A GENEROUS LOVEE 



295 



last moment, for this had been all too often the experience of 

 other travellers. 



All went on peacefully enough in camp now ; onl}^ a few old 

 women came to us to sell water and fuel for a few strings of 

 beads. These ancient sjangiki sometimes stopped all night, 

 but no young girl ever did such a thing ; and when Thom- 

 son says that Masai women often remained all night in his 

 camp, it would have been only fair to add the age and very 

 unprepossessing appearance of these visitors. I think, too^ 

 that the same traveller says rather too much about the free 

 love prevailing in the Masai warrior kraals, for many a 

 moran chooses and remains true to one sweetheart. A little 

 incident that occurred to us in Ngongo Bagds illustrates this. 

 A warrior came one day into Count Teleki's tent and, taking 

 off his beautiful sword, he laid it on the table and said he 

 wanted to sell it for forty strings of beads. The price asked 

 was so low that the Count inquired why he was so anxious to 

 part with such a good weapon for so little. The moran replied : 

 ' My doje is angry with me for giving her no beads, and my 

 sword is all I have, so I have brought it to get some for her.' 



On September 7 all was ready for a start', and an old 

 Kikuyu, named Kassa, with a whole body of warriors, promised 

 to guide us to our next camping-place. The order of the 

 march was as follows : Count Teleki with Jumbe Kimemeta, 

 Maktubu, and the Somal led the way, accompanied by forty 

 men carrying the tents, our personal luggage, and the axes. 

 These men had instructions to begin felling trees and cutting 

 brushwood for a palisade directly the camping-place was 

 reached. Under the care of the Askari and guides came the 

 next detachment, with the pack-animals, and our few oxen, 

 goats, and sheep, whilst the rest of the porters, Qualla, Juma 

 Mussa, my three fellows and I, brought up the rear. All had 

 orders to have their weapons in constant readiness. 



