ii6 ALONG THE RIFT VALLEY TO BARLVGO part ii 



beams were ready. We dragged them through the swamp to 

 a point below the waterfall, where the river ran between steep 

 banks of clay, which afforded a good foundation. We threw a 

 light trestle bridge across the river, and crossed by it in safety. 

 An hour later we passed a huge sycamore, close by one of 

 Teleki's old camps ; beyond this we forded a stream (the 

 Mudoleto), flowing northward into the swamps to the south 

 of Baringo. 



Soon afterwards, on crossing a ridge, we saw steam rising 

 from the ground, and knew that we had reached the hot 

 springs of " Maji Moto." The men ran forward singing, 

 while I stopped behind to collect and make some observa- 

 tions. When I came up to them, I found them bathing 

 in the springs and enjoying themselves thoroughly — larking, 

 indeed, like a lot of schoolboys. The ordinary caravan route 

 passes beside the springs, so we knew that there were no 

 further obstacles between us and Njemps. We felt assured 

 that there a supply of welcome food awaited us, and some days 

 of equally welcome rest. I could not resist the temptation to 

 ask my hungry men the precise delicacy which each hoped 

 was in store for him. I told them they could follow on at 

 leisure, and in the hope of having food ready for them on their 

 arrival, I started with Fundi, the interpreter Ramathan, and my 

 boy Philip, at the best pace we could achieve, in hot haste for 

 Njemps. 



We took at first a north-westerly course round the lower 

 flanks of three " fault ridges " of lava ; we kept upon these as 

 long as possible, for the lowland was one vast swamp, but when 

 they trended too far to the west, we struck off across the plain 

 for the woods around Njemps. We soon entered the shambas, 

 which are of enormous extent and watered by hundreds of 

 irrigation channels and ditches, which we had to wade or 

 jump. The crops consisted in the main of dhurra or millet, 

 but only the stubble of the previous season's crop remained 

 upon the ground. While collecting some plants I startled, and 

 was startled by, a family of ostriches, but Philip had my rifle, 

 so I lost that chance of food ; and later on I wasted a car- 

 tridge in a flying shot at a small antelope belonging to the 

 genus Madoqua. At length we left the fields and entered a 

 forest of acacias, with an undergrowth of mimosa scrub ; the 



