WE TRY MUSTARD AS A WAR MEDICINE 



389 



us along the base of the Aberdare range and over flat-topped 

 ridges in a north-westerly direction, the monotony broken now 

 and then by little groves of acacias, amongst which occurred a 

 few isolated morio trees. We met a good many parties of Masai 

 moran who wanted us to hold shauris with them, but we had 

 no time to lose and hastened on. They were evidently on the 

 war-path, for the blades of their spears were smeared with red 

 fat, or wrapped round with rags, to prevent them from catching 

 the light and betraying their owners. At two o'clock we 

 reached the camp, which was pitched beside a brook in the 

 shade of a group of fine trees, including examples of the beauti- 

 ful Calodendron capense, Tlibg. 



Our march through Kikuj^uland had made an immense 

 impression upon the Masai, who were convinced that we owed 

 our safety entirely to our powerful war medicines. The 300 

 moran who were then raiding the Wakikuyu were so sure of 

 this that they came back to our camp again to try and secure 

 some of the wonder-working remedies for themselves. They 

 deputed two moruu to negotiate the matter with us, standing 

 quietly aloof just outside the camp themselves, without asking 

 for any hongo. To get rid of them the Count gave them a 

 little box of mustard, telling them that to secure its efficacy 

 they must camp for four days on the Ngare Nyuki, a little 

 stream rising on the north-west slope of Kenia. This condition 

 was probably too hard for them, for, after long consideration, 

 they gave us back the box of mustard, telling us that it would 

 not do to consult two leibons at once, as, when the time arrived 

 for the division of the spoil, it w^ould be impossible to say what 

 belonged to each. Of course, we were sorry not to be able to 

 help our friends the Wakikuyu, but at the same time we were 

 rather glad to be relieved of responsibility in the matter, and 

 we were delighted to hear later that the contemplated raid had 

 been altogether a failure. 



