THE TRANSPORT RIDER 



but had little campfire conversation even with his 

 beloved Kikuyus. 



When the team was outspanned, which in the water- 

 less country of forced marches is likely to be almost 

 any time of the day or night, N'gombe Brown sought 

 a little rest. For this purpose he had a sort of bunk 

 that let down underneath the wagon. If it was 

 daytime, the cattle were allowed to graze under 

 supervision of one of the Kikuyus. If it was night 

 time they were tethered to the long chain, where they 

 lay in a somnolent double row. A lantern at the head 

 of the file and one at the wagon's tail were supposed 

 to discourage lions. In a bad lion country fires 

 were added to these defences. 



N'gombe Brown thus worked hard all of varied 

 and long hours in strict intimacy with stupid and 

 exasperating beasts. After working hours he liked 

 to wander out to watch those same beasts grazing! 

 His mind was as full of cattle as that! Although we 

 offered him reading matter, he never seemed to care 

 for it, nor for long-continued conversation with 

 white people not of his trade. In fact the only 

 gleam of interest I could get out of him was by 

 commenting on the qualities or peculiarities of the 

 oxen. He had a small mouth organ on which he 

 occasionally performed, and would hold forth for 

 hours with his childlike Kikuyus. In the intelli- 



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