200 
A COLONY IN THE MAKING 
CHAP. 
of ounces or half a pound of dust according to ones 
sex. In the last two years, however, the whole length of 
the line has been ballasted with granite, and the passen¬ 
ger can contemplate his own visage with his custom¬ 
ary equanimity. Dawn finds us at Simba or Sultan 
Hamoud, and from there to Nairobi we pass through 
a natural zoological garden. We may see lion and 
rhinoceros ; we are sure of giraffe, zebra, wildebeeste, 
and according to the season, thousands or tens of 
thousands of antelope. Our train will be treated with 
supreme contempt. The game are certainly no more 
shy of us than cattle or horses in a paddock ; though 
were we on foot we should find it extremely difficult 
to get within a quarter of a mile of any but the 
youngest and least sophisticated. Tea and eggs are 
provided at Ulu; with regard to the latter, I may 
have been unfortunate, but to my mind they are to be 
regarded with caution ; and the older traveller usually 
makes his own provision for this meal. Crossing the 
stony Athi and the Athi, from the former of which 
more lions have been killed than from any similar spot 
in Africa, we soon get a view of Nairobi with its red 
roofs interspersed with wattle and gum trees. Neat 
homesteads spring into view, and cattle and wire 
fences take the place of the primaeval veldt. At about 
11.20 we glide into the fine stone built station and 
draw up along its crowded platform. In addition to 
those who have come to meet friends or to board the 
train, there is here, as in South Africa, a considerable 
crowd who seem to have nothing better to do than to 
meet each train, drink with acquaintances, and pass 
the latest scandals. There is a good interval allowed 
here for luncheon and soon after noon we start North 
again ; first passing through the Kikuyu native 
