xin A DAY ON THE N'DUNGU ESCARPMENT 149 



easy matter to say in which direction the Sabaki lay. 

 First I consulted my Wa Kamba followers as to the 

 route back ; they simply shook their heads. Then 

 I asked Mahma, who pointed out a direction exactly 

 opposite to that which I felt confident was the right 

 one. Mabruki, of course, knew nothing, but volun- 

 teered the helpful and cheering information that 

 we were lost and would all be killed by lions. 

 In these circumstances, I confirmed my own idea 

 as to our way by comparing my watch and the 

 sun, and gave the order to start at once. For 

 two solid hours, however, we trudged along in 

 the fearful heat without striking a single familiar 

 object or landmark. Mabruki murmured loudly ; 

 even Mahina expressed grave doubts as to whether 

 the " Sahib " had taken the right direction ; only 

 the Wa Kamba stalked along in re-assuring silence. 

 For some time we had been following a broad 

 white rhino path, and the great footmarks of one 

 of these beasts were fresh and plainly visible in 

 the dust. He had been travelling in the opposite 

 direction to us, and I felt sure that he must have 

 been returning from drinking in the river. I 

 accordingly insisted on our keeping to this path, 

 and very soon, to my great relief, we found that we 

 were at the edge of the escarpment, a couple of 

 miles away from the place where we had made the 

 ascent. Here a halt was called ; a sheet was spread 



