VII 



TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA 



323 



we had left our women a few weeks' journey back on 

 the road, as they had become greatly fatigued by the 

 long distances we had travelled. Lokomogul then said 

 that the women of his tribe never tired. Do what we 

 could later, we were never able to recover the loss of 

 prestige attached to the fact that our caravan was con- 

 fined in its personnel strictly to the male sex. 



Not being able to penetrate the mystery surround- 

 ing the origin of these people, we were forced to con- 

 tent ourselves with the fact that we had discovered 

 them. It remains for some future traveller attended 

 with better fortune to lift this veil. Suffice it here 

 to say, that both Lieutenant von Hohnel and I feel 

 firmly convinced that, when at some future time a well 

 qualified and equipped traveller visits these people, he 

 will find them worthy of his attention. To us, at 

 least, they seemed the most original and interesting 

 of all the strange and different peoples met in East 

 Africa. We think there can be little doubt that hun- 

 dreds of years ago they came from the far north. 

 Perhaps in some way they are allied to that mysteri- 

 ous people called the Shepherd Kings, who thousands 

 of years ago inhabited Egypt. 



During our stay with the Rendile, our guide, May- 

 olo, had daily, and in fact almost hourly, pressed us 

 to flee from the neighbourhood. He said that for 

 many years he had lived with the Rendile, and as- 

 sured us that they were capable of any degree of 

 treachery. He said that their treatment of us had 

 not been such as they were accustomed to accord 

 friends ; but, on the contrary, showed that they looked 

 upon us not only with distrust, but with positive dis- 



