54 A COLONY IN THE MAKING chap. 



ostriches being wantonly destroyed. Now, however, 

 it has very rightly been made a punishable offence for 

 a native to have such poison in his possession, and it is 

 hoped before long definitely to stamp out this crime. 

 The Kikuyu is also well versed in the manufacture of 

 poison to be taken internally. There have been one 

 or two instances in which Europeans, and I fear a 

 good many in which natives who were loyal to their 

 white employers, have been made away with by this 

 method. I have come across more than one instance 

 in which the threat of poisoning a Kikuyu foreman 

 was made, and undoubtedly one in which the threat 

 was carried out. It is, unfortunately, extremely difficult 

 to prove, both because all Kikuyu evidence is un- 

 reliable, and because the hyaena offers the customary 

 mode of burial, a mode prejudicial to post-mortems. 

 With regard to their cruelty, I will give one very 

 common offence which has apparently escaped Mr. 

 Routledge's observation, when enumerating the 

 Kikuyu's virtues. When a desire for meat seizes the 

 Kikuyu herdsman and he thinks that the chance of 

 detection is slight, he will select his opportunity and 

 force a sharp-pointed stick or a cleft-stick with a stone 

 in the cleft up the anus of an unfortunate animal, until 

 the bowels are pierced. The stick is then broken off 

 short and left in. In a day or two the animal dies a 

 death of frightful agony. The herd then reports 

 that a bullock has died of disease, and if the owner is 

 young and ignorant the carcase is thrown away, and 

 the revels commence. As a word of advice, let me 

 suggest that in the case of the death of any head of 

 stock the owner thoroughly satisfy himself as to the 

 cause, and having done so let him see that the carcase 

 is entirely destroyed. 



