CHAPTER EIGHT 



SPEAR AND SHIELD 



THE Ikoma spearmen having failed me and it being 

 impracticable to organize the Masai for a lion 

 hunt, I decided, if possible, to bring the famed Nandi 

 warriors into Tanganyika. With this settled, I took up 

 the question of permits with the proper officials, the 

 Provincial Commissioner at Kisumu and the District 

 Commissioner at Kapsabet. There was much red tape 

 to be unwound; it was necessary to secure permission 

 to take them out of the Nandi Reserve, transport them 

 through the Masai country, and, finally, to obtain sanc- 

 tion for the lion spearing. I hoped that favorable ac- 

 tion had been taken on these requests and that permits 

 would be waiting for me at Narok, the first telegraph 

 station enroute to Gilgil. 



Although the season of the short rains now prevailed, 

 I did not anticipate much trouble in making the jour- 

 ney and expected to be back within a week or so. What 

 you plan in Africa is quite a different thing from what 

 you accomphsh. Before returning to camp I drove 

 nearly one thousand miles, crossed and recrossed the 

 equator six times, and arrived home many days late. 

 The lost time was a sacrifice to the demon of mischance. 



Our first stop was at Kihmafeza gold mine where 

 we picked up some mail to be posted and undertook a 

 few other minor tasks for our nearest neighbors. After 

 leaving the mine we went peacefully speeding along 



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