
all dead, and we were on the frontier of a new country, 
with a caravan amply equipped, as far as supplies 
went, for a journey of eighteen months, and yet unable 
to move a step for the lack of beasts of burden. 

On Lieutenant von Hohnel’s former journey he had 
seen, while passing through the country of the Turcana, 
thousands of donkeys and several hundred camels. 
The Turcana inhabited the country to the southwest 
of Lake Rudolph, at a considerable distance from the 
point at which we then were. Not only distance inter- 
vened, but we knew from our experience in this land 
that we should meet with great difficulty in our search 
for water. Notwithstanding this, we decided to turn 
our steps in that direction. By the young Rendile 
who gave us the information concerning the customs 
of his people, we sent word to the chiefs that on the 
following day we should take our departure. 


CHAPTER: VIII 


TuHE road to Turcana lay via Seran and Lolokwi. 
In fact, this was the only portion of the country with 
which we were acquainted; but we hoped to be able, 
upon again reaching our friends, the Wanderobbo, to 
procure fresh guides, who would be competent to lead 
us to the other purchasing-ground for beasts of burden. 
At early dawn on the morning of July 8, we left our 
camp in the Rendile country, and reached Seran at 
three in the afternoon of the same day. 

We received no response from our message to the 
chiefs of the Rendile; and, in fact, from their unfriendly 
behaviour during the last few days of our stay in that 
country, we hardly expected any. Nevertheless, we did 
not like to leave their country without giving them 
notice, lest they should construe our march into some- 
thing in the nature of a retreat. 

Upon reaching Seran, I made a short detour of the 
surrounding country, and killed three zebra and an 
oryx beisa. I also wounded a rhinoceros, but the latter 
we were unable to get. 

About five o’clock of the day of our arrival at Seran, 
Lieutenant von Hohnel and I were seated at the door 
of our tent, almost entirely undressed, owing to the 
heat of the day, and taking tea, when some of our men, 
who had gone to a pool of water 300 yards distant 

327 


328 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


from our camp, to wash some of the donkey saddles, 
suddenly appeared, breathless from running, and said 
that a large war party of Rendile was approaching the 
camp. With all despatch, Lieutenant von Hohnel and 
I attired ourselves, and ran forward with twenty men. 
Upon reaching the brow of a low hill, we saw before 
us three horsemen armed with long spears, and almost 
concealed in a thick growth of dhum palms. In their 
rear we could discern more horsemen, many camels, 
and a large body of foot warriors. We halted. 

Between our position and the palms, which served 
to conceal the Rendile force, there stretched a little 
plain, and over that plain the three horsemen can- 
tered slowly to and fro. Upon seeing us, they shouted 
to their companions behind, amidst the trees, and 
then cried to us: “Serian!” (Peace). Knowing that 
Lieutenant von Hohnel and the men with him, who 
were the best shots in the caravan, would be perfectly 
able to cover my advance, I went forward, accompa- 
nied by two of the Somali and a Masai interpreter, 
to talk to the three mounted Rendile. 

They permitted me to approach to within fifty 
yards, but at first no nearer. When I reached that 
distance, they waved their hands for me to keep off, 
and when I advanced, they would retreat. Finally, 
after shouting, “Serian!” I inquired their purpose in 
coming. They replied that they were a hunting-party 
of the Rendile in search of giraffe, and said that the 
camels they had brought with them were for the purpose 
of carrying back the meat of such animals as they slew. 
They did not attempt, however, to explain the presence 
of the large body of foot warriors, some 200 in number. 


VII TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 329 


The men who had been washing the donkey saddles 
said they had not noticed the approach of the Ren- 
dile, until they were almost upon them; and _ that 
from the movements of these people they did not for 
a moment think they had come on a peaceful mission. 
I shared their opinion. The two Somali who were 
with me grinned with excitement and glee, and said: 
“Now, master, Allah has delivered these people with 
horses and camels into our hands. Now let us seize 
them. They are enemies, and they belong to us. We 
know that the white man does not wage war for the 
sake of plunder; but let us, the Somali, go with a 
few men we will select, and in a few moments you 
will have horses to ride, and camels to carry your 
goods ” 

The temptation to yield was, I must admit, next to 
irresistible; but as the people concealed among the 
trees made no overt attack upon us, and as the horse- 
men continued to shout in the most eager manner, 
Seman! Serian!” 1 could not permit: myself to 1n- 
dulge in the pleasure of an attack. 

The three horsemen were men whom we _ had 
noticed as followers of Lokomogul. They said that 
their chief very much regretted we had left his coun- 
try without permitting him to say farewell to us; and 
that they had come out of their way while on the 
giraffe hunt to bear us this message. One of them 
eagerly pointed over his shoulder, and said rapidly, 
‘Rhinoceros! Rhinoceros!” This at first conveyed 
nothing to our minds; but upon following them to 
a distance, we found stretched on the ground the 
rhinoceros I had wounded. The sight of this animal 


330 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


lying dead upon the ground without apparent wound 
in his body was undoubtedly what changed their 
intentions from war to peace. Upon examination, 
we found that they had time and again plunged their 
spears into the body of the animai, to test whether 
he was dead or sleeping. When I pointed out the 
hole made by my bullet, they evinced every indica- 
tion of surprise. 

Finally, after many protestations on our part, we 
managed to persuade the three horsemen to dis- 
mount; but not until I had taken from the soil a 
stone, and spat upon it. This seemed to convince 
them of my friendly intention, and the older man of 
the three did likewise. After this exchange of pledges 
of brotherly love, they seemed much more at ease. I 
endeavoured to get them to visit my camp, but this 
they seemed extremely loath to do. After urging 
them to take a message to their chiefs, to the effect 
that I would wait for them at Seran, if they had any- 
thing to say to me, I was forced to be content to see 
them rejoin their men, and start on the return trip 
to Rendile. 

To watch their movements I sent some of my 
men, who returned after dark, and said that the party 
never for a moment turned from their course, but 
marched with all rapidity towards their home. My 
spies reported that there were some thirty horsemen 
in the party, and that all of them were fully armed. 
I suppose that the young man we had asked to 
apprise Lokomogul of our departure neglected to do 
so until after we had set out; when, finding we had 
left, some of the more courageous decided not to 


VIII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 331 


permit such a prize as we appeared to be to slip 
through their hands, and so set out for the purpose 
of attacking us. 

Looking back at this abortive effort on the part of 
the Rendile, I must admit that it is only with feelings 
of regret that I remember having slain the rhinoceros, 
and thus given their warriors an inkling of the real 
power of our rifles. If they had not seen the rhinoc- 
eros, I think it highly probable they would have 
attacked us, and that would have given us every right 
to profit by their temerity. 

We had left at Lolokwi in the camp of the Wan- 
derobbo all the donkey saddles and housing of those 
animals which had died prior to our departure. 
these were most difficult to replace, and so I de- 
cided to send for them, while we waited at Seran in 
the hope of a visit, hostile or otherwise, from the Ren- 
dile. I sent to bring these saddles, Mohamadi, the 
headman of the Swahili, and ten men. Bearing in 
mind the slowness of a Zanzibari when left to himself, 
I sent with them Achmet Dualla, one of the Somali, 
who was perfectly trustworthy, and who I knew would 
not loiter upon the way. During their absence, Lieu- 
tenant von Héhnel with Mayolo, the guide, went to a 
point about eighteen miles to the northwest of Seran, 
called Lengaya, in order to map the country, and, if 
possible, discover some new route to the Turcana. 
He returned in thirty-six hours and reported that 
from the appearance of the country and the assurances 
of Mayolo, the guide, the track between Lengaya and 
Mount Nyiro was absolutely devoid of water, and 
therefore at that season impassable for the caravan. 


332 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


Much to our disgust, the Rendile did not reappear 
during our stay at this place. 

The following day Achmet Dualla_ returned with 
but three of the party who had accompanied him to 
bring back the donkey saddles. The three men had 
been sufficient to bring back the empty saddles, and 
it is well that they were; for Achmet reported that, 


BY 


nay 


NATIVE BRIDGE—A CHASM IN THE GUASO NYIRO RIVER 


be \\y 


upon reaching Lolokwi, Mohamadi with the other six 
men had made off in the night. This news was all 
but pleasant. We knew they would have little diff- 
culty in reaching the coast, for the distance between 
Lolokwi and the ford on the Guaso Nyiro, where we 
had deposited the five days’ food supply, was short 
enough to be covered in a day; and after supplying 
themselves there they would be able to reach the coast 
at Mombasa, or, by following the Tana, at Lamoo. 


VIII TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 333 


During our stay with the Rendile I had served out 
to my men forty rounds of ammunition. As _ the 
deserters were expert shots, they would be able to 
supply themselves with game on the way, and after 
reaching Hameye they could intimidate the Pokomo. 
At Hameye, providing themselves with canoes, they 
could easily float down-stream to the coast. With 
the donkey saddles I had also left the two ivory 
tusks taken from the elephant shot by Lieutenant 
von Hoéhnel. These were worth about $150; and as 
they were taken by these men, they would supply 
them with means after_reaching the coast to return 
to Zanzibar. 

Our visit to the Rendile, except for the purpose of 
discovery, and the interest which they had excited, 
was anything but satisfactory. From the appearance 
of these people, and the fact that they possessed 
horses, our men had acquired a great dread of them, 
and this undoubtedly increased the Zanzibari’s willing- 
ness to desert. However, I did not give up all hope 
of catching Mohamadi. Knowing the Zanzibari char- 
acter, I thought he would go straight to Daitcho, 
inform George that he and his six men were the sole 
survivors of our party, and endeavour to induce George 
and the rest of the caravan to return to the coast. 
Bearing this in mind, it seemed not only advisable, 
but necessary, to return at once to Daitcho, not only 
to relieve the mind of George, should Mohamadi have 
told him some plausible story, but also in the hope 
of capturing the deserters. Accordingly Lieutenant 
von Hohnel set out the following day for Lolokwi, 
where he was to wait until I returned, which I pro- 


334 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


posed doing in fifteen days. During this time Lieu- 
tenant von Hoéhnel would be able, we hoped, to procure 
guides. Upon my return from Daitcho with an in- 
creased supply of food, and men to take the place 
of the deserters, we hoped to push on to the Turcana 
in search of donkeys. 

By reference to the map the reader can form some 
conception of the circuitous route we were forced to 
take on our march from Daitcho to Kome, where we 
found the Rendile. In an unknown country it is 
impossible to follow a straight or direct road, when 
one’s path lies through a waterless desert. 

Upon my setting out from Seran, Lieutenant von 
Hohnel gave me the direction I should pursue, by 
compass, and told me that, if I followed his course, 
and marched at the rate of three miles per hour, I 
should reach before dark our old Christmas camping- 
place on the Guaso Nyiro. Bearing these instruc- 
tions in mind, I reached the Guaso Nyiro immediately 
opposite this camp after a ten hours’ march. My men 
were lightly laden, and the direction in which we 
marched seemed to lend wings to their feet; for our 
backs were then turned upon the Rendile, and they 
were facing the coast. 

In crossing the river we experienced some difficulty, 
as it was still in flood; but, once across, we again 
stepped out briskly, and by two in the afternoon we 
reached Ngombe crater. 

At 1.30 pM., July 19, we reached Daitcho, having 
accomplished the distance from Seran in three and 
one-half days; or, allowing for the detours we had 
been compelled to make on account of the condition 


vil TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 335 


of the road, we had covered seventy-five miles in that 
time. When we formerly set out from Daitcho, it 
required more than twenty days to reach Seran; but 
upon the return journey, being more familiar with 
the road, we had been able to cover the distance 
between these two points in three and one-half days. 
I found all working satisfactorily at  Daitcho. 
George had the men in good condition, and, in order 
to prevent idleness and its customary result in mis- 
chief, had kept them constantly employed. A _ party 
of twenty was engaged in making rope for camel and 
donkey saddles, or the binding of loads. This rope 
was made by beating out a fibrous plant, carefully 
drying it, and then rubbing it into strips, which were 
eventually plaited into an excellent rope. Others 
were employed in making large straw baskets in 
which to store flour. One, a Manyema, was busily 
engaged in weaving a straw cloth used by the tribe 
to which he belonged for clothing. To do this work 
he had been forced to make a loom; and though his 
progress was slow, the work kept his thoughts busy, 
thereby preventing them from reverting to the pleas- 
wes of the coast. . The rest of the men were engaged 
from morning until night in pounding dried cassava 
into flour. The entire caravan looked fat and well. 
During our absence George had done considerable 
shooting, and had fed all the men he had with him, 
either upon the meat which he procured, or with the 
grain he had been able to purchase from the natives 
of Daitcho in exchange for his surplus meat. The 
natives are so rarely permitted to indulge their crav- 
ing for flesh, that they gladly exchanged flour, beans, 


336 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


or anything they had, for a few pounds of it. Owing 
to the friendly relations which George had maintained 
with them, and doubtless also to the plentiful supply 
of meat which they had procured from him, the Dait- 
cho had behaved in the most friendly manner; and 
after my arrival I held a levee of the principal men 
of the tribe, when I met many people who had _ not 
theretofore come to our camp. 

The day after my arrival was spent in ease which 
the men who had accompanied me from Seran ap- 
preciated as much as I did. They were allowed as 
much food as they could eat, and of as great variety 
as the markets of Daitcho afforded. Their camp- 
fires seemed never to go out. At all times they 
were thoroughly filled, and they revelled in the great- 
est pleasure a Zanzibari is capable of experiencing — 
a gorged stomach. 

During my stay at Daitcho the men who had re- 
mained behind with George performed their daily 
labours but indifferently well. Their minds were not 
upon their work, and all their thoughts were cen- 
tred upon the moment when the drum should sound, 
and they should be released from their tasks, to 
gather around the men who had accompanied me, 
and from them hear marvellous tales of what had 
befallen them. 

Most of their tales I never heard, but from a few 
snatches which reached my ears I gathered the im- 
pression that Munchausen would have produced a 
much more interesting work had he been a native 
of Zanzibar. To impart an idea of the boundless 
genius of the Zanzibari in the field of imagination, 


Vil TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 337 


I will relate one of the stories current in our camp 
at Daitcho within.a day after our arrival. It was @ 
propos of the Rendile. The Rendile were said to be, 
one and all, mounted upon coal-black steeds, clad in 
garments of the finest texture, and armed with Arab 
scimitars, upon the blades of which verses from the 
Koran were inscribed. They were also said to pos- 
sess thousands of slaves. And the authors of this 
tale assured their hearers that it was simply owing to 
my ability in magic that they had escaped from the 
clutches of the Rendile. At first this story was re- 
ceived with a measure of incredulity; but constant 
repetition of even the most improbable lie is sufh- 
cient to stamp it as truth in the minds of these sim- 
ple negroes. 

George’s stay at Daitcho had been free from any 
unusual or surprising occurrences, except those cus- 
tomarily attendant upon the sojourn of a white man- 
in Africa. However, one of his experiences may be 
worthy of mention. Our camp had become so infested 
with fleas that he was unable to sleep in the zeriba 
at night; and so had acquired the habit of placing 
his bed without the palisade, taking care, however, 
to build a rousing fire near him to frighten away 
beasts of prey. I had left with him one of the 
puppies we had raised upon our journey; the other 
two we had taken along with us. It was the wont 
of this puppy to sleep at the foot of George’s bed. 
Upon one occasion, while George was sleeping with- 
out the palisade, a loud yelp from the pup awakened 
him. Leaping from his bed, he saw, by the light of 
the dying fire, a large hyena bearing his guardian 

Z 


338 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


away in its mouth. The daring of a hungry hyena 
is proverbial; so this adventure was not particularly 
surprising, especially when it is borne in mind that 
the natives of the Jombeni range leave their dead un- 
buried, thereby increasing the temerity of the hyena 
in the presence of man. 

Shortly after reaching the Rendile, I had received 
from Lomoro, the chief, a present of a small, shock- 
haired dog, of a species said to be owned in great 
numbers by the Rendile. I left this animal with 
George to replace the puppy stolen by the hyena. 
This creature, however, remained steadfast to the 
nomadic instincts imbued by the roving habits of the 
Rendile; and, after growing strong enough to walk, 
one fine day took himself off, never to return. 

George had heard no rumours whatever of the run- 
aways; so it seemed clear to me that Mohamadi and 
his party had made their way by the shortest route 
to the coast; however, he had the men who had 
deserted from us on the second day after Lieutenant 
von Hoéhnel and I had left Daitcho on our journey 
to the Rendile. These men had voluntarily returned 
to the camp at Daitcho, and said they were tired of 
marching and preferred camp life. This they con- 
sidered sufficient warranty for their desertion. 

During our stay in Daitcho, one event of some 
little interest occurred. About two o’clock one morn- 
ing the men on guard at one of the gates discharged 
their rifles, and upon running out we succeeded in 
capturing two natives. According to our pickets, 
these two men had endeavoured to steal past them, 
and enter the zeriba. They were armed after the 


VIII TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 339 


most approved manner of thugs. About the person 
and in the hands of each were six effective slung- 
shots, consisting of heavy stones bound to a leathern 
thong. Doubtless their purpose was robbery, and it 
was entirely owing to the watchfulness of our pickets 
that their capture was the only result of their visit. 
Of course, they denied all evil intention; but on 
the following day, after calling up the headmen of the 
Daitcho, we discovered that they were not members 
of that tribe, but, undoubtedly, were Embe. The 


i! 


l,! 
ii 
ANN 


MEN PLAYING CARDS IN CAMP 


headmen assured us that the presence of these men 
in the Daitcho country at that time of night was 
proof, to them at least, that they had not come on a 
mission of benevolence. We stripped them of their 
weapons, and sent them back as a warning to their 
people. 

On Monday, July 24, I set out, accompanied by 
eighteen porters, Karscho, my gun-bearer, and my 
two tent-boys, to rejoin Lieutenant von Hdéhnel at 
Lolokwi. On parting at Seran, I had promised to 
rejoin him there in fifteen days; and as I had, when 
setting out from Daitcho, seven days still remaining, 


340 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


I felt confident that by brisk marching I would be 
able to fulfil my promise. There was a marked dif- 
ference in the marching ability of the men who had 
been with us to the Rendile, and of those who had 
remained at Daitcho. The latter suffered excessively 
from thirst, although, for the first day and a half, we 
were never more than one hour without crossing a 
stream of some sort. Their feet were sore, and they 
evinced signs of fatigue after a short march. 

On the morning of July 26, two days from Dait- 
cho, we set out early, knowing that we had a long, 
waterless march between us and the Ngombe crater. 
I cautioned my men to be sparing in the use of the 
water in their bottles; and, not contenting myself with 
this, I halted at the end of each hour, and examined 
the quantity in the bottle of each man. I offered 
rewards for the men who would arrive at camp with 
a drop or two in their bottles, and promised punish- 
ment to those who should exhaust the three litres 
before reaching camp. These deterrents proved of 
no avail. Two hours after we had set out, the new 
recruits from Daitcho had exhausted every drop in 
their bottles; while those who had been with me to 
the Rendile had, by that time, not touched their water 
at all. It was pitiful to hear the foolish creatures who 
had exhausted their supply, not only begging, but offer- 
ing to purchase a draught from the bottles of their 
wiser Companions. 

By 2 p.m. two of my men were nearly dead with 
thirst; they were quite out of their minds, and raved 
continually. Their loads were taken away, and given 
to two men I had brought with me and permitted to go 


VIII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 341 


unladen in anticipation of such an emergency. Curi- 
ously enough, although they had, for the moment, 
become mad by reason of their thirst, their ravings 
bore no reference to water. They shouted, laughed, 
cracked jokes, and staggered along with pleasant faces; 
but their wild and staring eyes, their uncertain steps, 
and the rambling manner of their talk gave positive 
evidence of their condition. To these two men I 
served out all the water I carried for myself, as I had 
by this time become accustomed to march for many 
hours without liquid refreshment. I also distributed 
among the people a few sticks of sugar-cane, which I 
was conveying to Lieutenant von Hohnel as a present 
from the Daitcho. Although the men seemed _per- 
fectly aware that I was denying myself, to a certain 
extent, in giving them these things, they evinced no 
sign of gratitude; but, after the nature of their kind, 
accepted what I gave them in a greedy manner, and 
meanwhile commented on the small quantity each 
received. 

We continued the march, and by 6 p.m. reached the 
native trail leading from the Jombeni range to the 
Ngombe crater, when I halted to allow the caravan to 
close up. To induce them to move in more vigorous 
fashion, I had pressed on with all speed, accompanied 
by my two tent-boys. As soon as I was able to dis- 
cern the figures of my men approaching me along the 
side of the hill, I again set out, knowing that, after they 
reached the native trail, they would have no difficulty 
in arriving at the Ngombe crater. 

Shortly after sunset I had a rather disagreeable 
experience. I was striding along in the centre of the 


342 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


path, whistling, and my two tent-boys were engaged 
in eager conversation about twenty feet to my left 
and rear, when suddenly I heard Baraka shout, “ Yallah 
bwana mkubwa!” (For the love of God, master). 
As he shouted, I felt a sharp blow on my left side 
just over the pocket of my coat, and leaping quickly 
to one side, I ran on for two or three paces. Upon 
turning around, [ saw a snake rising out of the path 
which I had just left, with its head fully three feet 
from the ground. Its fierce eyes. shone in the light 
of the setting sun, and its neck was swollen out until 
it appeared to have the breadth of two hands. As I 
gazed, it slowly and noiselessly sank to the earth and 
disappeared from the path. I did not pursue it, prin- 
cipally for the reason that a shot fired after sunset 
was understood by my caravan to mean a signal of 
distress; and that would have resulted in my men 
throwing down their loads and running forward to 
meet me, thus delaying our arrival at the water. 

My escape from such a disagreeable death was most 
fortunate. Had it not been for the fact that I carried 
in the left-side pocket of my coat two strongly bound 
note-books, the fangs of the serpent would undoubt- 
edly have penetrated to my flesh, and judging from 
its size (the fact that it was able to raise its head a 
sufficient height to strike my pocket, proved its entire 
length could have been little short of six feet) death 
would have been practically instantaneous. Upon ex- 
amination, I found that the fangs had _ penetrated 
quite through one of the books, and: nearly through 
the outer covering of the other. It is strange how 
accustomed one becomes to disagreeable surprises 


vit TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 343 


after a stay of some months in Africa; and to this 
fact I attribute the indifference with which I treated 
the affair. My mind was filled with the necessity of 
reaching water, and sending back succour to the men 
who had gone out of their heads for the want of it; 
so, after a few exclamations of relief, and a hearty 
laugh over the adventure, I pressed on with my boys 
to our goal. 

Two hours after we reached our old camp on the 
side of the crater, all my men turned up except the 
two who were out of their minds, and one of their 
fellows who had remained behind to watch over 
them. 

On the trail to the crater I had noticed footprints ; 
consequently I expected to meet natives. I knew 
that not only the Embe visited that place for the 
purpose of getting the sulphate of magnesium, but 
also all the other tribes of the Jombeni range, and 
there was a degree of likelihood that we should meet 
a party of our old friends, the Wamsara. 

Immediately upon the arrival of my men, we 
entered the chasm which led to the interior of the 
crater. The moon was sufficiently high to lght us 
on our way, and I shall not soon forget the weird 
effect produced by its light, as we slowly and with 
difficulty wended our way over the stony bottom of 
the rift in the crater, whose walls rose high on both 
sides, and by their jagged outlines gave the effect of 
some medieval ruin. When suddenly we reached 
ehnevend of the rift, and the deep extent’ of the vast 
crater was exposed to view, illumined to its utmost 
bounds by the rays of the moon, the effect was almost 


344 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


supernatural. The circular sides of the interior cast 
no shadow, so that the bottom of the hollow stood 
out in all the perfection of its form. In the centre 
of the hollow gleamed, white and _ startling, the 
deposit of sulphate of magnesium. 

Owing to the depth of the crater, and the bright 
moonlight, we were unable to distinguish the fires, 
which we knew would be burning if natives were 
encamped there. Such is the distance of the crater 
from the last village of the Embe on the Jombeni 
range, that the natives visiting this spot are forced to 
spend the night in its hollow bottom. Not only do 
the natives imagine this crater to be inhabited by 
spirits of the most dreadful type, but long and _ pain- 
ful experience had taught them that the spot we had 
chosen for our camp, namely, the outer side of the 
crater, near the entrance, was infested with lions. For 
that reason they invariably passed the night at the 
bottom of the crater, where, for the purpose of safety, 
they had build a strong thorn zeriba. 

Upon reaching the edge of the crater, I sent Karscho, 
my gun-bearer, with all the men (except those who had 
remained behind with the two sufferers from thirst, and 
my two tent-boys) to the bottom, to get water. I told 
them to advance as noiselessly as possible, and procure 
their water, without arousing the natives, should they 
find any there; but if they should find natives in great 
number, who in any way proved hostile, they were to 
take what cover they could secure behind the rocks on 
the side of the crater opposite the entrance. If attacked, 
they were to fire upon the natives, who thereupon would 
flee up the other side, in my direction, and endeavour 


VIII TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 345 


to pass through the only means of egress, which I, with 
my Winchester, was perfectly capable of holding. 

After my men left me, I experienced a feeling of 
intensest loneliness, and my mind filled with a variety 
of anxious thoughts: first, for the men we had been 
forced to leave behind, who were so keenly suffering 
from thirst; next, of the possibility that my people, who 
had gone in search of water, might fall into the hands 
of enemies; then, of my personal safety, for I knew 
the spot was frequented by lions. My nerves were 
stretched to the utmost tension. I sat down, placed 
my back against the steep surface of a rock, and alter- 
nately gazed into the dark shadows which surrounded 
me, and the vast amphitheatre stretched at my feet. 

I sat thus occupied for perhaps a quarter of an hour, 
when I heard the well-known grumble of a lion in 
Search of prey. It is only in a: menagerie that the 
“king of beasts” expresses his hunger by means of 
roars. When in a state of nature, where the gratifica- 
tion of appetite is more dependent upon the degree 
of silence and skill with which prey is approached, the 
lion exercises greater self-control, but, fortunately, at 
no time sufficient to conceal his whereabouts. Instead 
of roars, he then gives vent to full-lunged, guttural sighs, 
which are emitted, not in rapid succession, but with 
sufficient pause between each to render their beginnings 
and endings remarkably distinct and effective. 

The noise of the footsteps of my men, as they de- 
scended the stony path leading to the bottom of the 
crater, satisfied, while it lasted, whatever curiosity my 
sense of hearing aroused. But, when I could no longer 
distinguish the noise of falling stones, and the groans 


346 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


and exclamations of the men, as they painfully made 
their descent, the presence of this other and far more 
ominous sound impressed itself with peculiar sudden- 
ness upon my mind. Although I both instinctively 
and instantaneously knew its import, I. could scarce 
credit my ears, until frequent repetition and increase in 
volume of the sound convinced me that the lion (for 
such it was) was approaching nearer and nearer. 

The shadows, which filled the rift in the side of the 
crater through which I had come, prevented me from 
distinguishing anything in that direction; and so, with 
all senses keenly alert, I turned my eyes to the surface 
lit by the moonlight. I even looked into the hollow 
of the crater stretched far below, where I could mo- 
mentarily distinguish gleams of light reflected back 
from the shining sides of the water-bottles carried by 
my men, who by that time were making their way across 
the bottom. 

The peculiar formation of the place rendered it diff- 
cult to fix the position of a sound with any degree of 
accuracy, but eventually I discovered that the lion 
was approaching me from above; and the rattle of slip- 
ping and falling stones soon led me to decide upon the 
direction from which to expect his coming. For a 
moment, I thought of firing a shot into the air to 
frighten him; but I at once realized that such a shot 
would be construed by my men in the crater as a sig- 
nal; and, in addition, would not only arouse the natives 
below, but interfere with the prompt procurement of 
water. But I was unable to remain quiet; so I seized 
stones from the ground at my feet, and hurled them 
vigorously in the direction from which I heard the lion 


VIII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 347 


coming. The grumbling noise ceased; and encouraged 
by this, I continued to throw stones in the same direc- 
tion, occasionally giving vent to a low-toned but vigorous 
shout. This game I continued until my arm was tired 
and my voice hoarse. No further sound came to me. 
At length I could distinguish the voices of my men, as 
they clambered up the side of the crater. When they 
had approached within hailing distance, I told them 
of the presence of the lion; and they at once began 
to shout, and beat their water-bottles, which probably 
had the desired effect, for we heard no more of his 
feline majesty. 

My men reported that they had found about seventy 
natives at the bottom of the crater, and that these, 
upon discovering their presence, had evinced every 
sign of terror; but upon learning who my men were, 
had assured them that they were Embe and our 
friends, and had presented my people with sugar- 
cane and yams. 

It was nearly one o'clock in the morning before the 
men who were suffering from thirst reached camp, and 
their thirst was not quenched until the two had drunk 
nine litres of this disagreeable water. They reached 
camp with recovered senses, but worn out and very 
feeble. Notwithstanding the fact that natives were 
in the immediate neighbourhood, we were so fatigued 
by the labours of the day that we went to sleep after 
starting camp-fires, without so much as detailing a 
single picket. 

The march was not resumed until late the follow- 
ing day, in order to give the sufferers from thirst an 
opportunity to recover fully. While we were waiting, 


348 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


a party of 100 natives appeared, mostly young and 
well-armed men. They had come from the mountains, 
and were provided with bags in which to take back 
sulphate of magnesium. Upon seeing us, they halted, 
and sent forward a few of their number to assure 
us of their good intentions with respect to our cara- 
van. They said they were Embe, but this was not 
the case, as the only language they spoke, even among 
themselves, was Masai; which proved them to have 
come from the Janjy country, in which many Masai 
have settled of recent years, since their cattle were 
destroyed by the plague. 

After having exchanged greetings with us, the old 
men, who appeared to be the leaders of the expedi- 
tion, advanced to the edge of the crater, and began 
to implore the protection of the spirit dwelling therein, 
raising their arms high in the air. While engaged 
in this prayer, the old men seemed very fervent; but 
their younger followers paid little attention to the vica- 
rious supplication, for during the prayer they chatted 
among themselves, and occasionally with some of my 
men. 

We reached the Guaso Nyiro at the place where 
we had left the loads of food on the former trip, and 
a search in the hiding-place revealed a fact we had 
suspected. Mohamadi had removed most of the flour, 
and what he did not take with him he had scattered on 
the ground. After crossing the Guaso Nyiro I found 
game plentiful; and was much interested in watching 
a lioness stalking a small herd of water-buck. She 
was 400 yards distant from me, but I could distinctly 
make out her movements with the aid of my field- 


VIII TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 349 


glasses. She trotted quietly along within forty or 
fifty paces of the herd, which was quietly feeding 
up-wind, and seemed unconscious of the proximity of 
the lioness. I, in my turn, stalked her carefully, but 
her senses were sufficiently alert to warn her of my 
approach, and she made off before I could get within 
300 yards. 

As we neared Lolokwi, the caravan was charged by 
a rhinoceros. One shot from my Winchester turned 
him, and another, reaching his heart, laid him low. 
I left some of the men to cut up the meat, and pushed 
on, in order to meet Lieutenant von Hdhnel before 
dark. I arrived at Lolokwi, where I met Lieutenant 
von Hohnel, on the evening of July 30, at eight o’clock 
—just fifteen days from the time we had parted. 

After he had reached Lolokwi, Lieutenant von 
Hohnel had made great efforts to secure guides; but 
his difficulties were increased by the fact that the 
Wanderobbo we had found there on our former visit 
had migrated. After days of search on the desert, he 
managed to fall in with some Wanderobbo, from among 
whom he procured guides, who promised to take us 
to their people at a place called Sayer, situated at the 
base of the Loroghi range, and about three days’ 
march distant. The disease which had destroyed our 
donkeys seemed by this time to have run its course, 
and we had twelve of these animals in the very best 
condition, 

The day after our arrival at Lolokwi I was pros- 
trated with fever, but owing to the small quantity of 
water there I was unable to make a stay, and was 
compelled to push on. After two days of tiring march- 


[) miQo 


Exe) THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


ing we reached the Guaso Nyiro at a point where it 
flows from the Leikipia plateau. There I rested two 
days, and nursed my fever, while Lieutenant von 
Hohnel and most of the men pushed on to Sayer. 
While I was encamped on the banks of the river, a 
party of Wanderobbo appeared on the opposite bank 
and begged for food; but as they were unwilling to 
cross the river for it, they received none. They said 
that they were and had for many days been starving; 
and that they had with them plenty of ivory, which 
they were anxious to exchange for beans and _ flour. 
They told me that there was a large force of Masai 
settled at a place called Kythere, who were possessed 
of vast flocks of goats and sheep, and many donkeys. 

On Tuesday, August 8, still suffering frorn fever, I 
was borne in a hammock to Sayer, where I found 
Lieutenant von Hodhnel and the rest of my men. 
The camp was surrounded by more than fifty Wan- 
derobbo, drawn thither by the fact that on the previ- 
ous day Lieutenant von Héhnel had killed two fine 
elephants, the tusks of the one weighing eighty-four 
and eighty pounds, and of the other, fifty and fifty- 
eight pounds. The Wanderobbo were absolutely starv- 
ing, and had not Lieutenant von Hohnel succeeded 
in killing these beasts, many of them would certainly 
have died. The country was literally alive with ele- 
phants; but these natives, fearing to spear them, trusted 
entirely to their traps, which the sagacity of the ele- 
phant frequently enabled him to avoid. 

These traps were made by placing across one of the 
elephant paths a rope which was attached to a weighted 
spear hung high overhead from the branch of a tree. 


VUI TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 351 


The rope, upon contact with the elephant’s leg, breaks, 
and down comes the spear. This is not often fatal. 
The spear is thickly smeared with poison, and is so 
hung that, when it drops, it will strike the elephant 


ne ip -te * US ‘a 
FEE ROTO ee 
ieee 7 Ex nip iy ad: 

bang ] Ly By a3) 


Y Bide 


SCENE ON THE GUASO NYIRO RIVER 


just behind the shoulders. All the natives of East 
Africa who use poisoned arrows or spears in the pur- 
suit of game, do not for a moment hesitate to eat the 
flesh of the animals thus poisoned; they are careful, 


however, to avoid that portion of the flesh immediately 
surrounding the wound. 


352 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


Our camp at Sayer was pitched in a beautiful spot, 
a little valley nestled between high and rugged hills. 
Through this valley there flowed a cold, sparkling 
stream, called Sayer, which rose on the Leikipia plateau, 
and emptied into the desert between mountains of the 
General Matthews range. On the banks of this stream 
we pitched our camp. The air was cool and bracing; 
in fact, in the early morning it very much reminded 
me of the cold air of the highlands of Scotland. 

Under the influence of this change of climate | 
rapidly recovered, and after a two days’ stay at Sayer 
I was quite myself again. While I was in a conva- 
lescent state, Lieutenant von Hohnel went out daily 
in search of elephants, but was not favoured with any 
luck. The bush in this part of the country is so thick 
that elephants, large though they be, are very difficult 
to find. 

One day the chief of the Wanderobbo tribe in the 
neighbourhood of Sayer came with his followers to see 
us. They gave us some delicious honey and a small 
tusk of ivory; then begged us for medicine to enable 
them to kill game. We took many photographs of 
these people; but they were among the number which 
turned out badly. They told us they had ivory to 
sell, and they hoped we would buy it. It was impos- 
sible to explain to them that I had no use for ivory, 
as all the traders they had previously met had shown 
their desire to get it; so I was not much surprised 
one day to find ten Wanderobbo approaching my camp, 
each bearing upon his shoulder a tusk. I gave them 
some tobacco, and told them I should be very glad to 
buy ivory, but that I had no means of transporting it, 


VIII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 353 


as all my men were needed to carry food. They said: 
“Buy the ivory, and leave it with us, and when you 
return, or send a man with some token to these parts, 
we will deliver it to him.” My Masai interpreters, 
who had traded with the Wanderobbo, said that, 
strange though it might seem, the Wanderobbo never 
broke their promises to traders; and if they sold a 
tusk to a man, they would keep it for him until he 
returned for it or sent some one with a recognized 
token. In former times the Wanderobbo used to sell 
ivory to traders in exchange for beads, wire, and 
cloth, which they in turn exchanged with the Masai 
for cattle, goats, and sheep; but since the plague had 
destroyed the flocks of the Masai, and dispersed the 
people, the Wanderobbo, in place of beads, wire, and 
cloth, demanded sheep, goats, flour, and beans. 

The trading is carried on in this peculiar manner: 
Upon the arrival of a caravan at a Wanderobbo vil- 
lage, presents are showered upon the natives, and the 
question is then asked: “Have you ivory?” The 
natives usually tell the truth, and state whether or 
not they have ivory; but sometimes they conceal the 
fact, as they are often indebted to the traders, and 
keep the tusks for them until they return. The ivory, 
unless very small, is not taken to their villages, but 
is buried where the elephant fell. If the native asks 
for a present, before he will show the whereabouts of 
the ivory, it is an indication that the tusks are large; 
in which case he gets a gift of wire, beads, or food, 
both before and after bringing the ivory. When the 
presents have been given (among which tobacco is a 


sine gua non), then, and not until then, trade begins. 
2A 


354 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


The Wanderobbo were particularly anxious to get 
donkeys, as they used these animals to carry the 
meat slain by their young men to the villages. Two 
or three of the more energetic younger members of 
the village asked me to give them special medicine 
that would enable them to kill elephants; and to 
humour them I mixed a noxious potion of milk, 
Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and salt. The pecul- 
iarity of the flavour of this mixture seemed to satisfy 
them of its efficacy, and smilingly they departed on 
their way. 

