With Flashli'-ht and Rifle -*. 



I was once, about midday, coming back into camp 

 with quite a lot of my servants when suddenly — it was on 

 the right bank of the Pangani River — we perceived a large 

 herd of cattle and a number of Masai. We thought they 

 were most likely some Masai warriors who had made a 

 successful cattle- raid in Useguha, which was quite near, 

 and were now going home to the Sogonoi Hills. The 

 distance between us and them was little less than a mile. 

 I at once went off with my servants as quickly as possible 

 in the opposite direction. We had to go through a hollow 

 of the valley, which obstructed our view for some minutes. 

 When we had got back again to a place whence we could 

 see, the Masai and the cattle had totallv disappeared, as if 

 they had been swallowed by the earth ; and although we at 

 once spread out in all directions along the river-bank— the 

 bush, however, was tolerably thick there — we did not 

 succeed in catching sight of theni again. It was not until 

 late in the afternoon that we discovered how the fugitives 

 had driven oft all our own cattle — one by one — in a 

 direction that we had never thought of! Pursuit was then 

 useless, for the stonv ground which thev had taken would 

 betray no trace of their footsteps. 



In view ot so many regrettable quarrels and conflicts 

 between travellers and the native tribes, I cannot help 

 expressing the opinion that many of these complications 

 might have been avoided if the Europeans had so chosen. 

 In the " good old times" it was undoubtedly easy to travel 

 " on the cheap," equipped with lots of cartridges, and 

 nothing else ! Curiously enough, it was always the natives 

 who. in those days, began hostilities : a treacherous arrow 



700 



