288 IN THE GRIP OF THE NYIKA CHAP. 



still alive, had probably taken unto himself a wife 

 from among the Boran women, and was now as 

 much a Boran as the Borani themselves, and that 

 after such a very long time it would be hopeless to 

 expect him to return to the Samburu nation. 



The way the old man counted up the twenty-five 

 years was very quaint. He first cut up a long stalk 

 of grass into pieces which represented months; he 

 then cut another stalk equal in length to the first, 

 and changed it from hand to hand twenty-five times, 

 which thus represented twenty-five years. 



As I required some camels to carry water 

 across the parched desert which lies between this 

 place and Marsabit, I had again to go through the 

 dearly-loved formula of a long shauri before I 

 succeeded in striking a bargain for the hire of some 

 dozen of these animals. I asked the old chief 

 whether, if I happened to return this way, he would 

 provide me with camels to take me back to the 

 Guaso Nyiro, but he was not anxious to do this, as 

 he said the journey would be through Samburu 

 country and his people did not like to traverse it. 

 He informed me, however, that as there were 

 Samburu at Marsabit and great numbers of camels, 

 I should have no difficulty in engaging as many as 

 I wanted there, either to take me further on or bring 

 me back to the Guaso Nyiro. 



When this question of the camels had at last been 



