182 
EAST AFRICA AND ITS BIG GAME. 
feed. Here we had to remain a day or two and await 
the arrival of the twenty men we had despatched to 
Kiboso to bring back a few clays’ food. Although in 
parts the game was fairly plentiful, the bush was so 
thick that we did not do much good. I shot three 
mpallah and saw two lots of buffalo and a few water- 
buck, and a solitary old buffalo jumped up and stood 
facing me with his head just out of a bush for a 
moment ; but as a head shot is rather uncertain, I waited 
for him to turn, a movement he executed with such 
rapidity that he disappeared altogether before I could 
fire. The elevation of our camp was 2800 feet, and 
the neighbouring river provided us with plenty of fish, 
which helped our commissariat a good deal, as the 
porters were very fond of fish, especially after it had 
been smoked and kept for a few days. 
The men returned from Kiboso late in the afternoon 
of the second day, bringing with them grain, bananas, 
a bullock, and a goat from Sina, who also sent a 
message to say that if we wanted two hundred warriors 
to help to carry our loads or as escort, he would at 
once place that number at our disposal. I must say he 
behaved like a “brick” to us in everyway, and that 
too without demanding any hongo ; the only present 
we had sent him hitherto was an infantry colonel’s 
sword and a few trifles of no particular value. He 
was, of course, most jealous of Mandara, and knowing 
we had paid him a visit, was only too anxious to cut. 
out his rival and get us to his place. Mandara at the 
same time was equally anxious to prevent our going 