Daily we asked the Wanderobbo for guides to the 
north; but they implored that before leaving them 
we should kill elephants, and supply their women 
and children with food; which done, they promised 
to supply us with guides well acquainted with the 
road. With this end in view, Lieutenant von Hé6h- 
nel, with five men, set out in one direction, while I, 
taking twelve, went in another. 

For the first two hours of our march from the 
camp at Sayer our road lay through rugged and steep 
hills, clad with thorn bush; but at length we reached 
the wide valley stretching between the Loroghi range 
on one side and the General Matthews range on the 
other. On our left at a distance of five miles was 
Loroghi. Here its face was abrupt and wooded, with 
its top towering 10,000 feet above the sea. On our 
right stood the peaks of the General Matthews range, 
— Gerguess, Lasuran, Malon, and Merkeben, — some 
of them 13,000 feet high. They stretched in a long 
and unbroken line to the north, and ended in a blue 
point which my guides informed me was Mount Nyiro. 


vill TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 355 


The distance from Sayer to Nyiro could be traversed 
in six days. Knowing, as I did, that Nyiro lay within 
sight at Lake Rudolph, and that the Turcana with 
their camels and donkeys lived in the immediate 
neighbourhood of that lake, it was with feelings of 
impatience that I realized that we were not on our 
march in that direction, but were wasting valuable 
time in order to satisfy the hunger of the Wande- 
robbo, before being able to induce them to provide us 
with guides. 

At 5 p.m. I reached a village of the Wanderobbo 
called Bugoi from a stream of that name, which flows 
from the Loroghi range past the village. At first 
sight this village was similar to any encampment in 
East Africa. It was surrounded by a strong thorn 
zeriba, and around the inner side of the enclosure 
were erected small grass huts. But it differed from 
others that we had heretofore seen. It was not sur- 
rounded by plantations; there were no storehouses 
for food; no. flocks or herds 'pastured near it, and 
animal existence was represented by a group of small 
and emaciated donkeys, possibly eighteen in number, 
which fed in a listless manner upon the scant herb- 
age which the plain afforded. Upon our arrival at 
the village, although they had been notified of our 
coming, no reception was accorded us. We were 
allowed to pitch our camp in their immediate neigh- 
bourhood, send for water, cut wood, and make all 
preparations for the night, ere a single visitor be- 
trayed by his presence any interest in our actions. 

The first man who emerged from the village, and 
came to my tent, was perhaps fifty years of age, ema- 


356 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


ciated to a startling degree, his flesh clinging with 
grim tenacity to his bones, and his movements halt- 
ing and weak. He assisted himself with a long staff. 
Upon reaching my tent, he seated himself upon the 
ground, crossed his hands over his stomach, and with 
an appealing look hoarsely muttered the words, “ Njo 
njirr” (Give me meat) Some of my men were 
engaged in cooking strips of giraffe meat, and bits 
of the hide of that animal were lying about the camp 
drying, to be made into sandals. I told my men to 
give him some of their food, which they did. He 
seized it like a vulture, and, raw as it was, he vora- 
ciously devoured it. Having begged in vain for more 
of the raw meat, he turned to the bits of partly dried 
hide, and begged piteously for them. Throughout 
this scene my ears were assailed with the wailing 
cries coming from a neighbouring zeriba, and the 
sounds of hammering. Upon asking what these 
sounds meant, I was told by my visitor that they 
were caused by the breaking up of dried bones; while 
the cries came from the starving people begging for 
their share of the feast. Our guest told us that with 
the exception of two or three fortunate hunters, who 
had succeeded in killing a small wart hog, none of 
the members of the village (numbering too souls) had 
tasted food for ten days. Startling though his state- 
ment seemed, his appearance seemed to warrant it. 
At length the old man returned to his people; and 
as soon as it became known that he had succeeded 
in obtaining food, the entire village came out and 
surrounded my camp. The inhabitants consisted of 
people ranging from fifty years of age down to babies 


VIII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 357 


of a few months. With the exception of four or five 
youths, the entire community seemed mere bags of 
skin and bones. Their voices were hoarse, their eyes 
sunken far within their sockets, and their lips tightly 
drawn over their teeth; but even in that emaciated 
condition they seemed to enjoy the pleasures of con- 
versation, and exchanged remarks and jokes upon the 
appearance of myself and my men. 

The headman of the village, called “ Leguinan” (a 
Masai word, meaning leader), came to me, and after 
cheerfully expectorating in my face (an act which the 
Masai, Wanderobbo, and kindred tribes consider the 
best testimony of their deep admiration and _friend- 
ship), proceeded to inform me of the starving con- 
dition of his people, and prayed that I would lend 
my powerful aid in supplying them with food. This 
meant elephant, for the flesh of the elephant is the 
favourite and staple food of these people. They will 
eat anything which they can procure; but they pre- 
fer the elephant, because it has more flesh on it, and 
the killing of one of these beasts means tons of meat. 
I told them I had come to. them for the purpose of 
providing them with food, and hoped that on the 
morrow they would guide me to a place where | 
would find many elephants; but this proposition did 
mot seem to meet the views of the, Leguinan of the 
Wanderobbo. He noticed that we had a good supply 
of food for our men; and before setting out upon a 
journey, for the purpose of finding what possibly we 
might not get, he thought it much better that he and 
his tribe should be furnished with food from our 
stores. He said that he had made bad medicine for 


358 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


the last two or three days, and that he had divined 
from his medicine that the elephants would be wary 
in the extreme, so that all efforts to kill them would 
meet with ill success. A long and patient talk ensued 
(I being the contributor of most of the patience); and 
this resulted in a promise that the Leguinan and the 
more active of his tribe would set out with me shortly 
after midnight for the purpose of finding elephant. 
He said his medicine had told him that we should 
find none; but if I told him that my medicine would 
produce these beasts, he was willing to undergo what 
appeared to him unnecessary exertion. Neither my 
men nor myself got much sleep that night. The 
starving natives spent the entire night in songs and 
prayers for our success on the morrow. The ham- 
mering sounds continued several hours after sunset, 
and when they finally ceased, I realized that even 
the last bone in the camp was gone, and that it rested 
with me and my fortune in hunting to keep these 
poor people from death by starvation. 

The next day, Thursday, August 17, I awoke at 
four o’clock, and found standing in front of my tent 
a band of Wanderobbo, who had been there for some 
time, waiting to act as guides on the elephant hunt. 
Most of them were youths. All of them were armed 
with bows and arrows, and each carried an elephant 
spear, which they called “Bonati.” This spear is 
six feet in length, thick at either end, and narrowed 
where grasped by the hand. In one end is bored a 
hole, into which is fitted an arrow two feet long, as 
thick as one’s thumb, and with a head two inches 
broad. Their method of killing elephants is to creep 


VIII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 359 


cautiously up to the beast, and drive a spear into its 
loin. A quick twist separates the spear from the 
arrow, and they make off as fast and silently as pos- 
sible. In all cases the arrows are poisoned; and if 
they are well introduced into the animal’s body, the 
elephant does not go far. The Wanderobbo are 
‘much afraid of elephants; but, despite this fact, hun- 
ger drives them to approach within striking distance 
of these animals, and their lives depend upon the 
agility and silence of their retreat after striking. I 
had in all about thirty guides accompanying me, 
each bearing in his hand a torch. The torch was 
for the purpose of taking the chill off the air, and 
warming their bodies. They were clad in short 
cloaks similar to those worn by the warriors on the 
Jombeni range; and excepting this cloak and their 
sandals, they were naked. 

ietook five of my men, and set out’ with the 
guides towards Loroghi. Our path lay among stunted 
thorn bushes; and as it was lighted by only the 
torches of the Wanderobbo guides and _ the stars, 
progress was extremely slow. Just at sunrise we 
reached a delightful spring, where I halted, and sent 
back two of my men to the people I had left at the 
Wanderobbo village, with instructions for them to 
come on to this point and make camp. Having done 
this, we continued the march for three hours more. 
My guides were perfectly silent; and, spurred on by 
hunger, their patience appeared to be put to extreme 
tension by the slow, steady rate at which I ad- 
vanced. At length we reached a small gneiss hill, 
which I climbed, and from its top scanned the sur- 


360 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


rounding country, in the hope of seeing an elephant. 
My guides took no interest whatever in this action, 
and refused to climb the hill. Upon my return they 
asked me whether I had seen elephants. I said, 
“No.” “Have you heard elephants?” I said, “ No.” 
“Come,” said they, “let us waste no more time; we 
have heard them, and there is a large herd not far 
from us.” I bore in mind the fact that the Le- 
guinan had assured me the day before that his medi- 
cine had told him we should not find elephants; and 


SOME OF MY MEN WITH IVORY 


I felt that as I had assured him that my medicine 
was sufficient to produce these animals, it would be 
somewhat impolitic to set off in the direction indi- 
cated by these guides. So I refused to do so, and 
returned to the vantage point at the top of the hill. 

There can be no doubt that, though civilization 
can accentuate certain more or less artificial sensa- 
tions, it does not increase the faculties of sight, hear- 
ing, and smell. Upon my return to the top of the 
hill, I took with me the Leguinan, and asked him in 
what direction he had heard the elephants. He indi- 
cated by pointing. With my field-glasses I was un- 


VIII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 361 


able to distinguish anything in the direction he 
pointed, and so told him. He seemed much disap- 
pointed, and by his actions appeared to lose a degree 
of his faith in my power as a medicine-man. I satis- 
fied myself by telling him that we should undoubtedly 
find elephants on that day. I told him we would go 
where he indicated, and if we did not find any there, 
we certainly should find them elsewhere during the 
day. This seemed to please him, and we all set out. 
Before doing so, the natives removed their sandals 
and cloaks, and those armed with bows laid them 
aside. Their right hands grasped their elephant 
spears, while in their left they carried an extra ele- 
phant arrow. Two of the men, supposed to be the 
best hunters of the tribe, preceded me, and we ad- 
vanced silently and swiftly toward the bushes, where 
these people assured me they had both heard and 
seen elephants. After going on for an hour and a 
half, we entered the bush, and there saw fresh signs 
of elephants. Then we stopped. 

The country for some miles from the base of the 
Loroghi range is covered with dense scrub, thorns, 
and bush, which is intersected by elephant trails run- 
ning in all directions. These paths are wide under 
foot, and the marching is not bad; but at a height 
of three feet from the ground the bushes reach over 
and meet, thus making progress in an upright position 
impossible; one must creep along almost on one’s 
knees. The naked savages pass silently, and with suf- 
ficient rapidity, but I, with my thick boots and can- 
vas coat, could not move without noise and difficulty. 
Owing to the dense growth of bushes, it was impos- 


362 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


sible to see more than twenty or thirty feet from 
where one stood, in any direction but skyward; so the 
natives appeared to be guided more by sound than 
sight. 

Elephants break the bushes when feeding, occasion- 
ally trumpeting softly through their trunks, thereby 
making a sound similar to the loud purr of a cat; so 
that a hunter possessed of a keen sense of hearing 
can fix the position of the brute by sound, and need 
not depend upon sight. Unfortunately my sense of 
hearing is none too acute; so I depended entirely 
upon the two natives, who preceded me, to show me 
the whereabouts of the elephant. After informing me 
of the position of the brutes, and satisfying themselves 
that I knew of their whereabouts, most of the Wan- 
derobbo halted, and I was left with my two gun-bearers 
and two guides. I had also taken with me Felix, the 
fox-terrier, and his two puppies, the latter by this 
time grown sufficiently to follow us on the march. 
As soon as we came upon the fresh signs of ele- 
phants, these three dogs had commenced to whine 
and evince such excitement, that I left them in charge 
of the Wanderobbo who remained behind, and pushed 
on without them. We moved on steadily for half an 
hour, when my guides suddenly stopped, their eyes 
blazing with suppressed excitement, and pointed to a 
small opening fifty feet away. There in the opening 
I saw a good-sized elephant. When satisfied that I 
had seen the elephant, my guides silently and swiftly 
disappeared. It was standing broadside on, and all 
but its head and ears and the highest portion of its 
back was concealed by the thick growth. I was armed 


vill TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 363 


with a 577. I took careful aim at the outer edge of 
the huge ear of the beast, and discharged my rifle. 
As soon as the smoke cleared sufficiently to permit 
me to get another sight, I fired the second barrel. 
The sound of the report had scarcely died away, when 
a dreadful crashing and trumpeting was heard, and 
straight at me through the bush came—I knew not 
what. I turned for another rifle, but both gun-bearers 
had fled, and I was alone with an empty rifle. No, 
not alone; for Felix, the fox-terrier, had by some means 
escaped from the men who held him, and there stood 
by my side, his ears pricked to attention, and his tail 
trembling with excitement. All this occurred in a 
few seconds, and I had scarcely realized my helpless 
condition, when I saw five elephants rushing at me, 
and not more than fifteen feet distant. I leaped to 
one side, and in so doing pierced my arm and shoul- 
der with some thorns, which gave me such pain that 
I stopped, and expected that in a second I should be 
trampled under foot. What was my surprise at this 
moment to see Felix, fired with ardour for the chase, 
dash straight at the foremost elephant, and, leaping 
upon him, bite vigorously at some portion of his body, 
all the while barking in his most vigorous manner. 
The brutes at once halted, and with a scream of fright 
turned sharply to the right, and—I was saved. I 
had two extra cartridges in my pocket; but, as I had 
expected to seize a freshly loaded rifle, I had not at 
first attempted to place them in my weapon. Now 
that I had time for thought, I slipped one in, and got 
a shot at the head of the rear elephant, as it disap- 
peared in the bush, not six feet from me: 1 do not 


364 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


think sixty seconds elapsed between my first and 
third shots. Had Felix not rushed at the elephants, 
I think I am truthful in saying that I should have 
been crushed to death. After a few moments, and 
some vigorous shouting on my part, the two gun- 
bearers turned up, full of excuses, which I accepted, 
having no alternative. 

After a short search I found that my two shots 
had proved effective, 
lying on its side, though not yet dead. As we ap- 
proached it, it endeavoured to rise, and reached for us 
with its trunk. As a precautionary measure, and 


a: large female elephant was 


also to end its misery, I seized a Mannlicher, which 
one of my gun-bearers carried, and discharged it 
point-blank at the forehead of the elephant. Its lie 
fled. 

It is supposed that a shot at the forehead of 
an elephant cannot be attended with decisive re- 
sults. Many men have told me that even a shot 
from an eight-bore rifle has proved inadequate to 
stop the rush of an elephant, when made at its fore- 
head. However, I have met an English gentleman, 
Mr. Frank Cooper, who had killed an elephant in 
Africa with a .50 Winchester, shooting the animal 
through the forehead; and the force of the bullet 
was sufficient not only to penetrate the vast quantity 
of bone which defends the elephant’s brain in front, 
but after passing through this bone and the brain, 
it shattered the rear wall of the brain-pan. 

It took more than an hour to reassemble my scat- 
tered men and the natives. According to their own 
story, the Wanderobbo ran at least a mile upon 


VIII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 365 


hearing the first shot. My Masai interpreter told 
me he did not move, but added that on the next 
occasion he would; for while standing at the edge 
of the elephant path, he suddenly became aware that 
a herd of elephants was approaching him at a tre- 
mendous rate of speed. He at once threw himself 
into the sharp thorn-bush on the side of the path, 
braving the pain it inflicted rather than the onslaught 
of the beasts. He managed to get perhaps three feet 
from the path into the thick thorns, by the time the 
leading elephant arrived at the place where he was 
standing. There the elephant stopped, and began to 
search for him with its trunk; and finally, having sat- 
isfied itself of his whereabouts, reached for him. He 
had his sandals in his hand; and being unable to 
move on account of the thorns, as the trunk of the 
elephant neared him, he instinctively held out the 
sandals, which were promptly seized. The sandals 
seemed to satisfy the curiosity of the beast; for hav- 
ing taken them with its trunk, it dashed them to the 
ground, and trampled upon them. Then with a 
loud trumpeting of rage it passed down the path, 
followed by its fellows, leaving Hassan (the inter- 
preter) greatly terrified, and offering thanks to Allah 
for his escape. 

When the natives found I had killed a large ele- 
phant, their joy knew no bounds. They one and all 
dashed at it, and plunged their spears into its life-. 
less carcass. They sang and danced upon it, and in 
every possible manner testified their joy. After these 
mirthful capers, the Leguinan of the Wanderobbo 
said to me that one elephant was not sufficient for 


366 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


the wants of his people, and he wished I would set 
out at once and kill more; so I took five of their 
number, and again went into the bush. We had not 
been five minutes away from the spot where I had 
just slain the elephant, and from which we could 
hear shouts and all sorts of human noises, when I 
was surprised to hear loud trumpeting not thirty feet 
away from me. At the sound my five guides left 
me, and I whispered to my gun-bearers that they 
must stand by me. 

We cautiously peered through the bush, and I could 
see the outlines of an enormous male elephant, armed 
with beautiful tusks, and standing broadside to me, 
with his trunk raised high in the air, as if trying to 
find us. I aimed directly at his shoulder, and fired; 
then, waiting until the smoke cleared, I fired my sec- 
ond barrel. Again the dreadful trumpeting and crack- 
ing of bush. I could see nothing, but I hastened to 
throw myself out of the path, and my example was 
speedily followed by my gun-bearers. We had scarcely 
done so, when seven elephants passed within one foot 
of our prostrate forms. This was hot work, and I 
began to think the game was not worth the candle. 
Owing to the dense bush, I could not see more than 
one beast at a time, but there always seemed to be 
nearly six or seven. As soon as I fired, they dashed 
rapidly down-wind, and, as one goes up-wind to get 
elephants, I was always directly in their path. The 
range is so close that there is not time to reload; 
and even if one does reload, the brutes are upon one 
ere aim can be taken and a shot fired. It is most 
dangerous work, but exhilarating. 


VIII TRAVELS [MN EASTERN AFRICA 367 


When the elephants passed by, I went on, and 
found plenty of blood, but no elephant. We searched 
about in the bush, and finding no further signs I de- 
cided to go farther and try again. My guides returned 
in a moment, and were much disappointed at learning 
that there was no meat for them; but upon my assur- 
ance of more success another time, we again set out 
—always, of course, up-wind. After a lapse of about 
twenty minutes, we reached a place where the bush 
was more open; and there I suddenly came upon a 
herd of six elephants, standing in a line and placidly 
feeding. I wished to kill the largest of the six, and, 
in order to get a good shot at him, it was necessary 
for me to make a slight change in my position. As 
I was doing so, the entire herd became conscious of 
my proximity, and charged down-wind, but fortunately 
in single file. I had time to leap to one side, and 
fire, but at such close range that the barrel of my 
rifle touched the hide of the animal I shot at. There 
was no apparent result; so, being tired out with the 
work of the day, I returned to the first elephant we 
had killed, and, taking the tusks, returned to camp, 
which I reached after dark. The next morning after 
dawn all the men of the Wanderobbo village who were 
able to walk, together with seventeen donkeys, passed 
our camp on their way to get the meat. The don- 
keys carried curious saddles. They consisted of a net 
like a snowshoe, made of strips of skin stretched on 
an oval frame, one for each side. These were held 
in place by straps, and between them was piled the 
meat. 

I followed them to the elephant, which by this time 


308 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


had been entirely cut up by the natives who accom- 
panied me on the previous day. They had built huge 
fires, and worked the entire night. The Wanderobbo 
eat all parts of the elephant except the skull—the 
skin, bones, sinews, intestines, and all. The natives 
had found another elephant dead, probably the one I 
last fired at; so I had succeeded in getting two of 
the four I had attempted to kill. The second ele- 
phant had but small tusks. 

Upon reaching the place where the Wanderobbo 
had piled the meat taken from the carcasses of the 
elephants, the women gave vent to pzeans of joy, and, 
like hyenas, seized bits of the raw meat, which they 
devoured with avidity. I took some guides, and again 
went in search of elephants, but found none; and re- 
turned to camp thoroughly tired out. From these 
three days’ constant marching my feet were very sore; 
so I spent forty-eight hours in rest. 

From our camp at Sayer we had taken but suff- 
cient food to last two days; so I was now forced to 
subsist entirely upon bits of elephant heart, which I 
found to be quite a delicacy, when roasted upon the 
end of a sharp stick. All other parts of the elephant 
I have tried, and all but this portion I found unpala- 
table; but the heart is a fine morsel, and reminded 
me somewhat of a mince pie. 

On the evening of the second day of my rest, the 
Leguinan of the Wanderobbo village appeared with 
some of his followers, and said that on the following 
day he would take me to a place near by, full of 
elephants, which were not nearly so difficult to shoot 
as those we had last taken. He frankly told me 


VII TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 369 


that his people never for a moment thought of ven- 
turing into the place where they had cheerfully taken 
me a few days before. They said that, owing to the 
thorns, their retreat had been almost impossible; but 
at the place where they were about to take me there 
were very few thorns, and the cover was so thick 
that one might approach quite close to the elephants 
without being discovered. My experiences in ele- 
phant hunting had not been such as to render me 
very confident of my ability either to kill or to escape 
those I had not wounded; so with anything but 
a light heart, I agreed to set out in search of further 
game. These poor people seemed so much in need 
of meat that I could not resist their importunate 
entreaties for assistance in procuring it. 

One of the men who came with the Leguinan said 
that he had been shooting with Lieutenant von 
Héhnel two days before, and that Lieutenant von 
Hohnel had had a very narrow escape. The story 
of the event was as follows: he had shot a fine cow 
elephant three times in the head, and it dropped. 
He advanced toward it, and when he was quite close, 
the elephant, with a scream, arose and charged. He 
presented his rifle, which the elephant seized, and 
broke to pieces, Lieutenant von Hodhnel escaping by 
a miracle. The infuriated beast then seized and de- 
stroyed two of the water-bottles, which the frightened 
porters had dropped. The elephant, having satisfied 
itself with this revenge, made off. 

At the time I heard the story, I doubted its truth, 
but the narrator swore to its credibility. 


On Sunday, August 20, I set out with five Wan- 
2B 


370 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


derobbo. We marched one hour; then I called a 
halt, as our guides said their brethren were en route 
to Bugoi from their village. In half an hour they 
appeared, and then we all entered the bush together. 
This place was called Bugoi, and is situated upon the 
banks of the stream which eventually flows past 
the Wanderobbo village. Close to the borders of 
the stream the valley was quite clear of bush; else- 
where there was a dense growth, but, happily, free 
from thorns. This place is the favourite hunting- 
ground of the Wanderobbo. The thick cover enables 


DONKEYS CROSSING DRY RIVER-BED 


them to get close to their quarry, while the absence 
of thorns makes flight painless and easy. Where I 
hunted a few days before, it is deemed by the na- 
tives too dangerous for any but the most expert; 
but of this fact the natives thoughtfully did not 
apprise me until after I had been there. 

We walked to a small savannah, and then sat 
down to watch for signs. Soon, with the aid of my 
glasses, I saw a fine bull about rooo yards away. 
He was in the midst of a dense, growth, and the 
wind was very shifty and treacherous, so that I felt 
uncertain how to approach him. Upon telling the 


VIII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 371 


Leguinan that I had seen an elephant, he stood and 
prayed to Ngai that the day’s operations might be 
crowned with success. A few of his followers joined 
him in prayer; but most of them tried their spears 
on imaginary tuskers, thrusting them into the air 
and recovering bravely. The prayer finished, I went 
forward with fifteen men, while the rest disappeared 
in the bush. At the end of an hour, I came in sight 
of a good-sized bull, standing upon the steep edge 
of the slope of Loroghi. 

There was a valley about 500 yards in width between 
my position and that of the elephant, and, the wind 
being so shifty and uncertain, I felt that approach in 
his direction would be attended with unsatisfactory 
results. I knew the Mannlicher would carry 500 
yards with accuracy, and, as the elephant was in full 
view, standing with his back towards me, I got a very 
fair shot. The bullet struck him, for he sharply turned 
in our direction, raised his trunk, and then quickly 
lowered it to the ground; which signified that he 
had become aware of our position, and was prepared 
to charge. 

I have never seen an elephant charge with its trunk 
in the air. If the trunk is poised in the air, it indi- 
cates that the animal is not quite certain of the where- 
abouts of its tormentors; but when satisfied of the 
direction in which it must go, the trunk is lowered, 
and the charge follows. 

As this bull lowered his head, I gave him a shot 
in the forehead, which knocked him down. He rose 
again, and charged straight at us. I had great hopes 
of getting him, and endeavoured to induce the natives 


372 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


to remain quiet until he should again come in sight; 
for, as he had disappeared in the intervening valley, 
I could not catch another glimpse of him until he had 
reached a point almost upon us. But the eagerness 
of the natives was so great that they were unable to 
control themselves. Upon seeing him approach, they 
set up a cry as to which portion of him each of them 
should get. This frightened the elephant, and he 
turned off, and did not reappear. I went after him, 
and saw more elephants at a great distance; but was 
unable to get near them, as the other Wanderobbo 
were yelling all about us in the bush, and they suc- 
ceeded in making all the animals take to flight. 

I was able with the aid of my glasses to see and 
count eighty elephants in view at one time. I do not 
know whether the elephant is disappearing with great 
rapidity from other parts of the world; but I think I 
am safe in asserting that it will be many years before 
they are driven from the shelter of the bush near 
Loroghi. 

Before leaving camp in the morning, I had instructed 
my men to move it to the neighbourhood of the Bugoi 
stream. Just before sunset I found them encamped 
near a village of the Wanderobbo, who had moved 
farther up-stream, in the hope of being nearer the 
elephants they felt confident I should kill. On my 
way to the village I heard that some of the Wande- 
robbo had succeeded in killing two elephants. When 
this fact was announced to their women, they set up 
a scream of joy, and danced about with delight. The 
Wanderobbo who live upon elephant meat have no 
fixed abode, but rear habitations in any place where 


VIII TRAVELS IM EASTERN AFRICA 373 


they are likely to find elephants, and move from one 
place to another, as the wanderings of the herd of 
elephants may dictate. 

Up to this time I had met three types of Wan- 
derobbo: (1) Those that lived near the plains, and 
subsisted upon antelopes, zebras, and giraffes; (2) those 
that hid upon the sides or tops of mountains, and 
lived upon honey and such game as they caught in 
their traps; (3) those at Bugoi, who had no beehives, 
and lived entirely upon the flesh of elephants, which 
they sometimes entrapped, but oftener succeeded in 
slaying with their spears. 

The Wanderobbo, as a race, are a low type of natives. 
The true Wanderobbo has nothing to commend him; 
but, owing to the fact that some Masai and Berkenedji 
have mixed with them, a cross has been produced, 
which is much more vigorous and better developed 
physically than the pure strain of Wanderobbo. Whom 
the Wanderobbo sprang from will probably never be 
definitely known; but much evidence points to the 
opinion that they were the original inhabitants of 
what is now called Masai Land. As the Masai in- 
creased in numbers, and extended the sphere of their 
influence, they slew or drove to the mountain tops 
all the former possessors of the soil. From the fact 
that the Wanderobbo prefer starvation to cultivation, 
one might suppose they were a pastoral people, and 
unaccustomed to tilling the soil. 

All of them with whom I came in contact spoke 
the Masai language; but it was stated by my Masai 
interpreters that the Wanderobbo had a language of 
their own, which they used among themselves. This 


374 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


I cannot vouch for. Love of freedom and _ laziness 
are the only apparent inducements which cause the 
Wanderobbo to lead their precarious life. They im- 
pressed me as being more like wild animals than 
men. Restraint of the slightest nature they could 
not brook; and although they readily admitted the 
advantages accruing from cultivation of the soil, they 
flatly refused to have anything to do with such work, 
notwithstanding the fact that I offered them hoes 
and seeds, and told them how to plant and cultivate. 

Later, during my journey, two of these people at- 
tached themselves to my caravan, and from them I 
gathered some idea of their mode of life. In the 
rainy season, when the bees make no honey, and the 
able-bodied men are unable, on account of the moist- 
ure, to use their bows with effect, they have but one 
means left for supporting life. This is, for some one 
to climb a tree, or ascend some high hill, and there 
watch for vultures. When they see these birds cir- 
cling about and finally descending to the earth, word 
is sent to the village, and all sally forth in search of 
food. They will eat anything in the shape of meat, 
be its state of putrefaction what it may; and I was 
told that they frequently battled with hyenas and 
vultures for the remains of the carcass of some beast, 
slain by a hon or other animal, long after an ordi- 
nary human being would be willing to approach 
within 100 yards of it. 

From the Masai who had settled among the Wan- 
derobbo I gathered the following information con- 
cerning the dispersal of the Masai, after the plague 
had destroyed their flocks and herds. When_ the 


VIII TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 375 


cattle began to die, those villages which first suffered 
from this cause banded and raided their more fortu- 
nate neighbours. Thus there sprung up an inter- 
necine war, which destroyed nearly all the warriors 
inhabiting the country of the Masai north of Kili- 
manjiro. According to my informants, there were 
but two bands of Masai at that time in all this terri- 
tory. One of these two bands, by far the larger, 
occupied a place called Kinangop, lying to the north 
of Lake Naiwasha. This division of the Masai was 
called the Leburego. They had proved most success- 
ful in the wars following upon the death of the cattle, 
and at this time they had sufficient sheep and goats 
to support life. 

Another party of Masai, occupying three villages, 
and numbering perhaps 4000 in all, settled with the 
Kythere people, who inhabited a portion of the coun- 
try lying between the Jombeni range and Mount 
Kenya. The latter, besides having sheep and goats, 
sustained life by small cultivation of the soil, and 
were fast becoming merged in the people whom they 
joined. However, they retained their racial charac- 
teristic of ferocity to such an extent that traders 
dared not visit them. With these Masai at Kythere 
were two bands of Wanderobbo, who were very suc- 
cessful elephant-hunters. From the fact that they 
had no opportunity of disposing of their ivory to 
traders, they were at this time supposed to have vast 
stores of ivory in their possession, and likely to prove 
a prize to the first visiting caravan. 

Besides these two large bands of Masai, numbers 
of women and little children, who had survived the 


376 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


famine, joined the people on the Jombeni range (not- 
ably the Wamsara and Janjy), and some had merged 
themselves with the inhabitants of Kikuyu and 
Ukambani. I was struck by the fact that the vast 
plains of the Leikipia plateau were deserted by all 
but a few bands of Wanderobbo, who wandered over 
them in search of game. Owing to the good pastur- 
age afforded by this country, it seems probable to me 
that when the Rendile learn that it is uninhabited, 
they may be tempted to move thither with their 
camels; for the place they occupied at this time was 
a mere desert in comparison with the Leikipia plateau. 

From the Wanderobbo whom I had seen I gath- 
ered by a rough estimate that the total number of 
their tribe inhabiting the country between the head- 
waters of the Mackenzie River and the Lorian 
Swamp and the Loroghi range could not exceed 500. 

From the reports of travellers who had visited the 
Masai before the dispersal of that tribe, various esti- 
mates of the total number of Masai had been made, 
some stating, as the result of their information, that 
there were at least 2,000,000. I very much doubt if, 
even when they were most numerous, the total num- 
ber of Masai ever exceeded 200,000 to 300,000; and 
these figures do not seem to me a _ low estimate. 
Now that the British occupy the Uganda, and a rail- 
way is in course of construction between that coun- 
try and the coast, which passes through Masai Land, 
and will undoubtedly prove a great check upon the 
marauding instincts of these people, I think it likely 
that not many years will pass before they lose their 
present characteristics and are forced to settle down 


VIII TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 307. 


and cultivate the soil, like the other and less inter- 
esting natives inhabiting East Africa. 

The day following my last hunt at Bugoi I re- 
turned to Sayer. Lieutenant von Hohnel had already 
returned from an unsuccessful shooting expedition. 
The adventure related to me by one of the natives 
I found to have this shadow of foundation. Lieu- 
tenant von Hohnel had seen one large cow elephant, 
and had shot her twice in the head with a Mann- 
licher; but each time he aimed at her she moved 
her head so that he was unable to reach the brain. 
Having received two shots, the elephant charged 
directly at Lieutenant von Hohnel, who was attended 
by five men. These men scattered in all directions, 
one of them dropping his tin water-bottle, while the 
elephant, after stepping upon it, and trying to destroy 
it, passed on, and disappeared in the bush. 

Although Lieutenant von Hohnel and I had at 
this place killed four elephants, we had not thoroughly 
satisfied the hunger of the poor Wanderobbo; so we 
decided to take one more trip, and, if possible, kill 
sufficient game to satisfy their wants for at least a 
short time; after which we were to set out for the 
north. 

During my absence Lieutenant von Hohnel had 
discovered the source of the Sayer River to be a 
small lake called Lilley, situated on the top of the 
Leikipia plateau. 


CHAPTER: Ex 


On August 23, Lieutenant von Hdédhnel and _ J, 
with twenty-five men and six donkeys, went to the 
top of the Loroghi range, called by the natives 
Subugo (forest) The Leikipia plateau stretches 
in a southwesterly direction as far as the eye can 
see, and is covered with high, waving grass, dotted 
at intervals with bushes. This place seemed to afford 
perfect pasturage for cattle, sheep, and goats, and I 
have no doubt that, at some day, owing to the healthy 
climate consequent upon its high altitude, it will be 
used for that purpose by Europeans. Even in_ the 
heat of the day the air on the Leikipia plateau is 
cool, while at night the thermometer falls to forty- 
three Fahrenheit. 

Upon reaching the Leikipia plateau we camped, 
and the following morning set out for Subugo. In 
the early hours the forest seemed all but inviting. 
As we neared it, we saw many indications of the 
presence of elephants and rhinoceroses; hence we 
felt confident of laying in a good supply of meat. 

At II AM. we reached a place where the forest 
became interesting in appearance, the trees being for 
the most part what are termed in this country 
Morio. This is a tree which very much resembles 


a holly bush, and from its sap the natives procure 
378 


CHAP. IX TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 379 


some of their poison. Among other trees growing 
here, there was an excellent variety of cedar, growing 
very straight, with trunks sufficiently thick to have 
planks sawn therefrom. 

About noon we heard a rhinoceros charging up- 
wind at us, but.1t did not .reach the caravan. The 
cover was so thick that we did not see the animal 
until it was quite upon us. Although this rhinoceros 
did no damage, the fact that it charged so near us 
caused Lieutenant von Hohnel to seize his rifle and 
carry it himself, contrary to his usual custom of en- 
trusting the weapon to his gun-bearer. Five minutes 
later we came upon fresh elephant tracks; the ground 
was strewn with small branches, from which the bark 
had been stripped, and in the soil were many marks of 
ponderous feet. This discovery added caution to our 
movements, and we pressed on as rapidly and _ noise- 
lessly as possible. A few moments passed, when 
suddenly I heard upon my left the snort of another 
rhinoceros. I looked sharply in the direction from 
which the sound came, and saw one of these animals 
coming through the bush. It was not coming directly - 
at me, but appeared to turn off toward the rear of the 
caravan, so I did not fire, being loath to disturb 
the elephants which we knew to be near. Thinking 
the beast had passed harmlessly, I continued on my 
way. Soon my attention was arrested by loud shouts 
from the rear, and fierce barks from Felix and his two 
puppies. I stopped a moment and looked back, but 
could see nothing, owing to the thick bush. In an 
instant, however, I heard the snorts of the rhinoceros 
coming in my direction. Presently there emerged 


380 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


from the bush my tent-boy, Sururu, and one of the 
Wanderobbo guides, their eyes starting out of their 
heads, while they were running as hard as they could, 
and endeavoured to dodge behind trees. In a second 
the rhinoceros dashed past me, but so quick was its 
rush by and disappearance in the bush that I had not 
time to shoot it. Irritated by the noise and trouble it 
caused, as well as its near proximity, I plunged into 
the bush after it. As I sighted it, standing about 
twenty feet away under a cedar tree, I heard my name 
called in loud and anxious tones by Karscho, my gun- 
bearer. He said: “Turn back, master; Lieutenant 
von Hoéhnel is killed.” I at once turned back and 
followed Karscho, who led me to a spot under a tree 
about fifty yards away, where lay the apparently life- 
less body of my friend and companion. 

Upon hearing the rhinoceros approach, Lieutenant 
von Hohnel, who, had he not had his rifle in his hand, 
would have contented himself by dodging it, faced the 
rush. He saw it approaching him, and waited before 
firing until the brute presented a fair mark; but as the 
animal approached, the men with him became nervous 
and ran across his line of fire, which prevented him 
from shooting. Being unable to shoot, on account of 
the men, and the beast having arrived at close quarters, 
he attempted to step aside and hide behind a tree; 
but was unable to do so, for he found this point of 
vantage already taken by two or three of the men. 

Even when he discovered that he was unable to 
obtain shelter, Lieutenant von Hodhnel hesitated to fire, 
fearing that he would alarm the elephants of which we 
were in search. He had already had much experience 


IX TRAVELS [NM EASTERN AFRICA 381 


with rhinoceroses,.and being accustomed to their mad 
rush, was perfectly cool when charged by one. To this 
coolness and temerity his accident was undoubtedly 
due. Even when the rhinoceros was upon him, he 
trusted to his agility, and hoped to leap to one side 
and avoid the rush of the animal; but he then noticed 
that the thick bush would prevent such action; so he 
quickly changed his mind, and decided to fire. In 
raising his gun to his shoulder, it caught in the branch 
of a tree, and at that moment the nose of the rhinoc- 


Uy i Mad f Ih 
Gye Ws 7 a a if 


as 


Crass & 


IN TROUBLE WITH OUR DONKEYS 


eros struck him in the stomach, and bore him to the 
earth. Having thrown him down, the beast trampled 
upon him, and struck him once with its nose and once 
with its horn. 

