^ The Spell of the Elelescho 



made his way into the region of the Nile sources, 

 during his famous expedition to legend-haunted Ruanda 

 (now better known to us through Dr. Richard Kandt's 

 researches). I made his acquaintance at the Austrian 

 Consulate at Zanzibar. He, also, was snatched away in 

 his early years by the Sphinx of Africa, the treacherous 

 climate. 



His journey, only a few years before my stay here, 

 cost his numerous and strongly armed caravan hard 

 fighting with the natives. And now I am camping here 

 with a few men in an unfortified camp ! 



Fischer was quite convinced that he could not venture 

 upon his exploring journey without the support of the 

 Mohammedan trading caravans, but he had finally to 

 start alone with 230 bearers. Yet, notwithstanding all 

 difficulties, he successfully accomplished his task. But 

 how different from those of to-day were the circumstances 

 under which a journey was made into unknown Masailand 

 at that time ! The Masai warrior was then still sovereign 

 master in his own land ; he was still " Ol open 1 en gob " 

 ('' Lord of the land ") in the full sense of the word. And all 

 the chivalrous poetry that has been so pathetically brought 

 home to us by the fate of the North American Indians, was 

 also not alien to his warlike character. Then came the 

 moment when he had to face the firearms of the Europeans. 

 His fate was sealed, like that of the lion and the leopard. 



Then, too, tribute had to be arranored for on all sides. 

 Not only some of the petty chiefs in the neighbourhood of 

 the coast, but the Masai too, must receive cosdy payments. 

 Thus, for example, Dr. Fischer had to hand over to the 



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