286 AFRICA SPEAKS 



rent. I held my breath while the big movie outfit 

 was swinging over the river and also as the films, that 

 represented months of hard work and danger, were 

 slung across. Everything made the passage safely, 

 however, Mike and I going over on the last load. 

 Things were then dumped into the seagoing flivver 

 and the Major headed for the mine, his ancient Ford 

 throwing water like a motor boat going at high speed. 



Next day, with fifteen boys, Warwick and ourselves 

 piled into his land-going motor boat and returned to 

 the river. We found the water only four feet deep, so 

 hastened to get the truck across before anytliing 

 happened to make it impossible. It was easy enough 

 to get down the hill and through the stream bed, but, 

 when the bank on our side was reached, we discovered 

 that silt had made the road bottomless. It required 

 several hours of digging, and much hauhng on a block 

 and tackle, before the truck was able to move under 

 its own power. 



Arrival at the mine brought news by one of their 

 drivers who had just fought his way through from 

 Narok. He had turned his truck over in the Sand 

 River and reported that Ted was there with my other 

 truck, unable to cross. It is not very far from KiHma- 

 feza to the Gurmeti, so we loaded as quickly as possible, 

 and, while the boys were fastening down the tarpauhn, 

 had a farewell cup of hot tea with Major Warwick, 

 then roared off into the gloaming, hoping to reach the 

 Gurmeti that night. Our luck had changed, and we 

 arrived there in less than three hours, finding that our 

 appearance reunited the entire party again, for both 

 Ted and Bud had driven into camp about an hour 

 ahead of us. With both trucks again on the job, next 



