CHAP. VIII ''THE CARELESS ETHIOPIAN" 125 



he was less to be trusted with an independent command, and it 

 might be necessary for Omari to send back a party to Njemps 

 with messages and food. 



Loads were packed, the number of cartridges in each man's 

 possession recounted, and early next morning Omari started 

 for Elgeyo. The reserve goods were stored in a hut which 

 Kizizi lent me. I had to wait for a short time until the boys 

 had collected some spiders, and these had spun lines of web 

 across the cracks around the door. I was then asked to take 

 particular notice of the arrangement of these, so that on my 

 return I could be sure that no one had been into the hut to 

 steal my goods. Then after giving last instructions to the men 

 left to look after the sheep and donkeys, we started northward 

 across the red sand plain on the way to Baringo. 



I had asked Kizizi for a guide who could be trusted, who 

 knew the native place-names, and was a good walker. He 

 picked out for me a primitive-looking savage named Lomweri, 

 who satisfied these three requirements so well that he proved a 

 perfect treasure. I had often heard of the " simple Ethiopian," 

 but I doubt if any of the natives whom I had previously met 

 with could be truly described as men of no guile. But Lomweri 

 was as simple an innocent as one could hope to meet. His 

 character, as well as his costume, reminded me greatly of 

 Rudyard Kipling's hero, Gunga Din — 



" The uniform 'e wore 



Was nothing much before, 

 And a httle less than 'alf o' that be'ind, 



For a piece o' twisty rag 



And a goatskin water bag 

 Was all the field equipment 'e could find." 



The main difference in the costume of Gunga Din and my 

 guide Lomweri was the absence of any piece of rag, twisty 

 or otherwise. When we started I gave him a few " hands " 

 of cotton cloth by way of prepayment, and also in the hope 

 that he would have considered our feelings sufficiently to 

 have worn at least part of it. But Lomweri was far too 

 prudent. As he afterwards pointed out, if worn it would get 

 dirty and crumpled ; moreover, the thorns would tear it, while 

 neither dirt nor scratches would matter on his skin. Nor did 

 he need clothes for the sake of pockets, for he carried his 



