GLIMPSES OF EAST AFRICA AND ZANZIBAR 



their left shoulders were the only parts covered in 

 any way and their bodies were dripping wet. Re- 

 gardless of our feelings they promptly took posses- 

 sion of our fire, again leaving my husband to put 

 up the tents with Saidi's help and that of about two 

 willing ones. After tea my husband sallied forth 

 with three Kikuyu, Saidi being too tired, and my 

 clothes were too wet, so I stayed behind to dry 

 them. Everything had got fearfully wet. As usual 

 next morning we tried to get off early ; the ground 

 was covered with a white frost and yet we were 

 not far from the equator. After going a mile or 

 two we met another safari, bigger than ours, with 

 over fifty porters, belonging to two Germans. Of 

 course we stopped for a word or two, and they told 

 us the road over the hills (Kinangop Eange) was 

 awful, so damp and slippery. They advised me to 

 cut a bamboo as an alpenstock, which advice I 

 followed. After a heavy climb through slush and 

 mud, when we became hot and breathless, we 

 stopped to look back, just before we entered the 

 bamboo forest belt. We could see our porters like 

 busy ants just starting, and the other safari was 

 then passing our camping ground, which was plainly 

 visible, a burnt patch a little off the track, as 

 Hamisi had started a grass fire when making our 

 wood fires. 



On entering the bamboo belt we were charmed. 

 The sun twinkling overhead between the feathery 



154 



