248 THE REDISCOVERED COUNTRY 



yet, viz. : our forty men and four donkeys and twenty- 

 one savages. Many of our men are sick, however, and 

 all have light loads. 



Struck the native track in two hours and paddled 

 down it at a good speed. This country is all of granite 

 with wide valleys of granitic soil, bold mountains made 

 of masses of huge boulders, smaller rocky kopjes, and 

 curious single spires and needles fifty to a hundred feet 

 high sticking up all by themselves. The growth is of 

 thin thorn and many openings — no forests such as I 

 had imagined next the lake. Villages ever^-where up 

 in the rocks, and the soil of the valleys cultivated in the 

 usual native fashion — with a sharp stick. No game, 

 but many game birds, such as guinea fowl, bustards, 

 etc. Water scarce and not very good. 



We stopped, at three hours, at a waterhole for rest. 

 Some girls came for water. Their garments are of a new 

 type, consisting merely of a number of brass wire rings 

 encircling the hips loosely. Much traffic on the road, 

 men carrying reeds from the lake, natives on all sorts of 

 business. These are the true lake people, tall, exceed- 

 ingly well built, and as black as black. Camped at 

 five hours ten minutes, 13! miles, by the roadside. 

 Water green and bad. Sent men with pails and bags 

 over the hills to Mara Bay to bring us back the bare 

 necessity. No washing to-day ! Temperature low, sky 

 overcast, but very steamy and muggy, morning, 70; 

 noon, 80; night (?) ; elevation, 3,400. 



