BRITISH EAST AFRICA 201 



Just before reaching Rumuruti Burton shot our 

 first water-buck, on the edge of a large swamp. It 

 was a sing-sing. 



We had lunch with the Commissioner, who enter- 

 tained us most hospitably during our stay at Rumu- 

 ruti, and told us some amusing yarns of the various 

 sportsmen whom he had met. 



There was one young gentleman who did himself 

 very well. From Nakuru, 450 miles from Nairobi, he 

 wired to Smith-Mackenzie, the big firm at Mombasa, 

 " Send one hundred laying hens at once." The hens 

 were sent, Smith-Mackenzie remarking at the same 

 time that they were not philanthropists ! He started 

 off with his hundred laying hens and an enormous 

 safari, and stayed away so long that his people began 

 to get anxious. They wired to the authorities that 

 he was to be returned at all costs. Fortunately, for 

 the sake of their pockets, he turned up about the 

 same time as the arrival of the cable. 



Talking of Nakuru reminds me of another story 

 I heard. The local inhabitants were much plagued 

 by the number of pie dogs which roamed at large. 

 After much cogitation they hit on a plan for get- 

 ting rid of them. All their preparations having been 

 made and the District Engineer taken into their con- 

 fidence, they waited for a suitable day when the 

 " mixed down " was signalled. Then those that were 

 in authority sent out all the policemen and askaris 

 they could find, with orders to capture every dog 

 within sight. The dogs arrived in cartloads and were 



