276 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN 



accompanied by two or three of our caravan porters, and he 

 brought my riding-donkev. My friendlies carried the meat right 

 into camp for me, where I shared it with them, they grinning 

 with pleasure and satisfaction. 



Though this Httle adventure had ended happily and now 

 looked rather comic, I took the lesson to heart not to risk 

 losing myself again in a wild jungle, with neither water nor 

 fire within available distance, without a companion, and prac- 

 tically unarmed. Our caravan leader assured me I was lucky 

 in falling in with friendly Wakamba, and that I should never 

 have returned, if I had met a band of Masai on the war-path. 

 That he was in the right, and that these adventures do not 

 always have a happy ending, was proved within a few months 

 on this very spot. Dr. Chartres, the Mission doctor at Kibwezi, 

 went with a friend, Mr. Colquhoun, for a day's shooting to 

 this very neighbourhood. 



These two men were never seen again. According to the 

 servants who accompanied them, as soon as the tents were 

 pitched, the two white men, followed by a gun-bearer, stalked 

 some antelopes, wounded one and followed it. The gun- 

 bearer returned to the camp and said, that he had lost sight of 

 the "musungu" (the white men). As he had not succeeded 

 in finding them, he had decided to go back to the camp. 

 Hour after hour passed, and neither of the white men turned 

 up. The camp got alarmed. Everybody went to search the 

 bush, calling and shouting. Not a trace could be found. Night 

 rendered further search useless. Next morning the search was 

 resumed and kept up for some days. Not the slightest clue was 

 forthcoming. The servants returned to the Mission Station and 

 reported the disaster. 



It is not likely that these two unfortunate white men were 

 killed by lions. The lions would have devoured them on the 

 spot, and the rifles would have been found. Dr. Chartres 

 knew the neighbourhood thoroughly, it is therefore improbable 

 that they lost themselves. It is believed, that they were met 

 by hostile savages, probably Masai on the warpath, and were 

 captured and killed. 



On my first journey to Uganda, we had a major as caravan 

 leader. On my subsequent five journeys I was in charge of 

 the caravan. In the event of my not turning up before dusk, 

 our caravan leader had already decided to leave one European 



