CHAPTER XXIII 



October 15. — After a long wait and many excur- 

 sions of inquiry we got a reply to our telegram. As 

 cob were said to frequent Kibigori we packed up and 

 set forth at 10:5c. The march struck across the flat, 

 and was exceedingly hot. No particular features to 

 record except that the numerous groups of native 

 huts were invariably located in circles of large shady 

 trees, the result of the growth of stakes planted as 

 palisades. The surroundings were exactly like those 

 of the San Fernando Valley, so that the California 

 readers need no further description. To the others 

 I can only say — mountains on three sides, sea on 

 the other, nearly flat valley with occasional low rolling 

 ridges in the middle. Valley sixty miles by about 

 twenty-five. 



At the end of three hours we came to the edge of a 

 barranca in the depths of which flowed a swift little 

 stream. A fine, upstanding Kavirondo damsel stood 

 knee-deep, busily engaged in washing out a flat basket- 

 ful of beans. She had a string of beads about her neck, 

 armlets, a leather string about her waist, and three 

 mosquitoes. However, that did not seem to bother 



her. She chatted merrily to us, told us there was no 



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