236 ON SAFAEI 



among the wiry grass; yet unless distinguislied and 

 avoided a great tearing laceration of hand or fore-arm 

 results ; and wounds in this climate are slow in healing. 



Without insisting too much on the heat — wdiich on 

 the equator goes without saying — one short conversa- 

 tion may be recorded. It was just before "lights-out," 

 and the morrow's plans had been arranged. — No. 1. 

 "Let's make a special effort to-morrow." No. 2. "All 

 right ; but . . . isn't it rather hot for special efforts ? " 

 It was. 



One evening on Stony Athi, a Wakamba porter 

 was seized with a severe illness beyond our power to 

 diagnose, though we tried to treat it to the best of our 

 judgment. The poor man was evidently in terrible 

 pain, rolling on the ground. Next day we had arranged 

 to send him to the railway under escort ; but, apparently 

 in delirium, he bolted, taking the open veld. We sent 

 out search-parties, but failed to find a trace of him ; 

 probably he had found a grave in the hyena's maw. 



During January there occurred an outbreak of 

 " plague " in Nairobi, and a cj[uarantine cordon (against 

 natives only) was drawn around the capital. Con- 

 sequently, when, on February 6, we finally left the 

 fiery veld of Athi, we had to leave the safari encamped 



three miles out, AV and I going on into the town. 



Next morning word reached us that a mutiny had 

 broken out in our camp. On riding out we found that 

 these simple savages had broken into our stores — 

 particularly into a case that contained our few bottles 

 of whisky — with obvious results. Amidst much heavy 

 lying, we ascertained the main facts, and the retribution 

 that followed was summary and effectual 



