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It was built California fashion for the first and last time in Africa: blankets spread on canvas under the open sky and a gipsy fire at our feet, over which I myself cooked our very simple meal. As we were smoking our pipes in sleepy content, Leyeye and the two Masai appeared for a shauri. Said the Masai, "We have taken you over the country we know.
The gourd must have held a gallon, but he got away with all of its contents in the course of the interview; also several pints of super-sweetened coffee which we doled out to him a little at a time, and which he seemed to appreciate extravagantly. Through Leyeye we exchanged the compliments of the day, and, after the African custom, told each other how important we were.
Mohammed said good-bye, and went, and was sorry; Kongoni departed, after many and sincere protestations; quiet little Mavrouki came back three times to shake hands again, and disappeared reluctantly but disappeared; Leyeye went; Abba Ali followed the service of his master, C.; "Timothy" received his present in which he was disappointed and departed with salaams. Only Memba Sasa remained.
At the end of two hours we came to the limit of Leyeye's knowledge of the country. It would now be necessary to find savage guides. Accordingly, while we made camp, C., with Leyeye as interpreter, departed in search of a Masai village. So tall and rank grew the grass, that we had to clear it out as one would clear brushwood in order to make room for our tents. Several hours later C. returned.
This offer, or, rather, a portion of it, you may be sure, we accepted promptly. McMillan wanted in addition to leave us his servants; but to this we would not agree. Memba Sasa and Mahomet were, of course, members of our permanent staff. In addition to them we picked up another house boy, named Leyeye. He was a Masai.
But the elephant are not here now, so the Wanderobo will get part of the present." That was certainly candid. After some further talk we decided there was no help for it; we must return to camp for a new start. At this decision the Masai brightened. They volunteered to set off early with Leyeye, to push ahead of us rapidly, and to have the Wanderobo in camp by the time we reached there.
We concealed somewhat cynical smiles, and agreed. The early start was made, but when we reached camp we found, not the Wanderobo, but Leyeye and the Masai huddled over a fire. This was exasperating, but we could not say much. After all, the whole matter was no right of ours, but a manifestation of friendship on the part of Naiokotuku.
We had provided an excellent supply of provisions for our guides; but on looking over the lot they discovered nothing absolutely nothing that met their ideas. "What do they want?" we asked Leyeye in despair. "They say they will eat nothing but sheep," he reported.
They would never dream of leaving while the most cherished of their possessions were in hostage. Here we were finally off at dawn. It was a very chilly, wet dawn, with the fog so thick that we could see not over ten feet ahead. We had four porters, carrying about twenty-five pounds apiece of the bare necessities, Kongoni, and Leyeye. The Masai struck confidently enough through the mist.
We called the Masai and Wanderobo before us. They squatted in a row, their spears planted before them. We sat in canvas chairs. Leyeye standing, translated. The affair was naturally of the greatest deliberation. In the indirect African manner we began our shauri. We asked one simple question at a time, dealing with one simple phase of the subject.
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