24 THE PEOPLE ON THE S.E. SLOPES OF ELGON 
They are an enterprising race and are bound, now that 
war and raiding are eliminated, to increase very materially 
in the next few years. At present they envelope and are 
crowding out the El-geborit. 
The Uasin-Gishu Masai. 
A few villages of Masai are scattered haphazard among 
the above tribes. They are all fugitives from the time when 
the tribe was broken up and destroyed by the pastoral Masai. 
They do not call for any comment except for the fact that 
they are all becoming very rich in cattle. They own some 
faint allegiance to Nyakuli. 
The Esomek. 
These are the cave-dwellers who have inhabited the large 
and numerous caves found in the first cliffs at the foot of Elgon. 
They may be closely allied to the El-kony, many of whom are 
living in the open now. 
Their lives until lately have not been happy. Each passing 
raiding party would usually pay a visit and endeavour to 
smoke them out. 
If they came down from the caves they were always in 
danger of being cut off, as in most cases the cave is approached 
by a tortuous path, in one case so steep and narrow that the 
observer wonders how the cattle get up and down. In this 
instance the rock passage through which the path runs is 
worn into a series of depressions made by the feet of cattle. 
The entrance to the caves is strongly defended by a palisade, 
and the interior is divided up into cattle and goat pens, cubicles 
for the owners, store-rooms, &c., in a very ingenious manner* 
They have been often described and so call for little comment 
here. 
Two caves are uninhabited owing to the millions of fleas in 
them. The story related in connection with this is that a 
heifer was bought from the Kitosh on the plains and brought 
up. The heifer had fleas on it and these, finding the floor of 
the cave (composed of several feet of cowdung) a most congenial 
spot, bred and multiplied enormously and drove the owner 
