XI ON SAFARI TO THE NORTH 131 



had thought of taking the girl's photograph. She 

 had been bought in the Boran country by one of 

 the Somah for four cows, and the owner expected 

 to arrange a profitable marriage for her in the 

 civihsed South, for which the caravan was bound. 

 She seemed quite happy and contented with her lot, 

 and for the few minutes we saw her she showed 

 quite a gay and mirthful disposition. What happened 

 to her when she got to Nairobi, I know not. 



We had scarcely gone more than two miles after 

 passing this safari when we suddenly came upon 

 the dead body of a M'Kikuyu, who had evidently 

 been recently killed, lying- by the roadside. There 

 was no doubt that he must have met his death at 

 the hands of one of the Somalis who had just passed, 

 as the wound, which by the way was under the 

 fifth rib, clearly showed that the broad blade of a 

 Somali spear had entered there. On making inquiry 

 from some other natives whom I met close by, I 

 was told that the dead man had tried to steal the 

 Somalis' goats as they were passing through some 

 long grass. The owner caught the thief red-handed, 

 and, as is the way of the wilds, promptly put his 

 spear through him. 



A little further on we saw a nice shady tree 

 under which we thought of resting for a few 

 minutes, but no sooner had we reached it than we 

 made hasty tracks away again, as there, reposing in 



K 2 



