HORNS AND THORNS 41 



stirring, and when the gentle breezes have brushed 

 away the lingering waves of heat, the lords of the 

 night come forth from their cool lairs in the dongas to 

 hmit and kill. 



Eyes that come and go in the camp fire's glare, the 

 smell of coffee, of frying buck liver and bacon, the deep- 

 throated roar of the hon, the coughing of leopards, the 

 yapping of jackals, and the mournful laughing cry of 

 the hyena — these are the things that spell the romance 

 of an African night. 



On the second day we stopped for lunch at Voi, 

 where quite a good meal was served by the Indian 

 station master. When we returned to our trucks we 

 found that one of our two boys was missing, and in- 

 quiry disclosed that he had gone off to a native village 

 near by. We made a search, but after wasting nearly 

 two hours proceeded without him. When you hire a 

 native in East Africa it is necessary to sign his kipande, 

 or certificate, which gives his name, his father's name, 

 his tribe, his thumb print, and his registration number. 

 A record of all these boys is kept by the Labour Sec- 

 tion, Department of Native Affgdrs, in Nairobi. When 

 a boy who has not been signed off by his last em- 

 ployer, is picked up by the police, he is held in jail until 

 they get in touch with his last master and find out the 

 reason. Any boy leaving his master while in good 

 standing is signed off, and when a boy's kipande does 

 not show this, it indicates that he may have committed 

 a crime. About three months later I received this 

 telegram from the police at Moshi: "Have one boy 

 named Titos in jail. Says he is your boy and was 

 deserted at Voi. Please advise." To which I rephed, 

 "Boy Titos left safari without permission to visit 



