UKAMBA-NI. 



63 



stations, carefully comparing the accounts of 

 several travellers. Ukamba-ni was described to 

 me as • a country rich in game, whose rivers 

 were full of hippopotamus ; with gazelles, jungle- 

 cattle, and ' wild camels ' (giraffes) in the plains, 

 and in the bush lions and leopards, elephants, 

 and the rhinoceros, which the Arabs here call 

 ' El Zurraf,' and describe to be very fierce. The 

 tribes are subject to head men, whose influence 

 extends over a few miles : these chiefs must be 

 propitiated with cloth and beads, for which they 

 return safe conduct and provisions. At Kikuyu 

 the caravan found a royalet, Mundu Wazeli, 

 whose magical powers were greatly feared. The 

 people, a semi-pastoral and hospitable race, will- 

 ingly escorted the strangers. They are braver 

 than the Wanyika, and they effectively oppose 

 the Wamasaa, when invading their country to 

 drive the Galla cattle. The Wakamba claim 

 blood-relationship with the Wakwafi and the 

 Wagalla, who, it must be remembered, speak an 

 Arabic dialect. All spring from the three sons 



14. Kitui : 2i days. 



Thence, to the beginning of Kikuyn, the travellers make 

 from 4 to 8 stages. The day's ^vork would be 9 hours, in- 

 cluding 2 of halt, and the distance, assuming the pace to be 2\ 

 miles per hour, would be about 17 miles. Here, say the people, 

 10 marches do the work of a month on the southern lines, the 

 reason being want of food and water, and fear of enemies. 



