THE TOPI CAMP 



us in. From these mountains meandered small 

 stream-ways marked by narrow strips of trees and 

 brush; but the most of the valley was of high green 

 grass. Occasional ant-hills ten feet tall rose conical 

 from the earth; and the country was pleasingly 

 broken and modelled, so that one continually sur- 

 mounted knolls, low, round ridges, and the like. Of 

 such conditions are surprises made. 



The elevation here was some 7,000 feet; so that 

 the nights were cold and the days not too warm. 

 Our men did not fancy this change of weather. A 

 good many of them came down with the fever always 

 latent in their systems, and others suffered with 

 bronchial colds. 



At onetime we had down sick eleven men out of 

 our slender total. However, I believe in spite of 

 these surface symptoms, that the cold air did them 

 good. It certainly improved our own appetites and 

 staying power. 



In the thirty or forty square miles of our valley 

 were many herds of varied game. We here, for the 

 first time, found the Neuman's hartebeeste. The 

 type at Narossara, and even in Lengetoto, was the 

 common Coke's hartebeeste, so that between these 

 closely allied species there interposes at this point 

 only the barriers of a climb and a forest. These 

 animals and the zebra were the most plentiful of the 



345 



