NATIVE IMPUDENCE. 
205 
join forces against some feeble foe unable to withstand 
the combined attack. They asked us why we adver¬ 
tised our unfriendliness by making them no presents, 
to which we replied that we had no desire for friendly 
relations with a tribe of thieves who had already 
managed to sneak one of our rifles. During this 
passage of compliments, one gentleman, who had been 
watching me intently for some time, quietly rose and 
endeavoured to take the pipe I was smoking out of 
my mouth; perhaps he thought my face had caught 
fire, but more probably the attention was suggested 
by mere inquisitiveness. Anyway, it resulted in a 
rather rude repulse from me. 
Our stores were anxiously low by this time, and 
we were reduced to grinding corn, as a substitute for 
flour, by pounding it in a piece of dried skin. However, 
we hoped soon to fall in with the men whom we had 
sent back to Taveta for further supplies, and were 
lucky enough to see them the following night. They 
had passed our halting-place, which was in a forest 
of tall trees by a stream with high cliffs on one side, 
and were ultimately guided back by a smart Kiboso 
visitor. 
On the nth March we continued the mountain 
ascent, and reached Kiboso after a very tiring journey, 
chiefly through a tunnel of dense jungle in which our 
carriers were unable to march in an erect position. 
At the end of two hours’ wearisome work we reached 
the entrance-gate of the Wa-kiboso, a miniature trap- 
hole through which we all had to wriggle with such 
