In Wildest Africa ^ 



So we may here attempt a picture of the wild life of 

 the lake margin in former days, on the lines of the sketches 

 I have already traced out of the life and activity of the 

 wild herds of the plateau, as I still could see them. . . . 



Out of the many memories of those days, that still work 

 on me like magic, there is one above all that has a special 

 meaning for me : " Elelescho ! " 



But what is " Elelescho" ? the reader will ask. "Elel- 

 escho"^ is the name of a peculiar plant, perhaps it would 

 be more correct to say a bush, that has in many ways set 

 its mark on the flora in the very heart of the Masai region. 

 Ranges of hills covered with silvery-leafed Elelescho, 

 the spicy smell of Elelescho, the water at the camping 

 place redolent of Elelescho — and also, in consequence, tea, 

 coffee, cocoa tasting of Elelescho — that is a memory that 

 remains fixed firmly in one's thoughts of this home of the 

 wild herds and of the Masai. It was these disappearing 

 nomads who gave the bush its beautiful name. 



Possibly the musical sound of the name has not a 

 little to do with reconciling us in memory to the plant. 

 For the bush itself has in process of time a monotonous 

 effect not very pleasing to the senses, but for this very 

 reason all the stronger and more enduring. Its character 

 is connected by strong links of memory with our ex- 

 periences of those days, and the sound of its name awakes 

 rose-coloured recollections. For just as it is not given 

 to man to remember exactly the nature of intense bodily 

 pains, so fancy, looking backwards, kindly blots out much 

 that was hard and little that was pleasant in the life we 



1 According to Hollis, the singular of the word is " O-'l-leleshwa." 



44 



