NZOTAV PEATELAU AND ITS: TRIBES 227 
mosquitoes and very little fever. Horses and mules do 
well, as there is no tsetse, but one thing must be had in 
mind in planning such exploration. During April, May, 
and June there is a belt of country north of the Nzoia 
where sefari is impossible, owing to the numbers of the 
gadfly. Mules and donkeys cannot live, but actually bleed 
to death, and porters cannot march. ‘These terrible pests, 
strangely enough, do not cross to the southern bank of the 
river in any considerable number, and south of the river 
these months and March are the very best hunting months 
in all the year. The grass is then short, the country a 
beautiful fresh green. Lions can be ridden round the rock 
and to the southwest of it, and can be hunted in the bushy 
lands bordering the river where they are very numerous; 
but once the grass makes head it is dangerous work following 
them there. 
I know more about such hunting now than I did when 
I first followed them on foot and alone, six months ago. 
And to follow up bands of lions when more than one of 
their number has been wounded in long grass is taking a 
risk, a very grave risk. 
If this is done two guns should work together. Only a few 
months ago H. and a sportsman with him missed an accident 
by a hair’s breadth. The grass was still short, not up to 
the knee. They had wounded a lioness badly and then, 
thinking they couldn’t fail to see her in time to avoid all 
danger, walked side by side slowly through the little patch 
of sparse cover she had slunk into. They heard her growl 
but could not locate the sound. Do what they would, 
they could see nothing. ‘There are little ant heaps all 
scattered through the grass hereabouts, the size and colour 
of a big brown overbaked loaf. H.’s man shot quickly 
twice, and H. saw the dust puff up from an ant hill a few 
feet away. Then there was a yellow rush, and from some- 
where, almost under their feet, the lioness was on them, 
