X EXCURSIONS FROM EL BOGOI 227 



now. Juma, whom I had sent off the day before in the opposite 

 direction to that in which I had been lately hunting — that is, to 

 the southward in the district of the upper Seya — returned, 

 bringing with him two Ndorobo youths from that part. They 

 had nothing to impart, though, as they said there had been no 

 elephants in their neighbourhood since Lesiat drove out the 

 big herd just after my arrival. Juma, however, declared that he 

 had seen fresh spoor on his way back, in a part where I had 

 hunted formerly. Taking all things into consideration, I 

 decided to go that way first, leaving the mountains till I had 

 definite news as to what part of the range I should be likely 

 to find in. 



But before starting next morning I gave Lesiat as much 

 beans as his wife could carry, the greater part of a big loaf 

 of tobacco (which Abdulla had brought me for the purpose of 

 giving my Ndorobo friends, who prize it more than anything), 

 and six Grant's gazelle skins. This made him smile again. 

 The skins (which they are very fond of to sew into cloaks) he 

 would not take then, as he did not want his friends to see 

 them lest they should beg some from him, so he told me to 

 put them away till he had an opportunity of smuggling them 

 home on the quiet. 



We then packed up as quickly as we could, and went south 

 to a place about the same distance from the range, where there 

 was a pool of very hard and rather nasty water impregnated 

 with some kind of salt mineral, and I sent for Lorgete (the 

 Ndorobo who had behaved rather badly on my first arrival this 

 trip). When he came he had a great many words to say, 

 first, about our quarrel, trying to make out that he was the 

 aggrieved party. I listened patiently and answered him 

 quietly, pointing out how he had deceived me in order to 

 prevent Lesiat hearing of my arrival, in consequence of which 

 the latter had disturbed the elephants, while he could show me 

 none, so that my chance of getting any was spoilt — through 

 his selfish jealousy. At last he consented to come back to 



