56 AFRICA SPEAKS 



We gathered around the breakfast table, Mike, Bud 

 and Ted Cottar, Mona, Austin, and myself. Patricia, 

 Mike's little daughter, more familiarly known as Pat, 

 was still asleep. Young Ted was sadly disappointed, 

 for he had to stay behind and this didn't fit in with 

 his ideas of adventure at all. Although only seventeen 

 years old, he had akeady seen more of adventure than 

 most men do in an entire Hfetime and plenty more 

 was in store for him. 



Down the slopes of the Aberdares on this cool 

 morning, we bumped over the worst road in the whole 

 wide world, until we reached Gilgil. Here we loaded 

 up with all the gasoHne and oil it was possible to carry, 

 for our camp would be several hundred miles from a 

 filling station. Then down the main road toward 

 Nairobi, across the cut-off to the old quarantine station 

 in the Kedong Valley, up the Mau Escarpment, and 

 toward Narok, at which point we entered the Masai 

 Reserve. Now passed many scenes made familiar by 

 my previous expedition. The game increased in num- 

 bers and the first herd of graceful impalla leaped across 

 our road. Toward evening as we were approaching 

 Sienna, five big spotted cats jumped out just ahead of 

 us. For a moment I thought they were leopards, but 

 upon second look discovered them to be cheetah. 

 We all had a prejudice against the leopard for several 

 good reasons, so were a Httle bit quick on the trigger, 

 and it was necessary for me to kill one of the cheetalis 

 which had been wounded. Shortly afterwards we 

 made camp at a place where I had spent many tlirilhng 

 nights before, and wliile the cook busied himself with 

 the evening meal, faithful old Maniki was preparing 

 the cheetah skin. 



