108 ON SAFAEI 



thus have been wasted but for the hyenas, jackals, 

 vultures and marabous. Forty-eight hours afterwards 

 I repassed the spot, and not a trace, not even a bone, 

 remained, only a circle of down-trodden grass and a few 

 huge feathers. This zebra was an aged stallion, almost 

 toothless, and much clawed by lions — a fine specimen ; 

 but I was annoyed at killing him here, as I meant 

 securing my two specimens close alongside the railway, 

 whereas I was now compelled to carry the heavy skin 

 and head some fifty miles. 



Septemher 9. — Our young oryx died, despite all we 

 could do. Fresh milk was what it wanted, and this the 

 Masai refused to sell. Yet they came daily into our camp 

 for medicines, the chief wanting his child's chest and his 

 wife's leg cured, and so on. We explained, with some 

 little force, the principles of reciprocity, and they then 

 sent in milk — when too late. However, we gave them 

 Bowe's liniment, Alcock's plasters, fruit-salt, etc., and 

 W doctored them all round. Results unknown. 



The last march from the Molo Eiver to the railway 

 at Nakuru is twenty-three miles across waterless veld. 

 This long grind we avoided by carrying water from the 

 little Rangai Eiver, which enabled us to camp for the 

 night midway. By placing leafy boughs in each bucket 

 of water the Swahili porters managed to carry them a 

 dozen miles without spilling a drop, and this in addition 

 to their regular burdens. 



The following day we marched into Nakuru, through 

 a region of very coarse, sour grass, where we saw little 

 or no game. We had been away thirty-four days on 

 this Baringo trip, and had secured forty- four selected 

 heads of large game, including twelve diff*erent species, 

 besides ostrich and kori bustard. Even these figures, 

 imposing as they seem, do not fully represent the faunal 

 wealth of the country, for (as related) some others defied 

 our efibrts. There were, moreover, several species of 

 which I had previously shot specimens in South Africa — 

 such as bushbuck, duiker, steinbuck, etc., and which I 

 did not asjain molest. And a short month's time 



