IQO THE RETURN MARCH part ii 



replied that I should be most delighted to do anything that 

 would secure them a gleam of sunshine, and I only hoped it 

 would come soon. I had never yet seen the sun while in their 

 country, as on both previous occasions the land had been 

 wrapped till midday in a kind of Scotch mist ; in the afternoon 

 this changed into a drizzle, or rose to form dense, dark clouds. 

 A determination of latitude and longitude in this country 

 would have been quite impossible, even if I had had the in- 

 struments, as not once would the weather have permitted an 

 astronomical observation. 



I therefore readily consented to buy a goat, which was to 

 be sacrificed according to Kikuyu rites, and the blood to be 

 sprinkled over the path before us as we entered the country. 

 It was arranged that we should start on Monday loth July. 

 At daybreak we struck camp, and crossed the swamp to the 

 south ; it was an especially vile one, but in compensation it had 

 helped to form a defence of our camp. We crossed two ridges 

 of black lava (andesite), and started on a south-south-east 

 course toward a rounded tree -covered hill named Geitaita. 

 After an hour's march we reached a small brook — the Luiji 

 Reru — which formed the frontier of the inhabited district. 

 Here we were met by the old chief, Nathan Nyuki, and a 

 number of elders, at the head of a formidable crowd of warriors. 

 The chief said we must camp here, so that the rites might be 

 duly observed. This I flatly declined to do. He said they 

 had no goat, and must send to a far distant place to fetch one, 

 as they dared keep none themselves for fear of the Masai. I 

 pointed to some fresh goat-tracks beside the path, and asked if 

 they were made by elephants or crocodiles. He seemed not in 

 the slightest degree abashed at being thus caught in a barefaced 

 lie, but said a goat would soon arrive, and that we must wait 

 till it did. A man in the crowd had a reed-rat or Aulacodus, 

 much like those I had seen at Ngatana, but smaller and with 

 softer, shorter hair. I purchased it for an empty meat tin 

 and two cartridge cases, killed, and skinned it. As the goat 

 still did not come, I shot and skinned some birds. At intervals 

 of half an hour I went over to the chief and asked for the goat. 

 It was always " coming soon." At three o'clock the chief sent 

 over to say that it was getting late, and I had better camp. I at 

 once went to Nathan Nyuki, pretending to be in a furious rage. 



