68 THE LAND OF THE LION 
been cut up. The poor Nandi had to have their lesson, 
and it was a hard one when it came. But the result was 
salutary, for finding that their cattle could easily be cap- 
tured, and that once these were taken from them they 
must starve, or give in, they not only gave in, and so received 
back the larger part of their loved herds, but, being a long- 
headed people for Africans, they concluded they had 
better begin to imitate the example of the hitherto despised 
Kikuyu, and commenced some cultivation on their own 
account. The Government gave them seed and help, and 
these most interesting natives, possessed of some of the 
finest lands in East Africa, are to-day on the road to a more 
stable prosperity than they have ever enjoyed before. The 
Sergoit region borders the Nandi escarpment, and had been 
for a long time before this brief war broke out, a sort of 
debatable land. Once it was densely populated by another 
tribe, also allied to the Massai. This tribe, of which I speak 
farther on, was utterly wiped out, so far as can be learned, 
about one hundred years ago. Since their destruction, it 
has remained unoccupied, and was left to game and the 
lions. Some day, and I cannot think that day a distant 
one, tens of thousands of cattle and sheep will surely graze 
it, and from many thousands of its acres, rich crops will 
spring, to feed the native and the settler. 
Just a few words more about the Nzoia plateau and 
the country across that river to the north of it, where I 
spent many pleasant hunting days, and then I will follow 
the sefari to the next camp. ‘There has been quite a little 
raiding among the tribes that live round the borders of the 
plateau. Old habits are not to be at once eradicated, 
certainly not at the mere bidding of some distant civic 
officer, who has had no time to come round and look after 
his unruly charges. Massai from the south, Elgao from the 
east, clashed in the old days constantly with Nand: and 
Katosch from the west. Occasionally an adventurous 
