VICTORIA NYANZA 117 



to do and see, it is extremely unhealthful for white 

 men. There were four whites in the place and every 

 one of them full of fever. We were glad to finish our 

 business and be on the way back to Camp Simba, one 

 hundred thirty-five miles distant. This is not a 

 great distance over good roads, but with a heavily 

 loaded truck, plowing through mudholes, making your 

 way over liills and through dry sandy river beds, it is 

 quite a jaunt. 



When we again stopped under Kitchamuli's sausage 

 tree, the old fellow immediately darted out with his 

 wives, each with a gourd of butter. He again asked us 

 to stay and shoot some Hons. I beheve he was anxious 

 to secure some Hon fat, which these natives regard as 

 a cure-aU for most anything. From the Hon fat they 

 make an oil which they rub on their Hmbs for rheuma- 

 tism, and take internally for eJl sorts of ailments. If 

 administered in a certain way, it is supposed to make 

 the taker as brave as the beast itself. 



Bud was sure there were some fine black-maned 

 lions in the district, so we decided to put out a couple 

 of baits that evening and wait until next morning to 

 see what luck we had. First killing a zebra, we dragged 

 it for two or three miles in a huge circle to make a 

 scented trail and then anchored the bait to a small 

 tree near a likely donga. Another kill was placed two 

 or three miles away, then we returned to camp fully 

 confident that next morning we should see many 

 lions. We listened to them all evening and away into 

 the night, so imagine our disappointment upon paying 

 visits to both baits, in failing to see a single 1' )nl There 

 were plenty of hyenas, however, as usual. This dis- 

 trict was full of game and it is probable that the hons 



