CHAPTER XII 

 TO THE UASIN GISHU 



AT Nairobi Kermit joined me, having enjoyed a nota- 

 bly successful hunt during the month since we had parted, 

 killing both Neuman's hartebeest and koodoo. The great 

 koodoo, with its spiral horns and striped coat, is the state- 

 liest and handsomest antelope in the world. It is a shy 

 creature, fond of bush and of rocky hills, and is hard to get. 



After leaving me at Meru Kermit and Tarlton had 

 travelled hard to Rumeruti. They had intended to go 

 to Lake Hannington, but finding that this was in the 

 reserve they went three days toward the north-west, stop- 

 ping a score of miles east of Barengo. The country, which 

 showed many traces of volcanic action, was rough, rocky, 

 and dry; the hunting was exhausting, and Kermit was 

 out from morning to night. Tarlton had been very sick 

 on the Guaso Nyero, and although he was better he was 

 in no shape to accompany Kermit, who therefore hunted 

 only with his gun boys, taking them out alternately so as 

 to spare them as much as possible. It took three days' 

 steady work before he got his first koodoo. On the third 

 day he hunted fruitlessly all the morning, came back to 

 camp, picked up a fresh gun-bearer, Juma Yohari, and 

 started out again. At four in the afternoon he came to 

 the brink of a great hollow a mile across, perhaps an ex- 

 tinct crater, and looking from the rimrock, spied a koodoo 

 bull in the bottom. The steep sides of the hollow were 

 covered with a tangled growth of thorn scrub and cactus, 

 traversed by rhinoceros paths. The bottom was more 

 open, strewn with bushy mounds or hillocks, and on one of 

 these stood a noble koodoo bull. He stood with his mas- 

 sive spiral horns thrown back, and they shifted slowly as 



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