VIII 



TRAVELS IN EASTERN- AFRICA 



337 



I will relate one of the stories current in our camp 

 at Daitcho within a day after our arrival. It was a 

 propos of the Rendile. The Rendile were said to be, 

 one and all, mounted upon coal-black steeds, clad in 

 garments of the finest texture, and armed with Arab 

 scimitars, upon the blades of which verses from the 

 Koran were inscribed. They were also said to pos- 

 sess thousands of slaves. And the authors of this 

 tale assured their hearers that it was simply owing to 

 my ability in magic that they had escaped from the 

 clutches of the Rendile. At first this story was re- 

 ceived with a measure of incredulity; but constant 

 repetition of even the most improbable lie is suffi- 

 cient to stamp it as truth in the minds of these sim- 

 ple negroes. 



George's stay at Daitcho had been free from any 

 unusual or surprising occurrences, except those cus- 

 tomarily attendant upon the sojourn of a white man 

 in Africa. However, one of his experiences may be 

 worthy of mention. Our camp had become so infested 

 with fleas that he was unable to sleep in the zeriba 

 at night; and so had acquired the habit of placing 

 his bed without the palisade, taking care, however, 

 to build a rousing fire near him to frighten away 

 beasts of prey. I had left with him one of the 

 puppies we had raised upon our journey; the other 

 two we had taken along with us. It was the wont 

 of this puppy to sleep at the foot of George's bed. 

 Upon one occasion, while George was sleeping with- 

 out the palisade, a loud yelp from the pup awakened 

 him. Leaping from his bed, he saw, by the light of 

 the dying fire, a large hyena bearing his guardian 



