the account of a wonderful monster you have 

 found in your country. Sir, I behcve that it also 

 lives here in Kenya ! My cousins Aowind and 

 Manu have often told me of the dancing worm of 

 Turkana, and what they say is very like your 

 article. What triumph it would be to catch one. 



Turkana is far from here and full of naked men 

 with spears, but my uncle Motibhai has a duka 

 business there, and his sons, my cousins, adventure 

 with lorries into that savage land. With their 

 help I, even I, might catch one for you. The 

 price would be very cheap. But, Honoured Sir, 

 tell me how I catch it as it lives in a great swamp. 

 This is a new thing for me. Do I keep it, do 

 I kill it. I await eagerly your orders and 

 instructions. 



Believe me, honoured Sir, 



Your hopeful servant 



Purshottam S. Patel 



Richardson's interest grew. Was there something in all 

 this? He began to consult some expert opinion. Alan So- 

 lem. Curator of Lower Invertebrates (living) knew of no 

 such animal in the area, but it certainly wasn't impossible. 

 The area has been little studied. And imknown species of 

 animals continually turn up all over the world. Certainly 

 size was no problem. There is a leech in southeast Asia 

 which grows to a foot and in northern Queensland, Austra- 

 lia, there is a worm which varies in length from eight to 

 twelve feet, as it contracts and expands. 



Replies went oflfto Cloudesley and Patel. A few discreet 

 inquiries were made to friends and associates who might 

 have some knowledge of the area. It was clear that Mr. 

 Patel had dollar signs in his eyes and was looking out for 

 Number One. The Indian small businessmen of East Africa 

 tend to be fairly hard-headed, however, so Patel might be 

 on to something. Weeks went by with no news. Finally, a 

 letter arrived. It had been posted September 13, but had 

 traveled by siuface mail. 



Lokori 

 P. O. Kampi ya Moto 

 via Nakuru 

 Dear Sir: 9 September 1966 



I must ask your pardon for writing to you, a stranger, 

 which happens in this way. I am temporary 

 teacher at the intermediate school here where I 

 teach elementary English among other things. 

 Whenever I can I show the pupils newspapers 

 which is not often as this is a far away spot. 

 The other day I was lucky to get a Sunday 

 Standard which is bigger and often has repeats 

 from English and American papers. The class was 

 soon in a buzz and I heard repeated a Turkana 

 word which means dancing worm roughly. 

 On looking I see an article and drawing about an 

 animal found by you and the children say they 



hear of it from their fathers. One pupil Akai, a 

 bright boy, was so moved that he later brought 

 me a letter for sending to you. He was so 

 proud I had not heart to refuse and so enclose. 



As regards the subject of the letter, I can say 

 nothing. Most Turkana are very primitive people 

 and have many talcs in which sometimes is a grain 

 of truth. 



Yoiu- faithfully, 

 Joseph N. Ngomo 



Attached to the letter was a penciled note, in the painful 

 crabbed style of a small boy, showing the same careful 

 attention to spelling that all Ixjys have : 



Today techer show us paper and ther is anmal 

 my pepels knows i not know name tuly moster 

 but call ekurul loedonkakini it live ayangyangi in 

 rains at moon fill all dance wave hands give 

 milk ekurut leodonkakini very dangery anmal 

 bite man die 



akai s/o [son of] ckechalon 



As the testimonial evidence accumulated. Gene, and a 

 number of others, myself included, became increasingly ex- 

 cited about the Dancing Worm of Turkana. More inqui- 

 ries went out. A note was inserted in the Newsletter of the 

 East Africa Natural History Society, asking local naturalists 

 for information about the worm. No one, apparently, had 

 ever heard of the legend except Richardson's foin- corre- 

 spondents. 



Touched by young Akai's note. Gene replied to both 

 Ngomo and the little boy, and waited for an answer to his 

 previous letters to Cloudesley and Patel. And as he waited, 

 belief and hope grappled with reason and training. Was 

 there a worm in the swamps of Turkana? The evidence 

 was slim indeed : the word of four people of whom he knew 

 nothing, and two were themselves dubious. On the other 

 hand, the writers were from quite different walks of life, and 

 were separated by many miles. Surely, what appeared to 

 be a widespread folk tale might have some basis in fact. 



The possibility of an expedition to search for the worm 

 began to insinuate itself in conversations among staff mem- 

 bers. The evidence was still far too tenuous to justify a 

 field trip, but if more turned up, serious consideration would 

 have to be given to the idea. The general feeling was one 

 of cautious optimism. 



That optimism received a blow when the letters to 

 Cloudesley and Patel were both returned, stamped "Ad- 

 dressee itnknown." But a second letter from Patel, indicat- 

 ing that he had moved and was still eager to be of service 

 cleared up part of the mystery. 



Box 600.S 

 Rongai 

 2 August 1967 

 Honoured Sir, 



I have been hoping so much to hear from you 

 in answer to my letter but only silence has 



APRIL Page 5 



