II 



TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 



45 



camp. I crossed to the camp and at once opened a 

 bottle of beer. What nectar it seemed ! Seven hours 

 in an arid desert turns water into wine, and beer into a 

 drink for the gods. The Pokomo employed in my canoes, 

 after greeting me pleasantly upon my arrival, expressed 

 an ardent desire to return to the coast. A few words 

 and a small present changed their purpose, and they 

 were eager with protestations of devotion, and expressed 

 a willingness to follow me to the ends of the earth. 



Village of Kinekombe 



The chief of the village was named Kula ; he brought 

 me a present of unshelled rice and a lot of Indian corn. 

 Up to this point the route had been a good one, as 

 regards supplies. The deposits of millet left by my 

 canoes at points along the route proved unnecessary, for 

 the natives even in the poorest districts had sufficient 

 to supply the wants of my people. With modern means 

 of agriculture and intelligent irrigation, the banks of the 

 Tana should yield abundant rice and corn. This is by 

 far the richest country I had yet seen. 



At Kinekombe I remained several days, for the pur- 

 pose of allowing the backs of the donkeys, which had 



