ELMOLO ASK IF WE ARE CANNIBALS 



133 



Although the natives must have known of our arrival, they 

 none- of them appeared the first day, so we sent Qualla and the 

 guide to them in the afternoon. Several canoes, each manned 

 by three men, put out to meet them, and halted within earshot, 

 but only one woman, a Burkeneji, landed to act as mediator. 

 One thing she especially begged of us, and that was not to take 

 guns with us when we went to treat with the Elmolo, or to fire 

 in the neio-hbourhood again. She then assured us of the 



ALIA, AN ELMOLO SETTLEMENT ON LAKE RUDOLF. 



friendly intentions of the islanders, and asked for a present 

 from us to prove our goodwill. Qualla had no goods with him, 

 but promised some for the next day, reassured her about the 

 guns, which he said were only dangerous to wicked people, 

 adding that unless her friends supplied us with food we must 

 use them, as we depended on them for our support, just as they 

 did on fishing. The natives promised to bring something for 

 sale, asked if we were cannibals, and, satisfied on that point 

 also, they went off again. 



