208 THE BONDS OF AFRICA 



rises Kijabe mountain, one of the lesser guardians 

 of snow-capped Kenia — queen of East African 

 peaks. Kijabe seems to be set in the centre 

 of a giant funnel down which storms and gusts are 

 for ever blowing, and the mountain does not 

 break the force of these winds, it merely serves 

 to distribute the air eddies and send them 

 whirling around the camp of any traveller who 

 may pass that way. However, such things as 

 tents being blown down or fired by drifting 

 sparks, are mere humorous incidents when one 

 is going a-hunting after big game. 



We had elected to start away from this 

 tempestuous little place on our journey to 

 Sotik — a vast and little-settled district of British 

 East Africa that abuts on the northern frontier 

 of German territory. A few weeks before Rainey, 

 the American, and his pack of hounds had 

 accounted for twenty-six lions in this part of the 

 Protectorate, and with a view to having a share 

 of the excellent sport which we were assured was 

 to be obtained there, we had hired a wagon and 

 a span of oxen. To reach the Sotik country one 

 has to travel over a " thirst-belt " — a country 

 where, at the time of the year we set out on our 

 journey (October), water is exceedingly scarce, 

 and long marches have to be made. 



On our journey to the North we had a " safari " 

 (caravan) of close on a hundred porters, gun- 

 bearers, personal servants, syces, etc., but for 

 this expedition we deemed it better to travel 

 with only ten porters and six Somali attendants — 

 three gun-bearers, a syce, a personal servant and 

 a headman. The African " pagazi " (carrier) is 

 but a poor beast of burden in a dry, waterless 

 country, and the hiring of an ox-wagon seemed 

 by far and away the best method of reaching 



