124 EXCURSIONS FROM NJEMPS part ii 



and that Teleki was bearing the blame, while I had to face the 

 punishment, of Karl Peters' misdeeds. Later on, one of the 

 traders to whom I had rather taken a fancy — a Beluch, named 

 Jumma ben Abdullah — came back privately to beg me not to 

 go ; there was a look of sincerity in the man's face, and I 

 resolved to be frank. So without any effort to soften my words, 

 I told him that he knew they had been telling me lies, and 

 asked him why they did not want me to go. For a moment 

 he hesitated and then said : " We don't want you to go, because 

 we are dependent for our food supplies on that district, and we 

 fear you will spoil our market ; you have kiketi (large blue beads 

 much prized there) and cowries, and we have not. If you go, 

 you will either spoil our market, or the natives will fear you 

 and run away, and we shall get no food for our return journey 

 to the coast." 



This seemed to me reasonable ; and though it was equally 

 possible that they had been raiding up there, and did not want 

 me to follow on their trail, it was hopeless for me to attempt 

 to decide as to which was the true motive. So after talking 

 the matter over with Omari, I determined to send him to 

 Elgeyo with twenty-two men to buy as much food as they could 

 carry back ; I could meanwhile explore Baringo and try to find 

 a route northward to Basso Narok (Lake Rudolf) intermediate 

 between the two used by Teleki. After we had got the 

 food, I thought I could go on to Kamasia to examine the gneiss 

 outcrop reported there by Thomson, and draw an east and west 

 section across the Rift Valley. The latter was really the main 

 object of the expedition, and I resolved to carry it out at any 

 cost or hazard. 



The Arabs seemed much relieved when I announced my 

 decision, and that I had arranged to leave two men with the 

 donkeys, sheep, and most of the loads in the village. I told 

 Omari that I must have Fundi Mabruk, as he had been with 

 Teleki, and a porter named Alii, as he could speak a little of 

 the Masai language, but I would leave the selection of the other 

 men to him. He asked me to take Wadi Hamis, Mwini 

 Amiri, Abdullah, and Stahabu, as they were the four worst men 

 in the caravan, and he feared that if they went with him, they 

 might get into trouble with the natives and ruin the chance of 

 buying food. Ramathan Jumma was chosen as my Askari, as 



