WE EELEASE OUR CAPTIVES 



331 



payment of one sheep for each of them. Only two Samaki 

 from our immediate neighbourhood came into camp, each 

 bringing a sheep to make blood-brotherhood with us. Later 

 several relatives of our captives appeared, but only three young 

 women were ransomed. The night passed over quietly. 



When we were preparing to start the next morning, our 

 guides, who had passed the night in the next village, returned 

 with the rumour that all the chiefs of Kikuyuland had entered 

 into a league to take vengeance on us, and prevent our going 

 any farther. We marched on for a short distance eastward, 

 without seeing any natives at all, till we came to a spot from 

 which we could look down the next ravine-like valley. Through 

 this valley flowed a stream, not more than 5-J yards wide and 

 only 2 feet 3 inches deep, which it took us, however, two good 

 hours to cross. There was none of the fertility here we had 

 noticed elsewhere in Kikuyuland ; the arid, sun-scorched soil was 

 thinner and often bare even of grass, whilst volcanic rocks 

 were of frequent occurrence. The rest of this day's march was 

 through an uninhabited district, and we were told that it was 

 deserted on account of the slaving raids of the Wakamba, 

 who, being much less numerous than the Wakikuyu, are only 

 successful when they take the latter by surprise. 



Not until we had camped, in an uncomfortable position, on 

 the sloping left bank of a considerable stream, did natives visit 

 us in any numbers. The rest of our captives were ransomed 

 here, but none of the chiefs put in an appearance. Two rather 

 bold thefts were committed which indicated that our troubles 

 with the natives were not over yet, and Count Teleki sent a 

 message to the effect that we should open hostilities ourselves 

 if the stolen goods were not restored, a threat which had the 

 desired effect at once. 



We had now entered the lower-lying valleys of Kikuyuland, 

 our camping-places varying in height from about 4,750 to 5,070 



