GLIMPSES OF EAST AFRICA AND ZANZIBAR 



the front one carrying a spear pointed directly to- 

 wards the middle of my back. Not being yet used 

 to the country and its people, it gave me a most 

 creepy feeling down my spine, and I was much re- 

 lieved when they went down another side-path. 



It seemed to me that horses were much more 

 nervous out here than in England, partly on account 

 of the roughness of the roads, and the snakes and 

 wild animals, I suppose, which they easily smell, if 

 there are any about. A horse we had lent to us, 

 as well as the pony, had a curious habit, when 

 quietly trotting along a cart track, of suddenly 

 shying and turning off at right angles into the plain, 

 and going off at a canter, with the four-wheeled 

 cart bumping behind. It was in the habit of 

 stumbling, and often went lame, yet its owner gave 

 one hundred pounds for it. We drove it to a wood 

 one day to have tea with an officer who was stop- 

 ping under canvas there, — seeing some wood cut. 

 As we entered the lovely shade of the big trees, it 

 was a sight to see a number of baboons on the 

 road in front of us, looking like so many Russian 

 poodles ; they slowly walked across the path and 

 entered the bush as they saw us ; they were quite 

 hidden from our view, but were evidently watching 

 us, for as soon as we were past they walked out 

 again, and we heard their quaint bark for some 

 time. We saw a lot of game that day quite near ; 

 they do not seem to mind a horse and cart, where- 



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