iS6 
EAST AFRICA AND ITS BIG GAME. 
men, and every one was expecting an almost immediate 
attack by the Masai. Some of the cowardly porters 
had already begun to sneak off to hide in the bush, 
and the general state of tension was snapped by a loud 
laugh of relief, when I told them how I had inter¬ 
viewed the leader of the supposed enemy, and whom 
he had turned out to be. 
C-, while following the Kikavo river, had 
wounded a buffalo, but .lost him in the bush before 
the Masai scare. The temporary misfortune was fully 
compensated for a few days later by the discovery 
of the carcass and the slaughter of a lion which had 
been feasting on it. 
On the 20th February we struck camp and followed 
the serpentine course of the Kikavo river, which, on 
account of the steep and rocky cliffs forming its 
banks, can only be crossed at rare intervals. At the 
end of a six-mile march we pitched our tents on the 
right bank, amidst a thick clump of tall trees, close to 
an old camp of W’Andarobbu, who are the native 
hunters of these parts. This clump, effectually con¬ 
cealing our encampment and at the same time forming 
a capital landmark of its whereabouts, was a forest 
oasis in a surrounding grass and bush wilderness of 
considerable extent, and here some of us had a very 
good time with the big game, especially buffalo, while 
fever was having at least an equally good time of it 
with the others, including myself. The position of 
our camp and the proximity of the river, added to the 
diminished elevation and the frequent rain, were all in 
