PREFACE 



or pleasure, and who possibly have not the time to 

 find out and wade through the numbers of books 

 already written on this and kindred subjects, many 

 of them of great interest, but most of them of little 

 use to the intending traveller, who is generally in 

 a hurry to make arrangements, say farewells, and 

 get together his or her outfit. Those parts of my 

 book which lack interest for the other people can 

 easily be omitted by them. To know something, 

 however little, of the places, people and native 

 tribes to which one is going and with whom one 

 comes in contact must add greatly to the interest 

 of travelling. For myself, I found that many people 

 actually on the spot could tell me very little, and 

 sometimes knew even less, and stared in wonder 

 that any one could be interested in anything other 

 than the next event at the Sports Club, or which 

 horses would win at the coming race meeting. 

 The people who really know seem to hide them- 

 selves, or, if a lucky chance brings them on to the 

 scene, they talk less than any one ; their minds being 

 occupied with the present and future, they have 

 no time to recall the past. 



Circumstances change so rapidly in a growing 

 country, that even now some things I have said 

 may be changed, and the places altered ; for in- 

 stance, Nairobi is much enlarged and not so nicCj 



