346 AFRICAN CAMP FIRES. 



greatly admired, or greatly hated and feared, as 

 the case happens to be, by all the other tribes. 

 The Kikuyu young men frankly ape the customs 

 and ornaments of their powerful neighbours. 

 Even the British Government treats them very 

 gingerly indeed, and allows these economically 

 useless savages a latitude the more agricultural 

 tribes do not enjoy. Yet I submit that any 

 people whose property is in immense herds can 

 more easily be brought to terms than those who 

 have nothing so valuable to lose. 



As a matter of fact the white man and the 

 Masai have never had it out. When the English, 

 a few years since, were engaged in opening the 

 country they carried on quite a stoutly contested 

 little war with the Wakamba. These people put 

 up so good a fight that the English anticipated 

 a most bitter struggle with the Masai, whose 

 territory lay next beyond. To their surprise 

 the Masai made peace. 



' We have watched the war with the Wakam- 

 ba," they said, in effect, " and we have seen the 

 Wakamba kill a great many of your men. But 

 more of your men came in always, and there 

 were no more Wakamba to come in and take 

 the places of those who were killed. We are 

 not afraid. If we should war with you, we 



