218 THE LAND OF THE LION 
though they are somewhat undersized, and considering the 
uncertainty of their food supply, this is perhaps to be 
expected. The Massai legends have it (says Hollis) that 
‘“‘in the beginning, when God came to the world, he found 
three things in it, an N’dorobo, an elephant, and a snake.” 
Like other little mountain tribes, the value they place 
on their independence and freedom is marvellous. Here 
in remote unexplored Africa, the wide world’s story is told 
over again. Slaughtered, harried, reduced to starvation, 
they have been times without number: but never conquered, 
dispersed, or absorbed. ‘Their mountain freedom has often 
cost them dear. But the heavier the price the more they 
value it. They cultivate a little ““whimby” (a small, very 
hard, round seed, something like canary seed and very 
nutritious; all East African natives are partial to it. It 
fetches a higher price than maize, and is in great demand 
for beer). They ferment the meal and add honey. The 
drink is highly intoxicating and with the aid of the honey 
bird they steadily pursue the bees. From time to time they 
visit the plateau on hunting expeditions, usually leaving wives 
and children in the mountains. During these expeditions, 
they often, in times past, suffered from the Nandi, Katosch, 
and more especially the Karamojo, a more distant tribe, 
but one that sent its war parties very far afield. 
When grass is long, they have no difficulty in procuring 
much kongoni, and zebra meat. ‘They can then stalk to 
within thirty or forty yards of the game, and, at that distance, 
seem always to send a heavily poisoned arrow home. ‘These 
arrows of theirs are terribly effective weapons; they are quite 
beautifully made, smooth on the shaft, feathered carefully 
with vulture wing feathers, a twist being given sometimes 
to the feathers (something I have never seen in any arrow 
feathering before), the result being to give the arrow a spin- 
ning flight, like that of a rifle bullet. The arrow heads are 
made from iron wire they have traded (in years gone by they: 
