248 



THROUGH TUEKANA AND SUK 



1 



German in a loud voice, ' Be quiet and sit down.' The man 

 actually obeyed me, and a deep silence fell upon the group. 

 But Sokoni ran to me and whispered eagerly, 'Taratibu, taratibu, 

 bwana ! ' (' Gently, gently, master ! '). I had at first meant to 

 address them all in quiet reassuring tones, but the failure of 

 Sokoni's mode of proceedings had made me change my own 

 tactics and assume a sharp commanding tone. At Sokoni's 

 remonstrance I called the interpreter to me and threatened him 

 with terrible pains and penalties if he did not render all I said 

 accurately. I then told the Turkana in as insinuating a voice 

 as I could assume that we had come to buy food. If they had 

 any they could spare they might bring it to us, but if not, they 

 had only to tell us so, and we would go further on. But we 

 had no time for long shauris. We had come in peace, but if 

 they wanted war they could have it. And as for the water in 

 the river, it was as much ours as theirs. And here the shauri. 

 ended as far as we M^ere concerned. As I spoke I kept my 

 eyes fixed on my bellicose antagonist, shaking my finger 

 threateningly at him several times when I alluded to war, and 

 finally, bidding all our people follow me, I marched back to 

 camp. Five minutes later women and children came with 

 goats and sheep, men driving donkeys, and girls carrying bowls 

 of milk. In a word, peace was restored, and the market soon 

 in full swing again. 



The same evening our Nyiro friend came to tell us there 

 was no dhurra near the Trrawell, but he brought us greeting 

 from Logoriom, the head Leibon of Turkana, a very old, half- 

 blind patriarch living by the river. 



Acting on Lemagori's advice, who kept on telling us that 

 we were in the richest part of Turkana for cattle, I decided to 

 remain where we were two days longer. But for a few petty 

 squabbles, we managed, by dint of the greatest patience on our 

 part, and the constant efforts of Lemagori and a dozen old 



