74 ON THE UGANDA ROAD part ii 



such dangerous material. There was nothing, therefore, to 

 prevent any Masai who might be raiding in the district from 

 capturing the stores and spearing the defenceless garrison ! 



The fort consists of a group of huts, surrounded by a three- 

 pile stockade and a thorn " boma " or hedge. It is prettily 

 situated beside the ford across the Tzavo river, in a grove of 

 Hyphaene palms {HyphcBne tJiebaica, Mart.), which were the first 

 palms we had seen since leaving the coast. 



In company with the Goanese commandant I spent a 

 pleasant afternoon catching lizards and scorpions, and digging 

 up the skulls of some Wa-kamba who had been killed by the 

 Masai. 



I had, however, the disappointment of losing my first man. 

 I had be^n exceptionally fortunate in not having had a single 

 deserter, and was now beginning to feel safe from this anxiety. 

 The men had, however, suffered a good deal from illness, and a 

 porter was found to be too ill to proceed : he was one of the 

 two men in my force who had been with Count Teleki in his 

 great expedition to Kenya and Basso Narok. I was therefore 

 especially reluctant to spare him. He was, however, suffering 

 from a disease that was incurable on the march, and it would 

 have been sheer murder to have made him continue the journey 

 in the rainy season. I had therefore to give him his discharge, 

 and arrange for him to be kept at Tzavo till he was well 

 enough to return to the coast with some passing caravan. 



After leaving the station at Tzavo we had to proceed with 

 greater care. Our road intersected those used by the Masai of 

 the districts of Nyiri and Matumbato, to the north of Kilima 

 Njaro, when marching to raid in the districts of Ukamba, on 

 the Tana or near the coast ; we had therefore to keep close 

 together on the march, ready at any moment to repel attack. 

 The Askari, Ramathan Aperti, and I led the van, keeping a 

 sharp lookout ahead for any sign of Masai. I had thus to keep 

 to the path, and my opportunities for collecting were much 

 restricted. More precious time was also occupied in teaching 

 the men a simple drill. I had seen too much when with the 

 former expedition, of the results of the attempt to train excit- 

 able natives as if they were British troops, to be inclined to 

 repeat the process. It appeared probable that if we had to 

 fight, that we should have to do so in forest or scrub, where 



