xi ON SAFARI TO THE NORTH 135 



continue my journey to get to that part of the 

 Northern Reserve which I wished to reach. 

 The local officials, however, considered this 

 route too dangerous, as the various tribes were 

 represented to be thirsting for the blood of any 

 stranger whom they found travelling through their 

 dominions. Indeed, it was said that no one with a 

 force of less than 400 trained soldiers to guard him 

 could with safety traverse it. Owing, therefore, to 

 the policy which prohibited any person from march- 

 ing through this "danger zone," I was compelled to 

 turn off sharply to the left and make for Nyeri, a 

 Government station a couple of marches to the west, 

 in one of the districts of the Kenya Province. 



Just after leaving Fort Hall we had to cross the 

 Sagana river, over which there is a fairly good 

 wooden bridge. We had two mules and six donkeys 

 with us besides a horse and two ponies. The 

 mules and donkeys showed a most extraordinary 

 dislike to this wooden structure, and began kicking 

 their loads off as soon as we endeavoured to get 

 them to cross. We found that nothing would 

 induce them to attempt it until all the loads were 

 removed, and even then we had literally to drag them 

 over by main force. 



We camped at Wambugu's, a place so called after 

 the local chief, who speedily paid us a visit. He 

 was most friendly, and readily consented to pose 



