TWO MORE MEN DIE 141 



zig-zag fashion at a moderate height in the air. Then, as 

 suddenly as they had appeared, they would form up into regular 

 cloud-like masses and fly off across the lake in a westerly direc- 

 tion, the whole thing lasting not longer than twenty minutes. 



Tuesday, March 27. — As the natives evidently had no real 

 intention of going with us, we started without them. According 

 to the Elmolo, we were not so far now from the Eeshiat of the 

 northern end of the lake as from the settlements of their own 

 people at the southern extremity, so that we might hope very 

 soon to reach our goal, which was the more desirable as our 

 people did not seem able to recover their health although they 

 had lately had plenty of elephant-meat. This must be explained 

 by the unfavourable conditions, especially the harassing dust 

 of our camping-place, the latter making perfect rest altogether 

 impossible. Just before we started two of our men died, one 

 of whom was really the cause of his own tragic end. The 

 elephant-meat being finished and no game hpiving been brought 

 down, beans had been given out as rations, and this man, 

 famished with hunger, had eaten his portion raw, the result of 

 which was that he died after a night of terrible agony. Cara- 

 van people know perfectly well that eating raw beans or dhurra 

 often causes death. 



We marched for four and a half hours altogether, at a short 

 distance from the lake, and camped at noon on the beach. 

 The ground was at first strewn at intervals with fine white 

 sand, and then covered once more with volcanic debris, but 

 everywhere perfectly barren. A few umbrella-like acacias, 

 which had been much injured by elephants, were the only 

 vegetation we saw. We passed a great many elephants on 

 this march ; first two, then four gigantic beasts with huge 

 tusks ; then a herd of twelve bulls, four of which were 

 very old ; then three young bulls, with tusks reaching down 

 to the ground ; and lastly, a herd of fourteen animals bigger 



