CHAPTER VIII 



AN EVENTFUL XMAS DAY 



I HAD now travelled as far to the eastward as I 

 desired to go, so I proposed to my friends that we 

 should swing round to the north-west and march 

 through the great Kauti Plain as far as the Tana 

 river. This suggestion was readily agreed to, 

 as it promised an interesting trip through a 

 practically virgin country. I had many shauris 

 (consultations) with my two Wakamba guides as to 

 the nature of the country to be traversed and 

 especially as to where water was to be found. 

 They were both well versed in the geography 

 of the district and gave me quite readily the local 

 names of such mountains and hills as were in 

 sight. Knowing that a native will say anything 

 that comes into his head rather than confess his 

 ignorance, I questioned both separately and apart 

 from each other, and their answers gave me 

 confidence in their fitness to lead us through the 



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