THE LOST SAFARI 



trading store here. He was the only inhabitant. 

 After a few more answers he disappeared, to return 

 carrying two pieces of letter paper on which were 

 tea and a little coarse native sugar. These, with a 

 half dozen very small potatoes, were all he had to 

 offer. 



It did not look very encouraging. We had ab- 

 solutely nothing in which to boil water. Of course 

 we could not borrow of our host; caste stood in the 

 way there. If we were even to touch one of his 

 utensils, that utensil was for him defiled forever. 

 Nevertheless as we had eaten nothing since four 

 o'clock that morning, and had put a hard day's work 

 behind us, we made an effort. After a short search 

 we captured a savage possessed of a surfuria, or 

 native cooking pot. Memba Sasa scrubbed this 

 with sand. First we made tea in it, and drank turn 

 about, from its wide edge. This warmed us up 

 somewhat. Then we dumped in our few potatoes 

 ' and a single guinea fowl that F. had decapitated 

 ■ earlier in the day. We ate; and passed the pot over 

 ' to Memba Sasa. 



' So far, so good ; but we were still very wet, and the 

 t uncomfortable thought would obtrude itself that 

 ^ the safari might not get in that day. It behooved 

 ^ us at least to dry what we had on. I hunted up 

 ^ Memba Sasa, whom I found in a native hut. A 



243 



