200 A COLONY IN THE MAKING chap. 



of ounces or half a pound of dust according to one's 

 sex. In the last two years, however, the whole length of 

 the line has been ballasted with granite, and the passen- 

 ger can contemplate his own visage with his custom- 

 ary equanimity. Dawn finds us at Simba or Sultan 

 Hamoud, and from there to Nairobi we pass through 

 a natural zoological garden. We may see lion and 

 rhinoceros ; we are sure of giraffe, zebra, wildebeeste, 

 and according to the season, thousands or tens of 

 thousands of antelope. Our train will be treated with 

 supreme contempt. The game are certainly no more 

 shy of us than cattle or horses in a paddock ; though 

 were we on foot we should find it extremely difficult 

 to get within a quarter of a mile of any but the 

 youngest and least sophisticated. Tea and eggs are 

 provided at Ulu ; with regard to the latter, I may 

 have been unfortunate, but to my mind they are to be 

 regarded with caution ; and the older traveller usually 

 makes his own provision for this meal. Crossing the 

 stony Athi and the Athi, from the former of which 

 more lions have been killed than from any similar spot 

 in Africa, we soon get a view of Nairobi with its red 

 roofs interspersed with wattle and gum trees. Neat 

 homesteads spring into view, and cattle and wire 

 fences take the place of the primaeval veldt. At about 

 1 1. 20 we glide into the fine stone built station and 

 draw up along its crowded platform. In addition to 

 those who have come to meet friends or to board the 

 train, there is here, as in South Africa, a considerable 

 crowd who seem to have nothing better to do than to 

 meet each train, drink with acquaintances, and pass 

 the latest scandals. There is a good interval allowed 

 here for luncheon and soon after noon we start North 

 again ; first passing through the Kikuyu native 



