A TROPICAL JUNGLE. 93 



method. They could swarm up the tall slim 

 stems all right, but could not manage to get 

 through the downward-pointing spikes of the 

 dead leaves. F. tried and failed, to the great 

 amusement of the men, but to the greater 

 amusement of myself. I was a wise person, 

 and lay on my back on a canvas cot, so it was 

 not much bother to look up and enjoy life. 

 Not to earn absolutely the stigma of laziness, 

 I tried to shoot some nuts down. This did not 

 work either, for the soft, spongy stems closed 

 around the bullet holes. Then a little wizened 

 monkey of a Swahili porter, having watched 

 our futile performances with interest, non- 

 chalantly swarmed up ; in some mysterious man- 

 ner he wriggled through the defences, and perched 

 in the top, whence he dropped to us a dozen big 

 green nuts. Our men may not have been much 

 of a success at climbing for nuts ; but they were 

 passed masters at the art of opening them. Three 

 or four clips from their awkward swordlike pangas, 

 and we were each presented with a clean, beautiful, 

 natural goblet brimming full of a refreshing drink. 

 About this time a fine figure of a man drifted 

 into camp. He was very smooth- skinned, very 

 dignified, very venerable. He was pure Swahili, 

 though of the savage branch of that race, and 