Fortunately the horn was short, but it was long 
enough to make a ghastly wound in Lieutenant von 
Hohnel’s thigh, and chip off a bit of the thigh-bone. 
While he was lying under the beast, the men who 
accompanied him seemed prostrated to such a degree 
that they were unable to shoot. One man, however, 
Herella, a Soudanese, who, upon the approach of the 
rhinoceros, had nimbly climbed a cedar tree, shouted 


382 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


from the coigne of vantage where he was safely 
ensconced, ‘“‘Dereb! Dereb!” (Shoot! Shoot!); but the 
man to whom he shouted was apparently unwilling to 
divert the attention of the rhinoceros to himself, and 
so neglected to take advantage of the opportunity. 

Almost as soon as Lieutenant von Hohnel was 
knocked down, Felix and the two other fox terriers 
ferociously attacked the rhinoceros, and by their barks 
and the vigour of their attack finally succeeded in 
diverting the attention of the animal toward them- 
selves; thereby, without doubt, saving Lieutenant von 
Hohnel’s life. The rhinoceros, by that time thor- 
oughly aroused, having left Lieutenant von Hohnel, 
charged the men behind the trees; and catching 
sight of poor Sururu, who had had a prior and pain- 
ful experience with these animals, thundered in his 
direction, but he managed to elude it. Fortunately 
the beast did not succeed in doing further damage; 
but it is a matter of the deepest regret to me that it 
escaped with its life, and is now doubtless lying in 
wait for some other unfortunate traveller. 

Upon reaching Lieutenant von Hohnel, I found 
him still conscious; in fact, he assured me that he 
was able to walk. In that he was mistaken. We 
carried him to a soft spot under a tree, stripped him 
of his clothing, and attended to his wounds as well as 
our slight means and skill would permit. I told my 
men to take their cloths and make a hammock. This, 
for a moment, they actually refused to do. Probably 
they were yet dazed by the recent occurrence, and 
thereby deprived of that mite of reason which in their 
calm moments they possess. 


IX TRAVELS INV EASTERN AFRICA 383 


The reader can well imagine my feelings -upon 
realizing the extent of the injuries sustained by Lieu- 
tenant von Hohnel. Not only were we hundreds of 
miles from the coast and a doctor, but most of our 
store of medicine was at Daitcho, and what we had 
with us was barely sufficient for a few days’ treatment 
-of his wound. My skill in surgery was very meagre; 
and although Lieutenant von Hohnel (despite the 
acute pain he was suffering) was able to direct in 
what manner I should bind and dress the wound, I 
was overcome with a sense of my impotence, and felt 
that it was the irony of fate that my friend’s life 
should in great measure depend upon my _ unskilled 
treatment of his wound. Of course, nothing remained 
but to remove Lieutenant von Hodhnel as quickly as 
possible back to Daitcho. I feared the wound would 
prove fatal, but he bore up so wonderfully, that it 
seemed well worth trying to get him to the coast. 

That night we camped within a stone’s throw of 
where we had camped the preceding night — but 
under what changed conditions! When we left this 
spot in the morning, our men had left their camp-fires 
burning (contrary to orders). Fanned by the breeze, 
these started a prairie fire, and for thousands of yards 
around the spot the earth was black and charred. 
Far across the desert a wall of flames could be seen 
dancing in the twilight. It was on this charred 
ground near the Sayer River that we pitched our 
camp that night. Everything was done to make 
Lieutenant von Héhnel as comfortable as_ possible; 
but with our rude equipment his sufferings were but 
little allayed by the care and attention we bestowed. 


384 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


The next day we reached our camp at Sayer. There 
we were forced to wait several days, as Lieutenant von 
Hohnel suffered too much from his wound to be moved. 
During our stay at this place I sent Karscho and some 
Soudanese daily in search of game, and their skill with 
the rifle kept us supplied with fresh meat. 

My feelings of grief at Lieutenant von Héhnel’s 
accident were accentuated by the fact that I was per- 
fectly aware that from that time the expedition would 
be unable to profit from his skilled assistance; also, by 
the further fact, that it would require months to trans- 
port him to the coast. Notwithstanding this immense 
drawback, I decided not to forego my plans of con- 
tinuing the expedition; and with that purpose in view 
when we set out from Daitcho, I left six of my men 
behind in charge of a store of flour and _trading- 
goods. These men received instructions to wait five 
months, unless otherwise ordered. By the end of that 
time I hoped to be able to profit by the presence of 
this food station in that wilderness. A few light 
showers of rain had fallen, and the Wanderobbo had 
assured us that in this high country the Guaso Nyiro 
was apt to rise at very short notice; so we decided 
to cross it at once, while it was shallow, lest we 
should be delayed by a rise in the river. 

We left our camp on September 1, and reached 
Daitcho on September 18. Reviewing in my mind 
this march from Sayer to Daitcho, I can conjure up 
nothing but a nightmare of continuous horror and 
anxiety. The anxiety was occasioned by the suffer- 
ings of my friend; the horror was caused by the fact 
that during this entire march, from Sayer until we 


IX TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 385 


reached Daitcho, all the rhinoceroses in East Africa 
seemed to have clustered about our pathway, and to 
have religiously devoted all their attentions and ener- 
gies to charging us as frequently as possible. 

On this journey we marched in the following order. 
In front, at a distance of 100 yards, I with Karscho 
my gun-bearer cleared the road of these beasts; then 
came two Soudanese, who were good shots; then the 
porters. Following these, and bringing up the rear, 
borne upon the shoulders of four men, lying in a lit- 
ter, and surrounded by a body-guard of six of the 
best shots in the caravan, who had orders, in case a 
rhinoceros charged, never to desert their master, came 
Lieutenant von Hohnel. 

The country over which our path near the Guaso 
Nyiro lay was close to the stream, and varied in char- 
acter from small, grassy savannahs covered with tall 
acacia to vast stretches of thorny bush. For some 
reason the rhinoceroses had left the plains, and gath- 
ered near the banks of the river. From the time we 
left Sayer until we arrived at Daitcho, I saw more 
than 100 rhinoceroses. Though not more than twenty- 
five charged the caravan, the proximity of the others 
kept my nerves pon a continued stretch. Often, de- 
spite my care and watchfulness, I would pass by one 
of these brutes, which would reserve its charge until 
the appearance of Lieutenant von Hohnel and his lit- 
ter. I would be made aware that something had hap- 
pened by hearing a fusilade of shots, and looking back 
would see my men throwing down their loads and 
running in all directions. 

One of these charges proved fatal. It was in the 


2-C 


386 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


early morning; the sun had just appeared above the 
horizon, and our path lay through a small opening 
in the bush, perhaps ten acres in extent. We were 
in need of meat, and seeing a giraffe in front I fired 
a shot at it from my Winchester. The report awoke 
two rhinoceroses taking a morning nap, not fifty feet 
to the left of the caravan, and in close proximity to 
the porters. In a moment loud cries of ‘Faro! Faro!” 
(Rhinoceros!) were heard; and looking back I saw 
my men scattering in all directions, but no rhinoceros. 
Soon from among the mass of my men I saw one of 
their number shot up into the air to the height of 
twenty feet, and presently there emerged from the 
crowd a rhinoceros with horn lowered to the earth. 
He first viciously charged a large wooden packing- 
case, which lay in his path; and having smashed that 
he tossed to one side a tusk of ivory weighing eighty- 
six pounds. These, however, were but diversions, his 
latent intent being to overtake two of my fattest por- 
ters, who were running, yelling, perspiring, and puffing 
in front of the infuriated beast. Owing to the mass- 
ing of my men I was unable to shoot until these two 
fleeing negroes had passed within a few feet of me, 
and the rhinoceros was almost upon them. I gave 
him a shot from my Winchester; it seemed to have 
no effect but to cause him to make a perceptible gain 
upon my men. His horn appeared to be within a few 
inches of them, when a second and more fortunate 
shot from my rifle broke his fore leg, and brought him 
to the ground. He fell just three paces from where 
I stood. Not knowing where I had struck him, and 
seeing him fall, I thought he was dead; but when I 


IX TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 387 


approached him, he rose on his hind legs, and sup- 
ported himself with his head, madly snorting all the 
while. Seeing he could—not move, I. left. him, and 
ran back to see what had happened in the rear of 
the caravan. The men in charge of Lieutenant von 
Hohnel’s_ litter reported that the other rhinoceros 
had passed within a few feet of them, being diverted 
from them by one of the porters the rhinoceros had 
elected to pursue, but luckily did not overtake. 

The poor fellow who had been tossed into the air 
received a hideous wound in the buttocks, and as he 
lit upon his head when he fell to the earth, the hard 
soil had broken away his entire scalp. He lived but 
twenty-six hours after this mishap. 

A propos of this man’s death, I will relate an inci- 
dent which shows the weak degree of affection the 
Zanzibari exhibit even toward near relatives. The 
wounded man, a Manyema (a cannibal tribe on the 
Congo), was a slave of Tippoo Tib, and had joined 
my force at Zanzibar with two of his brothers, also 
slaves. I naturally concluded that his brothers would 
take more interest in his welfare than would other 
porters; so I instructed them to make a hammock, 
and carry him between them, slung from a _ pole. 
After a few hours of this work, they said it was far 
better to let their brother die than fatigue them with 
carrying him. They added that it was absolutely 
God’s order that he should die, and they were greatly 
annoyed by the trouble their brother caused them on 
the march. 

On another occasion, while passing through a very 
thick bush, a rhinoceros appeared from behind a 


388 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


large ant-hill, within ten feet of where I stood, and 
charged directly at me. At the time, I did not have 
my rifle in my hands, and so I satisfied myself by 
jumping to one side, and allowing the animal to pass 
on. He charged straight at the portion of the cara- 
van just behind me. In a moment I had seized my 
rifle, and sent shot after shot into his receding form. 
As he neared the porters, they, having heard my 
shots and being on their guard, received him with a 
volley from their carbines. This, however, did not 
turn him; he charged on and on, until finally slain 
by Lieutenant von Hohnel’s body-guard, within ten 
feet of his litter. 

By this time, owing to the frequency and _ results 
of these rhinoceros charges, the men were completely 
demoralized. At the crack of a twig or the cry of 
a bird they would throw down their loads, and clam- 
ber with agility into a bush. On several occasions 
the porters detailed to bear Lieutenant von Hohnel, 
allowed his litter to fall to the ground in their 
eagerness to escape. At night, our camp was filled 
with murmurs; the men said a “shaitan” (devil) was 
evidently following the caravan, and would not be 
appeased, until every one of us had been killed. I 
could hear them say to one another that the presence 
of a dying man like Lieutenant von Hohnel in a 
caravan would certainly incur disaster; it was much 
better to stop until he died; and then, perhaps, all 
trouble would cease. 

One night we were encamped near the river, and 
all of us, with the exception of the two Soudanese 
on guard, were sound asleep. Suddenly from the 


IX TRAVELS INV EASTERN AFRICA 389 


opposite bank of the river (at that point wide and 
shallow) the fierce snort of a rhinoceros was_ heard, 
and soon my camp was a scene of the wildest confu- 
sion: men, crying to their far-off mothers for help, 
stumbled over one another in their frantic. efforts to 
get behind or up trees. Although I had my rifle in 
hand, I was unable to shoot, through fear of winging 
some of my scampering porters. The rhinoceros did 
not charge through and at once leave the camp; not 
he; stamping on one of the camp-fires seemed to 
amuse him. Having satisfied his curiosity, or what- 
ever else prompted him to pay us this nocturnal visit, 
he moved on with a snort, and disappeared in the 
bush. 

Not ,only did the country seem to abound with 
rhinoceroses, but lons also claimed the place as their 
habitat. The latter, however, gave us no _ trouble, 
much to my disappointment, as I had longed to get 
a fair shot at one. 

On one occasion I saw three very large and beau- 
tifully maned lions stalk into a growth of bush about 
200 yards from where I stood, but I was unwilling to 
stop the caravan in order to pursue them. On an- 
other occasion we were encamped upon a perfectly 
bare spot (fifty or sixty acres in extent), and the 
ground, covered with sulphate of magnesium, gleamed 
white in the starlight. I was sitting up in a chair one 
night while at this camp, watching Lieutenant von 
Hohnel, who at the time seemed very low and suffer- 
ing a great deal, when I heard one of the Soudanese 
night-watch fluently blaspheming in Arabic. I shouted 
to him, and inquired the cause of his strange oaths; 


390 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


and he replied, “ Assad” (Lion). I leaped to my feet 
and ran toward him, just in time to see a lion can- 


tering off into the darkness. The Soudanese said that 
for an hour or so he had heard the deep breathing of 
one of these beasts, but for some time was unable 
to find the whereabouts of the animal, till at length 
in the darkness he distinguished the flaring eyes of 
the lion turned towards him, at a distance of fifty or 
sixty feet. Not knowing I was awake, nor wishing 
to disturb the camp, he contented himself with hurl- 
ing stones and curses at the animal; and these, to- 
gether with the sound of my voice and feet, as I ran 
toward the watch, were sufficient to frighten the lion 
away. 

One of the few amusing occurrences which happened 
to relieve the dreary monotony of the continued nerv- 
ous strain to which I was during this time subjected, 
was the following. Early one morning I came upon 
a fine water-buck standing fifty or sixty yards from 
the river, and not many more from me. We sighted 
one another simultaneously, and the animal broke for 
the neighbouring bush — not, however, before he had 
received a shot in the hip from my rifle. At once 
Felix and the two puppies bounded after him in full 
cry. The bush was so thick that I could not see 
them, but I could hear their shrill barks, and the 
cracking of the bush, as the water-buck dashed through 
it. Presently he came straight at me, his horns lying 
along his back, and the three dogs at his heels. The 
sight was so interesting, that I stayed my hand. On. 
he dashed, and plunged into the river, where the dogs 
followed him. The Guaso Nyiro at that point was 


IX " TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 391 


narrow, and in consequence the current was very strong. 
The antelope crossed to the other bank, and then 
stood at bay, endeavouring to strike the dogs with his 
fore feet and horns. He cut two of them slightly, but 
this in no degree abated their ardour; so, fearing the 
dogs might get injured, I at length despatched him 
with a shot in the brain. 

It was only in the early morning or late afternoon 
that the dogs proved of any service in hunting. While 
the sun was blazing hot, all their energies seemed 
expended in keeping up with the caravan; and even 
if a rhinoceros was killed within a few yards of them, 
they took no interest in the event. But when the 
air was cool, they were most useful in chasing game 
of any sort. On one occasion just after sunrise they 
caught sight of a rhinoceros ‘standing at a distance 
of 200 yards from our path, and were after him at 
full speed, barking vigorously, and snapping at his 
legs. The beast knew not what to do, in order to 
escape his little tormentors, and so kept turning round 
and round. At length Felix managed to seize one 
of his ears, to which he clung tenaciously. The rhi- 
noceros then began a series of rapid revolutions for 
the purpose of shaking off the dog, but Felix held 
on like grim death; although at times by the swift 
motions of the rhinoceros his body was swung at right 
angles from perpendicular. As the attention of the 
beast was monopolized by the dogs, I was able to 
approach as close as I wished, and I despatched him 
with a shot in the heart. The only animal which filled 
my dogs with timidity was the lion. If we crossed 
the track of one of these beasts, the little dogs would 


392 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT * . cuap. 


run to me, drooping their tails, and evincing every 
indication of terror. 

Once we had a little adventure with a group of 
dog-faced baboons. We first heard them barking, and 
finally came in sight of them, running along for all 
the world like school children on a holiday. The 
young ones were playing together, carefully watched by 
their elders, who preserved the most staid demeanour. 
Upon catching sight of them, the dogs rushed at the 
band in a furious manner. The young ones fled, but 
two or three old gentlemen with bushy whiskers and 
benignant eyes seated themselves upon their hams, 
and gazed unruffled at the enemy. The dogs dashed 
on, but their barks became less determined, and their 
steps more cautious as they neared, and realized the 
dignity of the animals they were to attack. These 
made no sign, but calmly awaited their charge. Hav- 
ing reached a point within fifteen feet of them, the 
courage of the dogs seemed to ooze rapidly from them. 
Frightened perhaps by the steady and_ philosophic 
stare with which the apes regarded them, they turned 
tail, and with crestfallen manner retreated to the 
caravan. 

While marching along the Guaso Nyiro River, and 
at a point near the ford, we fell in with a party of 
100 Wanderobbo, who were encamped on the opposite 
bank. Among them we were pleased to find our old 
friend, Mayolo. He was fat, healthy, delighted to see 
us, and a father. His wife had presented him with 
a bouncing boy, and the presents we had given him 
permitted him to assume a position of great importance 
in his village. He said that after he had left Lieu- 


IX TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 393 


tenant von Hohnel at Seran, having no food or water, 
he wandered five whole days, until at length he fell 
in with his people. While on his journey, he had 
found water in holes; but food he had none, with the 
exception of a few berries which he picked from 
bushes on the desert. 

At this point we rested one day, and there I watched 
a party of Wanderobbo hunters preparing to set out 
in search of meat. They had with them two donkeys, 
one of which they had painted with white stripes, 
in order to have it resemble a zebra. To the head 
of the other donkey they had affixed a pair of oryx 
horns, as a decoy for oryx beisa, in case they fell in 
with any. Before starting, all the hunters took a dip 
in the river, and then smeared their wet bodies with 
mud and sand, in order to give themselves as much 
as possible the colour of the earth. They must be 
excellent -hunters... 1, learned. fromi my experiences 
that the game in that part of the country was very 
shy, owing to the continued hunting of the Wande- 
robbo; yet, notwithstanding this shyness of game, 
they were able to get close enough to an antelope 
to kill it with one of their small arrows. 

We had but one other event before reaching Daitcho 
of sufficient interest to relate. After marching a long 
distance, we had camped near one of the small afflu- 
ents of the Mackenzie River. As darkness had set 
in before we reached camp, we were unable to build a 
zeriba of any sort, and for the first half-hour or so 
all the men were busied gathering wood for fires. 
Just as the fires were made, and Lieutenant von 
Hohnel’s tent was pitched, two lions began to roar 


394. THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


near the camp; so near that we could easily hear 
the deep breath they would take after each roar. 
There was a little moonlight, but not sufficient to 
disclose their whereabouts. My men _ were very 
anxious to procure water from the stream, but 
seemed loath to set out in quest of it. We waited 
at least half an hour, but although the lions did not 
seem to approach any nearer, they continued their 
magnificent roarings. I think they had just finished 


We Atal 


\\ 
ANN \\ 
| \\ 


UT 


AT THE HEAD-WATERS OF THE MACKENZIE 


a hearty meal, and so did not care whether they 
warned us of their proximity or not. At length, 
seeing that they were unlikely to leave us that night, 
I got the men together, and told them to take sticks 
and beat their water-bottles loudly, as they went to 
the stream. They demurred, and said they preferred 
to do without water that night. Aftér a little per- 
suasion they set out, at first in a hesitating manner, 
all of them beating their water-bottles vigorously, and 
giving vent to half-hearted yells; but as they ad- 
vanced, the chorus swelled sufficiently to drown the 


IX TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 395 


roars of the lons. They succeeded in getting their 
water and returning to camp without mishap. On 
their return, the cook-shouted to. them: “Watu 
wapum bayu! Ugopa nini? [Foolish men! What 
are you afraid of?] Have you not already had 
sufficient proof of the white man’s medicine? These 
lions may roar as long as they will, but their feet 
are tied by the magic of master.’ As the men had 
succeeded in getting their water without ill result, 
they freely assented to the cook’s remarks, and shouts 
of “Mganga!” (Medicine-man!) rang through the 
camp. 

The following day was the 18th of September, and 
at four in the afternoon we succeeded in reaching 
Daitcho. It was with a feeling of relief that I 
caught sight of the Stars and Stripes waving over 
our camp. Many times during the journey from 
Sayer I had despaired of the ability of Lieutenant von 
Hohnel to bear up until we reached Daitcho. Dur- 
ing the entire journey his sufferings were very acute, 
and they had not been lessened in any degree by 
the rough manner in which we were forced to 
transport him, nor by the poor quality of food he 
had been forced to eat. Now, however, that we had 
reached Daitcho, where we had medicines in plenty, 
and where he could be nursed with greater care, I 
hoped for his recovery; and, indeed, I indulged for a 
few days the pleasing thought that he would recover 
sufficiently to continue with me on the journey. 
But this was not to be. Although for the first few 
days after reaching Daitcho he seemed to quickly 
recover his strength, a relapse set in, and it was made 


396 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


perfectly clear to all of us that, if his life was to be 
saved, he must be taken with all speed to some 
place where he could receive the treatment of a 
physician. The nearest one lived at a mission station 
called Kibwezi, more that 200 miles distant; so 
we decided that Lieutenant von Hdohnel should be 
carried thither with all possible despatch. 

During our absence from Daitcho, George had 
continued to maintain the friendliest relations with 
the natives. He had learned by experience that the 
key to their friendship was an ample supply of meat; 
and, being an excellent shot, he had spent at least 
three days of each week on shooting-expeditions in 
the vicinity of the camp. Although provided with a 
577 express, he used for every species of game 
a Mannlicher; and judging from the variety and 
quantity of game he succeeded in killing, one is 
tempted to come to the conclusion that the Mann- 
licher can achieve more satisfactory results than any 
other rifle. His bag had consisted of giraffe, hippo- 
potamus, rhinoceros, lion, and several varieties of 
antelope — animals both thick and thin skinned, large 
and small, timorous and aggressive. Three of his 
adventures are worthy of mention. 

One morning just before dawn he was walking 
along the banks of the Ura River, which at that 
point were clad with a thick growth of a stunted 
mimosa. He was in advance of his followers, and 
marching carelessly through the bush, when he was 
startled by a rhinoceros emerging from the river, 
about forty feet distant and on his right. In the 
bright light of midday the rhinoceros cannot see 


IX TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 397 


without difficulty; but in the early dawn, late after- 
noon, or night, his sight is very keen. Upon seeing 
George, this particular beast made for him. 

A Mannlicher contains in its magazine five car- 
tridges. George discharged two without checking the 
onrush of the rhinoceros, and the animal was almost 
upon him, ere a shot in the spine, just over its rear 
horn, brought it to the ground at his feet, lifeless. 
This animal had just fallen, when George’s attention 
was attracted by the sounds of crashing bush on_ his 
left, and through the leafless growth he could see an- 
other rhinoceros, charging straight at him, about forty 
feet away. He had not time to place more cartridges 
in the magazine, but was fortunate enough to kill the 
beast with a second and the last shot in his rifle. 
From the place where he stood, when the animal 
charged him, and from which he had not moved, he 
was able, by stooping down, to place his hands upon 
the heads of both the rhinoceroses; so close had they 
come to him before death checked their rush. 

I know of no double-barrelled rifle which has such 
a record to its credit. 

On another occasion, George had just killed two 
antelopes, and reduced the number of cartridges in 
his rifle to two, when his little party was charged by 
a female rhinoceros, followed by its yearling offspring. 
Two shots brought down the mother, and emptied 
the rifle; when the parent’s death seemed to fire the 
baby rhinoceros with a desire for vengeance. It made 
straight at George. A yearling rhinoceros is not much 
larger than a Shetland pony, and of but little greater 
weight. Its nose is armed with but one horn, and 


398 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


that not three inches long. This is the forward one; 
the rear horn does not appear until the animal is 
several years old. Owing to the size of this animal, 
George treated its rush with more or less contempt, 
and made no effort to get out of its way, until it had 
nearly reached him. He then leaped to one side — 
so did the little rhinoceros. Finding it pertinacious, 
and determined to reach him, George took to his 
heels. For ten minutes he sprinted up and down, 
and dodged, as best he could, the determined charge 
of the orphaned rhinoceros. During this diversion 
George’s followers indulged in the heartiest and most 
unsympathetic laughter at his expense; and although 
he continued to shout lustily for a gun, none was 
brought. At length, when he was panting for want 
of breath, and momentarily expecting to be knocked 
down by the little avenger, one of the men slipped a 
rifle into his hand, with which he quickly brought 
down his pursuer. 

Another of his adventures resulted in the death of 
a fine male lion; it was during the excursion upon 
which he succeeded in killing the two rhinoceroses at 
close quarters. The time was early morning, and he 
was suddenly startled by seeing within a few feet of 
him a lion and a lioness. They were standing and 
facing him, but did not seem aggressively inclined. 
He quickly brought the Mannlicher to his shoulder, 
shot the male through the body, and it fell. The 
lioness bounded off; George after it. He hunted 
some time, but could find no traces of it. Upon 
returning to the spot where lay the lion he had shot, 
he found all his men safely ensconced in trees, at the 


IX TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 399 


foot of which the king of beasts stalked about, growl- 
ing and sweeping his tail. A second shot deprived 
the animal of life. George’s men told him that, for 
a moment’ or, so after receiving the first shot; the 
animal remained on the ground, apparently lifeless. 
Suddenly they saw him rise to his feet; and, acting 
upon this hint, they ascended the trees. 

Examination disclosed the fact that the first bullet 
had penetrated the entire length of the animal’s body, 
but had failed to reach its heart; the second shot 
successfully performed this mission. The paws of the 
lion were as full of thorns as the back of a_ porcu- 
pine of quills; which perhaps explains the fact that, 
with the exception of a bunch of dried grass, its 
stomach was entirely empty. The thorns in the 
lion’s feet probably rendered it painful and difficult to 
hunt game; hence the empty condition of its stom- 
ach. 

Upon my arrival at Daitcho, I. was much surprised 
at not finding Hamidi returned from the coast with 
the new men, donkeys, and stores I had ordered. He 
was many weeks overdue. Knowing that his ex- 
perience in African travel would enable him to reach 
the coast and return without difficulty, particularly 
as the country through which his path lay was not 
dangerous, I began to suspect that in some way he 
had played me false; and made up my mind to face 
the future without other means than those I had at 
hand. 

As before stated, Lieutenant von Hohnel’s alarm- 
ing condition necessitated his transport to a place 
where he could receive the skilled attention of a phy- 


400 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


sician. It was impossible to trust him to the care of 
negroes while he was in his helpless condition; so 
I sent George to accompany him as far as the mis- 
sion station at Kibwezi. A journey from Daitcho to 
Kibwezi would require at least a period of six weeks’ 
duration, and that time I proposed to spend in rest- 
ing from my labours and in a study of the Masai 
language. 

For the quick transportation of Lieutenant von 
Hohnel twenty-five men were needed. To this num- 
ber I decided to add eighteen porters, who, from sick- 
ness and other causes, had proved unfit for further 
travel in the interior. Should George succeed in 
bringing back the twenty-five able-bodied men from 
Kibwezi, I should then have at my disposal 112 
thoroughly hardened, more or less disciplined, and 
experienced men; a force which I deemed sufficient 
for a prolongation of my journey into the interior. 
With Lieutenant von Hodhnel I went over the plans, 
and we both came to the conclusion that it would 
be possible for me, if attended by good fortune, to 
reach either Kismayu (proceeding to that point via 
Reschatt and the Juba River) or, under specially fav- 
ourable circumstances, the Red Sea at Berbera. De- 
prived of the skilled assistance of Lieutenant von 
Hohnel, the difficulties would be greatly enhanced, 
and the scientific results of such a journey would be 
small in the extreme; nevertheless, I could not for a 
moment permit myself to consider the expedition as 
ended. 

The difficulties and disappointments, which up to 
this time had dogged our footsteps at every turn, 


IX TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 4o1 


served more as a spur to increased effort, than as an 
inducement to “throw up the sponge.” Our expedi- 
tion had been carefully planned, and its preparations 
had been made with such care and forethought as 
Lieutenant von Hohnel and I had been able to be- 
stow upon the subject. Far from unsatisfactory were 

the results we had already 
achieved; but, nevertheless, 
I could not bring myself 


a Wy 


WENN 
Aa Wi YEA Y | we 
WW, MEE May i, 
(ed i; KC Vy 
/ f / A 
Ne WANG 


to admit that they were 
commensurate with the 


MEANS 
Hy vant 
Wy 


WY ip ih 


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YLANs 
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NATIVE VILLAGE. WALL AND GATEWAY. 


idea which had induced us to undertake the journey, 
or with the pains and suffering we had undergone in 
their accomplishment. 

When Lieutenant von Hoéhnel was first wounded, 
it required four men to carry him, but at this time 
he was so wasted by his sufferings that two were 


sufficient to bear him as quickly as the rate of cara- 
2D 


402 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


van marching required. We made for him a capital 
swinging hammock from the midribs of a palm, which 
grew on the banks of the stream near Daitcho. 
These we split into lathe-lke strips, and wove _ to- 
gether with rope, and then we stiffened this by cross- 
pieces. This hammock was suspended from a pole 
which was carried on the shoulders of two men. 
Before Lieutenant von Hohnel’s departure a trading- 
caravan arrived from the coast, bringing news of the 
death of Seyd Ali, who had been the reigning Sultan 
of Zanzibar at the time our caravan set out. This 
news seemed to excite much interest among my men; 
they gathered in groups, and I could overhear them 
discussing the probabilities of the successor attempting 
to free the Sultanate of Zanzibar from British influ- 
ence. One and all they seemed to think the time 
had come when the natives of Zanzibar should rise, 
and, throwing off the European yoke, make Arab 
influence paramount along the coast. Had I been a 
stranger in Africa, it might have seemed odd to me 
that these men, for the most part slaves, should feel 
that their interests were in far greater degree with 
their masters than on the side of the British, who 
were ostensibly their friends and anxious to free 
them from servitude; but I had associated sufficiently 
with these people to feel that their sympathies were 
firmly attached to Arab rule. They were willing to 
accept any benefits which the European might bestow 
upon them, but not for a moment did they wish to 
adopt European habits and customs. For most of 
them Arab rule meant a condition of servitude; at 
the same time it also meant a condition of affairs 


IX TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 403 


with which they were familiar and_ perfectly recon- 
ciled. 

I had frequently questioned my men whether they 
preferred - being treemen .or slaves. The younger 
members of the caravan, fascinated perhaps by the 
novelty of the idea, preferred freedom; but when the 
question was asked the older men, they shrugged 
their shoulders, and said: “It is much better to have 


| iN 
Lae 
iy je 


Y Gi 4 
yy ii Mf), ih, MB ifit 
hyp TT OLE Hy} 
| UN CA 
CHM), NL iy 
MA TD | y 
i if 
2 \ 


CAMP SCENE AT DAITCHO 


our interests looked after by an Arab, who has in- 
fluence with the government, than for us stupid 
people to endeavour to manage our own affairs. Why, 
when we are slaves, and get ill or in trouble, our 
master feeds us, or gives us what assistance he can; 
but if we were free, we should have to look after our- 
selves, and it would depend entirely upon our own 
efforts whether we died or lived. No; Allah made 
the Arabs to be our masters; we like them and their 
customs. Sometimes they beat us; sometimes we 


404 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


are poor; but at least we never starve. Their reli- 
gion is our religion. We like the M/zumgu (Euro- 
pean), but his ways are strange; and when we work 
for him, we must really work hard, in order to earn 
our pay. The European works and is energetic; 
and he expects us to do our share. On the contrary, 
the Arab is a gentleman; he never works, is as lazy 
in his habits as we are, and consequently is more 
easily satisfied with what we do.” 

Doubtless the above statements will strike Euro- 
peans unacquainted with African character as being, 
to say the least, extraordinary; but, in the opinion of 
the negro himself, I fear the treatment of the African 
question has been undertaken with too little regard 
for the opinions and preferences of the very people 
whose condition all efforts of those interested in the 
movement are professedly intended to ameliorate. I 
doubt if there could be found upon the whole east 
coast of Africa a single negro, who in his heart is 
conscientiously opposed to slavery, as it exists there. 
Undoubtedly this state of affairs is lamentable, and 
the consensus of civilized opinion seems to demand a 
change. Europeans for centuries have been unaccus- 
tomed to slavery; but even when in a condition of 
servitude, all their feelings and energies rose in an 
effort to cast off the yoke. This does not appear to 
be the case of the negroes of East Africa, at least of 
those with whom I have personally come in contact, 
and who had no inducement to give me false infor- 
mation. 

At seven o'clock on the morning of Wednesday, 
September 27,1 bade farewell to my friend, Lieuten- 


IX TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 405 


ant von Hohnel. As can well be imagined, our part- 
ing was not a very cheerful one, for I felt anxiety as 
to the probability of his reaching Europe alive. On 
the other hand, he was depressed at the thought of 
leaving me alone and unassisted, to consummate our 
joint plans. After his departure I had with me sixty 
Zanzibari, the Soudanese, and three Somali. I sent 
Karscho with seven men to a food station I had made 
at Sayer, for the purpose of informing the men I 
had. lett there not to ‘expect me .until-at least three 
months had elapsed. In returning, Karscho was to 
bring back with him some loads of brass wire I had 
left there, with which I expected at this time to 
purchase donkeys at Daitcho. 

When George left with Lieutenant von Héhnel’s 
party, I instructed him to purchase what trading- 
goods he could at the mission station. Although I 
had almost given up hope of again seeing Hamidi, 
still there was the ever-present possibility of his turn- 
ing up with fresh men, donkeys, and goods. So I. 
faced future events with a mind more or less calm, 
filled with the hope that I should be permitted to 
continue pushing my plans of exploration and dis- 
covery. 

On this day I was visited by my old friend, By- 
kender. He had notified me of. his intended visit, 
and I had prepared five or six quarts of honey wine, 
with which to regale him during his stay. During 
our absence from Daitcho, Motio had remained in 
camp with George, and upon the arrival of Bykender, 
I deputed Motio to share with me the duties of host, 
at least as far as imbibing the honey wine was con- 


406 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


cerned. These two savages appeared to enjoy them- 
selves hugely. Long ere they finished the potions 
I had prepared for them, they were hilarious in the 
extreme; pledges of heartiest friendship were ex- 
changed between them; and just before taking his 
departure, Bykender lifted his voice in a_ tuneless 
chant, which Motio translated for me, as vows of 
the most fervent devotion to the European. I suppose 
his friendship had been much kindled by the intoxi- 
cating drink of which he had partaken; but if “in 
vino veritas” has any truth whatever, Bykender’s 
words proved that he was more than satisfied with 
the treatment he and his people had received from 
us. I felt convinced that if we had done nothing 
else in the country, we had at least opened the door 
to European influence, and that the next white visitor, 
whoever he might be, would receive nothing at the 
hands of these people but good treatment. 

Not wishing to exhaust the store of flour we had 
‘laid in for our further journey, I set out one day to 
the Tana River for: the purpose of hippopotamus 
shooting, in order to get food for my men in ex- 
change for the meat. On the way I killed several 
water-buck, and was greatly assisted in getting them 
by the dogs, Felix and one of his puppies, the other 
puppy having gone with Lieutenant von Hohnel to 
the coast. 

While en route to the Tana, I met a party of 300 
Wakamba on their way to the Wanderobbo, for the 
purpose of trading and hunting for ivory. It seems 
that most of the men of the Wakamba, when harvest 
is over, and their presence is no longer needed on 


IX TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 407 


the plantations, form -parties, and set off .imto the 
desert; where, if they do not succeed in getting 
ivory, they at least support themselves without reduc- 
ing the store of grain they have laid up at home. 
On leaving their country, each man takes with him 
in a bag, which he carries upon his back, forty or 
fifty pounds of millet flour. This small supply is 
sufficient, when eked out by the game they shoot, to 
support them for several months. They do not con- 


SOUDANESE GUARD AT GATE 


fine themselves to hunting and legitimate trade, but 
if at any time they fall in with a party weaker than 
themselves, possessed of wealth in any form, they 
plunder it. 

These Wakamba are wonderful travellers. I have 
met some who stated that they had penetrated as far 
north as Reschatt, and others who boasted of having 
raided the Turcana. I think that, should a European 
establish himself among them, he might under their 
escort succeed in exploring a vast area of country in 
a most satisfactory manner. Of course, it would be 


408 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


necessary for such a European to settle among these 
people for many years, and in a great degree to 
adopt their customs. Their thorough knowledge of 
the country to the north, and their willingness and 
ability to undergo fatigue and privation, render them 
the best possible escort. 

With bow and arrow they are excellent shots; so it 
would not be necessary to arm them with rifles. 
Though they are averse to carrying loads for others 
than themselves, they are capable of marching at an 
astonishing rate of speed with thirty or forty pounds 
upon their backs. Most of them have at one time 
or another visited the coast for the purpose of selling 
their ivory; many of them are acquainted with Swahili, 
and all of them realize the power of the European. 
I feel sure that at some time in the near future, after 
the British become better acquainted with the capa- 
bilities of this tribe, they will make use of its mem- 
bers as troops; for there is no race in East Africa 
like them for undergoing privations, for fighting, and 
at the same time bearing upon their backs sufficient 
food for a forty or fifty days’ march. 

Att? A.M. September 30, I reached the Tana..~l 
cautiously went in advance of my men, and saw the 
heads of about thirty hippopotamuses above the sur- 
face of the stream. I sought shelter behind a log 
and blazed away at them, hitting in all five. When 
hippopotamuses are startled by a.shot, they invariably 
duck their heads beneath the surface of the water, 
and there remain for a long time; some times half 
an hour will elapse before they reappear. When they 
rise to the surface, they give a loud snort, and if 


IX TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 409 


they are really frightened, they take a quick breath 
and again submerge themselves. This makes the 
shooting of these animals very difficult. 

After I had hit five of them, I went with my men 
to a point four miles down-stream to a shallow spot, 
where I knew the current would soon drift their 
bodies. On the way we were close to the bank, when 
a large hippopotamus reared his head above the 
water, not twenty feet from where I stood. I was 
fortunate enough to hit him just between the eyes; 
when, contrary to the usual custom of these animals, 
instead of disappearing below the surface, he came 
snorting toward us on the bank. My men scattered, 
and I was just able to lay him low with a shot by 
the time he had arrived within a few feet of me. 
This was the only time I-was ever charged by a 
hippopotamus. In their native element, they do not 
lack ferocity; but upon land they are usually very 
timid. As a rule, these animals do not venture out 
of the water until after sunset, and they return almost 
invariably to it before sunrise. Upon two or three 
occasions I have come across them in the middle of 
the day, feeding in shady spots, but never more than 
a few yards from the water. 

