276 THE REDISCOVERED COUNTRY 



across the flats with a grand clatter and bang, bouncing 

 in and out of holes with such a whack that we had hard 

 work to stick in; and crawled slowly up hills on our 

 lower gears. However it was a heap faster than safari; 

 and by a little after noon we had reached Blue Post — 

 ordinarily a two days' journey ! Ate lunch there; and 

 reached Fort Hall at 4:00. Our boys seemed glad to 

 see us, and had camp all fixed in shape. Fort Hall is 

 situated on one of the long tongues of land that radiate 

 out from Kenia, with a canon several hundred feet deep 

 on either side. Usual officials' quarters, askari tents, 

 and Indian dukkas. Many trees and green grass. 

 Met the A. D. C, Lawford by name, a young and en- 

 thusiastic chap who had killed his first lion and could 

 talk of little else. Mrs. Lawford gave us tea. Rained 

 in the night, so we were very glad we had finished the 

 motor-car end of the journey. 



Night, 70. 



October 30. — Dropped down from the tongue of land 

 to a vigorous mountain stream, followed it a short 

 distance, wriggled through a pass in the hills, and 

 rested at the celebrated government bridge across the 

 Tana. This is the Kikuyu country, and the shamhas 

 are everywhere. As it is now the beginning of the 

 small rains, everybody is farming. The soil is turned 

 up by means of a pointed stick. It would astonish one 

 who had never seen it to observe how well the ground 

 is prepared and over how great an extent. Both men 



