THE SIMPLE LIFE 



up and sat on the edge behind, with his thin body 

 clinging to the cart, and hanging on chiefly by his 

 big toe, and wearing a very small amount of cloth- 

 ing. It made me smile to think what I would have 

 looked like, driving like that through an English 

 street. The pony was rather too much for him, for 

 it kicked vigorously when being led, and on one 

 occasion the syce let it go and ran ; the pony was 

 off like lightning ; I had to quickly call all my boys, 

 who gave chase, for I was fearfully afraid the pony 

 would run into the barbed wire of the boma ; 

 but after a time it was brought back, safe and 

 sound. 



One day a beautiful wild zebra galloped past 

 our little gate, fearfully frightened because it was 

 followed by a number of small boys. One " Toto," 

 with a knife nearly as big as himself, made us 

 laugh. The zebra was eventually caught in the 

 commissioner's garden. I was told that most 

 likely a lion had driven it into Nairobi during the 

 night. 



Talking of a lion reminds me that a neighbour 

 had a big lion scare ; when in her garden one even- 

 ing with her husband they saw something moving, 

 and found it to be a lioness ; she quickly retired into 

 the house, and her husband fetched a gun, not 

 in time however to shoot the lioness, as it had 

 walked off. This frightened the neighbourhood, 

 and for some time afterwards we heard of lions 



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