It was some hours before the bodies of the hippo- 
potamuses I had slain reappeared on the surface. 
When they did, all my men were kept busy cutting 
up ithe meat and .drymg: it over the ‘fires. That 
night our camp was visited by many hyenas, who 
howled in dreary chorus within a few feet of us. At 
this place for the first and only time I heard a hyena 
laugh. There is no doubt about it, the animal makes 


410 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. IX 


a sound more resembling a laugh than anything else; 
but it is far from mirthful. 

While returning from the hippopotamus hunt to 
Daitcho, I lost my little fox-terrier, Felix. The day 
was hot, and we were marching briskly along the 
banks of the Ura River. Fearing he would one day 
be caught by a crocodile, I was always careful to keep 
my eye upon him when near a stream; but on this 
occasion, overcome by heat and thirst, he paid no heed 
to my voice, but dashed on ahead, until he reached a 
small game path leading to the river. An almost 
human cry, a loud splash, and Felix—there was no 
more Felix. The crocodile was probably lying in wait 
at the foot of the game path, hoping to catch some 
unwary antelope that should come down to quench 
its thirst, and Felix had unwittingly rushed into its 
jaws. 

Nearly every day of my stay at Daitcho I gave the 
men rifle practice, and in a short time, with the excep- 
tion of one or two, they became excellent rifle shots at 
distances ranging from 100 to 200. yards. As they 
became adept in the use of their weapons, their char- 
acters appeared to undergo change, their bearing be- 
came more martial, and they seemed to be imbued 
with fresh spirit. 

One day I received a message from Bykender, that 
the natives of his village were about to hold a dance, 
and he wished me to come and see it; my presence 
would not only please the natives, but would enhance 
his influence over them. The dance was held at a 
spot about thirty minutes’ walk from my camp. The 
pleasant sound of male voices in song guided me toa 


SNIONVG OHOLIVG 


CHAP. IX TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 413 


little clearing in the thick bush, and I there found 
gathered together some 500 natives of all ages and 
both sexes. I was welcomed with smiles, and room 
was made for me under a spreading tree, about ten 
feet from the nearest dancers. 

The dance was simple in its movement, consisting 
of a sharp rise upon the toes, the heels returning 
with a dull thud to the earth; the shock of which was 
diminished by bending the knees, and inclining the 
upper part of the body forward. The dancers were 
ranged in three double circles (one within the other), 
each circle consisting of pairs of youths and maidens. 
They faced their partners, each placing hands upon 
the shoulders of the other. In the middle stood the 
master of ceremonies, an elderly man wearing a mon- 
key-skin headdress of vast proportions. He _ beat 
time on a huge drum, and led the songs in a high, 
falsetto voice. The dance began at sunrise, and 
lasted with but little intermission until sunset. Occa- 
sionally a dancer stepped out of the ranks to rest for 
a moment or two; but even at such time his sympathy 
with his fellows kept his legs on the move and his 
voice in time. Surely the movement must be most 
fatiguing, and doubtless is one of the causes of the 
fine development noticeable in Daitcho legs. The sing- 
ing was continuous, but the songs changed abruptly 
and with frequency; still, as the Daitcho register does 
not comprise a great variety of notes, to'a European 
the songs all sounded alike. 

The dance is an important function, and, being a 
full-dress affair, it brings to view all the finery the 
dancers possess. The men daub themselves from 


414 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. IX 


head to foot with red clay and grease; in this they 
are imitated by the women and girls. The men wear 
a waist-cloth, and the women clothe themselves from 
waist to knee with skins, to which a liberal coating of 
clay and grease is applied. All the girls wear their 
hair dressed into curious little balls, about the size of 
an ordinary marble. This effect is produced by gath- 
ering their wool into separate tufts, and then plaster- 
ing each knob with clay and grease. Some of the 
women had veils made of iron chain covering the face 
from the roots of the hair to just above the eyes. 
The effect produced was pleasing. In all, there were 
about 250 men and women engaged in the dance. 
The air was filled with sound, dust, and the odour of 
the many perspiring bodies; but one’s senses become 
blunted after a stay in Africa, and the unpleasantness 
passes unnoticed, if there is the least evidence of hap- 
piness or pleasure on the faces of the simple savages. 

Dancing is a serious business among the Daitcho: 
I rarely saw a man even smile; a woman, never. All 
round the dancers were gathered groups of old men 
and women, perhaps parents of the participants in 
the dance. Some small children were holding a little 
impromptu ball of their own near at hand. Occasion- 
ally the old women, whose recollections of past joys 
in the dance kept them young, would give vent to 
their pleasant feelings and thoughts by a shrill trill. 
On the whole, the affair was pleasant to view, and 
one could not but feel cheered at the sight of so 
many harmless beings thus enjoying themselves. 

The day following the dance rumours reached me 
that a party of Rendile were present among the Embe, 


ONIONVdG OHOLIVG 


CHAP. IX TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 417 


trading with them; so, on October 7, accompanied 
by thirty men, I went on a visit to the Embe. I 
reached the camp where George had formerly stayed 
while trading for donkeys, but found it destroyed. 
However, a few hours’ time was sufficient to erect 
five huts, thickly covered with banana leaves; which 
proved a welcome shelter to my few negro followers. 
At night it seemed intensely cold, although the ther- 
mometer never registered below 53° Fahrenheit; but, 
when the great heat of the day is considered, the 
change can be seen to be quite sufficient to impress 
itself unpleasantly upon the senses. 

Shortly after my arrival at this point three of my 
men came to my camp and informed me that Hamidi 
had arrived from the coast with eighty men. . He had 
brought no letters from the coast, other than those 
containing the accounts connected with the expedition, 
and had shamefully loitered upon the road. From 
Mombasa to Daitcho, with men bearing heavy loads, 
the distance can be accomplished in six weeks; Hamidi, 
however, had taken three months all but two days. 
Lieutenant von Hohnel sent word that he was getting 
on nicely, and felt much stronger. 

ihe next. day my old finend Lina- came to scée 
me. After an exchange of presents I told him I wished 
to call an assembly of the old men, as I had something 
to say to them. He said that at that time they were 
all busily engaged in their plantation work; so I was 
forced to postpone my interview. I had intended to 
induce them to get the Wamsara and other tribes 
inhabiting the southern part of the Jombeni range 
to make blood brothers with me. He told me the 

2E 


418 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


report that the Rendile had visited the Embe was 
true; but added that it was a small party consisting 
entirely of old women and a few old men. They had 
informed the Embe of our visit to them, when told 
that Lieutenant von Hodhnel was wounded, and had 
stated that he had received this wound in a battle 
with the Rendile, and that we had been driven out 
of their country with wonderful ease by that great 
tribe. I asked Liria whether he believed the story 
or not; and he replied that he did not, but most of 
the Embe did. It is upon such foundations that ~ 
rumours are started in Africa; and, as they gain a 
wide credence, it is necessary from time to time for 
a European to take severe measures to repel onslaughts 
prompted by the confidence inspired by the falsehood. 

I had instructed Hamidi to bring from Zanzibar 
as great a variety of seeds as he could obtain; by 
means of which I hoped to induce the natives to 
increase the productiveness of their rich country. For 
some reason or other, the cocoanuts, coffee beans, and 
many other varieties proved worthless. I succeeded, 
however, in planting papaw and a large quantity of 
rice, which is easily cultivated on the banks of the 
small streams intersecting this entire country. 

The manner in which Hamidi had fulfilled the 
careful instructions I had given him was sorely disap- 
pointing. Instead of donkeys and twenty good men, 
he had brought with him eighty porters, most of 
whom were physically unfit for the work, and_ all 
seemed possessed of the most insubordinate and hos- 
tile spirit. These men, at least those who were fit, 
had for the preceding year or two been employed 


IX TRAVELS [VN EASTERN AFRICA 419 


upon the well-beaten path which leads from the coast 
to Uganda. They had been accustomed to regular 
marches and rests over a_ well-known road; and 
although the road from the coast to Daitcho could 
not in any sense be considered a difficult one, yet 
nevertheless, within a few hours of their arrival, they 
were complaining of the hardships 
of the march they had made, and 
saying that Daitcho was no place 
for any self-respecting porter. 

They had brought a variety of 
tales from the coast, principally 
highly coloured accounts of the 
victories achieved over the Euro- 
peans by the Arabs and outlaws 
in the neighbourhood of Lamoo. 
They said the time had at last 
come when the Arabs were about 
to reéstablish themselves in Zanzi- 
bar on a firm footing, and_ that 
messengers had come from Mecca 
advocating the “Jehad” (holy war) — Tue Leaver or THE 
against the infidel. After hearing oe 
these stories, I called all my men together, and said 
that not for a moment were lies of this sort to be 
tolerated in my camp; that any one of my men who 
would take the trouble to think for a moment should 
know the stories were absolutely untrue; and that I, 
being a European, would not permit such rumours to 
circulate while I was there to stop them. 

I afterwards learned that there had been some 
fighting on the coast, and in one case a European 


420 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. IX 


had been killed, a Mr. Hamilton, who had _ been 
placed in charge of a body of Arab soldiery at Kis- 
mayu. His men had mutinied, and after killing their 
leader, had fled by sea back to Arabia. There had 
also been a little fighting in the neighbourhood of 
Witu with Fumo Omari; but although a few Euro- 
peans had been wounded in this fight, yet the issue 
had been successful, inasmuch as Fumo Omari had 
been driven out of his fastnesses, and his men scattered. 

My men were fond of dwelling upon the rumours 
about one of the most ardent revolutionists, named 
Suliman Kemenya. For the past fifteen years he had 
caused great trouble to the European inhabitants on 
the coast, and had been exiled by the British author- 
ities to Muscat. A few years before the time of our 
visit he had returned to Zanzibar, and was at this 
time engaged in gathering as large a force as_possi- 
ble, in order to harass the Europeans stationed in the 
towns of Lamoo, Malinde, and Khalifi. In the eyes 
of my porters this man was a great hero; and they 
said that, now he had returned, the Europeans would 
find out that the Arabs could do something besides 
sleep. Not only did the bearing of these men cause 
me disappointment, but their number was much in 
excess of my requirements, and the length of time 
they had taken in the journey from the coast had 
almost entirely exhausted the supply of trading-goods, 
which I had ordered for use on a continued journey. 
Moreover, few of them were armed, and such as were, 
had weapons different from those carried by my other 
men; besides, their supply of ammunition was a very 
small one. 


<—S 


SSA 


<< 


DAITCHO LADIES IN FULL BALL COSTUME 


CHAP. IX TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 423 


A few days after my return from the Embe, Kar- 
scho returned from the food station at Sayer, and 
reported that the people I- had left there were in a 
state of great dissatisfaction owing to the conduct of 
the Somali I had placed in charge of them; so I de- 
cided to replace these men with others, choosing for 
that purpose the most vigorous of the new-comers. 
I also took this opportunity of increasing the store 
of food at Sayer by sending with these men thirty 
loads of flour. This, when added to the food already 
at Sayer, would be a fortnight’s supply for my entire 
caravan, and would enable us to set out from Daitcho 
once more with the men less heavily laden than could 
otherwise have been the case. 

My days were spent in drilling the new men in 
the use of the rifle and in-an attempt to make them 
more amenable to discipline. I have never seen a 
more lawless lot of wretches than these creatures 
seemed to be. In former years many of them had 
been engaged in fights against Europeans, particu- 
larly one little clique of twenty, who for years had 
followed the fortunes of Bushiri, an Arab patriot, 
who had endeavoured to prevent the Germans from 
taking that portion of East Africa which they had 
claimed. Many of them bore scars of the wounds 
received in that war, and boasted of the number 
of Europeans they had slain. These men by their 
boastings quickly became heroes in my camp. 

On the 14th of October three men came to “me 
bearing a letter from George, which contained glad 
tidings. On the road to Kibwezi he had fallen in 
with a large caravan of Zanzibari, who were on their 


424 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


way to the coast after a journey of two years 
through the country lying to the north and west 
of Lake Rudolph. They had with them 35,000 
pounds of ivory and 600 donkeys. George succeeded 
in purchasing seventy-five of these donkeys at twenty- 
five rupees each, giving in payment a draft on my 
agent at the coast. 

This intelligence made my heart actually leap with 
joy. There then seemed to be no difficulty lying 
between me and the north I so longed to reach. 
I had. men, food, and donkeys sufficient to carry 
the food. These high hopes, however, were destined 
soon to meet with the severest possible blow. From 
this time Fortune hid her face from me, and our 
luck returned to the condition which had character- 
ized it since the outset of the expedition. 

Ever since Lieutenant von Hoéhnel had left for the 
coast, I had suffered from continued attacks of fever 
and liver trouble. The fever never caused my tem- 
perature to rise very high, but the attacks returned 
daily, and my liver troubles became more and more 
frequent. I attribute this condition of my health to 
the fact that, throughout the journey to the Rendile 
and return, I had greatly overexerted myself, and 
this had its effect upon the liver, which in all prob- 
ability gave rise to the fever and high temperature. 
Although my appetite was good, I grew thinner day 
by day; and I looked forward with impatience to 
the time when George should return, and we should 
be once more able to push into the healthier country 
lying to the north of the Guaso Nyiro. By this time 
our supply of goats and cattle was almost exhausted ; 


IX TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 425 


so I sent a party of men across the river to Ukam- 
bani, to purchase as many goats as possible from the 
natives of that country. While they were gone, five 
Zanzibari turned up at Daitcho. These men were 
members of the caravan from which George had _ pur- 
chased donkeys in Ukambani. They had left their 
companions at Njemps, in order that they might pick 
up some ivory they had left at Daitcho. 

I spent many hours chatting with them about the 
journey they had just accomplished. They stated 
that under the leadership of an Arab, named Abdu- 
rachman, they had set out two years before from 
Mombasa 400 strong. They had journeyed via 
Kikuyu, and passing these people had continued 
their march, until they finally reached the country of 
the Donyiro. From there the party had crossed the 
country of the Reschatt, and had even passed as far 
north as the Buma Murlé, the people first visited by 
Count Teleki and Lieutenant von Hohnel on their 
journey... They had: a little fighting .on the road, 
having been attacked once or twice in the Buma 
Murlé country. They were also attacked just before 
leaving Donyiro on their homeward march; but on 
the whole had not had more fighting than usually 
falls to the lot of the ill-governed and irregular cara- 
vans the Arabs lead. They said there was much 
ivory to the north, particularly in the Donyiro coun- 
try, and among people called by them Mortunye, who 
inhabited a part of the country two days’ march 
beyond the Donyiro. From these the caravan had 
bought 12,000 pounds of ivory; and as they had 
never before been visited by a trading caravan, the 


426 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


prices paid for the ivory were ridiculously low. As 
soon as the Mortunye found that the traders wished 
ivory, they set out in parties to kill elephants. 
According to the reports of these Zanzibari, the 
Mortunye seemed to be very clever hunters, and were 
so likely to kill elephants, that the Arab traders were 
accustomed to follow the hunters to get the tusks as 
fast as the beasts were slain. Six men hunt together, 
and use spears. The traders reported that donkeys 
were very cheap in Turcana. 

Now that George had purchased donkeys in Ukam- 
bani, another difficulty presented itself —I had no sad- 
dles for them. Fortunately we had the skins of about 
forty zebras, which, however, were so stiff and hard 
that it appeared impossible to soften them sufficiently 
to make them into comfortable saddles. However, I 
set the men to work at them, and after two weeks’ 
pounding with stones and rubbing with sticks, they 
managed to make the refractory hides into panniers of 
the roughest possible type. 

Just before Lieutenant von Hohnel started for the 
coast, a party of thirty Zanzibari had come from Mom- 
basa, who, after hearing the tales of my men about 
the Rendile, and the statement that the Rendile built 
their zeribas of ivory, had set out in that direction 
accompanied by a party of forty Wakamba hunters. 
They fell in with the Rendile one day’s journey to 
the eastward of Chanler Falls. Immediately upon 
sighting the caravan, the Rendile threatened to kill 
them, and were only prevented and pacified by receiv- 
ing a large present from the Zanzibari. The Rendile 
refused to trade with them, unless the heaviest sort 


IX TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 427 


of American sheeting (marduf) was produced; and 
this the poor traders did not have in stock. More- 
over, the Rendile forced them to pay enormous prices 
for every gourd of water they took from the streams; 
and finally, after exhausting all their store of goods 
in presents to the Rendile for the privilege of mere 
existence, they were driven out of the country with 
shouts of scorn and warnings never to return. I am 
somewhat curious as to the manner in which the next 
European will be treated by the Rendile. I think 
that, unless he is well equipped, and possessed of a 
thorough knowledge of native character, he will expe- 
rience great difficulty with these people. 

Ever since the middle of October the air was sen- 
sibly charged with moisture, and on the night of Octo- 
ber 23 my slumbers were interrupted by the noise of 
a terrible downpour of rain. We had been assured by 
the natives that there were two rainy seasons annu- 
ally in this part of the country — one, by far the heav- 
ier, in the spring, beginning in March and ending in 
early June; the other, as far as I could learn, com- 
menced about the middle of November, and continued 
about two or three weeks. When I recalled the fact 
that George with twenty-five of my men and seventy- 
five donkeys was on the other side of the Tana River, 
and that another party of thirty of my men was also 
over there engaged in purchasing goats, my anxiety 
at this unexpected rainfall can readily be imagined. 

Even in the dry season the Tana River is difficult to 
cross, but when swollen by the rains it assumes such 
proportions that with the means at the disposal of the 
leader of a caravan, passage over it is well-nigh impossi- 


428 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. IX 


ble. Dr. Peters, in the book describing his journey, 
tells how for weeks and weeks he made attempt after 
attempt to cross the Tana after the rains, only to be 
met with disappointment and failure. My men on the 
other side of the Tana were pro- 
vided with food and_ trading- 
goods only sufficient to last 
them a _ short time; so_ that, 
should the rains continue to fall 
for a considerable period, I felt 
sure my people would find it ex- 
tremely difficult to support life. 
Nevertheless, nothing could be 
done: Lieutenant von Hohnel 
had to be borne to Kibwezi, and 
I knew that George would not 
loiter on the return journey. I 
had nothing to do but fold my 
hands, and fortify myself with 
what philosophy I had for what 
the Fates had in store for me. 
Three days after the rains set 
in, the men I had sent to Ukam- 
bani returned, and reported that 


BERI-BERI the river was much swollen, and 
Medicine-man and Poisoner of that they experienced much difh- 
the Daitcho 


culty in their passage over it. 
They had heard nothing of George and the men with 
him. To state it mildly, my position at this time was 
a most trying one. I was at Daitcho with 150 men 
and no work for them to perform; my trading-goods, 
sufficient for eighteen months’ travel, with 150 men, 


CERVICAPRA CHANLERI 


CHAP. IX TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 431 


were being slowly exhausted by the necessary pur- 
chase of food; and the state of my health was such 
that I could not go shooting, and thereby relieve in 
great measure this drain upon my stores. I felt as 
if caged in a trap, depressed with sickness, irritated 
by the delay, and anxious for the safety of George 
and his party. Finding us more anxious than ever 
to purchase food, the Daitcho people mercenarily 
attempted a rise in the prices; but after summoning 
Bykender, and giving him clearly to understand that 
we would continue to pay the prices we had been 
paying, no more -nor less, the people gave up their 
attempt at extortion. 

In a few days the men I had sent to replenish the 
store at Sayer returned. The party was composed 
entirely of the new-comers, and their leader reported 
that they had been mutinous and troublesome on the 
march. 

During the rains three small antelopes visited the 
hill just above my camp, and I was able to secure 
one of them. I felt convinced that it was a new 
species; so I carefully preserved its skeleton and skin. 
it proved to -be a species of’ red buck heretofore 
unknown, and has since been designated ‘ Cervicapra 
Chanleri.” 

Of the party who had been sent to Ukambani to 
purchase goats, five deserted for no apparent reason, 
and of course took their rifles with them. Shortly 
after the return of this party and those sent to re- 
plenish the store at Sayer, all the new-comers came to 
me in a body, and said that they could not bear the 
insolence of the Somali and Soudanese. As I had 


432 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


always taken pains to keep the Somali and Soudanese 
as separate as possible from the porters, I knew this 
complaint was absolutely without foundation. I sus- 
pected that it was not of their own volition that these 
men had come to me with this complaint, and that 
some member of the caravan was bent upon stirring 
up discontent and strife; but despite all my efforts I 
was unable to discover who the person was. The new- 
comers seemed bent upon impressing it on my mind 
that they held the key to the situation, which was 
more or less true; for they had received three months’ 
advance pay at the coast, and as yet the three months 
had not expired; so that they had no _ particular 
reason for remaining with me. The delay forced 
upon me gave them lots of idle time for discussing 
and plotting their purpose, as I could not make work 
sufficient to occupy them all, and greater discontent 
seemed to spread among them day by day. The men 
I had sent to Sayer, upon their return complained 
unceasingly of the condition of the road over which 
they had been forced to march, and said they would 
rather spend their lives on the road from Mombasa to 
Uganda than walk five days over this lava-strewn soil. 

I must say, I sympathized with them, for the road 
was very bad; nevertheless, I had had no hand in 
making it, and in walking over it I had suffered 
nearly as much as they. I lay awake one entire 
night pondering over the question presented by these 
men, and finally concluded they were by no means a 
favourable accession to my force. They were trouble- 
some and insubordinate; five of them had already 
deserted, and the remainder seemed to favour a similar 


IX TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 433 


course. I had but a few rifles, and I could not trust 
these in the hands of men who would desert; for 
when once the rifles were gone, we should have been 
helpless in the presence of a horde of savages. 

By this time the men who had left the coast with 
me had become accustomed to hard travelling, were 
good shots, and at all events were not likely to 
desert, as each had a goodly sum of money to his 
credit. Should the seventy-five donkeys purchased 
by George at Ukambani arrive in safety, we should 
be able to carry sufficient food to last the caravan 
for many days. The greater the number of men one 
has in a caravan, the more difficult to provide food. 
Bearing this in mind, I decided to put a plain ques- 
tion to the new-comers; namely, whether their wish 
was to remain with me, or to return to the coast. 
I felt all the more willing to do this, as I had not 
instructed Hamidi to get so many men; but, on the 
contrary, had limited the number to twenty. Acting 
upon this idea, I called all the new-comers together, 
and in a few words told them I was dissatisfied with 
their behaviour, and wished to know whether or not 
they cared to remain with me; that if there were 
any of them who really cared for work, and would 
promise on the Koran not to desert, I would engage 
them. They one and all said they wished to return 
toy the coast. I gave them half. an« hour to pack 
their clothes or change their minds. They still wished 
to go, although I assured them I should give them no 
rifles or food for their journey. ‘‘ Pwani!” (Coast!) 
they shouted; and off they went. At their departure 
I experienced a feeling of great relief; for as long as 

2F 


434 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


they remained with me I feared the expedition was 
likely to be broken up at any moment. After their 
departure I distributed among my old followers a 
large quantity of cloth. This they sorely needed, for 
during the rains the air strikes these poor creatures 
as cold and chilly. 

One afternoon I was aroused from a siesta by the 
sound of war horns and the cries of the Daitcho 
warriors. They came running to my camp, and _ said 
their territory had been entered by a party of several 
hundred hostile natives, and they desired me to repel 
the invaders. I took a party of seventy-five men and 
followed the Daitcho. We ran four miles; but though 
we saw a broad trail beaten in the mud of the out- 
lying plantations, which marked the path taken by 
the hostiles, we were unable to overtake them. They 
had probably caught sight of some of my men, and 
beat a hasty retreat. However, the fact that we 
turned out so willingly pleased the natives immensely, 
and upon our return they sang songs expressive of 
their appreciation of our act. 

During the afternoon of Tuesday, November 7, a 
porter came to my tent, and said, “ Mufta is coming, 
master.” Now Mufta was one of the men who had 
followed George to Kibwezi, and, moreover, was the 
best swimmer in the caravan. He approached me 
with a sad face, and said, ‘“‘Baraka is drowned.” 
Baraka was one of my tent-boys, and being a good 
swimmer and an excellent walker, I had sent him in 
company with three men to cross the Tana and urge 
George to march rapidly, in case he was unaware of 
the swollen condition of the stream. It seemed that 


IX TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 435 


George had reached the Tana on November 2, and, 
finding the river too much swollen to cross, and 
being short of food, he decided to send me a message 
to that effect. He called for volunteers from among 
the men, to swim the stream and bear me a letter. 
Mufta and Baraka volunteered for this work. To 
each was given a small glass bottle, in which was 
placed a letter. 

The Tana, swollen by the recent rains, surged and 
roared between its steep and rocky banks; but, un- 
deterred by the aspect of the stream, these two 
plucky fellows plunged in, and_ battled with the 
waters. They had swum half-way across, and ap- 
peared to be getting on nicely, when suddenly Baraka, 
who was swimming on Mufta’s right, gave a loud cry, 
and sank from sight. He rose to the surface for a 
moment, screaming with pain, and then disappeared 
again and finally. He had undoubtedly been seized 
by a crocodile or a hippopotamus. Poor boy! He was 
one of the most faithful, efficient, and hard-working 
negroes I had ever seen. At the time of his death 
he was but twenty-three years of age. His first ex- 
perience in caravan work was on the expedition of 
Count Teleki and Lieutenant von Hoéhnel, when he 
filled the place of donkey-boy. His next venture 
was upon my former journey, after which he had 
accompanied Mrs. French Sheldon on her journey to 
Taveta. I had esteemed myself most fortunate in 
securing him for this expedition, and up to the time 
of his death he had well and cheerfully performed his 
work. I had become attached to him, and his loss 
filled me with sincere regret. 


430 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


I at once despatched a party of men to the river 
to assist George in crossing: being confined to my 
bed with fever and liver troubles, I was unable to go 
in person. Mufta reported that of the seventy-five 
donkeys which George had bought, fifty-five were 
still alive and in good condition. The men sent to 
the relief of George and his party took with them 
ropes and axes, in case it should be possible to use 
them in bridge-making. While in camp at Daitcho, 
we had made a rope 200 yards long, and about as 
thick as a man’s wrist, for use in crossing rivers. 
This we made from the fibre of a plant growing in 
the neighbourhood. The rope was very light, and 
capable of withstanding great strain; and it looked 
almost as neat as a well-made hemp hawser. 

During the evening of the day upon which these 
men set out, two of them returned, and reported that 
with the exception of one man they had not been 
able to ford even the Ura River, so much had it 
swollen. The man who crossed went on and reached 
the Tana, which he could not cross. He _ fired 
several shots to attract the attention of the men with 
George, but from the roar of the stream was unable 
to distinguish any sound as an answer; however, he 
could see the forms of men on the opposite bank. 
The other man said that the porter who swam the 
Ura, and reached the Tana, saw all the men and don- 
keys on a small island in mid-stream, and that they 
had shown by signs that it was impossible for them to 
either advance or retreat. If the latter story proved 
true, it meant that George and the men with him 
would die of starvation; for the island was about 


IX TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 437 


100 yards from the shore, and between there rushed 
a mighty torrent. 

I sent two of my best swimmers with letters for 
George, placed in tightly corked bottles, which they 
were to deliver at all hazards. In these letters I in- 
structed George to fall back upon Ukambani, and if he 
became ill on account of the rains, to retire to the 


SCENE ON THE TANA 


mission station at Kibwezi. I then gave up all hope 
of getting out of Daitcho for months. 

For a few days the rains did not descend with 
much violence, and I hoped they were over. During 
this period one of my men returned from the Tana, 
and reported that the river was rapidly falling, and 
that he expected George and his followers would soon 
be able to cross. About sunset on November 15 
a man came running to me, while I was in bed, cry- 


* 


438 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


ing, “A man is dying.” I jumped up, and_ followed 
my informant; but when I reached the spot where the 
man lay, I saw that he was already dead. I identi- 
fied him as Wadi Farhan, who had taken some men 
to procure firewood. These men returned without 
him, and reported, that he had left them to speak to 
some natives a short distance away. He _ had 
apparently followed them, and dropped dead in the 
road. He was not cold when I reached him. His 
companions shouted, “ Poison!” but I silenced them. 
I fancy his trouble was heart failure. His funeral 
took place, while the west was still glowing with the 
pearly tints of sunset. Night had already set in_ be- 
fore the last cries of “La illaha il Allah!” proclaimed 
the grave to hold its own, and to be covered with 
stones. 

It was not until November 19 that I received word 
from George. Hamidi had managed to get food and 
medicines across the river to him; and he reported 
that if the rains did not fail for six days, the river 
would lower sufficiently to enable George to cross, 
but that at that time it was impossible for him to do 
SO. 

During the rains the two Beloochi, Abdurachman 
and Gwaharam, who had set out in search of ivory, 
returned, bringing with them twenty-seven donkeys. 
We exchanged presents, and I endeavoured to pur- 
chase the donkeys from them, but without success. 
They had with them from 700 to 800 pounds of ex- 
cellent ivory, which they had purchased from the 
Wanderobbo. They said that the country to the 
north of the Guaso Nyiro was then plentifully sup- - 


IX TRAVELS [MN EASTERN AFRICA 439 


plied with water; and it filled me with irritation to 
think that I was unable to profit by this state of 
affairs in pushing on to Reschatt. The Beloochi 
said that during the rains, although the Tana is 
nearly always swollen to such an extent that it is 
unfordable, nevertheless there are periods when the 
rains fall less incessantly, and during such periods 
the river lowers, permitting caravans already stationed 
on the bank, and watchful for such an opportunity, 
to cross ere the river again rises. In order to take 
advantage of the chance of such a favourable condi- 
tion, they set out with their men and donkeys for the 
banks of the river. 

November 16 was ushered in by a flight of locusts, 
so dense as to form a cloud. The natives came to 
us at once, and asked for medicine to stop the 
plague. I told them to have patience; that their 
crops would not suffer; for I considered that the 
millet had not grown sufficiently high to sustain per- 
manent injury, even though all above ground should 
be entirely eaten. However, they insisted that I 
should make medicine, and to that end brought a 
male sheep. I told them to kill and eat the sheep 
in company with one of my men. They at once 
built a fire, and slaughtered the victim; but after the 
meat was cooked, they refused to eat any of it there, 
as they said that the local deity, who lived on a hill 
back of our camp, would kill them at once, should 
they eat it in the neighbourhood of the hill. Though 
the natives refused to eat the sheep, my men gladly 
did so; and while eating it they laughed and gossiped 
together in such a hearty manner, that the natives 


440 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


thought my medicine-making might possibly have 
been a joke; so they came to me in a most serious 
manner, and said that they wished me to make other 
medicine. I told them that nothing I could do would 
check the locusts; that they were doubtless sent from 
Heaven as a punishment for the prices extorted by 
the Daitcho from me in exchange for the goods they 
sold; and I added that I could in no way interfere 
with such punishment. 

Finding me obdurate, the natives set to work to 
do what they could in order to check the swarming 
of the locusts. They seized branches of trees in their 
hands, and set about the plantations, furiously beat- 
ing the air and waving the branches. An hour of 
this work fatigued them to such a degree that almost 
all of them lay down upon the ground, and gave vent 
to loud lamentations and curses; but the locusts 
moved not. Occasionally five or six of the more 
determined would rise up after a short period of 
rest, and return to the branch-swinging; then, hav- 
ing again exhausted themselves, they would sink 
back again into a lethargic condition. These spas- 
modic and abortive efforts they continued for several 
hours. Finally several of them came to me, and in 
the most heart-broken manner said that it rested 
with me alone whether or not they should starve to 
death the following year. To this they added, that 
they had done the best they could for me in all 
ways, and they knew that, if I would, I could stop 
this raid of locusts. From my knowledge of the 
natives I was certain that if I did not appear to 
make an attempt to stop the locusts, such action 


IX TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 441 


would be construed as evidence of unfriendliness to 
the Daitcho; and this was the last opinion I wished 
them to entertain. In order to humour them, I told 
them to wait; and when my men had finished eat- 
ing the sheep, I took the tallest and blackest one, 
dressed him in a long, white robe, placed a large 
sun-umbrella in his hand, took him to the opening 
in front of my camp (where at that time the locusts 
were falling like hail-stones), and ordered him there 
to dance and sing in the most vigorous manner, and 
at the same time spin the umbrella over his head. 
This seemed to satisfy the natives, and their looks 
and gestures testified to the strength of their feel- 
ings of joy and satisfaction. 

Around and about danced the negro, his shouts 
echoing to the heavens, and his white umbrella seem- 
ing a halo above his head. When he exhibited signs 
of fatigue, I shouted to him to increase the rapidity 
of his motions; and, finally, when the sound of his 
voice had become faint and hoarse, and _ perspiration 
streamed freely from every pore, I permitted him to 
cease his gyrations. 

Lo, hardly had he stopped, when an event occurred 
which filled me with surprise, and produced more 
than astonishment in the minds not only of the 
natives, but of my followers as well. For hours the 
locusts had swept by us in millions, and it seemed 
there was no end to them. As far as the eye could 
see to the north, nothing was in view but a cloud of 
these insects. However, when my unwilling dervish 
had ceased his efforts, the cloud of locusts stopped, as 
though at the word of command, hesitated a moment 


442 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


in their flight, and then, as though influenced by 
some occult power, changed direction, and made off 
toward the desert. 

It was with the greatest difficulty that I controlled my 
features: never were risibles given such great provoca- 
tion as mine at that time. The Daitcho people threw 
their hands into the air as in an attitude of devotion, 
gazed at me with reverence and awe, and then ex- 
pressed their gratitude by the only means in their 
power. They formed a long line in front of me; and, 
led by the elders, they all proceeded to dance, slowly 
at first, and all the while chanting a tuneless song. 
Finally, having wrought themselves to a pitch resem- 
bling religious enthusiasm, their movements became 
quicker and quicker; all sense of the harmony of 
sounds seemed to depart from them, and the ear 
was filled with a roaring bedlam of thanksgiving and 
joy. 

As my luncheon hour was approaching, I sent word 
to them to depart, which they unwillingly did, wish- 
ing, as long as they had strength in their limbs or 
breath in their bodies, to testify their admiration and 
gratitude for the deed I had performed. 

On November 19, Hamidi and his men returned 
from the river, bringing with them a letter from George, 
who was well, but reported the death of five donkeys 
from fly-bite; also, that to avoid further similar hap- 
penings he had sent others to a point two days’ journey 
from the river, where there were no flies. I sent men 
for further news from George, and they returned, stating 
that the river had again risen, and that George had 
determined to leave the donkeys in charge of five men 


IX TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 443 


at -Ukambani, and join me via Hameye, at which 
point the Pokomo with their canoes could ferry him 
across the river. This would also have been a good 
road over which to bring the donkeys, had it not been 
for those little pests, the “ tsetse” fly. 

About this time I was informed by the natives that 
owing to the exceptional fall of rain it was unlikely 
that the Tana would prove fordable at any point for 
two or three months to come. It was impossible for 
me to waste so much time; so I sent Hamidi and 
some of my men to the river bank, for the purpose 
of searching for a fit tree from which to make a dug- 
out canoe. 

When the rainy season had set in, Motio went away 
to visit his people on the mountains. At this time he 
returned bringing with him an old man, whom he 
called his father, and also a neighbour. I gave each 
of them a large present, and Motio bade me farewell, 
saying that he did not think he should ever return to 
me at Daitcho, as he was so rich from the presents I 
had given him, that he would be able to settle down 
among his own people during the remainder of his 
life. He never reappeared. I felt that my whole ex- 
pedition owed this poor stricken creature a debt of 
gratitude for his services; and I hoped that he was 
permitted by his tribesmen to enjoy in peace the 
riches he had acquired. 

Early in December the rains almost entirely ceased, 
yet not altogether, for occasionally a slight shower fell 
during the night. On December 11, having recovered 
somewhat from my indisposition, I went to the Tana, 
where I found Hamidi and his men. They had nearly 


444 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


completed a capital dug-out, twenty feet in length, with 
a beam of three feet. Unfortunately the place where 
the canoe was built was unsuitable for launching it, 
so we were forced to carry it nearly two miles through 
a dense undergrowth. As it weighed nearly one thou- 
sand pounds, the difficulty of this task can be imagined 
when it is remembered that we had no vehicle. How- 


SCENE ON THE TANA 


ever, by constant application we had it ready for launch- 
ing on December 15. 

On the evening of that day I received the tidings 
that George had arrived at Daitcho, and at early dawn 
of the following day I set out to meet him. The 
story of his trials and sufferings during the rains 
would fill a volume. On first reaching the Tana, he 
had with him but four days’ food supply. For more 
than two weeks he remained on the banks of the 
river, sending back small parties to purchase food 


IX TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 445 


from the Wakamba villages two or three days’ march 
distant. Almost daily he made attempts to cross the 
river, and upon one occasion got within fifty yards of 
the other bank, when owing to a shower of rain the 
river suddenly rose, and it was with the utmost diffi- 
culty that he and his men managed to avoid being 
drowned. | 

He at length decided to march to Hameye, and 
there cross the river by means of the canoes possessed 
by the Pokomo; but the rains had made the south 
bank of the Tana so soft, and the undergrowth was 
so thick, that he was forced to turn back. He then 
decided to advance up the Tana until it decreased in 
size, and then endeavour to cross. After four days’ 
marching he reached a tribe called Wathaka, who in- 
habit both banks of the Tana at a point not more 
than three days’ march from Daitcho. These people 
received him kindly, and volunteered to transport him 
and all his goods to the opposite bank; which they 
did. 

