cH. xii] NAIROBI 321 



Director of Surveys in the Protectorate, had figured in 

 another zebra incident to wliich only Mark Twain could 

 do justice. Captain Smilli lived on the outskirts of 

 the town, and was much annoyed by the zebras tearing 

 through his ground and trani])ling down his vegetables 

 and flowers. So one night, by his direction, his JNIasai 

 servant sallied out and speared a zebra which was 

 tangled in a wire fence. But the magistrate, a rigid 

 upliolder of the letter of the law, fined the Masai for 

 killing game witliout a licence ! (A touch quite worthy 

 of comparison with Mark Twain's account of how, when 

 he called for assistance while drowning, he was arrested 

 for disturbing the peace.) Captain Smith decided that 

 next time there sliould be no taint of illegality about 

 I his Ijehaviour, so he got ropes ready, and when the 

 ' zebras returned, he and his attendants again chased 

 them toward the wire fences, and tied up one which got 

 cauglit tlierein ; and then with much dilHculty he led it 

 I down town, put it in the pound, and notified Captain 

 Sanderson, the town clerk, what he liad done. This 

 proceeding was entirely regular, and so was all that 

 followed. For seven days the zebra was kept in tlie 

 pound, while the authorities solemnly advertised for a 

 highly improbable owner ; then it was sold at auction, 

 being brought to the sale, bucking, rolling, and fighting, 

 securely held by ropes in the hands of various stalwart 

 natives, and disposed of to the only bidder for five 

 rupees. The Court records are complete. The District 

 Court criminal register, under date of February 1, 11)09, 

 contains the entry of the prosecution by the Crown 

 through " Mutwa Wa. Najaka, A.N." of the Masai for 

 "killing zebra without a licence (under section 4 35 

 Game Regulations of April 15, 11)06," and of the in- 

 fliction of a fine of twenty rupees. The sequel appears 



21 



