210 THROUGH MASAILAND TO THE BORDERS OF KIKUYU 



I was indeed well repaid for the small trouble I had taken, for 

 below me lay the dark blue surface of the crater-lake, sur- 

 rounded by steep but thickly overgrown walls of rock. The 

 lake is of triangular shape, from three to four miles in circum- 

 ference, and apparently of somewhat higher level than the 

 neighbouring plains. 



Mount Kilimanjaro, which rose up clearly in the background, 

 was reflected in the deep blue water, and the sight was one 



over which I could have lingered 

 long, but the caravan had already 

 gone on some distance, and it was 

 absolutely necessary that I should 

 take my place in the rear guard. 



I soon came upon a few of 

 our guides and Somal, standing 

 about in the grass round a bale 

 of goods, which had been flung 

 down by an absconding porter. 

 No one had seen him go, so before 

 we could identify him we had to 

 consult the list of names, alwa5^s 

 in readiness for emergencies of 

 this kind. It turned out to be 

 Kijuma Muynuru, the same man 

 who, as the reader will probably 

 remember, had shammed madness on the march to the 

 Eonga. The day before I had found him resting by the way 

 and threatening that he would run ofl^ if a hghter load were 

 not given to him. Of course no notice was taken of this, and 

 he had fulfilled his threat. Eeproaching myself now for my 

 neghgence, and fearing that this might be the signal for other 

 defalcations, I determined to do my utmost to get hold of 

 the man ao-ain. We tracked him a few hundred yards to 



KIJUMA WADI MUYNURU. 



