THE LAND OF FOOTPRINTS 



great pains with their totos and to try hard to teach 

 them. 



Also at Meru we had acquired two cocks and four 

 hens of the ridiculously small native breed. These 

 rode atop the loads : their feet were tied to the cords 

 and there they swayed and teetered and balanced 

 all day long, apparently quite happy and interested. 

 At each new camp site they were released and went 

 scratching and clucking around among the tents. 

 They lent our temporary quarters quite a settled 

 air of domesticity. We named the cocks Gaston and 

 Alphonse and somehow it was rather fine, in the 

 blackness before dawn, to hear these little birds 

 crowing stout-heartedly against the great African 

 wilderness. Neither Gaston, Alphonse nor any of 

 their harem were killed and eaten by their owners; 

 but seemed rather to fulfil the function of household 

 pets. 



Along the jungle track we met swarms of people 

 coming in to the post. One large native safari com- 

 posed exclusively of women were transporting loads 

 of trade goods for the Indian trader. They carried 

 their burdens on their backs by means of a strap 

 passing over the top of the head; our own *'tump 

 line" method. The labour seemed in no way to 

 have dashed their spirits, for they grinned at us, and 

 joked merrily with our boys. Along the way, every 



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