XIV 
RETURN TO LAKE RUDOLPH 
34i 
with the large bustard ; it tried the other once, but it would 
not submit to be ridden/’ A flock of the beautiful sacred ibis 
frequently fed about my hut, and egrets often attended my 
donkeys when grazing. 
So time went on, and I almost began to think the wound 
in my side would never heal; but at last, three months after 
my accident, it so far improved that I determined to make a 
start southward, whole or not. With great difficulty Abdulla 
had accumulated a sufficient store of food to carry us through 
the desert. He had in vain tried all the surrounding districts : 
not a ration was to be obtained anywhere else, and even at 
Kere the supply had so fallen off that we could hardly keep 
pace with the consumption. Under these circumstances, if we 
delayed longer we should soon be reduced to eating our stock, 
so that it was important to start while that was still intact. 
Accordingly, I had the whole of our belongings brought over 
from Kere, the ivory dug up, and set about making all ready 
for marching once more. The food and ivory were weighed 
and made up into loads of suitable size for porters and donkeys 
(a donkey carries two men’s burdens), and all other necessaries 
were adjusted for carrying, while the donkeys’ pads and other 
pack gear were overhauled and mended. 
The difficulty of completing our food purchases had been 
considerably increased by the arrival of a large Swahili trading 
caravan from the Turkana country west of the lake. Kere 
being practically the only market in the neighbourhood, these 
traders had to repair there for supplies, and the district being 
so limited, their competition at once caused scarcity and higher 
prices. Fortunately we had already a good store in hand, and 
needed but little more. On the other hand, Abdulla was able 
to buy from them some splendid donkeys for me, which were 
most useful to supply the place of some we had lost and 
supplement our troop of pack-animals. These donkeys (of 
which they had a large number) had been bought in Turkana, 
where they are plentiful. They are of a light yellowish colour 
