FORDING THE RIVER 



picturesque. Although we were in the deepest 

 shadow, the farther bank, with its covering of tropical 

 vegetation, of delicate acacia trees and feathery dom 

 palms, was bathed in the golden light of the morning 

 sun, while above the brown and muddy waters sailed 

 innumerable aquatic birds in slow and stately flight. 



The crossing was effected without incident, and 

 the caravan emerged from the bush into an open 

 plain only sparsely covered with scrub. The river 

 takes a bend to the south at this point, so I left it 

 behind temporarily and took a short cut across the 

 plain. We passed across a low volcanic ridge which 

 formed the last and lowest spur of the Marti massif, 

 and reached a clump of dom palms and the river once 

 more shortly before noon. While the camels were 

 feeding and resting, I paid off my two guides, who 

 were anxious to return eastwards ; moreover, I had 

 now reached a part of the Protectorate that is com- 

 paratively well known, and two of my men (the gun- 

 bearer and the cook) had previously travelled as far 

 down the Uaso Nyiro as this on a former "safari," 

 and they declared that they would be able to lead 

 me to Meru. 



Before we parted, the guides gave me some very 

 interesting information about the country. They said 

 that there was a swamp, almost as large as the Lorian 

 at Arro Dima, situated almost due south of Marti, 

 near what I should imagine is the Mackenzie River. 

 This swamp, they told me, was fed by a river issuing 

 from the base of a stony hill or ridge, but the water 

 disappeared into this large bed of reeds and did not 

 emerge again. They said that, whenever game was 

 scarce at Lorian, they were sure to find it in abundance 

 at this swamp, and vice versa. I was very dis- 



26^ 



