XXIII THE TRAGEDY IN THE DESERT 301 



they returned to their duty at once, I should not 

 hesitate to deal with them severely. 



I then called on them to deliver up the arms 

 and ammunition, and told them that within an hour 

 they must all parade outside my tent or be branded 

 as mutineers and punished as such. 



I then went back to the shade of a thorn tree 

 near my tent, which was pitched about fifty yards 

 from the men's bonia, and sat there waiting for 

 the result. 



Of course the Headman and one or two others 

 never joined the rebels, and they at once went 

 to the parade ground. 



I questioned Munyakai as to the reason of the 

 mutiny, and he told me that it was all owing to a 

 few villains who were tired of the journey and of 

 the strict discipline maintained, and these repre- 

 sented to the others that I was oroinor to lead them 



o o 



into the wilderness, where they would all perish 

 either at the hands of savage natives or from thirst. 

 "And now," observed Munyakai, " they think you 

 will not go on if they make trouble, as they know 

 you are sad." He also told me that for the past 

 week the men had been grumbling very much at 

 the hard marches and the bad water, and had been 

 only waiting for some favourable opportunity to 

 break out in mutiny. 



When I had waited for about half an hour, one or 



