OUR NEW LEADER 



^0 



shape common at Nyemps, in Kamasia, Kavirondo, Suk, and 

 Turkana, and the shields of buffalo hide are also evidently 

 borrowed from the people of the two last-named districts. 



Sokoni, our guide from Nyemps, was the go-between in all 

 our dealings with the natives here ; and we found him, to our 

 great satisfaction, a most trust- 

 worthy and zealous broker in our 

 interests. As a native, yet ex- 

 perienced in all the needs of a 

 caravan, he proved himself most 

 useful at this juncture of our 

 affairs. Through him the natives 

 became properly acquainted with 

 our needs ; and we got all the 

 information we wanted without 

 having ourselves to take part in 

 the endless shauris. There is no 

 doubt that we owed getting a 

 guide here to lead us further, 



to the presence of two men in our caravan related tribally 

 to the mountaineers. Our new leader was a young fellow, 

 who, according to his own account, came from the extreme 

 north of Samburu, and was now only on a visit to his 

 connections on Mount Nyiro. We named him Lembasso, as 

 he was to guide us to the lake, the Burkeneji word for which 

 is Basso. 



The foUowino^ is the information we obtained here about 

 the districts on the north, and the way to them. 



We had two paths to choose from. One would lead us in 

 a few days to a big lake called the Basso Narok or Black Lake, 

 situated in an uninhabited district beyond which we should pass 

 through a further long deserted stretch of country, and then 

 come to the home of the Eeshiat, from whom we could obtain 



BURKENEJI SHIELDS. 



