352 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT chap. 



Our camp at Sayer was pitched in a beautiful spot, 

 a little valley nestled between high and rugged hills. 

 Through this valley there flowed a cold, sparkling 

 stream, called Sayer, which rose on the Leikipia plateau, 

 and emptied into the desert between mountains of the 

 General Matthews range. On the banks of this stream 

 we pitched our camp. The air was cool and bracing; 

 in fact, in the early morning it very much reminded 

 me of the cold air of the highlands of Scotland. 



Under the influence of this change of climate I 

 rapidly recovered, and after a two days' stay at Sayer 

 I was quite myself again. While I was in a conva- 

 lescent state. Lieutenant von Hohnel went out daily 

 in search of elephants, but was not favoured with any 

 luck. The bush in this part of the country is so thick 

 that elephants, large though they be, are very difficult 

 to find. 



One day the chief of the Wanderobbo tribe in the 

 neighbourhood of Sayer came with his followers to see 

 us. They gave us some delicious honey and a small 

 tusk of ivory ; then begged us for medicine to enable 

 them to kill game. We took many photographs of 

 these people ; but they were among the number which 

 turned out badly. They told us they had ivory to 

 sell, and they hoped we would buy it. It was impos- 

 sible to explain to them that I had no use for ivory, 

 as all the traders they had previously met had shown 

 their desire to get it ; so I was not much surprised 

 one day to find ten Wanderobbo approaching my camp, 

 each bearing upon his shoulder a tusk. I gave them 

 some tobacco, and told them I should be very glad to 

 buy ivory, but that I had no means of transporting it, 



