194 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 
full the disadvantage and delay caused by my tank 
trains, a native from some remote corner of the 
plains—with nothing by way of dress but a small 
plece of cowhide thrown over his left shoulder— 
came to my tent door one day and squatted down 
on his heels in the native fashion. On being asked 
his business, “I have heard,” he replied, ‘‘that the 
Great Master wants water; I can-show it to him.” 
This was good news, if it could be relied upon; so 
I questioned him closely, and ascertained that some 
time previously—exactly how long ago I could not 
gather—he had been in the locality on a raiding 
expedition and had succeeded in finding water. | 
asked if the place was far away, and got the reply 
in Swahili: ‘“ A7éah kidogo” (‘A little distance”). 
Now, I had had experience of I7’bal kidogo before ; 
it is like the Irishman’s ‘mile and a bit.” So I 
decided to start very early next morning on a search 
for this pond—for such my informant described it 
to be. In the meantime the poor fellow, who 
appeared starving—there was a sore famine among 
the natives of the district at the time—was given 
food and drink, and made a ravenous meal. In the 
evening I had a long talk with him in broken 
Swahili round the camp fire, and obtained some 
insight into many of the strange and barbarous 
customs of the Masai, to which interesting tribe he 
belonged. 
