330 TO KENIA 



of them with a captive woman or child, others with trophies of 

 all kinds. Count Teleki with Maktubu and the Somal guard also 

 returned uninjured, but it was a long time before we were all 

 together again. Before we went farther the porters were com- 

 pelled to give up all their spoil, as this was the only way to 

 check their plundering propensities. We destroyed the shields, 

 which would have been too heavy to carry behind, but the 

 swords and spears were done up in bundles and taken with us. 

 We also retained our eight captives, as they would serve as 

 hostages, and help to bring about peace with their people ; they 

 did not seem much concerned at their position. 



Our guide, who belonged to the northern frontier district 

 of Kikuyu, had expected the attack, but thought it was fixed 

 for the following day. It was very evident that the onslaught 

 had been planned, for we picked up hundreds of leather bags 

 dropped by the fugitives, which were either empty or contained 

 strips of skin intended to tie up the bales, or perhaps even to 

 bind the captives the natives had hoped to take. After the 

 bloody struggle by the brook we resumed our march, keeping 

 a more vigilant look-out than ever. We soon noticed fresh 

 crowds of natives at different points, but we pressed on in an 

 east-south-easterly direction, over a dreary, uncultivated district 

 till we reached a commanding position at the top of a ridge. 

 Thousands of natives soon assembled near by, and Count Teleki 

 went off with a party of our men to disperse them ; they did 

 not, however, retire till they found that they were not safe from 

 bullets even at a distance of 1,000 paces. 



Our camp on the ridge was near the eastern frontier of 

 Kikuyuland, and about from 2^ to 3 miles from the wood, 

 which seems to encircle the whole district. 



When we had secured the safety of our camp we sent our 

 guides to the next village, to tell the chief we wished to make 

 friends with him, and were willing to set our captives free on 



