SCANTY SUPPLIES 



completely and I had nothing left but a couple of 

 sacks of badly ground maize that I had bought at 

 Kismayu, which was almost uneatable, consisting 

 chiefly of dried husks, dust and pebbles. I had been 

 badly cheated, of course, but it is impossible to go 

 through every sack at the time of purchase. For- 

 tunately game was fairly plentiful, so that I was able 

 to provide sufficient meat. But in spite of the 

 wretched food, there was very little grumbling among 

 my followers. With but few exceptions they were 

 really a splendid set of men, especially the Somali, 

 and I owe them a real debt of oratitude for the 

 willingness with which they carried out their work, 

 and for the silent patience with which they endured 

 the hardships and sufferings to which I was com- 

 pelled to expose them daily. 



The place where I first reached the swamp is 

 known as Melka Waja ; Melka is a Somali word 

 meaning a "place" and "waja" is the name of a 

 graceful thorn tree, with pale green bark and delicate 

 feathery branches. It is much prized by the natives, 

 owing to a kind of gum that exudes from it, which is 

 apparently very sustaining, if eaten. But before 

 going on to describe my journey between Melka 

 Waja and Marti mountain, I will give a brief 

 summary of the Lorian district in order that the 

 reader may have a clearer picture of that part of the 

 country. 



First of all I should like to emphasise the fact 

 that the river bed is continuous from the source of the 

 Uaso Nyiro to Afmadu, since this was not known 

 previously. Once past the remarkable volcanic 

 plateau, called by the natives Marti, the Uaso Nyiro 

 is known to the Borana and Somali as Lorian, and 



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