iv THE MASAI 39 



any attempt to keep their side of the bargain. Not 

 only did they at certain seasons of the year move far 

 beyond the bounds marked out for them in both 

 Reserves into territory temporarily unoccupied, but 

 they even spread themselves all over the farms marked 

 out, but not yet given out in holdings, and furthermore, 

 a considerable number broke new ground altogether 

 and settled themselves on the Loieta plains, which lie 

 to the west of the Southern Masai Reserve. Still, for 

 a time, this encroachment gave little more than paper 

 trouble. 



During this period, fostered in an unnatural manner 

 the Masai flocks and herds increased abnormally. 

 What head of stock the tribe possessed during its 

 period of ascendancy can only be conjectured ; but 

 owing to their perpetual state of warfare it can 

 never have been very large. The outbreak of rinder- 

 pest in 1 89 1 and the ensuing years reduced the 

 numbers to a very low figure. After the epidemic 

 there was, as usual, a period of exceptional fecundity, 

 and by 1904 a careful estimate gave them in all 

 50,000 cattle and 600,000 sheep. This total actually 

 grew by the beginning of 19 10 to 130,000 head of 

 cattle and 2,230,000 sheep. 



Now it must be remembered that not only are the 

 Masai a very small tribe, there being at the most 

 50,000 souls in all, but that they make no use what- 

 ever of their cattle. They simply hoard them as a 

 miser does gold and cannot be induced to sell a single 

 cow or sheep. In these circumstances this excess of 

 wealth is of no benefit to anyone, least of all to them- 

 selves ; indeed it may be fairly submitted that we have no 

 right, let alone duty, to supply one single additional acre 

 to pasture herds grown beyond all legitimate bounds. 



