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TO KENIA 



men and women laden with the superfluous produce of their 

 fields, which they are very glad to dispose of. All now goes 

 merrily, and in a few minutes piles of provisions are exchanged 

 for strings of beads, but the slightest misunderstanding, an 

 unmeaning and generally quite groundless cry of terror from 

 either side is enough to cause all the natives to flee wildly away. 

 Such, we have been told, is the usual course of proceedings, 

 but although in the general melees that ensue many, generally 

 on the natives' side, are wounded or killed, it is always quite 

 easy to arrange for another market. 



When our camp was pitched we too sent fifty men under 

 Tom Charles, and a few of Jumbe Kimemeta's Askari to the 

 Wakikuyu to open negotiations, and rather late in the evening 

 they returned, reporting that they had reached a stream where 

 they found an old man, to whom they gave a little present, 

 telling him they wished to buy food. He told them to remain 

 where they were and he would send some. After several hours 

 of vain waiting some of our men got impatient, and with the 

 consent of Tom Charles, who, in fact, had not sufficient control 

 over them, penetrated further into the wood. In the course of 

 an hour they came to a clearing, where they met natives 

 carrying food. They had bought a considerable quantity when 

 they noticed that the numbers of the Wakikuyu were rapidly 

 increasing, became frightened and took to. their heels, firing- 

 two shots to frighten the natives and so aid their own escape. 

 The rest of the men, who had stopped by the stream, had also 

 been able to buy food, and had returned home quite quietly, 

 brine'ing it with them. 



Tom Charles had managed very badly in his attempt to 

 smooth matters for us, and so we had to send out another con- 

 • tingent the next day. Fortunately an old Masai woman, named 

 Nakairo, who was held in high esteem by the Wakikuyu, hap- 

 pened to be in the camp when our fugitives ran in, and she 



