THE GUASO NYERO 277 



lightning, they gathered in their wrath from every quarter 

 of the heavens, and darkness was before and under them; 

 then, in the lull of a moment, they might break apart, 

 while the sun turned the rain to silver and the rainbows 

 were set in the sky; but always they gathered again, men- 

 acing and mighty, for the promise of the bow was never 

 kept, and ever the clouds returned after the rain. Once 

 as I rode facing Kenia the clouds tore asunder, to right and 

 left, and the mountain towered between, while across its 

 base was flung a radiant arch. But almost at once the 

 many-colored glory was dimmed; for in splendor and 

 terror the storm strode in front, and shrouded all things 

 from sight in thunder-shattered sheets of rain. 



These days alone in the wilderness went by very pleas- 

 antly, and, as it was for not too long, I thoroughly enjoyed 

 being entirely by myself, so far as white men were con- 

 cerned. By this time I had become really attached to my 

 native followers, who looked after my interest and comfort 

 in every way; and in return I kept them supplied with 

 plenty of food, saw that they were well clothed, and forced 

 them to gather enough firewood to keep their tents dry and 

 warm at night for cold, rainy weather is always hard upon 

 them. 



Ali, my faithful head tent boy, and Shemlani his as- 

 sistant poor Bill the Kikuyu had left because of an in- 

 tricate row with his fellows were both, as they proudly 

 informed me, Arabs. On the East African coast the so- 

 called Arabs almost all have native blood in them and 

 speak Swahili; the curious, newly created language of the 

 descendants of the natives whom the Arabs originally en- 

 slaved, and who themselves may have in their veins a little 



