CHAP. Ill ''THE FIRST PLAGUE" yj 



was as natural for them to do so as for mosquitoes to bite, 

 was received with incredulity, and with the remark " Hirsi 

 knows." 



The water was now useless either for washing or for cooking, 

 and we had to draw our supply from the swamp beside the village. 

 This event made a deep impression on the men, who were 

 gloomy and depressed for the rest of the day. Many times 

 afterwards they reminded me of the incident, and warned me 

 of the folly of trying to ascend a river that occasionally changed 

 to blood. The last request made to me by the Somali, when 

 I parted from them at Mombasa, was to admit that after all 

 Hirsi had been right when he interpreted the " fal " or omen 

 of the stream. 



The day was not a lucky one, and it was only the 

 first of a series which furnished the most unpleasant ex- 

 periences I can remember. For things at the coast, in 

 spite of the splendid efforts of Harris and Benett- Stanford, 

 had gone amiss from the first. The Somali were out of 

 hand, and the transport had completely collapsed. Up at 

 Ngatana we knew nothing of this, and day by day we expected 

 the reinforcements, medicines, and stores which the chief 

 had promised should leave Fungozambo the day after we 

 did. 



We soon learnt by bitter experience the playful little ways 

 of the camel. We were waiting for the " commissariat camel 

 and his commissariat load," and we had several unpleasant 

 illustrations of that animal's viciousness while doing so. One 

 of the camels, which we had to keep with us, as it was too ill 

 to march back to Witu, stupidly fell into the Tana. By two 

 hours' hard work we cut a slope down to the river and hauled 

 it ashore. As soon as it reached the top of the bank it shook 

 itself, and then, as if to demonstrate the truth of Kipling's 

 accusation, 



" And when we saves 'is bloomin' life, he chaws our bloomin' arm," 



it calmly and deliberately walked up to a Somali and proceeded 

 to munch his shoulder. I was fortunately standing by with 

 a spade, and at once opened a flank attack, which made the 

 camel leave the man, but not before his shoulder had been 

 seriously injured. 



