GLIMPSES OF EAST AFRICA AND ZANZIBAR 



My husband shot a smaller bustard daring one 

 of our walks, and we much looked forward to eat- 

 ing it, but alas ! Baruku boned, stuffed and rolled 

 it as if it were veal, — a custom the Swahili cooks 

 have ! The next night only half our dinner appeared ; 

 when my husband went out to inquire the reason, 

 Baruku was huddled up in the kitchen with fever. 

 At first we were not sure if he were drunk, but I 

 had never caught him drinking. 



Some heavy rain in December soon found out the 

 weak places in our bungalow, and we had to put 

 basins and waterproof sheets in all our rooms ; as it 

 was, some of my clothes were soaked. Twice one 

 evening I had to move the lamp, because the rain 

 came through the roof suddenly on to it. That day 

 in our garden, I had made some flower-beds with 

 soil carted by Kikuyu boys. Alas ! in the morning I 

 found the rain had completely washed them away, as 

 we were on an incline. This happened several times, 

 till I succeeded in banking them up with stones. 



My coolies gave me trouble, as they came to 

 work for one or two days and then ran away. 

 Baruku brought me others, they carried one load 

 on their heads (about a small pocket-handkerchief 

 full) and then wanted to be paid before going on. 

 Great arguments ensued, and I thought one was 

 going to cry. He said Baruku had struck him. It 

 was difficult to converse with them, as they spoke 

 to Ali in Kikuyu, and Ali translated it into Swahili 



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