THE LOST SAFARI 



trading store here. He was the only inhabitant. 

 After a few more answers he disappeared, to return 

 carrying two pieces of letter paper on which were 

 tea and a little coarse native sugar. These, with a 

 half dozen very small potatoes, were all he had to 

 offer. 



It did not look very encouraging. We had ab- 

 solutely nothing in which to boil water. Of course 

 we could not borrow of our host; caste stood in the 

 way there. If we were even to touch one of his 

 utensils, that utensil was for him defiled forever. 

 Nevertheless as we had eaten nothing since four 

 o'clock that morning, and had put a hard day's work 

 behind us, we made an effort. After a short search 

 we captured a savage possessed of a surfuria, or 

 native cooking pot. Memba Sasa scrubbed this 

 with sand. First we made tea in it, and drank turn 

 about, from its wide edge. This warmed us up 

 somewhat. Then we dumped in our few potatoes 

 and a single guinea fowl that F. had decapitated 

 earlier in the day. We ate; and passed the pot over 

 to Memba Sasa. 



So far, so good ; but we were still very wet, and the 

 uncomfortable thought would obtrude itself that 

 the safari might not get in that day. It behooved 

 us at least to dry what we had on. I hunted up 

 Memba Sasa, whom I found in a native hut. A 



243 



