CH. x] NAIROHI RACES 225 



in no way abated their savagery toward one another, 

 and as the Hmited space forbade the escape of the 

 weaker, the staUions fought to the death with teeth 

 and hoofs during the first night, and no less than 

 twenty were killed outright or died of their wounds. 



JMost of the time in Nairobi we were the guests 

 of ever-hospitable McMillan, in his low, cool house, 

 with its broad vine-shaded veranda running around all 

 four sides, and its garden, fragrant and brilliant with 

 innumerable flowers. Birds aboimded, singing beauti- 

 fully. The bulbuls were the most noticeable singers, 

 but tliere were many others. The dark ant-eating chats 

 liaunted the dusky roads on the outskirts of the town, 

 and were interesting birds. They were usually found 

 in parties, flirted their tails up and down as they sat on 

 bushes or roofs or wires, sang freely in chorus until 

 after dusk, and then retired to holes in the ground for 

 the night. A tiny owl, with a (jueer little voice, called 

 continually, not only after nightfall, but in the bright 

 afternoons. Shrikes spitted insects on the spines of the 

 imported cactus in the gardens. 



It was race week, and the races, in some of which 

 Kermit rode, were capital fun. The white people — 

 army officers, Government officials, farmers from the 

 country round about, and their wives — rode to the 

 races on ponies or even on camels, or drove up in rick- 

 shaws, in gharries, in bullock tongas, occasionally in 

 automobiles, most often in two-wheel carts or rickety 

 hacks, drawn by mules and driven by a turbaned Indian 

 or a native in a cotton shirt. There were l*arsees and 

 (Toanese dressed just like the Europeans. There were 

 many other Indians, their picturesque womenkind 

 gaudy in crimson, blue, and saffron. The constabulary, 

 Indian and native, were in neat uniforms and well set 



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