AFRICAN CAMP FIRES 



an Englishman wandered out of the greenery and 

 approached. He was a small man, with a tremen- 

 dous red beard; wore loose garments and tennis shoes; 

 and strolled up, his hands in his pockets and smok- 

 ing a cigarette. This was V., a man of whom we 

 had heard. A member of a historical family, officer 

 in a crack English regiment, he had resigned every- 

 thing to come into this wild country. Here he had 

 built a "boma," or enclosed compound, and engaged 

 himself in acquiring Masai sheep in exchange for 

 beads, wire, and cloth. Obviously the profits of 

 such transactions could not be the temptation. He 

 liked the life, and he liked his position of influence 

 with these proud and savage people. Strangely 

 enough, he cared little for the sporting possibilities 

 of the country, though of course he did a little 

 occasional shooting; but was quite content with his 

 trading, his growing knowledge of and intimacy with 

 the Masai, and his occasional tremendous journeys. 

 To the casual and infrequent stranger his attitude 

 was reported most uncertain. 



We invited him to tea, which he accepted, and we 

 fell into conversation. He and Cuninghame were al- 

 ready old acquaintances. The man, I found, was shy 

 about talking of the things that interested him; but as 

 they most decidedly interested us also we managed 

 to convey an impression of our sincerity. There- 



294 