The Wathaka are really extraordinary swimmers. 
They worked in the water in pairs. Each would put 
a hand on the shoulder of his partner, and their arms 
thus formed a resting-place for the men they were to 
transport across the stream. The loads of merchan- 
dise they transported in a different manner. They 
made it up in parcels weighing about twenty pounds 
each, which they placed upon their heads, and then 
plunged into the stream. They did not swim with 
the loads, but permitted themselves to be carried along 
with the current, which here swept in the direction of 
the opposite bank. Every few moments they would 


446 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


rise to the surface and take a breath of air; then, 
sinking, would remain beneath the surface, until they 
had been carried by the swift current a distance of 
ten or fifteen yards; when they would again reappear, 
and repeat the operation. In this way the loads were 
taken across in safety. 

George reported that when he left Kibwezi, Lieu- 
tenant von Hohnel was rapidly improving under the 
treatment of the doctor, who had assured him that 
although the wound would not permanently affect 
him, yet it would be impossible for Lieutenant von 
Hoéhnel to continue the journey in Africa, and he 
would have to return to Europe. 

Owing to the unusual rainy season, and the attend- 
ant fly, only forty-two of the donkeys purchased by 
George were alive; so I decided to leave them in 
Ukambani, where pasturage was good, until the river 
had lowered sufficiently to permit their ferriage with- 
out difficulty. I decided to set out in the meantime 
with fifty or sixty of my men, and go to Kythere, 
where, the Wanderobbo told me, Masai were living 
who possessed many donkeys. I hoped to accomplish 
the journey in three weeks, and then set out once 
more for the north thoroughly equipped. 

Since the departure of the porters Hamidi had 
brought with him from the coast, my men appeared 
to be in excellent spirits. They had little, if any, 
work to perform, and had enjoyed double rations of 
food. To enable the men to share the pleasure I 
experienced upon the return of George and the men 
I had sent with him, I distributed a large present of 
cloth among them. 


IX TRAVELS [VM EASTERN AFRICA 447 


At this time we thought our trials and tribulations 
were almost at an end, and hoped the New Year 
would find us well on our way. But, alas! within 
the next few hours we were to learn how impossible 
it is in Africa to count upon what a single day may 
bring forth. 


COUNTRY NEAR GUASO NYIRO RIVER 


CHAPTER, X 


At about quarter to five on the morning of De- 
cember 17, I heard the voice of George at my tent, 
saying, “Mr. Chanler, the porters have all left camp 
in a body with their weapons.” I leaped to my feet, 
seized the first gun I could lay hands on, and dashed 
out of the zeriba. It was quite dark, but I was able 
to distinguish a mass of forms standing at a distance 
of eighty yards. I had an instinctive feeling which 
prompted me to throw away my weapon, and advance 
toward -them unarmed. It was well I did so, for I 
afterwards ascertained that the weapon I had seized 
was an empty shot-gun. I said nothing until I 
reached a point within ten feet of the men, and 
then I asked, “What is the matter?” A voice from 
the rear of the line said, ‘‘We are going to Hamidi, 
our headman, at the river.’ I shouted, “ Return to 
camp at once.” There was no distinct reply, but a 
low murmur rose from the mass of the men. 

I looked behind me, and saw standing there George 
and Ramazan, the chief of the Soudanese. None of 
us three had so much as a stick in our hands. 

I then asked, “Is this the plan of all of you, or 
are you obeying the orders of some one?” A feeble 
but general shout of “All” escaped them. I then 
said, “Wait until Hamidi comes for you;- he will 

448 


CHAP. X TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 449 


return, to ‘our camp’ Here in’ a day or ‘two.’ “Then 
excited cries arose, and I saw the men through fear 
were working themselves into a frenzy. My one idea 
was to keep them talking, until I could formulate 
some plan of action by which to circumvent their 
attempt at desertion. I then said, “Do you realize 
what you are about to do?—you are deserting the 
European in the desert. You will not only get no 
pay, but will receive the punishment meted to all 
deserters upon arriving at the coast. Do not be 
foolish; return to camp. If you have any complaints 
to make, return to camp, and make them.” 

These words were received by the men with ever- 
increasing shouts. The longer I stood there, the 
greater seemed their courage, and the less my chances 
of retaining them. I turned to George, and whispered 
a few words to him. The men seemed to guess what 
I was doing, and shouted one to another, “ Twende- 
zetu’’ (Let us go). Occasionally, in their excitement, 
a gun was discharged, and the flash illumined for an 
instant the faces of the men in its vicinity. I could 
see that many of them, poor stupid creatures, had 
their guns pointed towards me in a trembling and 
half-hearted manner. 

While I was talking with the men, two of my 
Somali and three Soudanese rushed up, and lined 
themselves behind me; they were in a high state of 
excitement, and appeared willing to assist me in every 
way. Had they held their peace, it is likely I should 
have succeeded in bringing back the would-be deserters 
to camp; but these faithful creatures, perhaps in order 


to overawe the deserters, slapped their guns with their 
2G 


450 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


hands, to show they were armed, and assured me of 
their presence. 

The light was getting stronger every moment, and 
all the time my eyes were scanning the features of the 
men, in order to distinguish which of them was acting 
the part of leader. I finally discovered at the end of 
the line Mwalim Hamis, a man who had enlisted with 
me as a porter, but whom I had recently raised to the 
position of headman. As soon as I caught sight of 
him, I said, “Come here, Mwalim.” In a hesitating 
manner he advanced toward me, but stopped while 
yet a few yards distant. I then moved toward him, 
and said, “ What is the meaning of all this? what are 
you doing?” He shrank back, and stuttered, “ Don’t 
come closer, master. Don’t come closer. Don’t you 
see I am armed?” slapping his rifle with his hand, as 
he made the remarks. I said, “You stupid ass; don’t 
you see I am unarmed? What are you afraid of?” 
It was then that a voice from the rear of the line, 
which I recognized as belonging to a man who, from 
the first day after his enlistment with the caravan had 
proved a source of difficulty, asked, “Why do we stand 
here talking? Let us go.” Then a great chorus of 
shouts arose, and guns were discharged in the air, 
some of which, perhaps inadvertently, were pointed in 
our direction. The drum beat, they started, and soon 
disappeared from sight. 

The suddenness of this desertion almost stunned 
me; I was not in the slightest way expecting or pro- 
vided for it. The men had not evinced the slightest 
discontent, or in any way shown a disposition to de- 
sert. I may freely admit that my first thoughts were 


x TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 451 


of vengeance, and through my brain surged the idea 
that with my Soudanese and Somali and daylight I 
should be able to kill a great number of the deserters, 
and perhaps turn the purpose of the others. I then 
remembered that these poor creatures were not acting 
of their own volition, but under the orders of some 
one not at hand. 

When I left the Tana for Daitcho to join George, 
I had left Hamidi with ten men in charge of the canoe 
at the river; and it seemed probable that he was the 
mainspring of the desertion. I thought it would 
perhaps be possible to bring back these men. It ap- 
peared to me highly improbable that they would 
return to the coast, where they, as well as I, knew 
that from time immemorial deserters from European 
caravans had met with severe punishment upon their 
arrival and capture. What, then, could have been the 
cause of their desertion? 

Upon returning to camp, the Soudanese and Somali 
expressed a willingness to chase and fight the deserters ; 
but I knew that even among these men there was at 
least one traitor. The camp at Daitcho had two gates, 
and at each gate a Soudanese was stationed. It was 
the duty of such sentinel to allow no more than one 
porter to be absent from the zeriba, unless I sent a 
number of them out for some special purpose. A 
Soudanese named Birindgi was stationed at the gate 
by which the men had deserted, and he had taken 
pains not to give any warning until all the porters 
had passed through the gate, one by one. Even then 
he did not report to George or me, as he had been 
ordered in case of any unusual happening, but went 


452 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


to one of the Somali, who in turn notified George, 
from whom finally I learned the state of affairs. From 
the time they left the zeriba until I was notified, at 
least four or five minutes had elapsed. Here was a 
case of an entire caravan, splendidly treated in every 
manner, throwing up sixteen months’ pay and going 
off without food. Hamidi had not seemed to like the 
Somali and Soudanese; but, as I had been careful not 
to allow them to have anything to do with him and 
his men, he must have had some other reason for his 
action. At all events, I knew that Hamidi was a man 
of some property at Zanzibar, and even if he were 
behind the whole affair, that he would not dare to go 
to the coast, without endeavouring to explain his action 
either by coming in person or by sending a letter. 
On the afternoon of the day the men deserted, my 
friend Gwaharam, the Beloochi, arrived from the river. 
He seemed in a state of great nervous excitement, and 
I felt for a moment as if he might have had something 
to do with the desertion. He had told me that he 
proposed, upon arriving at the coast, to fit out a large 
expedition to trade at Reschatt and throughout the 
north. These traders did not like Europeans to precede 
them, because the trading goods carried by the Euro- 
peans are better than those they make use of; and so 
the natives are loath to accept their goods in exchange 
for ivory or anything else; hence it seemed to me 
quite possible that Gwaharam had assisted in some 
way the breaking up of my caravan. From his manner 
and appearance I gathered that he at least knew some- 
thing about the state of affairs at the river; but he 
repeatedly swore that he knew nothing. He said that 


x TRAVELS [NM EASTERN AFRICA 453 


shortly after noon on that day he had heard shots 
fired and men shouting, and running out from his 
camp he saw my men passing. He asked what they 
were doing; and they replied, “ We are going to the 
coast; our time has expired.” He said that he had 
attempted to reason with them, but they had told him 
to mind his business. He was sure I could bring back 
all the men, but that there was only one way to do 
it, — I must write a letter to Hamidi. He said, “ Don’t 
go, yourself, vor let George go. The men are in a 
state of wild excitement, and I have had enough ex- 
perience with Zanzibari, in all my years of travel in 
East Africa, to know that when in that state they 
are not in any way amenable to reason.” 

These words did not make much impression upon 
me; but I knew that if I should attempt to drive 
the men back with the small force at my disposal, 
they would always be able to say that they had been 
forced back against their wills; and they would take 
advantage of the first opportunity to desert. If I could 
not keep them together in a strong camp like that 
at Daitcho, it would be impossible to prevent desertions 
while on the march, as I had found by experience. 

One of the men in the traders’ caravan then at 
Daitcho was able to write Arabic; so I sent for him, 
and had the following letter written to Hamidi: — 

“ Hamip1,— This morning, early, all the Zanzibari 
except seven left camp, and said they were going to 
you at the river. I asked them why, but could get 
no answer. 

“TI do not know if this is your work. If it is not 
your work, send a letter, or give it to Gwaharam, 


454 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


explaining the state of affairs. If it is not your work, 
bring back the men; I shall forget to-day’s behaviour, 
and all shall be as before. If, on the contrary, it is 
your plan to go to the coast, it is not your place to 
run away secretly like a slave. You are a freeman, 
and the headman of this expedition, and should give 
your reasons for going to the coast, and leaving me, 
a European, in the desert. 

“T do not know why you go. If there is a reason 
for your going, why do you not tell it me? Perhaps 
we can arrange matters.” 

I then had with me in the camp seven Somali, 
eleven Soudanese, one Galla and one Masai interpre- 
ter (Hassan), my two tent-boys, George’s tent-boy, the 
cook (a cousin of Hamidi), and one solitary porter. 
This porter was found alone in his tent, shortly after 
the other men had deserted. I told him jokingly 
that he was stupid to remain behind with me, as it 
was better for him at once to follow the rest of the 
porters. He declined to do this, saying that he did 
not join the expedition for fun, but for the sake of 
pay, which he knew he should not get if he deserted. 
Those remaining behind, one and all, denied that 
they had had the slightest knowledge of the intended 
desertion, and stated that the first intimation they 
received of it was when the men left the zeriba. 

I now began to turn over in my mind everything 
which related to the present state of affairs, and de- 
cided that even now it was possible for me to push 
on and accomplish something. It was unlikely that 
the deserters would take with them the donkeys at 
Ukambani. I had twenty-six men in camp, and at 


x TRAVELS [NV EASTERN AFRICA 455 


the food station in Sayer were six others. Besides, 
there was at that time a caravan of thirty traders at 
Daitcho, whom I thought it possible to induce to join 
my expedition upon promising them large pay. If 
the donkeys were not stolen, and the traders could 
be induced to join me, I should then have a sufficient 
force to reach Reschatt in the north, or, at all events, 
to prolong my journey, and perhaps make some inter- 
esting discoveries. I should not have felt so depressed 
at the desertion of these men, had I not been con- 
scious of having treated them so well; but this was 
a strengthening thought, as it convinced me that it was 
through no ill treatment of mine that the break-up 
in the caravan occurred. 

During the evening of the following day a mes- 
senger came from the Beloochi, and said that he had 
met Hamidi on the road, and that he and one of the 
porters (Hussein) were then sleeping near by, and 
would come to my camp early the following morning. 

Early the next morning, Gwaharam appeared with 
Hamidi and the porter: they both carried rifles, which 
they laid aside as they approached me. Hamidi 
seemed very nervous, but the face of the porter wore 
an air of braggadocio. In answer to my question, 
“What is the matter?” Hamidi denied any knowl- 
edge of the affair. He said that the men reached the 
Tana on the afternoon of the day they left us, and 
were in a most excited state, and he could get noth- 
ing out of them, except that the time for which they 
had enlisted had expired, and that they would go no 
farther into an unknown country filled with savage 
people like the Rendile. 


456 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


He added that upon reaching the river the men 
had threatened to bind him; but he had managed by 
his eloquence to persuade them to allow him to take 
the news to me. He said the men had all crossed 
the river, and were encamped on the farther bank. 
He made no attempt to explain matters, but in an- 
swer to further questions shook his head, and _ said, 
“Master, I know nothing.” 

I was firmly convinced that he was at the bottom of 
it, and I knew that I might easily seize and bind him; 
but in such case it seemed less likely that I should 
again see the men. They had already, according to 
Hamidi’s statement, crossed the river, and the scent of 
the coast was in their nostrils. I decided that it was 
through Hamidi alone that I must work, if I hoped 
to see the men again; so I told him to go and bring 
the men back to camp, if possible; still, if he was 
unable to do that—why, never mind. My apparent 
indifference seemed to upset him; and he asked me 
what he should do in case he was unable to bring 
them back. I said, “If you go with them, it will 
prove you are part and parcel of the desertion, and 
the results will be upon your head. If you return 
to me, bringing at least some of the men, I shall 
know that you had nothing to do with the desertion ; 
otherwise, I shall hold you responsible at the coast.” 

Upon being further questioned, he admitted that 
nothing I had ever done had aught to do with the 
desertion of the men. Upon being more closely 
pressed, he muttered something about the Somali; 
but when I urged him to speak plainly, he shrugged 
his shoulders and said nothing. He finally said that 


x TRAVELS [VM EASTERN AFRICA 457 


he had no complaints to make, and that he would 
bring back the deserters. I called witnesses into 
my tent, and producing a copy of the Koran, made 
him swear an oath, which is supposed to be the most 
binding upon the natives of Zanzibar. It consisted 
in repeating the words, “ Yamin Bilalhi,” which roughly 
translated mean, “As I have faith in Allah.” There 
is a superstition current among these people that any 
man breaking this oath will be struck dead shortly 
after; but I am quite sure many natives of Zanzibar 
are living in a state of perfect health after having , 
broken this oath as many times as convenience dic- 
tated. He then repeated again and again that he 
was innocent of complicity in the desertion, and prom- 
ised to send me word as to the result of his pleadings 
with the men the first thing on the following day. 
Finally he bade farewell and departed. 

The following day two of the traders encamped at 
Daitcho came to me, and complained that the natives 
had changed their behaviour after the desertion of 
my men, and were then committing petty thefts, and 
in every way showing their contempt for the traders. 
I at once sent word to Bykender that I should hold 
him responsible for any further thefts committed in 
the camp of the traders, and that unless the behaviour 
of the Daitcho should be as good as it had previously 
been, I should visit him with severe punishment. 

At nine o’clock on the morning of December 21, 
I heard four shots fired behind my zeriba, and sent 
at once to find the cause. Immediately Ramazan, 
the chief of the Soudanese, came and said, “ All my 
people have gone away.’ He said that upon _hear- 


458 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


ing the shots he went out, and found the Soudanese 
standing in line with their guns pointed at him. 
They told him to go, or they would fire. He asked 
them what the matter was, and they said that they 
had got bad news (khabar batal), and were going 
away. They then fired more shots, and went off at 
a dead run. 

I got my men together and pursued them, but to 
no purpose. They did not take the main road to the 
river, but ran among the bushes; so after having 
looked for them a couple of hours I returned. 

I was greatly perplexed; the desertions of both 
porters and Soudanese were effected suddenly, and 
no reason assigned. If the Soudanese had intended 
at first to desert, why had they, three of them at 
least, when the porters were drawn up in the line 
before the zeriba, stood behind me and_ expressed 
willingness to assist me in every way? The Sou- 
danese, too, had come all the way from Massowa, and 
they knew perfectly well it would be impossible for 
them to collect pay by any means at Zanzibar; but, 
on the contrary, it was more probable that the Italian 
consul would imprison them immediately upon their 
arrival at that place. 

Now that the Soudanese had joined the porters, I 
thought it probable that we should receive a visit 
from the deserters in a body. Hamidi had not sent 
word since his final departure; but it was _ possible 
that while in camp he might have had some commu- 
nication with the Soudanese; and now that my force 
in the zeriba was so reduced, it was quite on the 
cards that the deserters might return and destroy 


x TRAVELS [VN EASTERN AFRICA 459 


all evidence of their desertion by putting us out of 
the way. About 3 p.m. on the day that the Soudanese 
deserted, I was seated in a straw shed I had had 
built outside of the zeriba, when I saw a man wear- 
ing a blue coat, such as those worn by my Sou- 
danese, coming hurriedly towards the zeriba. He 
proved to be a Soudanese, named Hussein Mahomet. 
My first thought was to kill him. I dashed at him, 
seized him by the throat with my right hand, and 
with my left wrenched his Mannlicher from him, and 
cocked it. He fell upon his knees, and stammered 
out the word “khabar,’ which means news. Thank 
Heaven he spoke; for the tone of his voice brought 
me to myself, and stayed my hand. I took him in- 
side of my shed, and then had some of the Somali 
‘called, who were conversant with Arabic. 

The intelligence he gave was as follows. The pre- 
ceding night I had called Mahomet Aman (the head 
of the Somali) to me, and told him to make ready 
the chains; for it was my intention, if the deserters 
returned, and behaved in a refractory manner, to bind 
the ringleaders at once. One of the Soudanese was 
on duty near by, and heard some of the talk. His 
guilty conscience (for I felt sure the Soudanese knew 
of the plan of the porters, if they did not assist in 
its consummation) made him think I was going to 
chain up the Soudanese. They talked over the 
matter during the night, but did not mention it to 
Ramazan; for they one and all hated him, owing to 
the fact that he was their chief, and had forced them 
to maintain a certain amount of discipline. Early 
the following morning, when Mahomet Aman set to 


460 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


work to arrange the chains, these foolish creatures 
thought their time had come. They must have run 
like stags, for I was never able to catch sight of 
them. Mahomet el Hussein said that after walking 
about eight miles his common sense returned, and he 
decided to come back to me. He told his friends, 
and they threatened to shoot him. He said, “ All 
right; if I die, it will be in a good cause.” He then 


1 
OAL 
WG Mn eo 


age. 

a ie Aa 
WW 

Yee 


\ 
: SS 


LARGE BAOBAB TREE 


placed his back to a tree, and brought his rifle to 
his shoulder. This determined stand on his part 
made his companions change their minds; for after 
cursing him they went away. 

Just fancy the idiocy of these people; they form 
the wildest conclusions upon imaginary hypotheses, 
and then act at once without hesitating long enough 
to ascertain the facts! This is one of -the greatest 
difficulties in dealing with negroes. 


x TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 461 


I called the Zanzibari traders to me, and had a 
long talk with them about leaving my goods in their 
charge, while I returned to the coast, and formed a 
fresh expedition. They seemed unwilling to do this; 
sO we came to no agreement. We now had in the 
zeriba sixteen men in all, including George and me 
.—a truly noble force! However, our camp was 
strong; and although the natives might possibly at- 
tempt to take advantage of our small numbers, I felt 
strong enough for defence; so I decided to wait at 
least until after Christmas before taking any action. 
The Beloochi had promised that, as soon as they 
reached the place where George had left the don- 
keys, they would send back word as to the way 
matters there stood, and as to what the deserters 
had done. 

At this time our position was not one to fill me 
with good cheer. We were fairly safe where we were, 
but the expedition was utterly broken up, and there 
remained no thought, but how to get back to the 
coast; for I felt confident that -the men upon their 
arrival there would spread tales which would reach 
Europe and frighten my people. I had six men at 
the food station at Sayer; but though I felt con- 
vinced they would have joined the mutineers, had 
they been present, still they had not, and conse- 
quently I could not leave them behind. 

Hussein Mahomet was surprised that I neither shot 
him nor put him in chains for. having deserted. 
One day he came to me without solicitation, and told 
me that Birindgi and Moussa had for the preceding 
month been very thick with the porters; and as they 


462 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


had acquired a fair knowledge of Swahili, they had 
been able to converse with them. He, Mahomet el 
Hussein, knew no word of Swahili, nor had he heard 
of any plan of desertion they had formed. When 
Hamidi returned to my camp on December rg, after 
the desertion of my men, all the Soudanese had a 
talk with him. Hamidi told them that they should 
come to him at the river, and follow him to the 
coast, as General Matthews of Zanzibar had told him 
that if he succeeded in inducing the men to desert, 
he would see that they all received their pay upon 
reaching the coast. Hamidi told the Soudanese that 
he would wait five days on the bank of the river for 
them, and if they did not turn up in that time, he 
would go without them. Mahomet Osman, the Sou- 
danese on duty at the time I spoke to the Somali 
about getting the chains ready, had told them that 
owing to the desertion of the porters I was about to 
place the Soudanese in chains, and make them carry 
loads. The day they ran away Birindgi acted as their 
leader on the march. 

Taking all things into consideration, it looked as 
if Hamidi had been acting under orders received dur- 
ing his visit to the coast; but what possible reason 
the authorities at Zanzibar could have for breaking 
up my expedition could not appear clear to my mind. 
The ways of diplomacy are devious. I had read in 
Mr. Frank James’s account of the journey he had 
made in Somali Land (called the Unknown Horn of 
Africa), how the British authorities at Aden had 
interfered, by spreading rumours among the people 
through whom he was to pass, to force his expedi- 


x TRAVELS IV EASTERN AFRICA 463 


tion to return to the coast. The authorities gave as 
a reason for this, that they feared ill might befall Mr. 
James and his party, and that the British Government 
might in some way be held responsible. 

On Christmas Eve I sent Hassan and three of the 
traders to the food station at Sayer. Hassan was to 
bring back the’six*men I had left there. All the 
goods I had stored at Sayer I gave to the traders. 
As these men went without loads, I knew they could 
accomplish the distance to and from Sayer in ten 
days; but to allow for accidents, I told Hassan that 
I should expect him-in fourteen at the latest. Christ- 
mas Day found us in surprisingly good spirits, consid- 
ering our position. I killed a bullock and feasted our 
men. George and I had for dinner two pints of 
champagne, a tinned plum pudding, a good steak, and 
a pilau made of rice and chicken. 

“We now had nothing to do but await the return 
Othe men’ from Sayer. I decided to set out aiter 
their arrival for the coast via Ukambani. The rains 
were still falling, and, had it not been for the canoe 
which I had built for George’s assistance, my men 
would never have been able to cross the Tana, and 
so to desert. This rainy season had been a phenom- 
enal one. It had rained with but slight intermission 
for six weeks; but at that time of the year the rains 
were supposed never to last more than three. 

The day after Christmas, Gilo, my Galla inter- 
preter, came to me with one of the Somali, and after 
craving forgiveness for so long concealing what he 
had to say, recited the following. For a month before 
the desertion of the men he had slept in the same 


404 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


hut with Mwalim Hamis, the porter I had made 
headman, who acted as leader of the porters when 
they deserted, and went to Hamidi. He said that 
about 3.30 A.M.on the day when the porters deserted, 
Mwalim Hamis awakened him and said, “Get your 
things ready; we are all going to the coast. Hamidi 
has sent me word not to leave a single man behind.” 
Gilo refused to go. 

He swore that these words of Mwalim Hamis con- 
veyed the first intelligence he had of the porters’ 
plans; and he thought not more than four or five of 
the men had known anything of the planned deser- 
tion, until notified a few hours before they took their 
leave. 

Gilo said that when he first heard the words from 
Mwalim Hamis, he thought he would come at once 
and tell me of the plans; but that he was afraid he 
would be discovered and killed by the porters. 

Some of the traders came to me, and told me they 
knew the desertion had been planned, but that they 
were accustomed to such rumours about caravans, and 
had attached no importance to it. The traders at 
this time were having almost daily squabbles with 
the Daitcho; so I was forced to interpose to prevent 
trouble. Our only safety lay in maintaining the 
friendliest relations with the Daitcho, as they would 
then warn us of any proposed attack upon us, under- 
taken by the Embe or some other neighbouring tribe. 

On January 27, Hussein Mahomet, the Soudanese, 
came to me, and after repeating his former statement, 
added that on the day of their desertion, while on 
the march to the river, Moussa told him that Hamidi 


x TRAVELS [IN EASTERN_AF RICA 465 


had sent the following orders to Mwalim Hamis, who 
represented Hamidi at the zeriba: that should I give 
orders to the Soudanese or Somali to seize the por- 
ters as they were running away, the porters were to 
attack the Soudanese and Somali with clubs, disarm 
them, bind George and me, and then take us with 
them to the coast. Had not the desertion been so 


WAKAMBA WARRIORS 


utterly unaccountable, I should not have paid much 
attention to these words; but as it was, I was willing 
to listen to anything which would throw light on the 
action of the porters. I knew that no Zanzibari 
would dare form such a plan as binding a European, 
without the sanction and prompting of some higher 
power than his own intelligence. Hamidi and the 


porters were perfectly well aware that no European — 
2H 


466 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


and certainly neither George nor I—would have 
submitted for a moment to being bound by our 
people, and led as prisoners to the coast. Such an 
action had never been attempted in the history of 
African exploration. It was quite possible, judging 
from the whole series of Hamidi’s actions after his 
return from Zanzibar, considering the method in 
which my instructions had been carried out there — 
the fact that, instead of twenty well-armed men and 
some donkeys, I had been furnished with a disorderly 
rabble of eighty unarmed and insubordinate men — 
that he must have received something stronger than 
a hint that such was the pleasure of the people in 
power at the coast. I was unwilling to come to such 
a conclusion, but reason is cogent. The reader can 
see that. I frankly state the impressions made upon 
me at the time; I would gladly erase them not only 
from my mind, but from this record. Unfortunately 
this is impossible; for the events which occurred 
after my arrival at Zanzibar, and the treatment I 
there received at the hands of the local authorities, 
enforced the opinion that, strange though these im- 
pressions may appear, nevertheless they are very near 
the truth. 

My one idea was to get to the coast quickly, 
clear up the whole matter connected with the deser- 
tion of the men, and relieve the anxiety of my 
friends at home. Nothing but the return of Hassan 
and his men from Sayer prevented immediate depart- 
ure. It was with feelings of anything but pleasure, 
that I daily regarded my storehouses filled with 
sufficient food for a large caravan for many days, 


x TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 467 


and looked at the large pile of carefully packed 
trading-goods; all of which were of no further use to 
me. Setting aside the thought of the destruction of 
my hopes, I knew that these trading-goods and the 
stores of food represented an expenditure exceeding 
g9000 -(U. S. money).’ In fact, I doubt—whether 
they could have been got together and _ transported 
to Daitcho for that sum. 

On January 7 I called the traders, and distributed 
among them many loads of my goods. It was matter 
of some amusement to note their reception of the 
articles. Their thanks were given in a most perfunc- 
tory way, and they took it for granted that my action 
was only just and proper. Hassan had been gone 
fifteen days, and to my mind (by this time suspicious 
of everything) it seemed probable that he did not in- 
tend to return, but had decided to cast his lot with 
the traders, and make use of the goods and food I 
had left at Sayer to trade on his own account among 
the Wanderobbo. Two members of the Zanzibari 
caravan came to me on this day, and said they wished 
to return to the coast; and I gladly enlisted them. 

On January 8 I called Bykender, and told him to 
bring as many of the natives of Daitcho as he could 
gather together, as I wished to distribute among them 
several tons of food, which I had stored in my gran- 
ary. Soon the place in front of the zeriba was black 
with people, particularly women, who brought with 
them bags and other receptacles for carrying away 
the grain. Nearly three tons of beans and flour was 
given out to them, and they went away, not rejoic- 
ing or apparently grateful, but more or less disap- 


468 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


pointed at the small quantity which each had received. 
The Daitcho are most improvident, and I fancy those 
who had laid in a store for a rainy day could be 
counted on one’s fingers. 

I told Bykender, my friend, and Beri-Beri, one who 
had achieved an unenviable position through his skill 
as a poisoner, to come to my camp on the following 
day and receive a present of cloth. The next day 
they came, and after I had given to each of them a 
present, I built a great fire, and destroyed all the am- 
munition of small caliber. The .577 cartridges, how- 
ever, I was afraid to burn, and so buried them in a 
deep hole, which I dug. At dawn on January 9 the 
rising sun was quite eclipsed by the great blaze from 
my pile of trading-goods —food in tins, pickles, sauces, 
desiccated fruits, tea, coffee, soup, broadcloth, silk, plaid 
shawls, hundreds of yards of American sheeting, hun- 
dreds of pounds of beads and wire, and in fact, sup- 
ples sufficient for an expedition of roo men journeying 
two years in the interior of Africa. In twenty min- 
utes the result of a large expenditure of money and 
months of care and forethought had ceased to be. I 
burned up my things, rather than distribute them 
among the natives, for the reason that, if the natives 
of Daitcho had become possessed of all of my trading- 
goods, no caravan poorly equipped, as the poverty of 
the promoters compels, would have been able to pur- 
chase food and supplies in that country for years to 
come. It is true, I might have exchanged my trad- 
ing-goods for ivory. The natives of this mountain 
have a certain quantity of this valuable article, which 
they dole out little by little to traders. But my time 


x TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 469 


was limited, and if I had begun ivory-trading, I 
should undoubtedly have given enormous prices in 
order to expedite trade. This too would have mili- 
tated against the poor traders for many years to come, 
by depriving them of their just profits; for if one 
native receives a high price for an article such as a 
tusk, all expect the same. 

It was utterly impossible for me with the limited 
force at my command to carry back the trading-goods 
to the coast. I had endeavoured to bargain with the 
Zanzibari traders then at Daitcho to remain in charge 
of my goods, until I reached the coast, and should 
send back for them; but these traders were all slaves, 
and said their masters would not permit them to 
spend their time, unless I would pay them a sum 
almost equal in value to the trading-goods. I knew, 
moreover, that, if I left these slaves in charge of my 
goods, they would day by day melt away. Even if 
tne men left in charge of them:‘:did*not steal them, 
should I send an expedition for them, no native or 
Arab headman could be found at the coast, who 
would be able to resist the temptation of using the 
trading-goods himself. Then he would return to the 
coast, and state that, unfortunately, when he reached 
Daitcho, he had found the camp pillaged by the natives. 

I had given up hope of seeing Hassan return with 
the men I had left at the food station at Sayer; never- 
theless, I left in charge of Bykender sufficient trading- 
goods to enable them to reach the coast in safety 
and comfort should they turn up. 

On this day a member of the Wakamba tribe, who 
had been trading with the Daitcho people, came to 


470 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


me, and expressed his willingness to act as guide 
through his country. The addition of this man would 
raise our force to eighteen men, and, those of my 
men who bore burdens being lightly laden, I counted 
on long marches and reaching the coast in a month. 
From Daitcho to Mombasa via the mission station 
at Kibwezi, allowing for the fact that the road to the 
last-mentioned point was far from straight, the dis- 
tance is at least 450 miles. 

On the morning of January ro I woke at 4.30, 
and set all hands to work loading the few donkeys 
and cattle we had. Since the desertion of the men 
I had been able to buy ten of these animals; and 
these, added to those I had brought back from the 
Rendile, were sufficient to carry almost all of the few 
supplies I had reserved for our homeward journey. 
By 5.45 A.M. the zeriba was surrounded by hundreds 
of natives, who only waited for our departure, before 
they plundered the camp of every stick and stone. 

Before setting out, I took a long survey of this 
place, which had been the home for members of my 
caravan at different times for nine months. The zeriba 
had been made of mimosa posts, on which the bark 
had been left; these had taken root in the rich soil, 
and owing to the rains were then covered with a mass 
of verdure. As soon as our little force left the camp, 
and before the natives had entered it, it presented a 
wofully deserted appearance. The fresh green of the 
sprouting zeriba seemed to testify that the work of 
our hands was going to be more or less permanent, 
and that this camp might prove of service to some 
future traveller who might visit Daitcho. I cheered 


x TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 471 


myself with the thought that our visit to this coun- 
try had not been in vain; for from the relations which 
we had maintained with the natives, our victory over 
the Wamsara, the treaty we had made with the Embe, 
and the kind manner in which we had treated the 
natives of Daitcho, I felt’ convinced that the next 
European visiting these places would meet with far 
less difficulty than had been our lot. 

I am happy to say, such has already proved to be 
the case. Daitcho has been visited by a European, 
who not only found these people friendly, but also 
met with a hearty welcome from the Embe; and, ac- 
companied by but twenty men, was enabled to spend 
many days shooting in the country of the Wamsara, 
without meeting aught but kindest treatment. Daitcho 
at least, if not the greater portion of the Jombeni 
range, is now almost open for missionary effort; but 
I hope many years will elapse before such effort is 
put forth. Although I have the greatest respect for 
those noble men who sacrifice their comfort, and in 
many cases their lives, for the propagation of the 
Gospel, yet I am not of that number who are _thor- 
oughly convinced that the missionary is the best agent 
for the introduction of civilization into a savage country. 
First, let the natives be thoroughly convinced of the 
European’s superiority in strength and intellect; and 
teach them the advantages to be derived from honest 
trade with the European; then will the propagator of 
the Gospel find his seed falling upon much more fertile 
ground, and growing with less difficulty and to a greater 
height, than if he had scattered it with never so lavish 
a hand upon the sterile soil of purely savage natures. 


472 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


At 6.30 of this day we set out for the coast. Four 
of the Daitcho villagers accompanied us, and said they 
were the vanguard of many of their brethren who 
wished to follow us to Ukambani to trade. 

Before destroying all my _ trading-goods, I had 
divided the more valuable among my followers. My 
Somali, who considered it beneath their dignity to 
carry loads of any sort, foolishly entrusted seven 
of the parcels I had given them to the four Daitcho 
people who had accompanied us. When we reached 
camp at night, they were filled with chagrin and fury, 
upon finding that these natives had disappeared with 
their property. The Somali wished me to return at 
once to Daitcho, and lay the country waste with fire 
and sword; and were much grieved when I refused 
to comply with their desire. 

On the second day out from Daitcho I met a party 
of fifty Wakamba, who helped us to cross the Ura River; 
in return for which I gave them a nice present. 
They reported that the deserters had stolen all the 
trading-goods I had left at Ukambani, and made off 
with most of the goats, but left the more feeble of these 
and all the donkeys in charge of Abdee Achmet, a 
Somali, whom they brutally ill used because he refused 
to join in the desertion. 

The following day I was forced to make but a short 
march, and camp in the bed of a stream, because Ma- 
homet Aman and George’s tent-boy had disappeared. 
Their companions, upon being questioned, said that 
the two men had felt unwell, and had lain down under 
a tree soon after leaving camp in the morning. How- 
ever, they had not thought it worth the while to notify 


Xx TRAVELS [N EASTERN AFRICA 473 


me of this fact; so I had marched for hours before be- 
coming aware of the absence of these men. This trait 
of secrecy among the negroes of Africa—the firmly 
impressed characteristic of never volunteering informa- 
tion of any sort, no matter how important or interesting 
—ereatly increases the difficulty experienced in deal- 
ing with them. Of course, as soon as I became aware 
of the absence of these two men, I halted the caravan 
and sent back for them. They did not reach camp 
until late that night, and came in looking the picture 
of woe. I do not think they were really ill, but the 
loss of their goods so filled their minds that they 
sought occasion to return to Daitcho and _ recover 
them. 

That night many hyenas howled about our camp, 
and toward morning the air resounded with a curious 
cry, something like the bleating of a goat. I did not 
hear this until I was awakened by one of the Somali, 
who told me that the noise was cause by a “shaitan” 
(devil) of the most evil propensities, and that it boded 
no good for the caravan. I frankly told him to go 
to the devil, and not disturb me; whereupon he 
retired, and soon devoted all his energies and the 
power of his lungs to chanting the few verses of the 
Koran with which he was acquainted, in order to 
overcome the machinations of the Evil One. It was 
in vain that I assured him that the noises were 
caused by a bird of some kind, or a young monkey. 
He shook his head, said he knew better, and added 
that in all probability a few days hence not one of 
us would be found alive. I looked at my watch 
and saw that it was three o’clock; and as I intended 


474 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


making a long march on the morrow, I told him 
that unless he checked his desire to pray, at least 
in such stentorian tones, he would receive prompt 
punishment. I found this threat effective; and, in 
fact, it may be stated as an axiom, that in Africa the 
fear of physical suffering will, in most natives, over- 
come the greatest superstitious dread. 

