CHAPTER XI 



THE GUASO NYERO; A RIVER OF THE EQUATORIAL 



DESERT 



WHEN I reached Neri, after coming down from killing 



my first elephant on Kenia, I was kept waiting two or 



three days before I could gather enough Kikuyu porters. 



As I could not speak a word of their language I got a couple 



of young Scotch settlers, very good fellows, to take charge 



of the safari out to where I intended to hunt. There was a 



party of the King's African Rifles camped at Neri; the 



powerful-looking enlisted men were from the south, chiefly 



from one of the northernmost tribes of Zulu blood, and 



their two officers were of the best Kipling-soldier type. 



Then there was another safari, that of Messrs. Kearton 



and Clark who were taking some really extraordinary 



photographs of birds and game. Finally, Governor and 



Mrs. Jackson arrived from a trip they had been making 



'jund Kenia; and I was much pleased to be able to tell 



i Governor, who had helped me in every way, about my 



ul elephant, and to discuss with him some of the birds 



; had seen and the mammals we had trapped. A great 



'"^6wa, a war-dance of the natives, was held in his honor, 



I the sight was, as always, one of interest and of a certain 



irination. There was an Indian trader at Neri from 



^ f* "t 



'iom we had obtained donkeys to carry to our elephant 



''amp "posho," or food for the porters. He announced 



that they were all in readiness in a letter to Cuninghame, 



which was meant to be entirely respectful, but which 



-ounded odd, as it was couched in characteristic Baboo 



nglish. The opening lines ran: "Dear K-ham, the 

 jonkeys are altogether deadly." 



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