viii ROUTE DECIDED 79 



Wellby's, was the first English one to go by that route 

 to Lake Rudolf. If it were abandoned the reason was 

 sure to be misrepresented, and this might injure the 

 reputation which our countrymen had accjuired (jf keep- 

 ing their word, and doing what they said the)- would 

 do. Moreover, the party were to be entrusted with 

 IJritish flags to replace those torn down by Leontieff, 

 and with the delicate mission of trying to show the 

 unfortunate natives of those parts that all white men 

 did not come to loot ivory or to shoot down defenceless 

 villagers to gain possession of their personal ornaments. 

 However, all these questions had by this time ceased to 

 ha\-e any personal interest to me, for I had secured 

 Captain Harrington's good offices in obtaining per- 

 mission from the Emperor to travel northwards by 

 myself, in search of ibe.x. He told me he was 

 practically certain that he could get me leave to go and 

 shoot where 1 liked. At the same time he very kindly 

 asked me, on my return from the main camp, to come 

 and stay with him till 1 had got my caravan together, 

 and, as will appear later on, a very pleasant month 1 

 spent as his guest. 