An hour’s march from our camp in the river-bed, 
and we reached a stream called Langalla. This, 
about the size of the Ura, flows from the most south- 
ern portion of the Jombeni range, and empties into 
the Tana River some distance below the ford. All 
loads and saddles had to be removed from the backs 
of the donkeys, and carried across the stream, which 
necessitated a delay of two and one-half hours. Two 
hours’ further marching, and I reached the ford on 
the Tana, at that point at least three-eighths of a mile 
wide, and dotted with small rocky islands, between 
which, through five rock-strewn channels, flows the 
river. Many of the channels were broad and deep, 
and crossing them was difficult. I sent a man to the 
place where I had left the canoe, to see if by any 
chance the runaways had not destroyed it. He re- 
ported that the canoe was safe, high and dry on the 
far bank; but that the paddles, which we had made 
with such pains and care, had disappeared. Shortly 
after noon I was glad to meet forty Wakamba, who 
had just crossed the ford, who offered for a considera- 
tion to assist us in placing all our men and_ beasts 
on the island nearest the farther bank. They said 
that their people, of whom more than one-half had 
already crossed the Tana for the purpose of shooting, 


x TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 475 


trading, and raiding the country to the north, had 
constructed a bridge of light withes, sufficiently strong 
for them to cross, but utterly insufficient for laden 
porters or donkeys. With the assistance of these 
natives we found our beasts and burdens landed 
shortly before dark on the island nearest the farther 
bank. The crossing of the streams flowing through the 
different channels was a difficult matter. Ofttimes we 
were completely submerged, and it was with the great- 
est difficulty that we managed to get the donkeys and 
few cattle we had with us across. Four men _ took 
charge of each beast, two at its head and two at its 
tail. When they reached mid-stream, where the 
water was quite up to the men’s chins, the force of 
the current drove the animal along, and it required 
almost superhuman efforts on the part of the men _ to 
prevent the animal, as well as themselves, from disap- 
pearing beneath the flood. 

The next day I awoke at dawn, and went to look 
at the cataract, whose roar had lulled me to sleep 
during the night. Just above the end of the island 
upon which we were encamped, the river-bed fell 
some thirty feet, and over this ledge roared the 
Tana; below this it was forced by jagged rocks to 
divide its waters into three streams. Two of these, 
which are nearest the island, fall twenty feet, pass- 
ing on both sides of a sheer mass of gray stone. 
There the water boiled and roared, and a_ blinding 
mist filled the air. At this point the stream was 
spanned by a few loosely tied withes and poles. 

Such was the crossing-place. Nature never intended 
it to be thus used, I felt sure; and it seemed a satire 


476 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. X 


on her and her efforts, when foolish negroes  tri- 
umphed over her by the use of a twig or two. 

I swayed myself over the flimsy bridges and found 
a third stream, in which the water rushed swiftly; but 
it was shallow, and, as the Wakamba had placed a 
guide rope across it, we reached the further bank 
without difficulty. The second of the two streams 
was worse, and threw up more spray; so I decided 
not to cross it by the bridge, but to go over by 
means of the rocks, until I reached a spot near the 
first falls, where, the stream being wider and the cur- 
rent less swift, I thought I might swim the beasts 
across. The whole day was spent in engineering 
work, and by dark I had constructed two strong 
bridges across the chasms thirty and _ thirty-five feet 
wide respectively, and had placed a guide rope across 
the stream where it was necessary to swim the beasts. 
The construction of this bridge I found to be a mat- 
ter of the greatest difficulty, unskilled as I was in 
engineering. We could not span the stream with a 
single log; so it was necessary first to run a log as 
far as possible over the stream, then to creep slowly 
and cautiously to the end of this log and seize 
another and_ slighter pole shoved toward one from 
the rear, which was bound to the end of the first log 
so strongly that it was able to support it. Numbers 
of small poles were added to this, until at length a 
man was able to cross. With this as a base, we man- 
aged to construct a bridge ten feet wide, and strong 
enough to bear the weight of our donkeys and cattle. 

At 5.30 a.m. the following day the men were set to 
work carrying the loads across. The twenty donkeys 


Wf 


i 


f 


14 
y UU 


ly, — 
GME. Ye 0 
Se 


yi Y Uf U/ ty, 
UY, ’W 


Y We, 
V 4. G 
YY 


BRIDGE ACROSS THE TANA 


TURAL 


“i 


CHAP. X TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 479 


carried forty loads between them; so my few men had 
their work cut out for them. The Somali worked 
splendidly. At 8.30 we began to take over the cattle; 
these gave us no trouble, seeming to have faith in us. 
The donkeys proved conservative of their character- 
istic obstinacy, and much effort had to be expended 
in inducing them to cross. One by one they were 
dragged on the structure, and, forced behind by four 
men and pulled in front by four others, we at length 
landed them upon the slippery rocks. They had to 
be dragged and pushed in the same manner, until they 
reached the last stream, and were finally landed on the 
bank of the river, reeking wet and seemingly stunned 
by the fact that they were now across what had ap- 
peared to their dull minds as an entirely impassable 
place. We reached the opposite bank at 3.30 in the 
afternoon, tired out by the exertions of the past two 
days. 

We had scarcely encamped when the sound of rifle 
shots near by told us of the arrival of Hassan and 
the men we had left at Sayer. They had been gone 
twenty-two days from Daitcho. Of course, they had 
numberless excuses in explanation of their delay, but 
the truth was plain—they had taken it easy. When 
a day or two out from Sayer, they had met a party of 
Wamsara, who had come to them in the most friendly 
manner, and asked them the whereabouts of the Ren- 
dile, as they wished to raid them. Hassan told them, 
and then the leader of the Wamsara asked him if he 
thought their party sufficiently strong to make a suc- 
cessful attack upon the Rendile. Hassan said it de- 
pended upon the courage they possessed, as well as 


480 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


their skill in battle. After further questioning on the 
part of the Wamsara chieftain, the raiders decided that 
discretion was the better part of valour, and concluded 
to return home to their country without attempting to 
increase their wealth by raiding a people who, from 
Hassan’s account, appeared well able to take care of 
themselves. 

Upon arriving at Daitcho, Hassan said that he 
found the entire surrounding country in a state of 
excitement, and that his appearance was greeted with 
shouts of fear and terror. After reaching the village 
of Bykender, where he was warmly welcomed, the 
cause of the excitement was disclosed. Several of the 
loads of brass and iron wire, which I was unable to 
carry, I had buried in the neighbourhood of my camp 
at Daitcho, and, in order to prevent the natives from 
stealing it, I had told them it was protected by a spell, 
which would have the most disastrous effect upon 
them, should they venture to dig up the things I had 
buried. With the wire I had also buried a few .577 
cartridges. The natives had hardly waited until I was 
out of sight, ere greed overmastered their caution, and 
they dug up the wire, divided it among themselves, 
and carried it away to their villages—at the same 
time taking with them all the .577 ammunition. 

The people of Daitcho were very fond of the brass 
shells of cartridges, which they converted into  snuff- 
boxes, and when they saw these cartridges they at 
once appropriated them for the purpose aforesaid. 
But their rude tools and lack of skill proved inade- 
quate for the extraction of the bullets from the shells. 
Finally some inventive genius suggested that they put 


x TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 481 


them in a fire, and for that purpose a large one was 
built, and they all gathered around it to watch the 
result of the experiment. Of course, the cartridges 
exploded, and, I regret to record, with unpleasant 
results to the Daitcho; three were killed, and five or 
six severely wounded. At once, those not so fortu- 
nate as to have possessed themselves of any of the 
wire or cartridges, reminded the wounded and _ the 
friends of the dead of what I had told them before I 
set out, and the minds of these credulous people forth- 
with accounted for the explosion by the terrible spell 
which I had pronounced over the goods upon burying 
them. During the following day all those who had 
stolen the goods and wire returned them to Bykender, 
with whom they left them to await my return, fearing 
to keep the smallest possible quantity. 


FZ 
LE oa 


a= 


21 


CHAPTER-XI 


THE next day we left the Tana, and after a short 
march reached Mitio’s village. Mitio was a great 
man in this part of Ukambani. At the time I arrived 
at this village he had gone with 600 warriors to fight 
the Rendile, in revenge for their slaughter of twenty 
of his men during the previous autumn. There I 
found my faithful Somali, Abdee Achmet, who had 
been left by George in charge of the donkeys. He 
had been deserted by his companions, and he had 
with him then twenty-five donkeys and _ forty-three 
goats. His account of the appearance and behaviour 
of the runaways was as follows. 

He said that at first there came some sixty porters 
led by Mwalim Hamis, who was their leader on the 
day they deserted from Daitcho. These men fired 
repeated volleys, and then took all the food he had 
bought for me,—about 500 pounds. Two days later 
came the Beloochi and their party, who had been 
ferried across the Tana in our canoe, upon payment 
of all their trading-goods. Gwaharam said he had 
wished to return and help me; but Hamidi said he 
would shoot him if he attempted to cross the river. 
Hamidi stayed at the river until the Soudanese came, 
and then, four days after the porters arrived at Mitio’s 
village, Hamidi and the Soudanese put in an appear- 

482 


CHAP. XI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 483 


ance. The Soudanese told their story about the 
chains; moreover, they said that their time was up. 

Upon Hamidi’s arrival at Mitio’s village, he at once 
cut up the loads George had left there for me, and 
divided them among his men. Abdee Achmet and 
Gwaharam remonstrated with him, but Hamidi insisted 
upon taking them; whereupon Gwaharam said: “ I 
will bear witness to your conduct at the coast.” Then 
the men cut up all the ox-hides I had left for donkey 
saddles. When Abdee Achmet remonstrated, some of 
the men threatened to shoot him. He said the men 
seemed to throw aside all restraint, and to be gov- 
erned by no particular impulse. Some were for going 
down the Tana to join the Arab, Suliman Kemenya, 
and, becoming his followers, to wage war against the 
English. Others, already timid at the behaviour of 
their companions, and doubtful whether they should 
receive any pay at the coast, wished to return to me 
at Daitcho; but the counsels of Hamidi and his ring- 
leaders prevailed, and the whole party, after a stop of 
one day at Mitio’s village, marched for Mombasa. 
Hamidi said that the reason they had left me was 
that their time was up, and that he was convinced 
he should get his pay either from General Matthews 
or the Sultan of Zanzibar. 

At Mitio’s village we remained one day purchasing 
food. All this portion of Ukambani is in a capital 
state of cultivation, two kinds of millet being staples; 
but there are also many plantations of Indian corn 
and pumpkins. Before we set out from this place 
two or three men came to me and offered their ser- 
vices as guides; which offer we foolishly accepted. 


484 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


They led us in a roundabout way through a tangled 
mass of bush and over dried watercourses, and then 
deserted us. Their purpose in this was to prevent 
our passage through their plantations, as Zanzibari 
caravans in so doing usually robbed them. 


SSS 


—— 
Ss 
SSS 
— 


WAKAMBA MEDICINE-MEN 


Two days’ march from this village we entered a 
beautiful rolling country, which was formerly thickly 
populated by natives, but was then deserted. Emi- 
gration was caused by the continued raids of the 
Masai. 


XI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 485 


The Wakamba at this place appear to be a fine, 
hardy race. They are not particularly well built, but 
seem capable of undergoing severest fatigue. Their 
weapons are bows and arrows. The manners of 
the Wakamba among themselves are almost polite, 
particularly in the courtesies which pass between the 
men and women. Among them the women seem to 
occupy a much higher position than in other tribes 
of East Africa. When a young man met a young 
woman, he invariably made a wide detour in passing, 
to avoid blocking her way. 

On the road I met an old man, who related to me 
a strange story. He said that eight years before, 120 
men started after ivory, and after reaching Lake Ru- 
dolph they continued their march for three months 
beyond it; when all at once they came in sight of 
a large lake with an island in its centre: On the 
island was a town composed of stone houses, such 
as those at the coast; and at sight of the Wakamba 
many canoes set out from the island to meet them. 

The canoes were filled with people who wore gar- 
ments made of a rough cloth used by the Galla, and 
wore long hair. They spoke the Swahili language, 
and at once asked for news of their brethren at the 
coast. There was plenty of ivory in the country, 
and the people were most friendly. They carried long 
guns.. Near that village lived a tribe of Wakamba, 
with similar language and customs to the Wakamba 
in these parts. 

My informant told me that these people were the 
remains of a large expedition, which many years before 
had set out from the coast, and had become so thinned 


486 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


out by disease, that they did not consider themselves 
strong enough to return through the dangerous country 
lying between them and their homes. They had there- 
fore settled down, hoping that at some time they would 
be able to reach their homes again by going with some 
caravan bound to the coast. Years rolled by, and no 
saviour came; so they married with women of the 
neighbouring tribes, and relinquished their idea of return- 
ing to the coast. The entire story was in all probability 
purest fiction, and it is related only for the purpose 
of conveying an impression of the vivid imaginations 
possessed by the natives of East Africa. 

On the 20th of January we reached a group of 
villages called Kitinga. There the natives were dif- 
ferent from those we had before met. They filed four 
of their front teeth to points, and from a belt they 
wore there was suspended a narrow cloth in front 
and behind. As the moon was full, we held market 
during the night, and bought a quantity of food at 
very low prices. The country between Tana and 
Kitinga was rolling, beautiful enough, and in a-fair 
state of cultivation; but from that point the appearance 
of the country underwent a remarkable change. The 
surface was broken by a number of very steep, grass- 
covered mountains. In the multitude of valleys, villages 
were much more numerous, and what portion of the 
soil was not under cultivation was given up to the 
pasturage of cattle, sheep, and goats. 

The natives of this portion of Ukambani were very 
cheerful in disposition; they sat in numbers in the 
shade, comfortably watching their flocks and_ herds. 
Occasionally the sound of a reed-pipe was heard, and 


XI TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 487 


one might see a youth rendering rude music to a gath- 
ering of his fellows. The very atmosphere seemed 
impregnated with peace and friendship; and even the 
many drunkards to be found reeling about seemed 
cheery, and anxious to exchange greetings with the 
European. This peace-and-good-will attitude was not 
the result of missionary effort, as they had not been 
visited by the preacher of the Gospel, but of the 
repeated thrashings given these people by the British, 
who had a station not far away, called Iveti. There 
is no doubt that with Africans severity must come first, 
and then kindness. The place was a veritable Switzer- 
land in miniature. One day’s march from this we 
again reached the rolling country. 

On the afternoon of January 22 we reached a village 
ruled by a chief named Mwyru. There was a flag 
flying, and we ascertained it to ‘be a trading-post 
owned by a Scotchman named Dick, who lived at 
Mombasa. It formerly was under the management 
of Mr. Dick’s brother; but he had died a short time 
before, and was then buried within the confines of 
the station. In charge of the station at the time of 
our visit was an English-speaking negro, named David, 
who had been educated at the mission at Zanzibar. 
I had last seen this man in the chain-gang at Witu, 
on the coast, where he had been placed on account 
of his continued thefts and general lawlessness. The 
view from this village was beautiful—a wide plain 
stretching on all sides, shut in far to the west by blue 
mountains and the Kikuyu hills. At sunrise and just 
before sunset both Kenya and Kilimanjiro were vis- 


ible. 


488 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


Here we saw a large party of traders from Giriama, 
a country not far from Mombasa. Formerly they feared 
to come to this place, but at this time they could trade 
in security. They said they were not afraid to go any- 
where, provided European influence had rendered the 
natives peaceful. I was told that this place was a 
slave-trading centre, and that caravans which had been 


» y \ 


DICK’S GRAVE AT MWyYRU 


trading at Kikuyu, and had acquired slaves, sold them 
here for goats and cattle. The Wakamba were the 
purchasers, and they employed them in work upon 
their plantations. The price of a good-looking Masai 
or Kikuyu girl was three goats. They also had a few 
Galla slaves. The inhabitants of Kikuyu are a most 
treacherous lot, and since the British East Africa Com- 
pany established stations in the neighbourhood they 
have behaved in the most hostile manner. The day 


XI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 489 


after I arrived at Mwyru’s, two Zanzibari turned up, 
covered with wounds. They said they were the sole 
survivors of a party of thirty traders, who had spent 
the preceding three months in the purchase of slaves 
and ivory from the Kikuyu. After setting out on 
their way home, and when two days’ march from the 
confines of the Kikuyu territory, they were fallen 
upon at night, their property stolen, and all but them- 
selves slain. 

As soon as my arrival at Mwyru’s village became 
known, several slaves ran to my camp, and craved my 
assistance for them to return to their people. Those 
who lived far away I could do nothing for, but two 
of them were Kikuyu women, and I knew that I could 
take them to the mission at Kibwezi, whence they 
could be forwarded to Kikuyu by one of the British 
trading caravans marching in that direction. 

On January 24 we set out from Mwyru’s. We had 
hardly left the village ere the air was filled with 
shouts, and a party of from 500 to 600 Wakamba ap- 
peared. They sent a party of their old men to us, 
for the purpose of insisting upon a return of the 
slaves. I asked the women if they wished to return; 
but they shuddered, and said “No.” So I refused to 
give them up; whereupon the Wakamba gave vent 
to fierce shouts, placed their arrows in their bows, and 
the old men made a dash at the women as though to 
seize them. My caravan by this time had proceeded 
on its way, and was almost out of sight; but I had 
two men with me. We laid about us with the butts of 
our rifles, and soon had the old men flying back to their 
companions. Luckily not an arrow was discharged. 


490 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


As we marched along, all the Wakamba we met 
appeared sullen, and the guides we had taken with us 
said that they would surely come at night and rescue 
the slaves. At the end of the day’s march we camped 
in a small valley, and all night long our sleep was 
broken by continued shouting and bawling of war- 
songs. The natives of the neighbouring villages came 
to us hour by hour, each bringing a small present of 
milk, or perhaps a goat. This they did from fear 
that if we were attacked by the natives, and they 
had not previously made friendly overtures, we would 
wreak vengeance upon them. They said that all the 
inhabitants of the villages of Mwyru were encamped 
near us, and vowed to fall upon us and take back the 
slaves. However, the demonstration amounted to noth- 
ing but bluster. 


We made an early start the following morning, and 


g 
after a few hours’ march reached a village presided 
over by a dwarf, named Mgundu. This little fellow 
was not more than three feet high, and spoke Swahili 
fluently. He said that he had been on several ex- 
peditions to the coast. He showed me his wives 
(women, if anything, above the average height) and 
his children, who were tall and well-developed speci- 
mens. He was a freak of nature. He was reputed 
to be a great warrior; but owing to his short stature 
it was necessary, when he went to battle, for his sons 
to carry a high stool for him, upon which he stood, 
and from which he could discharge his arrows above 
the tall grass. I wished to take his photograph, but 
he refused, saying I would be able to kill him by 
stabbing the picture with a knife. I thereupon 


xI TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 491 


offered to become blood brothers with him, and 
assured him, that our lives would then be as one; 
and that, as I was a much younger man, it meant 
that in all probability 
he would live to a 
great old age. This 
seemed to tickle him, 
and he allowed me 
to take several photo- 
graphs of him. As 
soon as he saw the 
slaves, he became very 
anery, shook his baby 
fist, and threatened 
war; but as his threats 
met with laughter 


only, he went away 
much disgruntled. 
The next day we 
had a long march 
before us, so we started early. We marched until just 
before sundown, and then rested until moonrise, when 
we again set out, intending to march all night. At 
about two in the morning I came upon a camp of 
sleeping people, and seeing a European tent I went 
to it, and awoke its occupant, who proved to be a Mr. 
Neumann, bound upon an ivory-trading expedition to 
Daitcho. It was delightful to see him—the first 
European except the members of my caravan whom I 
had met since leaving the coast in September, 1892, 
and this was January, 1894. We sat up until eight 
o'clock the following morning, talking and chatting; 


MGUNDU 


492 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


and with him I smoked, for the first time since leaving 
civilization, some excellent Havana cigars, and drank 
also a pint of dry champagne. At seven o'clock I 
had sent my caravan on its way, and Mr. Neumann 
had started his. At eight we were about to shake 
hands, and go our several directions, when two of the 
members of his caravan came hurrying back, saying 
that the natives had attacked them. 

George and I, followed by the two boys, returned 
with Mr. Neumann, and ascertained the attack to 
have consisted in the discharge of a couple of arrows, 
which had fallen harmlessly far from Mr. Neumann’s 
men. At first, I thought this might have been 
caused by the fact that I had taken the slaves; but 
upon inquiry I learned that it was because some of 
Mr. Neumann’s men had on the previous day plun- 
dered the plantations of the Wakamba inhabiting the 
neighbourhood of his camp. The difficulty was soon 
smoothed over, and, wishing each other good luck, 
we shook hands and separated. During the follow- 
ing year I saw several letters from Mr. Neumann, 
which had been published in 7%e Field, of London. 
From these it appeared that he had had excellent 
sport shooting, and, I am happy to say, had found 
the natives of the Jombeni range most friendly to 
him, although he was accompanied by but a small 
force. 

On the afternoon of January 27 I reached the 
German mission station, Ikutha. It is usually occu- 
pied by two missionaries, but I found only one at 
home: the other had gone with a party of the 
British East Africa Company’s men to free some 


XI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 493 


slaves. The mission station at Ikutha is pleasantly 
situated on the side of a hill which slopes down to a 
small stream called the Tiva River. It is surrounded 
by a well-kept garden; and there was, of course, the 
inevitable and neat grave, wherein reposed the last 
remains of some European. 

I cannot say that during my short stay at Ikutha 
I was much impressed with the degree of interest 
taken in religion by the natives. The mission was 
supplied with a sweet-toned bell, and three times 
daily was it tolled. It sounded delightfully peaceful 
in my ears, but did not seem to have any effect 
upon the natives, for none came at its summons. 
The Wakamba people are so happy in their exist- 
ence, so free from trouble of any type, that I fancy 
it is a most difficult matter to interest them with 
thoughts of a future life; but the missionaries at 
Ikutha are loyally performing their work, and if 
they do not succeed in caring for the souls of the 
natives, they at least do a good deal of good for 
their bodies with medicines. Daily the mission is 
surrounded by a number of sick and ailing, who are 
treated as well as the supplies of the mission permit. 

At 2 p.m. January 30, we reached Kibwezi mission, 
and there found the missionaries, Mr. Watson and 
Dr. Charters. It was.Dr. Charters who had operated 
on Lieutenant von Hohnel and started him on the 
road to recovery before sending him to the coast. 
The mission station at Kibwezi is the most beautiful 
of any I had seen in Africa. Through its grounds 
flows the Kibwezi River, the waters of which are ice- 
cold and clear as crystal. All the houses are built 


494 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


in a substantial manner, and the gardens are laid 
out and tended most carefully. They are under the 
supervision of a lay missionary, a Scotchman. The 
mission was founded by the beneficence of Sir Wil- 
liam McKinnon, and its purpose was a most practical 
one. The idea of its founder was that it should prove 
a means of educating the people as well as of converting 
them; and to this end men equipped to teach them 
industries of a practical nature had been sent out for 
its management. At the time I visited it, however, 
the natives had not as yet shown much interest in 
the efforts of their teachers; but I suppose the in- 
terest, though delayed, will come in time. 

Dr. Charters was a most interesting man. He had 
spent six years on the Congo, and while there had 
taken Stanley and a part of the Relief Expedition as 
far as Yambuya, on the little mission steamer “ Peace.” 
He was the best equipped missionary I have ever seen, 
being a clergyman, a practical engineer, and a doctor 
of medicine. 

Poor Dr. Charters! His end was a sad one. In 
September of the year I met him (1894) he, in com- 
pany with a Scotchman named Colquhoun and a few 
men, went on a shooting-trip in the neighbourhood 
of the mission. They never returned. It is supposed 
that they were slain by a party of raiding Masai, for 
the exact manner of their death could never be 
ascertained. 

If more missionaries like Dr. Charters could be 
sent to Africa, I feel convinced that the task of 
raising the standard of native life would be a much 
easier one. He was devoted to his work, and from 


XI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 495 


his long experience in Africa had learned (what it 
is impossible to teach missionaries fresh from home) 
that the native must first of all be taught to work a 
little harder than is absolutely necessary to support 
life; this fills the native with an interest in his future 
life on this earth. Then, and not until then, is he 
ripe for religious instruction. 

At this mission station I left the two slaves I had 
freed at Ukambani— Dr. Charters offering to care 
for them, and send them home by the first caravan 
passing toward Kikuyu. 

I was told that Hamidi had been employed in the 
construction of this mission some years before, but 
owing to his fondness for intrigue against the Euro- 
peans he had been sent away. I wished that I had 
known this before I engaged him; but alas! it is 
almost impossible in Africa to learn the character of 
one’s men until acquired by painful experience. 

From Kibwezi to Mombasa there stretches a cap- 
ital road, fifteen feet wide and clear of all brush. It 
was a great treat to us to find a smooth road under 
our feet, and to be relieved from all anxiety as to 
water. Mile-posts were placed along the side of the 
road, and the whereabouts of water was ascertained 
from large painted sign-boards. The distance from 
Kibwezi mission to Mombasa is just 200 miles, and 
this we accomplished without undue effort in less 
than ten days. The march was uneventful. At a 
place called Voi, about half-way to the coast, we came 
to the camp of Mr. Wilson, who was employed in the 
road-making. He had under him a few Zanzibari, but 
most of the work was done by a force of over 200 


496 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


Teita people. These Teita people had for years been 
a thorn in the side of travellers passing through their 
country. A missionary had been stationed among 
them five or six years, but he had been unable in 
any way to soften their hard and worthless natures. 


RAMAZAN AND MGUNDU 


When I passed through Teita on my former jour- 
ney to Kilimanjiro, I met a party of ivory traders 
who had just been robbed by these people. They 
inhabit a range of mountains called Bura, and are 
perhaps 10,000 in number. They possess a few flocks 


XI TRAVELS [VN EASTERN AFRICA 497 


of sheep and goats, and live almost entirely by agri- 
culture. In physique and habits they are very much 
akin to the Wakamba, though less daring. I have 
found it almost invariably to be the case in East 
Africa that those natives who inhabit the hilly coun- 
try (possibly because in their homes they feel greater 
security from attack) seem to have in great degree 
lost the manliness and independence of character 
which go in great measure to redeem the disagreeable 
traits of the inhabitants of the plains. 

The Teita people are very superstitious. One story 
which reached my ears concerning their religious 
beliefs is worthy of mention. Some years ago their 
country had been visited by a devastating drought, 
in consequence of which they were threatened with 
starvation. The wise men assembled, and for days 
discussed the probable cause of the drought and the 
means adapted to hastening its end. These people 
worship their ancestors, and one of the rites of this 
worship is carefully to heap the skulls of the de- 
ceased males of the tribe in piles near their villages. 
While casting about for the cause of the drought, 
one old man suggested that they count the skulls 
of their ancestors. This was done, and to their 
horror they found many were missing. To appease 
the wrath of these familiars, the Teita people decided 
to slay sheep and add their skulls to the piles of 
their ancestors. This was done, and immediately the 
flood-gates of the heavens opened, and the drought 
ceased. 

The capital condition of the road from the mission 
to the coast is owing entirely to the efforts and intel- 


2K 


498 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


ligence of Mr. Wilson. He had scant means at his 
disposal, but the force of his individual efforts added 
to these has changed what was in former years one 
of the most disagreeable and difficult marches in 
Africa, to a journey which can be accomplished with 
perfect ease by a woman. I found that he, too, exces- 
sively disliked to use negroes as porters, and as a 
means of obviating it had begun to use bullocks and 
donkeys as a means of transport. Although he had 
lost several by fly, nevertheless he had been success- 
ful enough to satisfy himself that it was not only 
possible, but also cheaper, to do without porters. 

On Saturday, February 10, at noon, just thirty days 
from Daitcho, we arrived at Mombasa. Of the thirty 
days, five had been spent in resting upon the road; 
so that the distance (450 miles) had been accom- 
plished in twenty-five days. To my surprise, upon 
reaching Mombasa, I found that the runaways had 
not been detained, but had been sent to Zanzibar at 
my expense by dhow. The authorities at Mombasa 
seemed somewhat chagrined at my surprise, and said 
they could have done nothing else. In this connec- 
tion I will say that their behaviour was entirely with- 
out precedent. Hamidi and the deserters had reached 
Mombasa without letters of any sort from me; yet 
the authorities had seen fit to accept his statements, 
and treat him and the men not as deserters, but as 
people worthy of every consideration and assistance. 
I waited at Mombasa five days for a steamer, then 
left for Zanzibar. 

Upon reaching Zanzibar, I found that no steps 
had been taken to arrest my men; but, on the con- 


XI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 499 


trary, they had been sent to my agent by General 
Sir Lloyd Matthews, who directed him to supply the 
men with food at my expense until the time I should 
arrive. I rented a comfortable Arab stone house just 
off the main street of the town, and therein established 
myself with such of my followers as had remained 
faithful to me. 

I found that the American Consul, Mr. Jones, who 
had been in charge of the interests of the United States 
in 1892, had left Zanzibar, and that Mr. Allen was 
at that time acting: Consul. Mr. Allen had been 
less than two years in Zanzibar, during which time 
he was in charge of the mercantile house of Arnold, 
Cheny & Co. of New York. Prior to his arrival 
there he had had no experience in diplomacy or con- 
sular matters; but throughout the time I remained 
in Zanzibar he showed himself thoroughly equipped 
for such work, and did all in his power to look after 
the interests of his Government, and to prevent my 
being treated with injustice. 

A short time after reaching Zanzibar I paid a visit 
to General Sir Lloyd Matthews, who was Prime 
Minister to the Sultan’s government. During my 
absence up-country Great Britain had declared a_pro- 
tectorate over the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba; 
and, as an easy mode of ruling these islands, had made 
use of the machinery of the native government, which 
was controlled and directed by means of General Mat- 
thews, the Sultan’s Prime Minister, who in turn was 
controlled by the British Agent and Consul-General. 

Unfortunately for me, Mr. Rennell Rodd, who had 
succeeded to the post of British Agent and Consul- 


500 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


General upon the death of Sir Gerald Portal, had 
been forced to leave Zanzibar on account of illness, 
and at the time of my arrival in Zanzibar, affairs there 
were managed by General Matthews and the acting 
British Agent and Consul-General, a Mr. Cracknell, 
who for many years had been the judge of the 
British Consular Court. Had there been a regularly 
accredited agent in Zanzibar when I arrived, I feel 
certain that the difficulties I met with would. not 
have occurred; but owing to the fact that affairs were 
in the hands of men who had been for many years 
inhabitants of the coast of East Africa, and as a 
natural result of long stays had become in large 
measure Arabized in character, I found that instead 
of pursuing the simple and direct road to justice, the 
treatment of my affairs was made subservient to purely 
local, and I may also say private, ends. 

When I paid my visit to General Sir Lloyd Mat- 
thews, I was surprised to find that, without waiting 
until I had arrived and stated my case, that gentle- 
man had come to the conclusion that my porters were 
justified in their desertion, and he had therefore taken 
it upon himself to order my agent to supply them 
with means of transport to Zanzibar, and with food 
after their arrival there. This action of General Mat- 
thews was another wholly without precedent. 

The difficulties and dangers incident to the man- 
agement of a caravan consisting of a large number of 
half-savage porters would be so great as to render 
exploration absolutely impossible, were it not for the 
fact that the traveller can feel assured that any ill 
behaviour or desertion on the part of his men will 


XI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 501 


meet with prompt punishment upon their return to 
the coast at Zanzibar. It is this knowledge alone 
which has prevented not only the desertion of entire 
caravans, but in many cases the massacre of the Euro- 
pean in charge. Up to the time of the arrival of my 
deserters at the coast, runaways upon reaching Zanzi- 
bar had invariably been promptly imprisoned and _ held 
until the European should arrive and testify against 
them. As can readily be supposed, negroes who de- 
sert from a caravan have plenty of time on their way 


SQN 
WY “ LX 
RAY) IN 
\ AWN Ne ne 
rr WW \ 
es uae \ 
RAY SIS SS 


paste _— 


COCOANUT-OIL MILL 


to the coast to invent a plausible story explaining 
their desertion; but these stories, as the Europeans in 
Zanzibar well knew the character of the Zanzibari, were 
never credited until the arrival of the European with 
his side of the story. 

Upon visiting General Matthews, and demanding 
the punishment of the men who had ruined my ex- 
pedition, I was not offered assistance, or even asked 
to tell my story; but, on the other hand, was met 
with a demand on the part of the Government of Zan- 
zibar for the full amount of the pay due these men 


502 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


up to the time of their desertion. This I promptly 
refused. 

Upon the arrival of the deserters they had been 
taken in charge by General Matthews, and brought 
into the presence of Mr. Allen, the acting United 
States Consul, who took down at full length their 
statements. These statements in many cases were 
conflicting, but their general trend was, that through- 
out the journey I had treated them with the grossest 
cruelty; that I had shot down numbers of them while 
upon the march, and that many (some said twenty, 
others said thirty) had died from excessive flogging. 
They also said that I had engaged them for a period 
of eighteen months, and that upon the expiration of 
this period, finding me still desirous of continuing my 
journey, they had, after long and fruitless endeavours 
to induce me to return to the coast, been forced to 
leave me and return to their homes in Zanzibar. 

Upon arriving at Zanzibar, I had sent to our Con- 
sul those men who had remained faithful to me. He 
subjected them to a rigorous examination, and they 
one and all offered testimony which absolutely refuted 
in every particular the statements of the deserters 
brought to Mr. Allen by General Matthews. General 
Matthews was invited to be present upon this occa- 
sion, but refused. 

The statement that I had engaged my porters for 
eighteen months was absolutely untrue, as was soon 
made manifest. Porters are engaged on different terms 
at Zanzibar. Those who are enlisted for the purpose 
of performing a fixed journey over a known road are 
engaged for a certain number of months; as, for ex- 


XI TRAVELS [IN EASTERN AFRICA 503 


ample, for caravans which are sent with mission sup- 
plies to posts in the interior or with Government 
supplies for Uganda. These men are aware, when 
they enlist, of the exact duration of their journey. 
For purposes of exploration, however, a force is not 
enlisted after that manner. The explorer can never 
tell how long it will take to accomplish the task which 
he has set for himself, and in enlisting men he can- 
not with honesty agree to lead them by fixed roads 
to certain places; as his purpose is to explore an un- 
known country, and he is ignorant of the route and 
the time necessary for its accomplishment. In engag- 
ing my men, the usual agreement had been drawn up 
by my agents, Smith, Mackenzie & Co., of Zanzibar. 
In this agreement there was not one word stipulating 
the length of time I intended to be gone. It con- 
tained simply a statement of the wages I intended to 
pay the different men, and the amount of money I 
had advanced each of them prior to departure from 
Zanzibar. 

The deserters, upon being questioned by Mr. Allen, 
had been unable to mention a single man of the many 
whom they alleged I had killed by shooting or exces- 
sive flogging, with the exception of the one porter, 
who had been accidentally killed early in the journey 
by the Soudanese, Mahomet el Hussein; but they 
said, and on this point they all concurred, that all the 
alleged shooting and beating to death had occurred 
prior to our first arrival at Daitcho in March, 1893. 
The fact that this one man was killed, seemed, in the 
minds of the authorities at Zanzibar, to warrant the 
desertion of my entire caravan, although it was admit- 


504 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


ted that this unfortunate man met his death more 
than a year before the desertion of the men, and that 
after this man’s death, and before my men deserted, 
Hamidi had visited the coast, and had seen General 
Matthews, who had, with apparent willingness, author- 
ized Hamidi to carry out my orders, and to return to 
me with a supply of stores and an increase in the per- 
sonnel of my caravan. Hamidi, at the time of his 
visit to the coast, certainly could have made no men- 
tion of any brutality which I had exercised toward the 
men, else would General Matthews have made some 
mention of the charge to Mr. Allen, the acting United 
States Consul. But although it was before the depart- 
ure of Hamidi for the coast that the porter had been 
shot, and that some eighteen or twenty of my men had 
died from dysentery, pulmonary complaints, and other 
ills incident to life in Africa, and none after the re- 
turn of Hamidi, General Matthews did not make any 
complaint to Mr. Allen until after the arrival of the 
deserters at Zanzibar. 

The total wages due my porters at the time of their 
desertion was in the neighbourhood of £1000. This 
sum, bearing in mind that my men had deserted me 
and ruined my expedition, and that I was guiltless of 
having given them any cause for desertion by my 
treatment of them, I refused emphatically to pay. 

I, being an American citizen, the proper tribunal for 
the hearing of any complaint, charge, or claim against 
me on behalf of the Government of Zanzibar or other 
party, was the Consular Court of the United States; 
and General Matthews was notified that I was ready 
and willing to remain in Zanzibar a sufficient time to 


xI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 505 


enable him to bring suit in that court against me. 
This General Matthews refused to do, alleging that 
Mie Allen, the :acting “Consul, being an . American, 
would be biased in my favour; and said that, on the 
contrary, I should appear before a British tribunal, 
and submit my case to it. It struck me not only 
that this suggestion was childish, but that, should I 
act upon it, I should by so doing cast a slur upon 
the consular courts of my own country. 

Through the United States Consul I continued to 
press my claims for the arrest and punishment of the 
deserters, but without avail, and the authorities of 
Zanzibar continued with all the vigour at their dis- 
posal to press the claim against me on behalf of the 
porters. 

The native who had been killed while in my em- 
ploy was the slave of an Arab at Zanzibar. Under 
Arabic law a slave represents so much money, being 
considered a chattel; and although I considered my- 
self in no way responsible for the man’s death, never- 
theless, as he had been shot while in my service, and 
by a man in my employ, and as his master was poor, 
I turned over to him a sum of money supposed to 
represent the slave’s value to him. 

About a week after my arrival at Zanzibar I was 
prostrated by a severe attack of fever, and was taken 
to the French hospital to be nursed. This hospital 
is in the charge of nuns, and I feel that it is entirely 
owing to their kind and thoughtful nursing that I 
Recovered: iat all. It may-seem imeredible to the 
medical profession, that upon my arrival at the 
French hospital my temperature was 106.5 Fahrenheit. 


