406 



ACROSS LEIKIPIA 



various instruments, &c., and even liow to manipulate tliem, 

 so that I could say quite shortly pima dschua (measure the 

 sun), pima m.ilima (measure the mountain), or piga pitscha 

 (photograph), and walk off empty-handed, quite sure that 

 Chuma would bring all I needed. He always thought of 

 everything, and never once so much as asked me at an incon- 

 venient time if I had matches enough with me. He generally 

 stopped beside me whilst I was at work, either to help me 

 or to keep guard against my being disturbed, but if I was 

 very near the camp or in an open plain, I sometimes sent him 

 home. 



He was not with me on this occasion, and I was so absorbed 

 in my contemplation of Kenia that a herd of zebras came quite 

 close to me before I observed them. The district was as flat as 

 a mown field, and I was myself quite taken aback when I saw 

 them all slowly wending their way to the pool in sleepy fashion, 

 with drooping heads. They did not see me at first, and I had 

 already seized my gun before they looked up ; too late ! for 

 their leader paid for his carelessness with his life. 



It was evident that our pool was the only water in the 

 neighbourhood, as vast herds of antelopes and zebras came 

 here to try and quench their thirst. They could not, however, 

 get through our camp, which was between them and the water, 

 and the zebras expressed their distress by loud neighing. They 

 and the antelopes did not disperse until, as night fell, beasts of 

 prey came forth from their lairs. One lion remained a long 

 time the other side of our pond, evidently with an eye to 

 our donkeys, and our men were in a great state of alarm nearly 

 all night, holding their guns in readiness to fire a salvo if 

 necessary. I heard nothing about it all till the morning, as 

 I slept very soundly after my hard day's work, and all negroes 

 have a kind of religious dread of disturbing anyone's sleep, a 

 fa.ct to which I owed many a good rest. My man Chuma, who 



