CHAP. IV WAITING FOR ORDERS 57 



unpleasant word from either of them. They had treated me 

 throughout with the greatest kindness and consideration. When 

 I was ill they nursed me with womanly tenderness, and during 

 my convalescence they insisted on my dropping my share of the 

 camp work until my strength was quite restored. Whatever 

 help I wanted in my natural history studies they were always 

 most ready to give. It was no fault of theirs that the expedi- 

 tion was then being disbanded at Mombasa instead of in camp 

 on the shores of Basso Narok. 



Until the arrival of the English mail I could do nothing. 

 My services had been lent to our former leader to help him in 

 exploration. It seemed to me quite possible that the authori- 

 ties might take the view that as soon as I found he did not 

 want me, it was my duty to return home. I did not, therefore, 

 feel justified in beginning to enlist my men till the mail arrived. 

 I could, however, have done nothing in the interval, as I was 

 prostrated by an attack of fever. As a result of this I went 

 into Mombasa to get my letters, feeling more inclined to attach 

 value to the warnings of my Mombasa friends. I looked again 

 through a list showing the cost of different expeditions, ranging 

 from Count Teleki's at ^30,000, Mr. Jackson's at ;^2 5,000, 

 down to more moderate ones such as Mr. Joseph Thomson's at 

 ;^3000. Even over our expedition about ^7000 had been 

 expended. When I contrasted my limited resources with such 

 figures as these, and thought of the history of previous efforts 

 to explore Laikipia and reach Kenya, I began to feel that 

 perhaps after all it would be as well if I were recalled home. 



The letters came. They showed that the news of our 

 leader's departure for Uganda was known in London before I 

 knew it at Ngatana. There were, however, no instructions, so 

 I felt at liberty to decide for myself I rechecked my estimates 

 of time and cost. I could find nothing wrong with them, 

 so I sent off a message to Omari to say that if he were 

 ready to go with me to Baringo and Kenya with a caravan of 

 forty men, he was to meet me at the Transport Office at eight 

 o'clock next morning. 



He was there at the appointed time and was quite ready 

 to go, so I engaged him at once as headman or " munipara." 

 We talked things over, Hobley kindly acting as interpreter, for 

 Omari could not speak a word of English. 



