438 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT chap. 



ing, " A man is dying." I jumped up, and followed 

 my informant ; but when I reached the spot where the 

 man lay, I saw that he was already dead. I identi- 

 fied him as Wadi Farhan, who had taken some men 

 to procure firewood. These men returned without 

 him, and reported, that he had left them to speak to 

 some natives a short distance away. He had 

 apparently followed them, and dropped dead in the 

 road. He was not cold when I reached him. His 

 companions shouted, " Poison ! " but I silenced them. 

 I fancy his trouble was heart failure. His funeral 

 took place, while the west was still glowing with the 

 pearly tints of sunset. Night had already set in be- 

 fore the last cries of " La illaha il Allah ! " proclaimed 

 the grave to hold its own, and to be covered with 

 stones. 



It was not until November 19 that I received word 

 from George. Hamidi had managed to get food and 

 medicines across the river to him ; and he reported 

 that if the rains did not fall for six days, the river 

 would lower sufficiently to enable George to cross, 

 but that at that time it was impossible for him to do 

 so. 



During the rains the two Beloochi, Abdurachman 

 and Gwaharam, who had set out in search of ivory, 

 returned, bringing with them twenty-seven donkeys. 

 We exchanged presents, and I endeavoured to pur- 

 chase the donkeys from them, but without success. 

 They had with them from 700 to 800 pounds of ex- 

 cellent ivory, which they had purchased from the 

 Wanderobbo. They said that the country to the 

 north of the Guaso Nyiro was then plentifully sup- 



