ii6 IN THE GRIP OF THE NYIKA chap. 



of a solitary candle, long after the rest of the camp 

 had gone to sleep. 



Soon after daylight next morning we struck our 

 tents by the Thika river. Just before starting and 

 as one of the mules was being saddled up, it 

 suddenly developed acute colic, foamed at the mouth 

 and nostrils, threw itself down in an agony and 

 dashed frantically about. After a few minutes it 

 expired in a final convulsion, blood coming freely 

 from the nostrils and mouth. What happened to it 

 I really do not know, but it is probable that it had 

 eaten some poisonous plant during the night. 



Abbudi told me that he believed the mule died 

 from eating a certain kind of caterpillar which 

 climbs up to the tips of the blades of grass, 

 especially during the night and early morning when 

 the dew is on it. Later on, when the sun comes 

 out, the caterpillar quickly disappears down into the 

 grass roots for shelter. For this reason, according 

 to Abbudi, the Masai never allow their cattle to 

 graze in the early morning. If by any chance one 

 of their cows ate one of these caterpillars and 

 showed symptoms of poisoning, Abbudi told me 

 they would immediately bind a tight thong round 

 the beast's neck, open a vein close to the spot where 

 they had tied it, and allow the animal to bleed 

 freely. He assured me that four minutes' bleeding 

 in this manner effected a complete cure. 



