126 EL EPHA NT-H UN TING IN EAST A FRICA chap. 



my men could pass safely through the district, the guns and 

 other trifles that had been taken from the murdered men were 

 returned, and the " elders " sued for peace. I have already 

 described this land of plenty. It was, at the time of this visit, 

 being devastated by locusts ; but so prolific is the soil that 

 famine seems almost impossible. Every few months fresh 

 crops of grain and beans ripen, while bananas, yams, and sweet 

 potatoes are always in season. It is worth noticing that in 

 districts where bananas are the staple food, the inhabitants do 

 not depend on the ripe fruit, but cook the green bananas, either 

 by steaming or roasting in the fire. No doubt coffee would 

 flourish, too, in these fertile hills, though the natives have none 

 there. This hill district is only of small extent ; a man can 

 walk through the whole extent of it, from Laiju on the one 

 side to Mthara on the other, between sunrise and sunset. 



I will not give a detailed account of this excursion, but, as 

 we visited some country I had not before reached, a few 

 remarks may not be altogether uninteresting. 



We stayed a few days at what I called my " ivory camp " 

 (the one under the wide-spreading tree). It was now made 

 less comfortable by swarms of caterpillars, which dropped upon 

 us with painfully irritating effect upon our skins. Dr. Kolb, 

 especially, suffered much from this cause, being, as a newcomer, 

 more susceptible to the poison than myself. Here I had the 

 honour of introducing my companion to my esteemed brother 

 Ndaminuki, and to the rhino, an animal whose acquaintance he 

 had not yet made. He had shot hippos in the Tana, but felt 

 rather desponding about his chances of bagging a " faro " 

 (Swahili for rhino). However, I promised him he should have 

 that satisfaction, and my pledge was fulfilled the first time he 

 went out with me. After that he shot many. He was, I 

 believe, a first-rate shot, though somewhat hampered in the 

 bush by the necessity of wearing spectacles. 



We spent our Christmas at the foot of Kenia, in sight, at 

 all events, of snow, and had frequent splendid views of the 



