370 



IN THE GRIP OF THE NYIKA chap. 



support, the men were able to cross one by one with 

 their loads on their heads. We had, however, great 

 trouble with the donkeys and cattle, and it was wnth 

 much difficulty that we prevented some of the former 

 from being carried away and drowned. I got the 

 safari to line the rope from one side to the other, 

 and the donkeys were then passed over one by one 

 on the up-stream side of the rope, and thus kept 

 from being washed away. 



I had Mrs. B. carried across on the shoulders of 

 four of the sturdiest men in the safari, who would 

 not easily be swept away by the turbulent and 

 dangerous stream. Even so, she very nearly had a 

 dip in the river, as at one time they were almost 

 carried off their feet by the current. She herself 

 wished to walk over holding on to the rope, but this 

 I would not agree to, as I feared she might take a 

 chill and oret fever. 



When the Mutonga had been safely cleared, the 

 donkeys were loaded up again, and we had barely 

 proceeded another couple of miles and were just 

 beginning to get dry, when we reached another 

 river called the Mara, also in flood, and even more 

 difficult to cross than the Mutonga. The same 

 manoeuvres had to be gone through again, and it 

 gave us four hours' hard work before all had crossed 

 over and we could pitch camp at a place known as 

 Kairunya, on the south bank of the river. We 



