34 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN 



decidedly trying, and one longs for a drought ; but when one has 

 to suffer from a continued drought, and wearily plods along day 

 after day with the ever-present anxiety whether there will be any 

 water at the next camp, or men and beasts are to die of thirst, 

 then the cry is for rain, rain ! I had on my fifth journey a 

 curious experience of a continued drought followed immediately 

 by incessant rain. 



News of the drought had reached me at Mombasa ; and in 

 anticipation of having to carry water for the caravan, I provided 

 myself with a number of empty kerosin tins. At Maji Chumvi 

 there is a pool of brackish water. It was simply poisonous 

 owing to the drought, to porters of passing caravans washing 

 their ulcers and sores in it, and to an accumulation of filth in 

 general. I had filled my water-bottles at the previous camp. 

 Next day we reached Samburu. Here we found the water-holes 

 absolutely drv. We rested during the heat of the day, parched 

 with thirst, and at 2 P.M., though it was still very hot, we started 

 once more to reach the next camp, Taru. Whilst we were wait- 

 ing at Samburu, some native women with gourds of water 

 crossed the caravan road ; they were returning from fetching 

 some nasty brackish water a long way off, and had a long way to 

 go to their village. It was therefore no easy matter to persuade 

 them to sell us the water at an enormous figure. They knew 

 the value of silver rupees and would take nothing else. I had 

 not enough silver witii me, but fortunately my headman was 

 able to lend me some ; I bought the precious water and dis- 

 tributed it by tiny cupfuls to my caravan, men and beasts. 

 Some of my men began fighting furiously, accusing each other of 

 having taken more than their share of this foul and nauseating 

 stuff. I had to take a stick and lay about indiscriminately 

 amongst the combatants, some of whom had drawn knives, in 

 order to prevent bloodshed and murder. 



Caravans march at the rate of 2h miles per hour ; we did 

 the 10^ miles to Taru in four hours, and arrived at sunset. A 

 large caravan in connection with the new railway was encamped 

 there ; and what with their men and sixty donkeys, the famous 

 water-holes of Taru were nearly dry. I had to hurry to fill our 

 kerosin tins with what we could scoop up — fluid-mud it was. I 

 had to drink it too, or die of thirst. My men were too exhausted 

 to do any more marching that night, and the heat was too great 

 to risk a day-march ; but about 2 p.m. next day I sent some of 



