THE GUASO NYERO 
277 
lightning, they gathered in their wrath from every quarter 
of the heavens, and darkness was before and under them; 
then, in the lull of a moment, they might break apart, 
while the sun turned the rain to silver and the rainbows 
were set in the sky; but always they gathered again, men¬ 
acing and mighty,—for the promise of the bow was never 
kept, and ever the clouds returned after the rain. Once 
as I rode facing Kenia the clouds tore asunder, to right and 
left, and the mountain towered between, while across its 
base was flung a radiant arch. But almost at once the 
many-colored glory was dimmed; for in splendor and 
terror the storm strode in front, and shrouded all things 
from sight in thunder-shattered sheets of rain. 
These days alone in the wilderness went by very pleas¬ 
antly, and, as it was for not too long, I thoroughly enjoyed 
being entirely by myself, so far as white men were con¬ 
cerned. By this time I had become really attached to my 
native followers, who looked after my interest and comfort 
in every way; and in return I kept them supplied with 
plenty of food, saw that they were well clothed, and forced 
them to gather enough firewood to keep their tents dry and 
warm at night—for cold, rainy weather is always hard upon 
them. 
Ali, my faithful head tent boy, and Shemlani his as¬ 
sistant-poor Bill the Kikuyu had left because of an in¬ 
tricate row with his fellows—were both, as they proudly 
informed me, Arabs. On the East African coast the so- 
called Arabs almost all have native blood in them and 
speak Swahili; the curious, newly created language of the 
descendants of the natives whom the Arabs originally en¬ 
slaved, and who themselves may have in their veins a little 
