326 



TO KENIA 



been going on like this for some little time the scene suddenly 

 changed ; the natives began to fight each other, using their 

 wooden clubs only, so that very little execution was done. 

 After some ten minutes' struggle the peace party appeared to 

 have won, for soon a few Samaki came to our camp and wanted 

 to make blood-brotherhood with us. 



We were just going through this ceremony in the usual 

 manner when an extraordinary incident occurred. The natives 

 on the southern height suddenly closed up their ranks, and, 

 with a terrible war-cry, dashed at those on the north, driving 

 them almost down into our camp. What the meaning of it all 

 was we never discovered, for the ' Orioi muma ' ( 4 And I tell 

 you, blood-brother ') was going on vigorously all the while. No 

 harm was done after all, except that we had to remain under 

 arms the rest of the day, and at night to send up rockets, which, 

 as before, ensured our safety. 



Day after da}^ passed with constant alarms of war, but with 

 no actual hostilities. The whole burden of coping with the 

 trying situation fell upon Count Teleki, as I was too ill to be 

 able to be of much use to him. My suffering exhausted me 

 terribry, and the only comfort was that it dulled my perceptions 

 a little as to what was going on. Nothing but the spur of 

 absolute necessity could have made it possible for me to drag- 

 along, now on foot, now on a donkey, in the terribly pro- 

 tracted marches of the previous days. 



We had had actual difficulties enough to contend with, and 

 now to these were added constant false rumours, generally 

 communicated by Jumbe Kimemeta, and though we did not 

 believe them they affected our men, and did much to harass us 

 in the little time we might have had for rest of an evening. 



The next morning, when we were preparing to start, we 

 were told that the warriors of Kikuyuland had decided to 

 combine to attack us at the next stream, and the fact that our 



