134 
ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA 
CHAP. 
The two and a half months which I spent in Mombasa, 
now, were a pleasant change to me ; change of diet, manner of 
life, and surroundings, with the opportunity of speaking my 
native language and enjoying the hospitality of kind friends. 
But it was not an idle time, far from it, nor was the work of 
reorganising my caravan uninteresting to me, though I fear it 
would be so to the reader were I to go into many details about 
buying and packing the few goods I needed. Beads were the 
Author’s Porters depositing his Tusks at Custom-House. 
(From a Photograph by Mr. J. R. W. Pigott.) 
principal item, as medium for barter in the interior, our small 
change in fact; while, for myself, an ample supply of tea, salt, 
and soap were almost the only groceries I took. 
Most of my best porters “ wrote on ” again, and the few 
new ones engaged were all accredited as first-class men : my 
servants were the same as before. I kept down the number 
this time to thirty-five, all told. It was a little party to start 
with, for so long a journey, and of course its weakness involved 
a certain amount of risk. Formerly I had imagined a much 
