104 IN THE GRIP OF THE NYIKA CHAP. 



through one's clothes and set up a most violent 

 irritation on the skin. 



On our way back a kongoni bull took a lively 

 interest in our movements and was bagged by Mrs. 

 S. for camp meat, of which we were in much need. 

 We explored the whole neighbourhood in the vicinity 

 of our camp, but found that it was but a poor place 

 for game at this particular time of year, although 

 I believe at certain seasons the plain swarms with 

 animals. There were no natives living in these 

 parts, but I was told by our guide that the Wa- 

 kamba often visit it on a hunting raid. We were 

 also informed by some men of the safari who had 

 been in this district once before with a shooting 

 party, that great herds of buffalo might be seen in the 

 neighbourhood of the river Thika. 



I made a shrewd guess that this was but a pretext 

 to lure us in the direction of Nairobi, which the 

 men longed to reach in order to spend the few 

 rupees already earned; and from my experience 

 of the unreliability of information supplied by 

 natives I did not expect that we should come across 

 a single buffalo, much less vast herds. At the 

 same time, as it suited my purpose to march in 

 this direction, we determined to pitch our next camp 

 on the banks of the Thika. 



Accordingly, we made an early start and passed 

 through a very broken bush country, interspersed 

 here and there with huge rocks and stony hillocks. 



