THE SOUTHERN GUASO NYERO. 321 



spots as accents in the corners. To our ambitions 

 and hopes we added more topi. 



Our journey to the Narossara River lasted 

 three days in all. We gained an outlying spur 

 of the blue mountains, and skirted their base. 

 The usual varied foothill country led us through 

 denies, over ridges, and by charming groves. We 

 began to see Masai cattle in great herds. The 

 gentle humpbacked beasts were held in close for- 

 mation by herders afoot, tall, lithe young savages 

 with spears. In the distance and through the 

 heat haze the beasts shimmered strangely, their 

 glossy reds and whites and blacks blending to- 

 gether. In this country of wide expanses and 

 clear air we could thus often make out a very 

 far-off herd simply as a speck of rich colour 

 against the boundless rolling plains. 



Here we saw a good variety of game. Zebras, 

 of course, and hartebeeste ; the Roberts' gazelle, 

 a tew topi, a good many of the gnu or wilde- 

 beeste discovered and named by Roosevelt ; a 

 few giraffes, klipspringer on the rocky buttes, 

 cheetah, and the usual jackals, hyenas, etc. I 

 killed one very old zebra. So ancient was he 

 that his teeth had worn down to the level of the 

 gums, which seemed fairly on the point of clos- 

 ing over. Nevertheless he was still fat and 



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