THE MOUNT ELGON COUNTRY 271 



Nevertheless we started and brilliantly blundered 

 into some most diverting adventures. 



The first day's march after crossing the Nzoia 

 River was through scrub country and what we con- 

 sidered high grass. The next day we struck real 

 high grass! It was so deep that we had to burrow 

 through it. Only the helmets of those on horseback 

 marked where the caravan was passing. The long 

 line of porters carrying their burdens were buried 

 from view. It was a terrible place to meet a rhino 

 and perhaps for that very reason we promptly pro- 

 ceeded to meet one. 



We were riding ahead, followed by the cook and 

 the tent boys, and behind them was the long string 

 of a hundred or more porters, askaris, totos, and 

 so forth. The end of the line was some hundred 

 yards behind the head. Suddenly there was a wild 

 cry of "faru!" (rhino) . 



It was disconcerting, but after one or two hur- 

 ried and flurried moments we got our heavy bat- 

 teries in readiness and prepared to sell his life as 

 cheaply as possible. But no rhino came. The grass 

 was too deep to have seen him if he had come, but 

 we thought it was well to have a reception commit- 

 tee ready just the same. 



Then the rear ranks began to telescope into the 

 front ranks. They came forward two or three 

 jumps at a time. They were visibly perturbed, but 

 presently they recovered enough to give expert tes- 

 timony. 



A huge rhino had been in the grass by the trail 



