PARTY POLITICS 191 



It was my rule never to show any feeling of excitement or emo- 

 tion before natives. In the stormiest shauris with the Masai I 

 always affected an air of the most stolid indifference as to the 

 result, and supreme contempt for them. As I could not show 

 self-possession by smoking, I generally wrote or sketched during 

 the conference while others were speaking, and sharpened my 

 pencil or knife while I was speaking myself. On this occasion 

 I made an exception. It was very obvious that in this republic 

 of Kikuyuland there were two parties, one of which was friendly 

 to us, while the other was opposed to our passage through 

 the country. It was necessary to overawe the latter section of 

 the natives. I pretended to fly into a violent rage, paced up 

 and down in front of the chief and his elders, called them liars, 

 told them they were trying to play the fool with us, and warned 

 them that this would not do. I fixed a meat tin with a hole in 

 the bottom on a stick, filled it with sand, and said that when 

 all the sand had run through we should cross the bridge and 

 continue our march to the south. I said I could find my way 

 without their guidance, and would fight if necessary. I added 

 that if they compelled me to do this, I should, of course, burn 

 their villages and raid their cattle. In very few minutes our 

 two blood-brothers, both of them sons of the old chief, returned 

 with a goat. I believe they had been waiting in the valley on 

 the other side of the next ridge. 



The goat was killed, the stomach cut out, and filled with 

 blood, which was mixed with the contents of the stomach. 

 Nathan Nyuki and the elders stood on the bridge and sang a 

 kind of chant. The chief then said that he was ready to lead 

 us, while the warriors formed up in two lines, one on each side 

 of the path, on the opposite bank. I explained that I also 

 had a religion, and to this religion I was devotedly attached. 

 The first article in its creed was never to put your head into 

 a lion's mouth ; the second was always to get out of the way 

 when an elephant was coming to walk over you ; the third was 

 never to place a line of your own men between two lines of 

 spearsmen. I pointed out that according to their arrangements 

 this last article would be infringed, and that my religion must 

 be respected as well as theirs. So the warriors were all sent 

 ahead, the chief and I coming between them and the porters, 

 who kept well together, ready for emergencies. The bridge 



