Chap. XIII. CURIOSITY OF THE MOKABA PEOPLPl 251 



country, rising in three terrace-like ridges one behind 

 the other. On the other hand, looking towards the 

 west, I could see the fine hilly range beyond Otando, 

 stretching in a semi-circle to the Ashira Kamba ter- 

 ritory, and joining, on the north, the range which 

 trends eastward from that point towards the Ashango 

 mountains. 



The curiosity of the Mokaba people is most trou- 

 blesome, so that, although the villagers have been so 

 much more friendly than those we passed yesterday, 

 I have not been much more comfortable. The place 

 swarms with people, and I have been haunted, at my 

 encampment, by numbers of sight-seers. The w^ay 

 they come upon me is sometimes quite startling ; they 

 sidle up behind trees, or crawl up amongst the long 

 grass until they are near enough, and then, from be- 

 hind the tree trunks, or above the herbage, a number 

 of soot-black faces suddenly bob out, staring at me, 

 with eyes and mouth wnde open. The least thing I 

 do, elicits shouts of wonder ; but if I look directly at 

 them they take to their legs and run as if for their 

 lives. 



June 7th. I cannot describe how low-spirited I feel 

 at the condition of poor Mayolo this morning. I fear 

 his days are numbered. He has a burning fever, and 

 was too ill to speak to me, or even to recognise me, 

 when I entered his hut. The Otando men, who are 

 with us, are to carry him back to his place this after- 

 noon. I thought it just possible that he might have 

 been poisoned by some of these hostile villagers. 

 But he is a hard drinker and has been intoxicated 

 almost every day, so that this may have been the 



