330 IN THE GRIP OF THE NYIKA chap. 



Next day my messengers arrived from Nayssoe, 

 having covered some forty miles in two days. They 

 brought me news that the camels had left Nayssoe 

 soon after the safari, but were nowhere to be seen 

 along the road. This was very disconcerting, as 

 we wanted food badly, and I began to fear that 

 Karogi had been up to some rascality, and had led 

 them astray purposely so that he might steal the 

 loads and disappear into the wilds. It was also 

 possible that he had struck out for the Guaso Nyiro 

 by some different way, and might even now be at 

 Serah, the next camp, having marched there by 

 some other route known only to himself. I there- 

 fore despatched Papai and a Masai called Saiba to 

 see if by any chance this was what had happened. 

 These two had already marched twelve miles in the 

 morning, and it was another twelve on to Serah, but 

 they went very cheerfully, and returned at 6 p.m. in 

 the evening, having covered at least thirty-six miles 

 that day. They bore the disappointing news that 

 the camels were not there, and to prove that they 

 had really been to Serah, brought back a stick from 

 our old bonia at that place. 



I now feared that some villainy was afoot and 

 that we might be attacked at any moment. I there- 

 fore had a bovia made, and later on sent the Head- 

 man, with three askaris and a dozen porters, back 

 to Nayssoe with orders to find out definitely where 



