KI.JUMA SHAMS ILLNESS 



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There were numbers of wild animals, chiefly antelopes, 

 here ; but as we had a long march before us, we had to re- 

 strain our hunting propensities, and Count Teleki only shot 

 one gnu. We also saw a great many of the peculiar hoi'iibills 

 the Count had noticed before on his march to Masinde. They 

 congregated in the long grass in twos and threes, and flew 

 heavily. Unwillingly I shot one to examine it more closely, 

 and found its feathers were scanty, with large bare patches of 

 skin. 



Mikinduni is situated in a sharp northerly bend of the 

 river, at the foot of the insignificant mountain range of the 

 same name, flanking the Sogonoy chain on the north. Our next 

 march was between these two mountain masses, so that for a 

 time we lost sight of the river. At first the path was very 

 steep, but then it sunk again. Though the ground Avas 

 stony and sandy, there 'was luxuriant vegetation, just now 

 in full bloom ; Ijaobabs and acacias were the chief trees. 

 In the whole march we only came to one pool, and the dull 

 green water of that was quite unfit to drink. It was fear- 

 fully hot, and the dazzling sunbeams were reflected from the 

 gleaming white ground. Under the circumstances, it was no 

 wonder that it should have occurred to Kijuma wadi Muynuru, 

 one of our SAvahili porters, that he would throw aside his 

 load and by a clever manoeuvre get off any further travelling 

 through this torrid district. It was just the hottest part of 

 the day when I found him rolling on the ground, kicking out 

 with hands and feet as if in the agonies of death. ' Kijuma ! ' 

 I cried, ' what in the world is the matter ? ' ' Oh, master ! ' 

 was his reply in broken accents, ' I am dying ! ' Then he 

 rolled over again, his convulsions became weaker, and he 

 lay quite still. Quite taken in, and not knowing what to do for 

 the poor fellow, I stood looking at him pityingly, whilst his 

 comrades gathered round, and gazed upon him in dismay. 

 VOL. I M 



