306 THE LAND OF THE LION 
I took my rifle quickly from my gunboy. What could it be? 
Had a family of lions cornered a herd of zebra on the other 
side of the rocks? and was the hideous outcry the shrill 
death-cry of the zebra and the fierce growling of the lion 
echoed back by the rocky walls? It was simply the angry 
protest of a large band of baboons against our intrusion. I 
had often seen baboons before, in large troops too, but had 
never heard their war-cry. It was truly a dreadful cry. I 
can think of nothing to liken it to but a fire in a madhouse, 
when the flames might reach men, women and children at 
once. The simile isa horrid one, I admit, but the half human 
outcry was worse than anything I ever heard in my life. 
As I get nearer still to the densely wooded country that 
lies before me, the masses of rock gradually soften the 
outline and merge themselves in higher and more regular 
hills and ridges, always covered with greenery that rise up 
and up till they meet the great flanks of Kenia. The sun 
was by now high in the heavens, yet the vapours still clung 
among these purple-blue foothills. In other lands you see 
the clouds rise up slowly, steadily from the woodland. 
Here sometimes they have a way of rising all their own; 
the breeze bids them be going; but they linger and cling 
to their home of the night that is over. J am not pressing 
too far a mere fancy; | amstating a literal fact. ‘The clouds 
seem to drop cloudy anchor lines that from some miles’ 
distance look as though they were twisted around the very 
tree-tops. The snowy feathery mass of them yields to the 
light air and floats away. But each separate cloud has its 
trailers behind it that bind it to the forest tops. The effect 
when the sun shines full on forest and mountain is very 
wonderful. It is as though a mighty army were camped 
on the great woodland, and that hidden among the trees 
ten thousand campfires were sending up columns of silver 
smoke. I have seen the same effect in early morning also 
on the slopes of Mt. Elgon. 