506 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


I remained in the hospital two weeks before I was 
able to return to my house. Upon my recovery, 
Captain Charles Campbell of H.M.S. “ Philomel ” kindly 
offered to take me for a six days’ cruise on his vessel 
to recover my strength. Upon my return from the 
cruise, which did my health a deal of good, I found 
stationed in front of my house at Zanzibar two of 
the Zanzibar police force. Having dismissed them, 
I entered the house, and found George and my follow- 
ers in a state of excitement and much relieved at my 


return. 
It appeared that the day I embarked on the “ Philo- 
mel ” —in fact, less than an hour after I left the shore 


—about fifteen of the deserters from my caravan, 
armed with clubs, entered my house and_ attacked 
George. He was roughly handled, but made good 
his defence. He had been attacked while sitting at 
a desk writing, and during the struggle his endeavour 
was to reach a pistol! hanging upon the wall. This 
he finally secured, whereupon his assailants fled. The 
object of this attack I never could learn, but I think 
it was undoubtedly actuated by a desire to seize the 
person of either George or myself. Such an attack 
upon an European, as far as I could learn, had not 
occurred in Zanzibar for more than twenty years; 
and it struck me as strangely coincident with the 
hostile attitude of the authorities at Zanzibar. 
Through the United States Consul, complaint was 
made against these men, but few steps were taken 
for their arrest, and only a few of them, although 
all their names were handed in, and they were all 
well known to the authorities, were shut up in the 


XI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 507 


barracks of the Zanzibar troops. Even these few 
were released after a few days’ confinement without 
further punishment. 

My house was situated just off the main street of 
Zanzibar. The attack had .been' made upon it in 
broad noonday. The men, in order to reach my 
house, must have passed through the main street of 
Zanzibar bearing clubs in their hands. The main 
street was plentifully supplied with police, but they 
had: ;imade no ‘effort to Stop“ the progress ‘of the 
negroes, though it is customary never to permit natives 
to walk thus armed through the streets of Zanzibar. 

The Soudanese who deserted from me were taken 
into the service of the Sultan; Mohamadi, the head- 
man who deserted from me at Seran, and who had 
stolen the ivory, was rewarded for this meritorious con- 
ducts by being- placed. in’ an ‘office of trust in the 
Zanzibar jail. Lieutenant von Hohnel upon reach- 
ing Zanzibar had made a specific complaint against 
this man, but was unable to procure his punishment 
in any way. 

I waited in Zanzibar several weeks, hoping that 
some means would be arrived at for the settlement 
of the difficulty, but no steps were taken by the 
authorities of Zanzibar to bring suit in the Consular 
Court. Knowing that if I should leave Zanzibar with- 
out making strenuous attempts to settle the matter, 
my course of action would be misrepresented, I of- 
fered to submit the question at issue to arbitration. 
This suggestion was agreed to by the authorities at 
Zanzibar. It was determined that I should appoint 
an arbitrator, that the government of Zanzibar should 


508 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


appoint one, and that these two should decide upon 
a third member of the board; the decision of this 
commission to be final and binding upon — both 
parties to the question at issue. Mr. Allen, the 
United States Consul, chose to represent me in the 
matter Mr. Seth A. Pratt,a gentleman of standing at 
Zanzibar, who had formerly been United States Consul 
at that port. The Government of Zanzibar entrusted 
its interests to a Mr. Wilson, at that time its legal 
adviser. 

Mr. Pratt suggested eight men, from whom a third 
arbiter was to be chosen, the list embracing English, 
German, Italian, and French gentlemen. As the ques- 
tion at issue required the introduction of a large 
quantity of native testimony, Mr. Pratt, knowing from 
long experience the impossibility of getting a correct 
translation of answers through a native interpreter, 
had nominated men who understood and spoke the 
Swahili language, and had also counted length of 
residence in Zanzibar as important, and consequent 
acquaintance with the character of the people whose 
testimony was to be heard. 

The representative of the Government flatly refused 
to consider any one of the eight gentlemen suggested 
by Mr. Pratt; but demanded and insisted that the 
third member of the board should be one of three 
whom he named, two of whom in the hearing of Mr. 
Pratt had expressed opinions hostile to my interests, 
and the third had just received a decoration at the 
hands of the Government of Zanzibar for services ren- 
dered them. Mr. Pratt laboured long and earnestly 
in order to bring about an agreement as to the third 


xI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 509 


member; but at length, finding his efforts balked by 
the obstinacy and discourtesy of the gentlemen repre- 
senting the Government, he felt called upon to resign 
all connection with the matter; so my efforts to settle 
the thing by arbitration fell through. 

Finding me unwilling to submit to threats and 
unwarranted demands for the payment of the entire 
sum (£1000) insisted upon by the Government of Zan- 
zibar, a communication was received from General Sir 
Lloyd Matthews, to the effect that the Government 
would be satisfied with the payment of one-half that 
amount. Finally, shortly before my departure from 
Zanzibar, a request was received by Mr. Allen, to the 
effect that I pay to the Government of Zanzibar 
“some substantial sum.” 

Among the records of the United States Consulate 
at Zanzibar is to be found a letter written during the 
height of the incident by General Sir Lloyd Matthews 
to Mr. Allen, then acting Consul, in which General 
Matthews states over his own signature that it is his 
opinion that the desertion of the men was caused not 
by any cruelty or unjust act of mine, but by plotting 
and intriguing on the part of the Somali, who had 
accompanied my expedition, and who, having become 
tired of the journey, wished by this means to force a 
return. 

The Zanzibari who had remained faithful to me 
throughout the journey refused to leave me, but con- 
tinued to work for me during my stay in Zanzibar. 
Most faithful among these were Sururu, my tent-boy, 
and Mhahoma, the cook,a cousin of Hamidi. These 
men passed a most unpleasant time during my stay, 


510 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


as they were the victims of insult and bullying on 
the part of the deserters. Upon one occasion, after 
I had paid a visit to the house of Mhahoma, this 
poor fellow was attacked and severely beaten by some 
of the deserters. 

I paid several visits to Sururu’s home, which was 
situated quite upon the outskirts of the town of Zan- 
zibar. He had four or five acres of land under culti- 
vation, where he grew bananas, oranges, and vegetables. 
He had two wives and three slaves. It had always 
been his ardent wish to own a town house as well as 
a country seat; so I gave myself the pleasure of pur- 
chasing him one in the native quarter of Zanzibar. 
The edifice was constructed of clay and wattles, white- 
washed, and thatched with palm leaves. Sururu was 
delighted with it, and divided the establishment into 
two parts, saying, with glee, that he was then just 
like an Arab—he could live in town during the sea- 
son, and when the hot weather set in, he could go 
out to his plantation. His one remaining ambition 
was to own a donkey, so that he could ride from his 
town house to his country seat in a dignified and_be- 
coming manner. I hope that by this time he has 
amassed sufficient wealth to gratify this desire. 

The fever again returned, and both George and I be- 
came ill. As I found all of my efforts to obtain justice 
at the hands of the authorities of Zanzibar unavailing, 
I decided to return home; and so on April 3, 1894, I 
set out by the. French M. M.> Line for: Aden. Dhe 
few of my followers who had remained faithful to me, 
and who lived in Zanzibar, came to see me off, bring- 
ing with them presents of oranges and native mats. 


XI TRAVELS [VN EASTERN AFRICA SII 


The Soudanese and Somali joyfully turned their backs 
on Zanzibar. 

In six days we reached Aden. We were due at 
this port in the early morning, and I expected to have 
at my disposal six or seven hours of daylight in which 
to pay off my faithful followers; but, unfortunately, 
we reached Aden at midnight, and the captain of the 
vessel told me he would sail, without fail, on the fol- 
lowing morning at eight. 

The town of Aden consists of two parts, the sea- 
port and the main town, the latter lying about four 
miles in the interior. All places of business both at 
the seaport and the main town were closed long before 
we arrived, but that did not deter me from endeavour- 
ing to satisfy the just claims of my men. My agents 
at Aden were a Parsee firm, named Cowasjee Din- 
shaw; so immediately upon casting anchor I set out 
with the Somali and Soudanese for the house of my 
agents, which was situated near the shore. The town 
was wrapped in silence, and the sandy streets gave 
forth no sound beneath our footsteps. Had it not 
been for the knowledge that my personal supervision 
was necessary to guarantee the payment of my men, 
I should not have attempted to transact business at 
that hour of the night. 

In front of the office of Cowasjee Dinshaw there 
stretched a wide veranda, and upon it there slept a 
motley band of Sepoy soldiers, half-naked Somali 
armed with clubs, and a large Ethiopian door-keeper. 
In a few words I told my men it rested with them 
whether they should get their pay or not; and their 
eyes gleamed with responsive intelligence. The sleep- 


512 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


ers on the veranda, disturbed by our approach, refused 
to assist uS in any manner to enter the house. Most 
of them were vagrants; but the Sepoy soldiers and 
the door-keeper said that they had been stationed 
there to prevent anybody entering the house and dis- 
turbing its inmates at night, and, therefore, that we 
should have to go away. 

I gave a sign to my men, and they seized some 
bits of timber and a chair lying on the veranda. 


——— = i ff 4! 
‘ . iy j 
VARIETY OF PORTERS’ HABITATIONS {sis 


Armed with these they rushed at the door with loud 
shouts. It was strongly built, else it would have been 
burst in. At length a querulous voice was heard from 
inside, and footsteps, as of some one approaching. 
The door opened, and one of the members of the 
firm appeared, and in a frightened manner asked the 
cause of the trouble. As suavely as possible I intro- 
duced myself, and apologized for disturbing his slum- 
bers; then I stated my wishes. He said that it was 
impossible to get any money at that time of night; 


XI TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 513 


that all his cash was kept in a strongly built house in 
the main town; and that at night it would be un- 
safe to send for it, as the road was filled with 
marauders. 

After a long talk I succeeded in getting an order 
on his bankers for the amount I wished; and then, 
hailing a couple of night-hawk cabs, the entire party 
of us set off for the town, which we reached at 3 a.m. 
I spent two hours in smoking and chatting with my 
men, and at 5 a.m. I took the liberty of awakening 
the American Consul, whom to my great joy I found 
to be Mr. Jones, formerly Consul at Zanzibar. He 
was kindness itself, and sent a couple of Sepoys with 
my order upon the bank, who soon returned bearing 
between them a great bag of rupees. I shall never 
forget the scene which closed my relations with these 
men, who had remained faithful to me throughout 
the trials of so many long months. They were paid 
off in one of the large rooms of our Consul’s house. 
The bag of rupees had been emptied upon a rug in 
the centre of the apartment, and a little white moun- 
tain of silver, illumined by the rays of the rising sun, 
greeted the eyes of my followers. 

Mr. Jones spoke Arabic as fluently as he did Eng- 
lish, and that language was familiar to both the Sou- 
danese and the Somali. The names of the men were 
called in turn; the number of months they had served 
was stated to them; the amount of advance money 
received by each was mentioned; and after each state- 
ment, Mr. Jones paused, until the man who was being 
paid endorsed it by a silent nod, or the word “ Taib” 


(Good). When the account of wages due each man 
2L 


514 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. 


was settled, he was told the sum he would receive 
in addition as a present. Throughout the transac- 
tion my watch was in my hand; for I knew that 
the French vessel was getting up steam, and_ that 
but a short time would elapse before she would leave 
Aden harbour, four miles away. 

When at length all was completed, and I began 
to bid my men farewell, they one and all. said, “ Mas- 
ter, we will not leave you here. We will accompany 
you at least to the shore, and, if possible, go with 
you to the ship.’ To one who is familiar with the 
character of the Somali and the Soudanese this be- 
haviour would appear almost incredible. It meant 
that they would leave the pile of silver —their hard- 
earned wages —in the hands of a man who was an 
utter stranger to them, for the sake of a sentiment; 
and that, contrary to their instinct (which in regard to 
money, at least, may be expressed by the words, “Safe 
bind; safe find”), they were willing to jeopardize the 
results of almost two years’ labour for the sake of see- 
ing the last of one who perhaps had treated them, as 
far as in his power lay, with the utmost justice and 
consideration, yet in the accomplishment of his purpose 
had led them through dark and toilsome paths, and 
caused them much keen suffering. 

It was six o'clock when I bade farewell to my 
friend, Mr. Jones, and dashing downstairs leaped into 
a carriage waiting below. At this time Aden was 
astir, and there were several carry-alls in the streets. 
My men piled into them, and off we set; Mahomet 
Aman, Karscho, and Ramazan went with me. _ I 
found it really difficult to maintain my composure 


XI TRAVELS IV EASTERN AFRICA 515 


throughout the rapid gallop to the seashore. They 
seized my hands, and kissed them, or stroked my 
knees, all the while repeating, “Don’t forget us, 
master. Come again, and we will travel with you.” 

When ‘at' lenoth we/ reached the dock;-and I 
paused for a moment to bid a silent farewell, I found 
that George had in his possession a small bag of rupees 
—a coin useless to me away from the East. I hesitated 
a moment, thinking to whom to give it. Before my 
eyes rose the vision of Hussein Mahomet returning 
alone to my almost deserted camp at Daitcho, having 
left, at the peril of his life, his deserting companions. 
The memory of his dumb gratitude at my treatment 
of him upon that occasion, and of his excellent be- 
haviour throughout all the times of trial and difficulty 
which had preceded the desertion of my men, surged 
in my mind, and I pressed the little gift into his hands. 
He took it in a lethargic manner; and then realizing 
that he had been singled out above all the men, burst 
once more into the fervent Mohammedan prayer, which 
throughout the journey had been his only means of ex- 
pressing feeling: “El Hamdililahi bismillahi irrach- 
man irrachim” (Praise be to God, the All-Righteous, 
the All-Merciful). To these words and to a chorus 
of cries from the others, wishing me God-speed upon 
my journey, I set out in a row-boat to join my steamer, 
which I reached just as she got her anchors up and 
was almost under way. 

A few days more, and George and I had reached 
Cairo, where we remained three weeks, regaining our 
strength and recovering from continued attacks of 
fever. From there we sailed to Trieste, where I was 


516 THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT CHAP. XI 


greeted upon my arrival by my friend Lieutenant von 
Hohnel, then thoroughly recovered from the effects of 
his wound, and, as can well be imagined, eager to hear 
the story of the events which had occurred since his 
departure. We reached Trieste on the first of May, 
1894, — Just six weeks less than two years from the 
time we set out from Europe. 


FINIS 


APPENDIX 


WitiiaM ASTOR CHANLER, LZ sgutre, 
New York City. 


Dear Sir: —J am very glad to know of the prospect of the immediate 
publication of the narrative of your expedition to the Tana River region, 
and regret exceedingly that it is not possible to furnish at the present 
time a detailed list of the collections obtained by you, since there are 
many new and exceedingly interesting forms of animal life among them. 
It is possible, however, to present a preliminary report. The National 
Museum is greatly indebted to you and to your companion Lieutenant 
von Hohnel for this valuable collection, which must of necessity occupy 
a considerable time in its study, but which is sure to yield very important 
results to biological science. I hope that you will convey to Lieutenant 
von Hohnel the warmest thanks of the Smithsonian Institution for his 
generosity in consenting that his collection should accompany yours to 
the National Museum. It is prized exceedingly here and will be pre- 
served always with the utmost care, and we hope that within a few 
months a goodly amount of literature will have been published in regard 
to the joint collection received from yourself and from him. 

The mammals have been studied carefully by Mr. True, who has 
published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Museum, Volume 
XVI. pages 601 to 603 (‘ Notes on a Small Collection of Mammals 
from the Tana River, East Africa, with Descriptions of New Species’’), 
enumerating four species of small mammals, of which two are new, 
namely : a small dormouse, which has been described under the name 
of Lhomys parvus, and a mouse somewhat resembling the ordinary 
house mouse, which has been called AZws ana. In addition the collec- 
tion contained a specimen of a new antelope, which has been named 
Cervicapra Chanileri, in your honour, in one of the publications of the 
Tring Museum. ‘The specimen has. been finely mounted, and is a most 
welcome addition to our series of African antelopes. ‘The species is a 


517 


518 APPENDIX 


very beautiful one, differing from the more southern form in its delicate 
gray colour. 

The reptiles are still under investigation by Doctor Leonhard Stej- 
neger, who has already published in the Proceedings of the National 
Museum, Volume XVLI., pages 711 to 741, quite a number of new species 
(“On Some Collections of Reptiles and Batrachians from East Africa 
and the Adjacent Islands, Recently Received from Dr. W. L. Abbott and 
Mr. William Chanler, with Descriptions of New Species”). He enu- 
merates thirty species, of which five are new, among them the JZabuya 
Chanlert and the Simocephalus Chanileri, thus named as a memorial 
of your expedition. There is also another species, Hvemzas Hohneli, 
named after Lieutenant von Hohnel. Another collection subsequently 
received will soon be reported upon, and the following preliminary list 
has been furnished by Doctor Stejneger : — 


Reprites—1, Hemidactylus mabuya; 2, Chameleo ropert; 3, Cha- 
maleo sp.; 4, Rhampholeon Kerstent. 

SNAKES— 5, TZ)phlops uniteniatus; 6, Causus rhombeatus ; 
7, Echis sp. 

Toaps AND Frocs—8, Bufo regularis; 9, Phrynomants bifasciata ; 
10, Ayperolius sp.; 11, Rana sp. 


The collection of insects contained many interesting forms, but com- 
ing as it does from a country so little known, there has been unexpected 
delay in its identification, especially since two or three persons to whom 
material has been intrusted for study have recently died. The Lepidop- 
tera first received, those from the Tana River region, East Africa, were 
submitted to Chancellor W. J. Holland, of the University of Pennsyl- 
vania, and a report upon this collection is now in press (“ List of the 
Lepidoptera Collected in the Tana River Region, East Africa, by Mr. 
William Astor Chanler and Lieutenant von Hohnel,” Proceedings of the 
United States National Museum, Paper No. 1063, Volume XVIII., pages 
259 to 264). ‘This includes thirty-three species, of which two are new. 
These are /phthima Chanleri and Charaxes Chanlert. Others are pos- 
sibly though not certainly new. Another and much larger collection 
more recently received, from the Jombeni range, is now in the hands 
of Chancellor Holland. 

Several species of Neuroptera were received ; among these was an 
interesting specjes of ant-lion, identified by Mr. Linell as Palpares tris- 
ws Hagen; also a considerable number of Odonata, which have been 
described by Mr. Philip Calvert, of the Academy of Natural Sciences, 
Philadelphia (‘‘ Notes on the Odonata”). This includes seven species. 


APPENDIX 519 


The collection of Orthoptera was sent to Professor Lawrence Bruner, 
at the State University, Lincoln, Nebraska. Professor Bruner has not 
yet completed his study of the collection, but is satisfied that there are 
many new and interesting forms included in it. 

The collection of beetles is very large and contains numerous new 
forms. This collection has been in the hands of Mr. Linell, Aid in the 
Department of Insects, who has a paper based upon it in press (“ List 
of Coleoptera collected by Mr. William Astor Chanler and Lieutenant 
von Hohnel on the River Tana between the Coast and Hameye during 
the Expedition of 1893, and on Jombeni Range, Northeast of Mount 
Kenya, in 1894, with Descriptions of New Genera and Species”). He 
informs me that among the one hundred and ninety-one species repre- 
sented there are four new genera and thirty-four new species. The 
collection is very full, and represents in an excellent manner the con- 
spicuous forms of beetle fauna of the region. 

The collection of Hemiptera and Hymenoptera is not so large as 
some of the others, but Mr. Ashmead, to whom they were sent, is satis- 
fied that they will prove very interesting. He has not yet, however, 
determined how many new forms there are among them. 

The Spiders and Scorpions were sent to the late Doctor George Marx. 
The elaboration of this collection was interrupted by his death, and 
opportunity has not since been found to place them in the hands of 
another specialist. Many of the forms, however, are large and striking, 
especially the scorpions. I regret that it is not possible, at this time, to 
say how many new forms were found. 

Of the Diptera, there are eleven species, including two specimens of 
a Tsetse fly, Glossina longipalpis, a species which replaces in East Equa- 
torial Africa the well-known Glossina morsitans of the South. 

I have now mentioned, I believe, all the groups of animals that were 
represented in your collections. In closing I beg to assure you again of 
our great gratification in receiving these valuable series of specimens at 


the Museum. 
Yours very sincerely, 
G. Brown GOopE, 
Assistant Secretary, Smithsonian Institution, 
an charge National AlTuseum. 


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INDEX 


Abdee Achmet, his account of the run- 
aways, 482. 

Abdullah Ben Hamed, governor of La- 
moo, 15; governor, visits camp at 
Mkonumbi, 33. 

Abdurachman and Gwaharam, two Be- 
loochi, 438. 

Achmet Dualla, 26, 290, 331; deserted 
by Mohamadi and six men, 332. 

Aden, Somali engaged at, 7. 

Aden, 511. 

African, characteristics of sick African, 
152. 

African traveller, impossible to be an 
expert in all branches of science, 
272. 

African tribes prefer war to trade, 325. 

Allen, Mr., 508, 509. 

Antelope and zebra, herds of, 113. 

Antelope, “ Cervicapra 
Chanleri,” 431; small herds, 124. 

Ants, red, called by natives “boiling 
water,” 63. 

Apes, attracted by camp-fire, 128. 


new species, 


Baboons and the dogs, 392. 

Balook Bashi (Mahomet el Hussein), 
46; shoots a deserter, 58; reduced to 
the ranks, 61. 

Balooki Bashi, chief of Soudanese, 21. 

Baobab tree, girth forty-eight feet, 109. 

Baraka, tent-boy, 9; his experience in 
caravan work, 10; marches with Chan- 
ler, 164; tent-boy, drowned in the 
Tana, 434. 

Barfalatta, 12. 


521 


Beasts of burden, difficulty of procuring, 
230. 

Beasts of burden in East Africa, 147. 

Benayo village, 67. 

Berkenedji or Samburu tribe, 281. 

Bird, honey bird, 277. 

Birds, singing birds on the Guaso Nyiro 
River, 124. 

Blood brothers with the white man, 159. 

Blood-brotherhood, 185, 186; manner of 
performing the ceremony, 187; cere- 
mony performed with the Rendile, 305. 

Blood-brotherhood with the Daitcho, 
219. 

Boat, a canvas Berthon, 63. 

“Boma,” a zeriba, held by warriors as an 
outpost, 198. 

Borana tribe, enemies of the Rendile, 318. 

Borana, distance from Kome, 319. 

Bridge over the Guaso Nyiro, 117. 

Bridges, constructing, across the Tana, 
474- 

British East African Company, 7, 12, 15, 
69. 

Buffalo, 141. 

Bugoi, village of the Wanderobbo, 355. 

Bykender, married to a Rendile woman, 
223%: 
wife, 223; a rich native of Daitcho 
tribe, 223; visits camp, 405. 

Bykender, 225, 457, 467. 


tells the story of his Rendile 


Camels, death of, 65; the Rendile tribe 
supposed to possess 80,000, 313. ° 

Camp at Hameye, a paradise, 70. 

Camp, building at Daitcho, 234. 


522 INDEX 


Campbell, Captain, takes Chanler for 
cruise in H.M.S. “ Philomel,” 506. 

Caravan, personnel of, 5. 

Caravan, trading in charge of two natives 
of Beloochistan at Daitcho, 237. 

Carroll, Royal Phelps, 9. 

Cataract on the Tana River, 475. 

Cattle bitten by flies, 204. 

Chabba, Mount, a high gneiss hill, 147; 
herd of rhinoceros, 148. 

Chanler, object of journey, 1; personnel 
of caravan, 5; goes to Zanzibar, 7; 
obtains permission of Sultan of Zanzi- 
bar to engage porters, 7; secures one 
hundred and thirty porters, 8; engages 
Sururu and Baraka as body servants, 
9; arrives at Mkonumbi, 12; goes to 
Kau on the Tana, 16; engages boat- 
men for river column, 16; his method 
of dealing with complaints of Sou- 
danese, 23; leads expedition with six 
Soudanese, 36; in bed with fever, 47; 
speaks to porters about desertion, 58; 
crosses the River Tana in canvas Ber- 
thon boat, 63; visit to chief of Galla 
tribe, 68; journey to the north in 
search of Lake Lorian, 73; uses a 
Winchester with express sight, 77; 
letter to London Field on results 
achieved with Winchester and Mann- 
licher, 79; expedition from Hameye, 
81; shooting hippopotamuses, 86 ; 
shoots a rhinoceros, 92; adventure 
with a rhinoceros, 96; views the sur- 
rounding country, 97; with Lieutenant 
Hohnel, ascends the mountain, 98; an 
attack of fever, 99; attack of fever 
near Mount Kenya, 103; carried in a 
hammock, 105; trouble with the Sou- 
danese about food, 107; health re- 
stored, 107; shoots grantii from a 
chair, 111; Christmas Day a day of 
rest, 1173; discovery of falls in the 
Guaso Nyiro River named Chanler 
Falls, 119; on the plateau of Marisi 
Alugwa Zombo, 127; adventure with a 
rhinoceros, 132; shoots the rhinoceros 
that tossed Sururu, 134; attack of 


fever, 137; adventure with buffaloes, 
141; adventure with a lion, 143; in 
the country of the Wamsara tribe, 
152; head covering worn, 155; sur- 
veys the Wamsara country, 160; mes- 
sage to the Wamsara, 172; palaver 
with the Embe, 180; on watch expect- 
ing to be attacked by the Embe, 196 ; 
talk with Motio, 197; prostrated by 
sickness at Hameye, 205;  blood- 
brotherhood with the Daitcho, 219 ; 
interview with Bykender’s wife, a Ren- 
dile, 224 ; journey to the Embe coun- 
try, 238; goes through the ceremony 
of muma with the Embe, 260; twenty- 
sixth birthday at Ngombe crater, 269; 
searching for gold in the Guaso Nyiro, 
2733; as a great medicine-man, 282; 
night march in search of Rendile, 
289; the Rendile visit camp, 294; 
interview with the Rendile chiefs, 297; 
interview with a Rendile chief, 310; 
tempted to attack the Rendile, 329 ; 
march from Seran to Daitcho, 334; 
camp on the Guaso Nyiro, 334; at 
Daitcho, covering a distance of sev- 
enty-five miles in three days and a 
half, 334; men in the camp at Daitcho 
excited by the tales told of the Ren- 
dile, 336; starts to rejoin Lieutenant 
von Hohnel at Lolokwi, 339; cautions 
his men to use water sparingly, 340; 
two of his men mad with thirst, 340; 
his adventure with a serpent, 342; 
camp at Ngombe crater, 343; sends 
Karscho and all the men to bottom of 
crater for water, 344; adventure with 
a lion, 345; arrives at Guaso Nyiro, 
348; prostrated with fever at Lolokwi, 
349; carried in a hammock to Sayer, 
350; Wanderobbo act as guides in 
the hunt for elephants, 358; elephant 
hunting with the Wanderobbo, 362; 
adventure elephant hunting, 363; dan- 
gerous work elephant hunting, 366, 
367; elephant hunting, 370; return to 
Sayer, 377; on the Subugo, 378; his 
adventure with rhinoceros, 379; his 


INDEX 523 


sorrow for the injuries sustained by 
Lieutenant von Héhnel, 383; march 
to Daitcho, 384; rhinoceros shooting, 
386; the water-buck and the dogs, 
390; planning for the future, 400; 
hunting hippopotamuses, 409; on a 
visit to the Embe, 417; 
Hamidi’s arrival from the coast with 
eighty men, 417; 
men, expectation of starting 
north doomed to disappointment, 424; 
health failing, 424; talk with Zanzibari 
from Njemps, 425; the new men cause 
trouble, 432; new men wish to return 
to the coast, 433; assists the Daitcho 
to repel hostile natives, 434; sends 
letter to George, 437; word from 
George, 438; natives ask him to stop 
the raid of locusts, 440; negro with 
sun-umbrella to stop locusts, 441; treat 
him with reverence and awe for put- 
ting to flight the locusts, 442; Hamidi 
returns with letter from George, 442; 
bad news, porters revolt, 448; con- 
fronts the mutineers, 448; the Somali 


news of 


drilling the new 


22: 
Foto Jar) 


and Soudanese come to his assistance, 
449; porters desert in a body, 450; 
interview with Gwaharam, 452; sends 
letter to Hamidi, 453; interview with 
Hamidi, 455; Hamidi promises to 
bring back deserters, 457; the Sou- 
danese desert, 457; the Soudanese 
Hussein Mahomet returns, 459;  six- 
teen men all told in the zeriba, 461; 
his belief that Hamidi had been acting 
under orders received during his visit 
to the coast, 466; distributes food 
among the Daitcho, 467; distributes 
goods among the traders at Daitcho, 
467; destroys ammunition, 468; burns 
goods for trading, 468; force of eigh- 
teen men all told, 470; departure from 
Daitcho, 470; the country of the 
Daitcho opened to Europeans, 471; 
march to the coast, 472; meets the 
Wakamba, 472; arrives at the Lan- 
galla, 474; crossing the Tana, 474; 
constructing bridges across the Tana, 


476; meets Hassan and men from 
Sayer, 479; arrives at Mitio’s village 
482; group of villages called Kitinga, 
486; slaves crave assistance to return 
to their people, 489 ; 
Kikuyu women from slavery, 489 ; 


rescues two 


Wakamba insist upon the return of 
slaves, 489; drives off the Wakamba, 
489; meets Mr. Neumann, 491; at the 
German mission station, Ikutha, 492; 
at the Kibwezi mission station, 493; 
from the Kibwezi station to Mombasa, 
495; arrives at Mombasa, 498; thirty 
days’ journey from Daitcho to Mom- 
basa, 498; at Zanzibar, 498; visit to 
Sir Lloyd Matthews, 499; the govern- 
ment of Zanzibar demands full amount 
of pay due deserters, 501; deserters’ 
false statement to Mr. Allen and Sir 
Lloyd Matthews refuted, 502; exami- 
nation of deserters, 503; refuses to pay 
deserters, 504; presses his claims for 
arrest and punishment of deserters, 
505; sick with fever at Zanzibar, 505; 
authorities at Zanzibar press the claim 
of porters, 505; pays for slave acci- 
dentally shot, 505; deserters attack 
Chanler’s house at Zanzibar, 506; 
difficulties submitted to arbitration, 
507; visit to Sururu’s home, Zanzibar, 
510; homeward bound, 510; Aden, 
511; at Cairo, 515. 

Chanler Falls, 119. 

Chapmani and burcheli as food, 141. 

Charters, Dr., the missionary who oper- 
ated on Lieutenant von Héhnel, 493; 
clergyman, engineer, and doctor of 
medicine, 494; his death, 494. 

Christmas Day in Africa, 113; at Daitcho, 
463. 

Cowasjee Dinshaw, of Aden, 511. 

Cracknell, Mr., acting British Agent and 
Consul-General at Zanzibar, 500. 

Crocodile kills Felix, the fox-terrier, 410. 


Daitcho tribe, 191; fermented honey, 
220; their manner of tilling the soil, 
220; on the eastern slope of the 


INDEX 


Jombeni range, 213; their plantations 

and cattle, 219; marriage customs, 

221; men kept employed, 335; camp 

in charge of George in good condition, 

335; capture of robbers, 338; native 

dance, 410; children dance, 414; full- 

dress dance, 414; dancing a serious 

tribe and the locusts, 
440; to Mombasa 450 miles, 470; the 
zeriba at, 470; the country of, opened 
to Europeans and missionaries, 471 ; 
disastrous results of digging up car- 
tridges left by Chanler, 480. 

Dance, native, by Daitcho tribe, 410. 

David, English-speaking negro, at Dick’s 
trading-post, 487. 

Denhardt, Gustave, first to ascend the 
Tana River, 3, 16; at Lamoo, 15. 

Deserters, 46-48, 56, 65, 205; the most 
serious difficulty, impossible to over- 
come, 209; sent to Zanzibar by Sir 
Lloyd Matthews, 500; their false state- 
ments to Mr. Allen and Sir Lloyd 
Matthews refuted, 502. 

Dick, trading-post owned by, 487. 

Dogs, fox-terrier and native, 206; Felix, 
the fox-terrier, and the hippopotamuses, 
211; Felix, the fox-terrier, and the 
elephants, 363; and water-buck, 390; 
Felix and two other fox-terriers attack 
a rhinoceros, 382; afraid of a lion, 
392; Felix, the fox-terrier, seizes the 
ear of a rhinoceros, 391; only useful 
in the early morning or late afternoon 

and the 
baboons, 392; Felix, the fox-terrier, 
killed by a crocodile, 410. 

Donkeys, die of fly-bites, 123; death of, 
288. 

Donyo Loldeikau, mountain range, 149. 

Donytuli Mono Vomari, a mighty wizard, 
248. 

“Dthombon” robbers, 289. 

Dukuli, 49. 

Dundas, 4. 


business, 414; 


on account of heat, 391 ; 


Elephant hunters in the camp at Tuni, 53. 
Elephants, herd of twenty-two, 131; traps 


used by the Wanderobbo to capture 
them, 350; in search of, with the Wan- 
derobbo, 360; hunting, 366, 367, 369; 
heart of, a delicacy, 368. 

Embe tribe, near Mount Kenya, 105; 
their knowledge of agriculture, 105; 
country of, 179: assist the expedition 
on the march, 182; anoint their skins 
with castor oil, 188; religious sanctity 
for anything of extraordinary size, 188; 
natives chew bark of “ Miraa,’”’ 189; 
their physique, 190; attack expedition, 
200 ; visit of leaders to camp at 
Daitcho, 228; native women traders, 
239; their market-places, 239; brac- 
ing air 5000 feet above the sea-level, 
241; native story, 242; old men sub- 
sist entirely on meat diet, 242; their 
government, 242; questions of moment 
discussed exclusively by old men, 245; 
the population, 245; home and foreign 
policy, 246; raids of the warriors, 246; 
marriage customs, 247; superstition of, 
247; advice of Donytuli Mono Vomari, 
a wizard, 248; married men, 248; men 
divided into two classes, warriors and 
old men, 248; their religion, 249; 
local deities wise men, 250; circumci- 
sion, 251; courtship, 251; young girls 
and boys naked, 252; articles manu- 
factured, 253; manner of burying the 
dead, 253; dancing their sole amuse- 
ment, 253; dig pits as traps for elephants 
and rhinoceros, 254; iron, tools, and 
arms, 254; their bows and arrows, 254; 
women weave bags, 254; natives en- 
gaged in clearing forests, 255; proprie- 
tors of land, 255; their language, 255; 
as soon as a man becomes powerful 
or rich he is poisoned, 257; poisons 
used, 257; their equality, 257; the 
poisoner, 257; how they measure time, 
258; their manner of trading, 259. 

Emin Pasha, 209. 

Expedition, to explore region lying be- 
tween Tana and Juba Rivers. 

CHAPTER I. — Expedition of Count 

Teleki and Lieutenant von Héhnel, 3; 


INDEX 525 


route decided upon, 3; to ascend 
the River Tana, 4; personnel of cara- 
van, 5; beasts of burden for trans- 
portation of goods, 5; purchase of 
stores in London and Vienna, 6; seven 
Somali engaged for care of beasts of 
burden, 6; twelve Soudanese soldiers 
engaged, 6; intelligence of porters, 6; 
difficulties in finding porters at Zanzi- 
bar, 7; engaged Somali at Aden, 7; 
engaged Soudanese at Massowah, 7; 
kindness of Italian authorities at Mas- 
sowah, 7; engagement of one hundred 
and thirty porters, $8; wages paid to 
porters, 8; headman of porters, 9; 
town life not suited to natives, 10; first 
camp at Mkonumbi, 11; at Mkonumbi, 
12; assistance of Teide and Denhardt, 
16; engagement of boatmen and 
canoes for river column, 16; Sadi, 
captain of the fleet, 17; camp at 
Mkonumbi, 18; 
arms of men, 21; Soudanese armed 
with Mannlicher repeating rifles, 21; 
the Soudanese, 21; uniform of Soudan- 
ese, 21; Somali men most useful, 26; 
arrival of Lieutenant von Héhnel with 
camels at Kismayu, 26; Jama Yusef 
warns the chiefs at Kismayu against 
expedition, 27; instructing natives in 
use of rifle, 27; shooting at target, 28; 
a day’s work in camp at Mkonumbi, 
28; danger of small-pox, 29; prepara- 
tions for departure from Mkonumbi, 
30; visit of Arab governor to camp, 
33; porters carry eighty pounds, 33; 
retrievers and fox-terrier, 34; drilling 
men loading and unloading camels 
and donkeys, 34; caravan breaks 
camp at Mkonumbi, 35; joy of native 
porters at departure for interior, 35; 
farewell visit of governor of Lamoo, 35; 
order of marching, 36; reach camping- 
place, 36; trouble with pack animals, 
36; at Merifano, 38; arrival at the 
Tana, 39. 

CuaApTer II. — Expedition, trading 
with the Pokomo, 40; load of ammu- 


uniform and_ fire- 


nition missing, 41; march from Mare- 
fano to Kinekombe, 41; appearance 
of the country, 42; caravan as seen 
on the march, 42; guides poorly in- 
formed, 43; encampment on banks of 
Tana, 433; opposite the village of Kine- 
kombe, 44; In camp at Kinekombe, 
45; deserters, 46; crosses the Tana, 
47; at Massa, 48; men raid a planta- 
tion, 49; punishment of men and 
stolen property restored, 49; march 
to Dukuli, 49; suffers from heat, 49; 
guides desert, 50; cutting road through 
tangled undergrowth, 50; search for 
water, 50; death of dogs, 51; camp 
at Tuni, 52; difficulties in purchasing 
food, 52; loss of nine men and two 
valuable loads by desertion, 57; de- 
parture from Tuni, 57; deserters to be 
shot, 58; deserter shot by Balook 
Bashi, 58; cuts a way through the 
bush to the river, 62; attempt to cut a 
road to Malkakofira, 63; finds a store- 
house with 3000 ears of Indian corn, 
64; attempt to force a way along the 
river, 64; harassed by thick under- 
growth, 65; leave behind the impene- 
trable bush, 66; finding of the canoes 
with provisions, 67; march to Tulu 
Kuleso, 67; visit of Galla chief, 68; 
endeavour to get information concern- 
ing the Rendile, 69; ferried over the 
stream, 70; canoes returned to the 
coast, 70. 

