IV 



TRAVELS TN EASTERN AFRICA 



123 



smoothly and broadly over a shallow bed. Game was 

 fairly plentiful; yet, as we were pressing on in the hope 

 of reaching the lake, we rarely stopped while on the 

 march, but contented ourselves with supplying our 

 men with what game we could procure after camp 

 was reached. 



For a few days the fish of the Guaso Nyiro proved a 

 welcome addition to our diet, but at last we were forced 

 to give them up. We had usually eaten them after 

 dark, from a table illumined by the flame of a single 

 candle ; so that in judging of their quality we employed 

 but taste. One morning, however, a large and fine- 

 looking fish was put before us. Upon cutting it open, 

 we found, to our disgust, that its flesh was filled with 

 small worms. Needless to add, we discontinued eating 

 fish from that time. 



All along the Guaso Nyiro, not only were the mos- 

 quitoes troublesome, but we suffered great annoyance 

 from flies. These were black in colour, shaped like the 

 ordinary house fly, but with heads of a bright carmine 

 colour. A bite from one of these insects was a disagree- 

 able matter; for they inserted the proboscis not so 

 much for the sake of securing food as to deposit and 

 hatch their offspring. A few days after the bite was 

 inflicted the flesh swelled considerably, and a little 

 later the part bitten would open, and disclose a well- 

 developed larva, with a black head, about the size of 

 its progenitor. 



Up to this time we had lost but few of our donkeys ; 

 and none of these, so far as we knew, had died on 

 account of fly-bites. Our horses, however, appeared to 

 be ailing, particularly Lieutenant von Hohnel's, which, 



