xiv ON SAFARI 169 



exertion in the fresh air the food is eaten with fun and 

 often with relish. 



In due course a survey is made of the camp to see 

 that the tires arc blazing brightly and that there is a 

 sufficient supply of wood : the askari comes on duty 

 armed with his rifle : the openings of the tents are 

 fastened, and, tired with the day's exertions, all sleep 

 soundly in spite of the screeching of hyaenas, the 

 occasional grunting of a hungry lion, or the regular 

 snoring of a companion deep in sleep in an adjacent 

 tent. 



\\ 'c had some interesting days whilst on safari, and in 

 order to give the reader some idea how the time was 

 spent a typical day will be described. For the first few 

 days everything seemed wild and strange, but we did our 

 best to be contented with the new situation. A\ r e 

 started at Molo with the hope of obtaining a buffalo 

 and then moved down to Njaro and finally reached Lake 

 Nakuru. 



As soon as the sun began to "decorate the morning 

 sky," which is the picturesque Masai phrase for the 

 dawn, the tents were opened, and we bathed, shaved, 

 dressed, and had breakfast. One evening we were obliged 

 to camp at a place where there was no water : when my 

 servant awoke me in the morning, he informed me that 

 the getting up would be a very simple affair, for there 

 would be no bathing, washing, or shaving. 



As soon as breakfast w^as over, we mounted our mules 

 and went off with the hunter, tracker, gunbearer, and 

 boys. We had rifles, shot guns, and field glasses. Our 

 most delightful hunting ground was the neighbourhood 

 of Lake Nakuru. We made our way carefully through 

 long grass to the north -west corner of the lake and 

 descended the steep and precipitous rocks which exist 

 on this side to the lake shore. Among these rocks 

 we found the graceful Reed-buck and succeeded in 

 obtaining some excellent specimens. On reaching the 

 edge of tlit 1 water we made our way to the northern 



