CHAPTER V 



A TWELFTH ON THE EQUATOR 

 NAKURU TO BARINGO 



The four clays j^receding the Twelfth of August we 

 had been steadily marching through grassy uplands, 

 skirting the vast crater of Meningai. "There was but little 

 game here in August; but, in those days, many Masai 

 with their flocks and herds. Eighteen months later 

 (February 1906) the Masai had been "removed" into 

 their Reserve on Laikipia, and game abounded. 



This is not the regular route to Baringo, whither we 

 were bound, but we had selected the longer way round 

 in order to avoid the heavy march of twenty-three 

 waterless miles between Nakuru and the Molo River. 

 The deviation involved a lot of " path-finding," picking 

 up landmarks and bearings, coupled with no slight 

 anxiety as to whether we were really holding the right 

 course. AVe had the company on the first day of Mr. 

 F. R. N. Finlay, the South-iVfrican hunter, who kindly 

 undertook to set us our course. 



The first evening w^e had encamped on a tiny rivulet, 

 name unknown ; the second on the Ungusori River. On 

 the eve of the Twelfth we had reached the Alabanyata, 

 a rapid muddy stream six yards in width and a yard 

 deep. At midday, hardly had we " outspanned " on its 

 banks, after six hours' marching under an unspeakable 

 sun, when shouts of " Simba " (lion) aroused us from 

 a hard-earned rest. Our men, scattering to collect 

 firewood, had come on the beast close by ; but though 

 we turned out at once, hunted a mile down-stream, and 

 then "drove" all the thickets and likely "holts" on 



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