CuarTeEr ITT.— Expedition, changed 
appearance of the country, $2; na- 
tive zeriba deserted, 82; first sight 
of the Kenya, 83; Soudanese make 
bad shikaris, $4; hilly country, 84; 
arrive at the Mackenzie River, 85; 
follow the Mackenzie River, 91; view 
of range of mountains, 92;  beauti- 
ful aspect of the country, 95; cara- 
van charged by rhinoceros, 96; sur- 
vey of the surrounding country, 
mountains and forests, 97; build a 
zeriba, 98; natives at work, 100; na- 
tive men and women chopping down 


526 


INDEX 


trees, 100; two men held as hostages, 
IOI ; capture two natives of the Kikuyu 
tribe, 101; Kikuyu warriors threaten 
expedition, 102; four warriors capt- 
ured as hostages, 102; friendship 
among the tribes near Mount Kenya 
sealed by the slaughter of a sheep, 103; 
preparation for attack, 104; march con- 
tinued, 110; 3500 feet above the sea- 
level, 110; journey continued down- 
hill, 112; camp at Ngombe, 112; short 
of water, I14. 

CHAPTER IV.— Expedition, Christ- 
mas Day on the Guaso Nyiro, 117; na- 
tive bridge over the Guaso Nyiro, 117; 
along the banks of the river, 118; dis- 
covery of falls on the Guaso Nyiro 
River, 119; named Chanler Falls, 119; 
encampment below the falls, 119; 
travelling over jagged lava blocks, 122; 
mosquitoes troublesome, 123; effects of 
a mosquito bite, 123; night-scare in 
camp, 127; on the plateau of Marisi 
Alugwa Zombo, 127; crossed the Guaso 
Nyiro, 128; in sight of what appears to 
be a large sheet of water, 128; apes 
attracted by camp-fire, 128; charge of 
a rhinoceros, 130; through forest of 
acacias, 131; elephant trails, 131; dis- 
content of men, 134; stricken with 
fever, 137; no Lake Lorian, nothing 
but a vast swamp, 138; camp in the 
swamp, 138; tormented by mosquitoes 
in the swamp, 139; abode of pestilence 
and death, 139; food nearly exhausted, 
139; recovery of health, 140; death 
of Soudanese and porter, 140; nine 
days marching back to Christmas 
camp, 140; left at Christmas camping- 
place on the Guaso Nyiro, 145; start 
for the Jombeni Mountains, 146; ex- 
amine the rifles of men, 148; view of 
Mount Kenya, 149; search for water 
in the neighbourhood of Chabba, 150; 
arrives at the river, 151; in the coun- 
try of the Wamsara, I51; interview 
with the Wamsara, 152; armed warrior 
of the Wamsara, 152; build zeriba, 


152; expectation of food supply from 
the Wamsara, 153. 

CHAPTER V. — Expedition, the negro 
in cold weather, 154; the Wamsara visit 
camp, 156; the Wamsara suspicious, 
158; Wamsara refuse to bring food, 
159; warriors of the Wamsara again 
visit camp, 160; preparations to leave 
the Wamsara, 162; short of ammuni- 
tion, 163; start for Hameye, 164; suffer 
from hunger, 164;- order of marching, 
164; American flag carried at the head 
of caravan, 165; one of the Wamsara 
tribe made prisoner, 166; an exciting 
moment, 167; Wamsara refuse to 
trade, 167; seize a few head of cattle 
from the Wamsara, 168; fight with the 
Wamsara, 168; Wamsara defeated, 
168, 171; release of prisoner, 172; 
dangerous road through the Wamsara 
territory, 173; natives follow the line 
of march, 173; attacked by the Wam- 
sara in the ravines, 174 ; the Wamsara 
wish no more war, 175; treachery of 
the Wamsara, 175; continuous sharp 
fighting, 176; wounds inflicted on the 
men, 177; goats slaughtered and milk 
served to men, 178; last of the ammu- 
nition served out, 178; greeted by the 
Embe with signs of peace, 179; a pala- 
ver with the Embe, 180; road downhill 
to the Mackenzie River, 181; the 
Embe warriors threaten to attack, 182; 
camp in the country of Embe, 183; 
native Embe bring honey to camp, 
184; the Embe wish to make blood- 
brothers of, 184; interview with some 
elders of the Embe, 185; another 
palaver with the Embe, 186; the 
Embe cleans the road over which the 
caravan passed, 186; ceremony of 
blood-brotherhood with the Embe, 
187; treachery of the Embe during 
the night, 192; old men visit the camp, 
193; superstition, 194; fear of night 
attack, 196; start in a thick mist, 197; 
difficulties on the march, 199; in sight 
of the “boma” (camp of warriors), 


INDEX 527 


200; attacked by the Embe, 200; de- 
feat of the Embe, 201; emerge from 
the bush, 201; march to Hameye con- 
tinued, 201; arrive at Hameye, 202; 
George’s “ good news,” 202. 

CHAPTER VI.— Expedition, camp at 
Hameye, 203; presents to the men 
who went to Lorian, 204; George 
makes a food station, 205; ten deser- 
tions, 205; reducing the stores, 206; 
departure from Hameye, 207; dis- 
content among the men, 207; search- 
ing for deserters, 209; at the food 
station established by George, 210; 
camped near the Tana, 210; along 
the banks of the Ura, 212; shooting 
giraffes, 213; meets Zanzibari caravan 
at Daitcho, 216; the Daitcho bring 
food to camp, 218; blood-brotherhood 
with the Daitcho, 219; purchase of 
donkeys from the Daitcho, 222; death 
of the donkeys, 225; eclipse of the 
sun and the Daitcho, 226; ruse to 
make the natives believe that Chanler 
possessed occult power, 227; natives 
frightened at the ruse, 228; visit of 
leaders of the Embe, 228; chief men 
of the Embe held as hostages, 229; 
efforts to procure beasts of burden, 
230; rainy season in camp, 232; camp 
on fire, 233; rebuilding the camp, 234; 
hostages released, 234; join George in 
Embe country, 238; visit of the Daitcho 
hostages, 240; visit of thirty old men, 
241; visit of Liria, Embe chief, 260; 
ceremony of muma with the Embe, 
260; George arrives with thirty-seven 
donkeys, 260; return to Daitcho, 262; 
Beloochi visit camp, 263; Hamidi de- 
spatched to coast, 263; preparations 
for journey to the Rendile, 264. 

CuarterR VII. — Expedition, two 
days’ journey from Daitcho, 266; search 
for water, 267; spring shaded by acacia 
trees, 269; photographs taken, 271; 
fords the Guaso Nyiro, 273; a deserted 
village of the Wanderobbo, 275; at 
Lolokwi, 277; in sight of Mount Ger- 


guess, 280; obtains information about 
the Rendile from Wanderobbo, 280; 
return of Wanderobbo men from hunt- 
ing, 281; Wanderobbo offers to act as 
guide to Seran, 282; on the march to 
the Rendile, 283; water supply on the 
march, 284; arrive at Kamanga, no 
water, 285; night march, 285; arrive 
at Lokoli, 286; questioning the guide, 
286; arrive at Seran, 287; Wande- 
robbo guide urges them to turn back, 
287; Mayolo’s ignorance of the coun- 
try, 288; tracks of ‘dthombon”’ rob- 
bers, 290; men fear the Rendile, 291; 
first sight of the Rendile, 292; first in- 
terview with the Rendile, 293; Chanler 
and four men alone with the Rendile, 
295; the chief of the Rendile visit 
camp, 296; the Rendile ask for pres- 
ent, 298; Lieutenant von Héhnel joins 
Chanler, 299; must perform the cere- 
mony of biood-brotherhood before 
trading with the Rendile, 304; small- 
ness of gifts from the Rendile, 304; 
ceremony of blood-brotherhood with 
the Rendile, 305; build a zeriba, 306; 
Lokomogul brings an old camel to 
trade, 306; difficulty of trading with the 
Rendile, 307; the Rendile refuse to 
trade with expedition, 308; fruitless en- 
deavour to trade with the Rendile, 308; 
an expected attack, 309; a native Ren- 
dile tells of the customs of his tribe, 314; 
Lokomogul asks why they travelled 
without wives, 322; Mayolo advises 
them to leave the Rendile, 323; temp- 
tations to raid the Rendile, 324; un- 
able to procure sufficient animals for 
porterage of goods, 326; decide to go 
to the country of the Turcana, 326. 
CHAPTER VIII. — Expedition, at 
Seran, 327; departure of the Rendile, 
330; send for donkey saddles left at 
Lolokwi, 331; to return to Daitcho, 
333; pushes on to Sayer, 350; camp 
at Sayer, 252; wasting time to satisfy 
the hunger of the Wanderobbo, 355. 
CHAPTER IX.— Expedition, men 


528 


INDEX 


start a prairie fire, 383; to take Lieu- 
tenant von Héhnel back to Daitcho, 
383; rhinoceros charge them during 
the march to Daitcho, 385; porters 
demoralized by rhinoceros charges, 
388; camp scared at night by rhinoce- 
ros, 389; country seemed to abound 
with rhinoceroses and lions, 389; lions 
near the camp, 389; camped near the 
Mackenzie River, 393; arrive at 
Daitcho, 395; plans for future jour- 
neys, 400; farewell to Lieutenant von 
Ho6hnel, 404; camp visited by hyenas, 
409; rifle practice at Daitcho, 410; 
men brought to the camp by Hamidi 
unfit for work, 418; Hamidi’s men 
bring false news from the coast, 419; 
purchase of donkeys by George, 424; 
making saddles for donkeys, 426; rainy 
season at Daitcho, 427; anxious time 
at Daitcho, 428; five men of the party 
sent to Ukambani desert, 431; new 
men complain of Somali and Soudan- 
ese, 431; the new men return to the 
coast, 433; men sent to assist George 
to cross the Tana, 436; natives ask 
for medicine to stop plague of locusts, 
439- 

CHAPTER X.— Expedition, porters 
revolt and desert, 448; Somali and Sou- 
danese protect Chanler, 449; Mwalim 
Hamis leader of mutineers, 450; gate of 
the camp, 451; Gwaharam and Beloochi 
in camp, 453; letter to Hamidi, 453; 
list of men left with Chanler, 454; 
Hamidi denies all knowledge of mutiny, 
455; Zanzibari traders refuse to take 
charge of goods, 461; completely 
broken up, 461; Gilo asks forgiveness, 
463; Christmas dinner, 463; distrib- 
uting the trading-goods, 467; depart- 
ure for the coast, 470; Daitcho will 
welcome Europeans, 471; set out for 
the coast, 472; cataract on the Tana, 
475; bridges across the Tana, 476. 

CHAPTER XI. — Expedition, at 
Mitio’s village, 482; Abdee Achmet 
with the donkeys, 482; Hamidi ar- 


rives, 483; Wakamba and their women, 
485; at Kitinga, 486; an African 
Switzerland, 487; at Dick’s trading- 
post, 487; the dwarf Mgundu, 490; 
meet Mr. Neumann, 491; German mis- 
sion station, 492; meet W. Watson 
and Dr. Charters’ missionaries, 493; 
slaves left at the Kibwezi mission, 495; 
the Teita people, 497; at Mombasa, 
498; at Zanzibar, 499; case of de- 
serters before the American Consul, 
505; Mr. Seth A. Pratt represents Mr. 
Chanler, 508; George at Zanzibar, 
510; for home, 511. 


Field, London, \etter concerning fire- 


arms, 79. 


Fight with the Wamsara, 168. 
Fish in the Guaso Nyiro River unfit for 


food, 123; from the River Guaso 
Nyiro filled with small worms, 123. 


Flags carried at head of Zanzibari cara- 


vans, 215. 


Fleas, camp at Daitcho infested with, 


337- 


Flowers on the banks of Guaso Nyiro 


River, 124. 


Forest on the slope of Mount Kenya, 


100. 


Fumo Omari, raids Arab plantations and 


native villages, 12; Sultan of Witu, 
Tis 


Galla, 61; legend of the sacred book, 37; 


village and tribe, 37. 


Galla and Pokomo tribes, 62; moun- 


tains located on map by Dr. Peters 
invisible, 62; chief visits camp at 
Tulu, 67; tribe threaten violence, 67. 


Game, elephants, 82; zebra, oryx beisa, 


walleri, and rhinoceros, 82; plentiful 
on the Mackenzie River, 92; mara- 
bout storks, 95; East African antelope 
excellent food, 96; rhinoceros shot by 
Lieutenant von Hoéhnel, rio. 


George Galvin, servant to Chanler, 2, 


10, 51, 57, 58, 66; left at Hameye, 
73; aS a sportsman, 77; carries a 


INDEX 529 


Mannlicher, 78; in charge of camp at 
Hameye, 202, 203; reports runaways, 
208; working at the loads, 208; skill 
in arranging loads, 210; goes to the 
Embe country, 228; purchasing don- 
keys of the Embe, 229; builds zeriba 
in Embe country, 240; keeps his 
camp well supplied with meat, 335; 
sleeps the palisade, 3373 
hyena captures his dog, 337; his 
shooting expeditions, 396; his comical 
adventure with a baby rhinoceros, 397; 
shoots a male lion, 398; starts for 
Kibwezi with Lieutenant von Héhnel, 
400; letter from, telling of purchase 
of donkeys, 424; on an island in mid- 
stream, 436; unable to cross the Tana, 
436; starts to join Chanler via Ham- 
eye, 443; arrives at Daitcho, 444; the 
story of his sufferings, and attempts to 
cross the Tana, 444; arrives at Zanzi- 
bar, 506; attacked by porters in Zan- 
zibar, 506. 

Gerguess, Mount, 280. 

Germans at Witu, II. 

Gilo, the Galla interpreter, asks forgive- 
ness, 463. 

Giraffes, 129. 

Grantii, 129. 

Guaso Nyiro River, its source on the 
western slopes of Mount Kenya, 107, 
115; not emptied into the Tana, 115; 
bridge over, 118; fall of sixty feet 
named Chanler Falls, 118; its swift 
current, 118; lava dust on one side, 
mica on the other, 118; course ever 
changing, 122; fish unfit for food, 
123; 1233 
and Lorian Swamp, 140. 

Guides, desertion of, 50. 

Gwaharam and Abdurachman, Beloochi 
in charge of caravan, 237, 452. 


outside 


mosquitoes troublesome, 


Hameye Station, description of, 69. 

Hameye, limit of navigation of the Tana, 
69; shortest route from the Wamsara 
to, 162; improvement of zeriba, 203. 

Hamidi, headman of porters, 9; head- 


2M 


man of porters, addresses the men 
about desertion, 208; after deserters, 
209; many weeks overdue from the 
coast, 399; 
with porters unfit for work, 418; com- 
municates with George 
Tana, 438; builds a canoe, 443; prob- 
able leader of deserters, 451; denies 
all knowledge about desertions, 455, 
returns to the camp at Daitcho, 455; 
at one time employed in the construc- 
tion of Kibwezi mission, 495. 

Hammock made with the midribs of a 
palm, 401. 

Hassan Burgan, 55. 

Hassan Masai, interpreter, 297; sent to 
Sayer, 463; the interpreter, his ad- 
venture with an elephant, 365; and 
men return from Sayer, 479. 

Head covering for the tropics, 155. 

Headman of porters, 9. 

Herella, a Soudanese, 25. 

Hippopotamus, 85; eaten by all mem- 
bers of caravan except the Somali, 89; 
furious antics to reach deep water, 132. 

Hogs, wart, 287. 

Hohnel, Lieutenant von, I, 3; engages 
Soudanese and Somali for expedition, 
7; arrives at Lamoo, 10; goes to 
Kismayu for camels, 11; arrives with 
camels, oxen, etc., at Kismayu, 27; 
his medicine chest, 29; in charge of 
the rear guard, 36; sore feet, 46; at 
Tuni, 51; leaves Tuni with river col- 
umn, 573 
visit to Galla chief, 68; power of 
Mannlicher rifle, 79; starts on an ex- 
pedition with Chanler, 81; endeavours 
to induce natives to bring a sheep and 
make friends, 103; shooting antelope 
with rifle, 107; shoots 
male rhinoceros, 110; climbs hill to 

Christmas Day 

working on his map, 117; injured his 

knee, 119; Somali tells him of the 

Rendile, 121; on the Marisi Alugwa 

Zombo, 127; stricken with fever, 137; 

shoots rhinoceros at distance of eighty 


returns from the coast 


across the 


gets an observation, 64; 


Mannlicher 


take bearings, 111; 


53° INDEX 


yards, 145; in the Wamsara country, 
160; as a medicine-man, 161; on the 
knoll in Wamsara country, 165; checks 
the rush of native Wamsara on the 
rear guard, 176; sharp fighting, 177; 
and the Embe, 194; attack of fever, 
218; joins George, 238; kills a rhinoc- 
eros, 270; shoots an elephant, 274; 
surrounded by a party of Wakamba 
tribe, 284; and the Rendile, 328; at 
Lengaya, 331; at Lolokwi, 333; pro- 
cures guides from the Wanderobbo, 
349; kills two elephants, 350; his 
dangerous adventure with an elephant, 
369; discovers the source of the Sayer 
River, 377; true story of his encounter 
with an elephant, 377; nearly killed 
by a rhinoceros, 380; dangerously 
wounded, 382; his sufferings on the 
march to Daitcho, 395; his departure 
for Kibwezi missionary station, 400; 
reports from George that he is im- 
proving, 446; at Trieste, 516. 

Honey, fermented, 220. 

Horse and trappings of the Rendile, 311. 

Hunting game for hungry men, 119; an 
exciting experience with rhinoceros, 
120; female antelope, 124; shot a 
koodoo, 124; shot female oryx beisa, 
124; large game plentiful, 131; buf- 
faloes, 141; killed zebra at distances 
varying from 600 to 800 paces, 142; 
lion, 143; hippopotamus and Felix 
the dog, 211; shooting giraffes, 213; 
shooting rhinoceros with Mannlicher, 
266; herd of zebra, 270; oryx, beisa, 
270; rhinoceros, 270; elephant shot 
by Lieutenant von Hé6hnel, 274; 
giraffes, 287; rhinoceros, 287; shoot- 
ing wart hogs, 287; shooting zebra, 
327; rhinoceros charges the caravan, 
349; elephant, with the Wanderobbo, 
362; elephants, 366, 367, 369, 370, 
371, 372; rhinoceros, 379; water- 
buck and the dogs, 390; George’s 
shooting expeditions, 396; water-buck, 
406; hippopotamuses in the Tana, 
408. 


Hussein Mahomet, a Soudanese, 25, 
459; tells the story of the desertion 
of the Soudanese, 459; discloses 
Hamidi’s treachery, 462; tells how 
the desertion was planned, 464; re- 
ceives present from Chanler, 515. 

Hyena and rhinoceros hide, 130. 

Hyena captures George’s dog, 337; near 
the camp at night, 409; howling about 
the camp, 473. 


Tkutha, German mission station, 492. 


Janjy tribe, praying at the Ngombe crater, 
348. 

Jombeni, the highest peak of the moun- 
tain range, 106; Mountains, 146; 
mountain range, 201 ; eastern slope, 
213: : 

Jones, Mr., American Consul at Zanzi- 
bar, 7; acting American Consul at 
Zanzibar, 499; American Consul at 
Aden, formerly of Zanzibar, 513. 

Jongeni, 16. 

Juba River, 4. 

Juma Moussa, a Soudanese, 23. 


Kamanga, 285. 

Karscho, Somali, 26, 121, 164, 289, 290; 
wounded by a rhinoceros, 97; and 
rhinoceros, 110 ; gun-bearer, 143; at 
Ngombe crater, 344; trip to Sayer, 
405; returns from food station at 
Sayer, 423. 

Kenya, Mount, 3, 83, 149; the northern 
side, 151. 

Kibwezi mission, 493; Dr. Charters, the 
missionary in charge, 494. 

Kikuyu tribe, hostages as guides, 102; 
warriors, 102. 

Kinakombe, eighty miles up the Tana, 30. 

Kismayu, 11; natives alarmed, 27. 

Kitinga, a group of villages, 486; friend- 
liness of natives, 486. 

Kome, 313, 314. 

Kora, an extinct crater, 105, 109. 

Koran, carried in Zanzibar expedition, 
215. 


INDEX 


531 


Kula, chief of Kinekombe, 45. 


Lamoo, mouth of the Tana, 6; the in- 
habitants of, 15 ; customs of natives, 
15; purchase of cattle, 33. 

Langalla, flows from the Jombeni range 
and empties into the Tana River, 474. 

Leikipia plateau, almost deserted, 376; 
perfect pasturage for cattle, 378. 

Lendovie, 286. 

Lengaya, 331. 

Lesegetetti, chief medicine-man of the 
Rendile, 314. 

Lion, adventure with a, 143; Chanler’s 
adventure with, at Ngombe crater, 345. 

Lions, 389, 393. 

Liria visits Chanler’s camp, 417. 

Locusts, dense as a cloud, 439. 

Lokoli, 286. 

Lokomogul, of the Rendile tribe, 305; 
brings an old camel to trade, 306; 
chief of Rendile, 296. 

Lolokwi, Mount, the appearance of, 277; 
expedition at, 277; send to, for donkey 
saddles, 331. 

Lomoro, a Rendile chief, 296; tribe of 
the Rendile, 307; chief of Rendile, 
310; presents Chanler with a dog, 338. 

Lorian, Lake, 107; search for, 121; a 
myth, a vast swamp, 138. 

Lorian Swamp, the end and limit of the 
Guaso Nyiro River, 140. 

Loroghi range, 361, 378. 

Lyserege, a Rendile chief, 297. 


Mackenzie River, 73, 85, 201. . 
Mahomet el Hussein, chief of Soudanese, 
22; his incessant importuning, 22. 
Malkakofira, Galla village, 61, 63, 67. 
Manda, Isla of, 15. 
Mannlicher: eating rifle, 77. 
Marching, fr Seran to Daitcho, sev- 
enty-five miles in three days and a half, 
3353 Marisi Alugwa Zombo, plateau 
on the River Guaso Nyiro, 124, 127. 
Masai language spoken by Wanderobbo, 
282; settled among the Wanderobbo, 
374; tribe before their dispersal, 376. 


Massa, expedition arrives at, 48. 

Massowah, engaged Soudanese, 7. 

Matthews, General, mountain range, 83. 

Matthews, Sir Lloyd, 7, 499, 509; his ac- 
tion with regard to the deserters, 
500. 

Mayolo, Wanderobbo guide, 286; his 
ignorance of the country, 288; unable 
to march at night, 289; advises that 
the expedition leave the Rendile, 323; 
at Lengaya, 331; his experience after 
leaving Lieutenant von Héhnel, 392. 

Measure, mode of measuring cloth in 
Africa, 307. 

Meat, cut into strips and dried in the sun, 
287. 

Medicine-man, natives’ faith in, 218. 

Merifano, 38. 

Megundu, the dwarf, 490. 

Mhahoma, the cook, 509. 

“Miraa,” natives of Embe chew leaves 
and shoots of, 189. 

Mission, German, at Ikutha, 493. 

Mission, station at Ikutha, 493; at 
Kibwezi, 493. 

Missionaries, their influence with natives, 
493. 

Mkonumbi, first camp at, 11; surround- 
ing country, 17; camp at, 18. 

Mohamadi, second headman of porters, 
9; punished for raiding, 51; head- 
man of porters, 150; and six men de- 


sert, 332. 

Mohammedans refuse to eat elephant 
meat, 275. 

Mohamet Aman, Somali, 26; takes 


canoes to Kinakombe, 30; with river 
column, 44. 

Motio, native guide, 105, 146, 151, 152, 
155, 164, 173, 197, 212, 228, 405; his 
appearance and history, 106, 110, I13, 
118; his opinion of Lake Lorian, 121; 
suspected of treachery, 162; his gal- 
lant conduct during the fight, 179; his 
explanation of the blood-brotherhood, 
192; his last visit, 443. 

Mountains seen from the 
River, 92. 


Mackenzie 


532 INDEX 


Mountain slopes 3500 feet above the sea | Pratt, Mr. Seth A., 508. 


level, 110. 

Mountains, peaks of the General Mat- 
thews range, 354. 

Mwalim, Hamis, headman of porters, 
464; headman of deserters, 450. 

Mwyru, chief, 487; slave-trading centre, 
488. 


Native customs, blood-brotherhood, 186. 

Negro in cold weather, 154. 

Neumann, Mr., on an ivory-trading ex- 
pedition, 491. 

Ngombe, a crater, 112, 268, 341, 343. 

Night march, from Kamanga, 285; in 
the desert, 289. 


Oryx beisa, 129. 
Osman Digna, 25. 
Ostrich, 129. 


Patta, Island of, 15. 

Peters; . Pr. 3: 

Photography, cameras carried on the ex- 
pedition, 270. 

Poisons, 257. 

Pokomo, native tribe on the Tana, 16; 
a kindly race, 38; bring presents to 
camp, 40; their knowledge of agricult- 
ure, 44; at Massa, 48; and the Galla, 
61; meeting expedition on the march 
to Hameye, 202. 

Portal, Sir Gerald, 7. 

Porters, wages paid to, 8; burden borne by 
each, eighty pounds, 33; carry burdens 
on their heads, 33; afraid to go for 
water owing to hippopotamuses, 85; 
have little protection from the weather, 
85; carry dried meat on the march, 90; 
effects of meat diet,90; death of, 131; 
sick from dysentery, 150; their dread 
of the Somali, 212; men excited with 
Munchausen tales of the Rendile, 336; 
killed by a rhinoceros, 387; demoral- 
ized by rhinoceros charges, 388; and 
the lions, 394; old men prefer slavery 
to freedom, 403; prefer the Arab to 
European for master, 404. 


Pumwani, 12, 16; and Jongeni, their 
raids, 17. 


Rain, rainy season on the banks of the 
Tana, 52; changes the appearance of 
camp at Hameye, 81; sickness in 
camp during the rainy season, 232; 
rainy season at Daitcho, 427; the 
Tana not fordable at any point dur- 
ing rainy season, 443. 

Ramazan, interpreter to expedition, 22; 
chief of Soudanese, 457. 

Rendile tribe, 4; exact habitat of tribe 
unknown, 4; their wealth, 4; wander- 
ings of, 4; tribe, 107; to be found near 
Lorian, 121, 280; woman, married to 
Bykender, 223; gathering of armed 
natives, 292; their appearance, 294; 
their craving for tobacco, 295; chiefs 
visit camp, 296; never heard of Euro- 
peans, 297; never travel at night, 298; 
their ornaments, 299; warriors paint 
their faces, 299; war dance, 300; re- 
covery of camels taken by the dthom- 
bon, 300; their language, 303; muti- 
lated in an extraordinary manner, 303; 
“we are the great Rendile tribe,” 304; 
warriors visit Chanler’s camp, 306; 
loathe any colour but white, 308; 
mounted upon a horse, 311; women 
of, and their costume, 312; tribe, num- 
ber about 20,000, 313; supposed to 
possess in round numbers 80,000 cam- 
els, 313; their huts and wanderings 
313; express contempt for the rifles 
used by the Somali, 314; their belief 
in a God, 315; are circumcised and na- 
vels cut away, 315; polygamy in vogue, 
315; their funeral ceremony, 316; 
primogeniture, 316; adultery, 317; 
murder, 317; theft, 317; the older men 
act as judges, 317; their food, 317; 
their shields and spears, 318; a chief 
presides over each village, 318; strings 
of beads around a man’s neck indicate 
the number of men he has slain in 
battle, 318; as to the origin of the 


INDEX 


533 


Rendile, 319; their familiarity with 
Masai tongue explained, 320; their 
idea of a deity, 320; their govern- 
ment, 321; position of their medicine- 
men, 321; their most powerful village 
presided over by Lokomogul, 321; un- 
able to penetrate the mystery sur- 
rounding them, 323; 
Chanler’s camp at Seran, 328; aston- 
ished at the power of a rifle bullet, 
330; spread false reports, 418; recep- 
tion of Zanzibari caravan, 426. 

Rhinoceros, 129, 151; herd of, 148; 
Lieutenant von Hohnel nearly killed 
by, 380; charge the caravan, 385; and 
the dogs, 391. 

Rifles used to slay game, 77; which rifles 
best for general use, 78; letter to Zoz- 
don Field concerning, 79; 
large game, 80; used in shooting hip- 
popotamuses, 86; carried by men in 


warriors visit 


shooting 


an unsatisfactory condition, 148. 
Rivers having their sources at Mount 
Kenya, 115. 
Road from Voi to the coast, 497. 
Rudolph, Lake, 1. 


Sabaki River, 115. 

Sadi, captain of the fleet, 17. 

Saleh’s Hill, 83. 

Samburu, 306; forced into semi-serfdom 
to the Rendile, 316. 

Samburu tribe, 281. 

Sayer, camp at, 352; River, its source, 377. 

Scenery, view from camp in the moun- 
tains, III. 

Scientific travellers and sportsmen, 76. 

Seran, 327; oasis in the desert, 287. 

Seyd Ali, Sultan of Zanzibar, 7; news of 
his death, 401. 

Shooting, walleri antelope, 70; water- 
buck and antelope, 76; use of rifle in 
provisioning caravan, 76; for food, 77; 
Soudanese noisy enthusiasm at the 
sight of game, 84; water-buck, 84; 
hippopotamus, 85; rhinoceros, 92, 96; 
antelope with Mannlicher, 107; rhi- 

shot by Lieutenant 


noceros, yon 


Hohnel, 110; herd of oryx beisa, 111; 
herd of grantii, 111; male oryx, 114. 

Sissini, 51. 

Siu, Island of, 15. 

Skin of oryx beisa used by Somali for 
shields, I11. 

Slavery in East Africa, 404. 

Slaves purchased by Arabs leased out to 
European travellers, 5. 

Slave-trading centre at Mwyru’s, 488. 

Snake, Chanler’s adventure with, 342. 

Somali, 212; wanderings of Somali tribes, 
4; engaged for the care of beasts of bur- 
den, 6; good knowledge of shooting, 
28; attack elephant-hunters, 54; and 
Soudanese, jealousy between the two 
races, 74; certain beasts unlawful for 
them to eat, 89; their custom to spend 
the night in prayer on the eve of a 
dangerous enterprise, 164; good fight- 
ing men, 178; enemies of the Rendile, 
303; robbed by the natives of Daitcho, 
472; their superstitious fear of strange 
noises, 473; and Soudanese, discharged 
at Aden, 511. 

Soudanese as soldiers, 21; excellent shots, 
28; dissatisfaction of, 46; attempt to 
assert their independence, 74; violent 
discussion over the relative merits of 
rhinoceros and hippopotamus, 92; 
refuse to eat meat, 108; threaten to 

they have 
grain diet, 108; good fighting men, 
178; desert the expedition, 457; de- 
serters taken into the service of the 
Sultan of Zanzibar, 507. 

Stairs, Captain, 9. 

Stanley, 5. 

Stephanie, Lake, I. 

Subaki, 47. 

Subugo (forest), 378. 

Suliman Kemenya, an ardent revolution- 
ist, 420. 

Sulphate of magnesium, ground white 
with, 115. 

Superstition of natives, 194. 

Sururu, his character, 9; tent-boy, 9, 
509; wounded by a rhinoceros, 133. 


starve themselves unless 


534 


INDEX 


Swimmers, the Wathaka tribe good swim- 
mers, 445. 


Tana River, 3, 4; used as a means of 
transportation of goods into the inte- 
rior, 16; forests along the banks, 18; 
reports of the natives starving, 30; 
building camp, 52; tribes on its shores, 
61; flows through narrow valleys and 
rocky hills, 82; its source Mount 
Kenya, 115; hunting hippopotamuses, 
408; swollen by rain, 427, 436; not 
fordable at any point, 443; a cataract, 
475: 

Teide, German at Lamoo, 15. 

Teita tribe, 496. 

Teita superstitious, 497. 

Teleki, Count, 1, 3. 

Tobacco as used by the Wamsara, I61. 

Traders encamped at Daitcho complain 
of natives, 457. 

Trading-post owned by a Scotchman 
named Dick, 487. 

Trail, mountain, 112. 

Trees, palm, and acacias, 122; the bao- 
bab, 100; group of poplars, 131; dhum 
palms, 287; the Morio, etc., 378. 

Tulu Kuleso, 67. 

Tuni, 51; departure from, 57. 

Turcana, expedition starts for, 327. 


Uganda, 7. 
Ukambani, 483. 
Ura River, 212. 


Vanderdecken, Baron, 3. 
Villiers, Captain, expedition, 203. 


Wadi Farhan, his death, 438. 

Wakamba tribe, 284; trading and hunt- 
ing for ivory, 406; how they travel, 
406; excellent shots with bow and 
arrow, 408; good material in them for 
soldiers, 408; guide, 469; 
strange story told by an old man, 485; 
courtesies to women, 485. 

Wamsara tribe, 146; natives pasturing 
cattle, 151; huts of, 151; armed war- 


acts as 


riors, 152; efforts to trade with them, 
1545 
157; manner of dressing the hair, 157; 
their weapons, 157; blood-brother- 
hood, 159; beautiful aspect of the 
country, 160; manner of burying the 
dead, 160; their manner of using to- 
bacco, 161; war dance, 162; attack 
the expedition, 168; again attack 
the expedition, 174; their physique, 
190. 

Wanderobbo tribe, 145; acts as guide to 
the country of the Rendile, 264; old 
man and seven old women brought to 
camp, 276; and the honey bird, 277; 
live in a state of chronic starvation, 
278; their mode of life, 279; gives 
information about the Rendile, 280; 
fine appearance of the men, 281; 
guides quarrel over hog meat, 287; 
their method of trapping elephants, 
350; saved from starvation, 350; beg 
for medicine to kill game, 352; offer 
to sell ivory for meat, 352; their man- 
ner of trading, 353; honesty in trad- 
ing, 353; beg Chanler to kill ele- 
phants before leaving them, 354; 
village at Bugoi, 355; breaking up 
of dried bones for food, 356; offer to 
guide expedition whence they would 
find elephants, 357; headman of vil- 
lage “Leguinan,” 357; their joy at 
the killing of an elephant, 365; eat 
all parts of the elephant except the 
skull, 368; again offer to guide Chanler 
to find elephants, 369; live upon ele- 
phant meat, 372; no fixed abode, 372; 
a low type of natives, 373; prefer 
starvation to cultivation of the soil, 
373; three types, 373; their mode of 
living, 374; their number about five 
hundred, 376; hunters and their don- 
keys, 393. 

Wanyanwezi tribe as porters, 56. 


cloaks of untanned goatskin, 


Wasania tribe on the Tana, 61. 


Water, carrying water in the desert, 
108. 


Waterless march, 340. 


INDEX 


535 


Water-buck and the dogs, 390. 

Wathaka tribe, extraordinary swimmers, 
445. 

Weapons carried by the warriors of 
Wamasara, 156. 

Werndl carbine, carried by porters, 21. 

Winchester rifle, 77; as a sporting gun, 
Ill. 

Wilson, Mr., 508; road-making at Voi, 
495: 

Witu transferred by the Germans to the 
British, 11. 

Women, native women of tribe of Kikuyu, 
101; trade in products of soil carried 
on by women of the Embe, 239. 

Worship, native, 188. 


Zanzibar, enlistment of porters, 7; gov- 
ernment of, 509. 

Zanzibari, porters used in East Africa, 5; 
caravan, its composition, 214; cara- 
van, a white flag carried at head, 215; 
caravans, rifles carried by men, 217; 
not fit for work in desert country, 284; 
discuss the probabilities of freeing the 
Sultanate of Zanzibar from British in- 
fluence, 402; 
traders refuse to take charge of goods, 
469; who remained faithful to Chanler, 
509. 

Zebra, 129, 147; small herds, 124; as 
beasts of burden, 147. 

| Zeriba, deserted zeriba, 55, 130. 


visit to the Rendile, 426; 


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7 | 


—— 


Surveyed during F | 
WILLIAM ASTOR CHANLER’S EXPEDITION ; 
EAST- AFRICA. 1892-93 


by Lieutenant 


“UDWig von HORNEY 
Imp. and) Royal Austro Hungarian Navy 


a) 
Wow 13. 1887 


a 
ov. 7.1887 


OC te TEEA.C,) 


Odo Bory Ruowa of the Galla 


Korokoreef the Wapakomo | 


4 


ce 


{ == 


Gi o ea 
thee salt pce Count Tele tf WD 


\ 
( 


Mountain Nac?  ———= Surveyed Koute 


TRIBAL NAMES 


District Names $195 Heights in fret =e==== Non surveyed Route 
Tillages ond -maned Ganping grounds ——~ River beds found ary 


> Frobable course of water during rains 


Se ae G 


4 sees Betrees 
epeses: 


<3 
3 te 
<> 
epee gaat 
Serre reermeryereree 
cir ae A an ee 


Sere rraer ree y 
ett eee 


5 pa peal 


+ =e 
Pat eto 


v SEG 


re 


<7 


wae aig wo Pape 
SSeS 


bor rey, 


vLYES 
pts. 


sins