Ill CAMPING AT MOUNT KENIA 77 



apparently because he had unwarily approached too near her 

 calf. I sent at once for men to carry in the meat, while we 

 cut off the horns. On a neck between two hills which we 

 passed through before descending into the valley where my 

 camp was, we disturbed yet another rhino ; and when close 

 home, just before crossing the little spruit where we got our 

 water, we came upon some impala and I shot a nice fat doe 

 for my own larder. 



I was very tired and glad to take a rest the next day, 

 being rather unwell owing to the troublesome itching eruption 

 one gets when hunting in this country, which brings on touches 

 of fever. But in spite of these drawbacks I was very fond of 

 this camp, and was sorry to leave it. It was necessary, though, 

 to take my ivory back to my boma at Laiju ; and before 

 making another hunting trip I sent it off to the coast, in charge 

 of my more ornamental than useful headman, as I had more 

 men than I wanted here and was glad to reduce the monthly 

 expenditure a little. I also took the opportunity of forwarding 

 some specimens and despatching letters, the bearers of which 

 were to return with my mail from Mombasa. By the time I 

 got back to Laiju it was the second week in June, and I was 

 not ready to start northwards in search of elephants again 

 before the beginning of July. 



One thing that delayed me was the necessity of making a 

 second journey to the neighbourhood of Janjai, to recover the 

 tusks of the bull elephant I have referred to as having been 

 wounded by me and afterwards found by the natives of the 

 next district beyond. This was a quick trip made for the 

 above purpose only. It was a somewhat hazardous under- 

 taking, as the natives refu.sed to give up the ivory and I could 

 only muster thirty -six men to take with me. We found 

 ourselves amongst a dense and, unfortunately, unfriendly 

 population, and spent a rather anxious night in the midst of 

 them, camped in a small open space among banana groves and 

 other cover without any boma to protect us. In spite of our 



