XIV RETURN TO LAKE RUDOLPH 341 



with the large bustard ; it tried the other once, but it would 

 not submit to be ridden." A flock of the beautiful sacred ibis 

 frequently fed about my hut, and egrets often attended my 

 donkeys when grazing. 



So time went on, and I almost began to think the wound 

 in my side would never heal ; but at last, three months after 

 my accident, it so far improved that I determined to make a 

 start southward, whole or not. With great difficulty Abdulla 

 had accumulated a sufficient store of food to carry us through 

 the desert. He had in vain tried all the surrounding districts : 

 not a ration was to be obtained anywhere else, and even at 

 Kcre the supply had so fallen off that we could hardly keep 

 pace with the consumption. Under these circumstances, if we 

 delayed longer we should soon be reduced to eating our stock, 

 so that it was important to start while that was still intact. 

 Accordingly, I had the whole of our belongings brought over 

 from Kere, the ivory dug up, and set about making all ready 

 for marching once more. The food and ivory were weighed 

 and made up into loads of suitable size for porters and donkeys 

 (a donkey carries two men's burdens), and all other necessaries 

 were adjusted for carrying, while the donkeys' pads and other 

 pack gear were overhauled and mended. 



The difficulty of completing our food purchases had been 

 considerably increased by the arrival of a large Swahili trading 

 caravan from the Turkana country west of the lake. Kere 

 being practically the only market in the neighbourhood, these 

 traders had to repair there for supplies, and the district being 

 so limited, their competition at once caused scarcity and higher 

 prices. Fortunately we had already a good store in hand, and 

 needed but little more. On the other hand, Abdulla was able 

 to buy from them some splendid donkeys for me, which were 

 most useful to supply the place of some we had lost and 

 supplement our troop of pack-animals. These donkeys (of 

 which they had a large number) had been bought in Turkana, 

 where they are plentiful. They are of a light yellowish colour 



