BRITISH EAST AFRICA 241 



fished up with his fingers out of a calabash and wanted 

 to mix with it. 



The next day, in obedience to an order from head- 

 quarters, the Commander-in-Chief evacuated Nyeri 

 and his beloved flagstaff! It was a most impressive 

 spectacle, with a band of two buglers and the police 

 presenting arms ! We had to leave too, and sorry I 

 was to go. It took us a couple of days to get into 

 Fort Hall, where we found a mail waiting for us, and 

 also the latest lion story. At Nairobi had been 

 recently celebrated a wedding. When certain of the 

 guests had eaten and drunken until they were well 

 filled, they adjourned outside for a little amusement. 

 Nearly all had weapons of some sort, and the con- 

 versation turned on lions. One gentleman, who had 

 certainly looked on the wine when it was red, and 

 caught some of its reflected hues, went down on his 

 hands and knees and began playfully to growl. 

 Another levelled a rifle at him No, dear reader, 

 you are not going to be shocked by a dreadful 

 tragedy ; the rifle did not go off when to his horror, 

 behind the inebriated impersonator of the king of 

 beasts he saw a real lion, crouching ready for a spring. 

 Happily all ended well and the lion was killed ; but it 

 will be a long time before that gentleman plays at 

 lions again. 



We intended to go on to Kenia first to try for 

 elephants and then move down to the Tana in hope 

 of a lion. We were in need of various things not 

 obtainable in Fort Hall, so sent a runner into Nairobi 



Q 



