WE ARE OFF AGAIN AT LAST 



49 



With infinite trouble we liad collected a store of food 

 which, with care, would last thirty-five days, during which we 

 could go a long way. It would not do to rely on being able 

 to supplement this store in the uninhabited districts, so that it 

 really seemed wiser to go by the east whilst we had food, and 

 when it was exhausted return by the west ; and this was the 

 decision to which we finally came. 



Our next care was to secure native guides. One Sokoni, a 

 Mkwafi of Greater Nyemps, claimed to be well acquainted with 

 Turkana and Suk, districts we should pass through during the 

 latter part of our journey, whilst another and younger man 

 offered to lead us to the Loroghi chain, where he was to turn 

 back and give us over to an older fellow, who would take us 

 to Mount Nyiro, where we should have to secure other guides 

 for the further stages. We hoped to reach this mountain, which 

 was to play a considerable part in our journey, in fourteen or 

 fifteen days. 



Our caravan now mustered eight Somal, three Swahili, six 

 guides, fifteen Askari, 197 healthy and nine invalided porters 

 and donkey-boys. We had nineteen grey donkeys, twenty-one 

 head of cattle and calves, and sixty sheep and goats, some of 

 the last-named, however, too weak to take with us. We left 

 the nine sick men, under the Askar Bori, in charge of the goods 

 we could not take. Bori had so far proved himself very faithful 

 and trustworthy, and the fact that he owned a bit of land at 

 Pangani gave us a certain hold over him. The goods were all 

 weighed in his presence and formally handed over to him. 



On the morning of February 9, 1888, we were ready to 

 start. The men were not in the very best condition, many of 

 them showing evident traces of the privations they had under- 

 gone ; but they were a brave and determined-looking little 

 troop, and none of them now dreamt of inquiring as to where 

 they were going. They were the Safari a palepale, the caravan 



VOL. II. E 



