THE SIMPLE LIFE 



longer a good man. He thought it a huge joke 

 when I suggested that he must like being made a 

 bad man, if he could eat on fast days. A day or 

 two later we gave him a bird, but he would not 

 eat it, because it had been shot and had not had 

 its neck cut, — another Mohammedan rule. 



During those first few months we had a large 

 family of pets to look after, belonging to the 

 officers in Nandi, as well as our own. The visitors 

 included two horses, a pony, four dogs, four cats, 

 and a black boy from British Central Africa,^ who, 

 I think, gave me more trouble than all the others. 



I wanted to collect the lovely locusts and grass- 

 hoppers, but unfortunately was rather afraid to 

 touch them. Some were so large they looked like 

 little birds flying, with brilliantly coloured wings 

 which glistened in the sun. The first I saw I 

 chased, seizing my topee off" my head, till I was 

 soundly rebuked by my husband for uncovering 

 my head ; in my excitement I forgot I was under a 

 tropical sun. Ali every now and then brought me 

 all sorts of insects, firmly clasped in i his black hand. 

 How he dared I cannot think ; one was quite as big 

 as a small bird. Unfortunately I had to give up 

 my collection, because I could not get over my 



1 This boy Tommy always appeared very black, till one day 

 I made the others give him a bath under the tap ; then, behold ! 

 he was ohocolate coloured. 



61 



