CHAPTER VIII 



THE STAY AT NJEMPS AND EXCURSIONS AROUND BARINGO 



"Ay, now am I in Arden ; the more fool I ; when I was at home, I was in a 

 better place : but travellers must be content." — .-Is Yoit Like It, ii. 4. 



NjEMPS is the district on the floor of the great Rift Valley, 

 at the southern end of Lake Baringo. It is inhabited by a 

 section of the tribe of the Wakauvi, who are related to the 

 Masai ; they are, however, agriculturalists, having abandoned 

 the pastoral nomadic habits of their ancestors. The first 

 European who succeeded in reaching this country was Joseph 

 Thomson in 1883. He gave the natives a character for 

 trustful friendliness and simple honesty, which has been con- 

 firmed by every subsequent traveller. So peaceful are the 

 Njempsians that one can walk about their country unarmed 

 and unattended, or chase butterflies or stalk zebras with as 

 little fear as if one were rambling through English lanes. In 

 contrast to the caution necessary in the land of the Masai, 

 this feature makes Njemps a welcome haven of rest for the 

 weary. The country, moreover, is usually rich in food, and 

 caravans refill their empty sacks for the journey northward 

 over the foodless wastes that must be traversed in order to 

 reach the ivory-yielding districts of Karamoyo and Samburu. 



I had been warned both by Captain Williams and Mr. 

 Martin that it would not be safe to rely on getting much food 

 at Njemps, but that I could doubtless procure enough to take 

 my small caravan on to Kamasia, where it could be obtained 

 in any quantity at a small price. Captain Williams advised 

 me to make assurance doubly sure by having at least one day's 

 food in hand when I reached Njemps ; and, but for the dis- 



