OUR FIRST HUNTING EXPEDITION 



discovered that there were no eggs, and with much 

 embarrassment (for we breakfasted at the same 

 table as " mine host " and other guests) I called for 

 a lump of meat to be brought back, which I tried 

 to eat while the men were having jam. It was not 

 a good start for a long march. 



Our first contretemps was a sad one, for be- 

 tween Baruku and the orderly Saidi, they let all 

 our cooking pots and pans and candle lamps go on 

 in the train. Although by wiring, we tried to get 

 them, we failed, and had to buy new ones at the 

 store attached to the hotel. We, of course, ex- 

 pected the first ones to be stolen, but they were 

 found when the train reached Port Florence, and 

 eventually were restored to us after our return. 

 Having to choose out a new set delayed us, so we 

 did not start next morning till ten o'clock, when the 

 sun was already very hot on the plain by the 

 lake. 



We had wired beforehand for porters, and they 

 were collected together and paraded in front of 

 us, with one or two exceptions — the usual escapes. 

 They were Kikuyu, and a funny-looking lot as they 

 all stood together, though when I got used to their 

 ugly faces, and could distinguish one from the 

 other, I grew quite to like them. They each took 

 their load, of anything up to sixty pounds, and a 

 blanket, and off they went in single file, carrying 

 tents, bedding, chop-boxes of food, and all the 



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