252 



THROUGH TURKANA AND SUK 



set of people to deal witli now. For some time they could not 

 be brought to realise that only one person had power to buy 

 and sell, for they went round and round offering their goats 

 and sheep to each man before they turned to Qualla, who, 

 to their disappointment, answered simply yea or nay and would 

 have nothing whatever to do with long shauris. We bought all 

 the small animals, twenty-four, which they brought, and they 

 promised us a big cattle-market the next day, when we should 

 also receive a visit from the Leibon of Ngamatak, with whom 

 Jumbe Kimemeta was already acquainted. The Count there- 

 fore decided to stop here, though, owing to the want of shade, 

 the place was anything but comfortable. But we got neither 

 our market nor the promised visit. The natives, it is true, 

 assembled near the camp the next day, but only after a long 

 discussion to inform us, through our interpreter, in an osten- 

 tatious manner, that ' we might go, nobody would sell us any- 

 thing, for we were not the right sort of Logomba ; we did not 

 pay well, and we did not let them talk with us.' Eagerly they 

 awaited the return of the interpreter from the white Leibon, 

 but the message he brought was a very simple and cool one : 

 ' If they did not wish to trade with us they could let it alone.' 

 They did not like this at all, and after waiting a little they all 

 came back to our camp and wandered roundabout it as before. 

 We now turned the tables on them, telling them that they 

 could leave our camp and go home if they had nothing with 

 them for sale. This had the desired effect ; they fetched a dozen 

 goats, trading was begun again, and all went on as before. 



In addition to our disappointment about the big market 

 and the visit from the head Leibon, we had to put up with the 

 loss of three oxen belonging to us, the only ones we had been 

 able to obtain, in spite of all our efforts. The theft took place 

 in the hottest time of the day, when the boys and Askari in 

 charge of them had fallen asleep — a few enterprising natives 



