close to our tents, where the waggons were parked. Taking up my double 12-bore rifle, whilst Simmons seized his Martini, I tumbled out of my tent, and there, sure enough, within 30 yards of us, was the brute, peacefully browsing in the moonlight, under the rays of which we could see his huge wet back glistening. He formed a good mark, but we could not see our foresights clearly, and he only exposed his stern to our view, as he was feeding down towards the water's edge. It was bitterly cold, so, after waiting some time for a better shot, without success, we decided to rake him on the chance of dropping him. We let drive simultaneously, but he managed to get into the water and disappeared, although next morning we found the grass where he had been standing stained with blood. In spite of the loud report of our two rifles in the silence of the night, it did not wake any of the other officers in camp! I was thankful, as I scarcely expected to be blessed for disturbing beauty sleeps somewhere before 3 a.m. We learnt from Wilson that the Masai flocks and herds were suffering from cattle plague between the Morendat River and Kampi Mbaruk, near Lake Elmenteita, scores of these animals dying daily, and that if we valued the lives of our bullocks it would be advisable to traverse the infected area without permitting them to graze. This necessitated a forced march of some thirty-two miles with the ox-waggons from Naivasha. Norman Macdonald and Bright left with the Indian carts on September 8, whilst the main body and our heavier carts followed next day. The main body marched through to the Gilgil River (ten miles), but we halted during the heat of the day to give the oxen a final graze. We pushed on in the afternoon, marched through the main body camp, and continued by moonlight towards Elmenteita until midnight. It was bitterly cold that night, and we were not sorry to turn in as we stood at 1 a.m. Off again at 5.30 next morning, we reached the Kariandus camp overlooking Lake Elmenteita shortly after nine, and a mile or two further on met Dr. Moffat and Major Ternan on their way to the coast from Uganda. Moffat, whom I had previously known in 1892, when in medical charge of the Kibwezi Mission, was now looking after Ternan, who was proceeding home sick. The main body subsequently met these two officers, who stopped at the camp for some time. We reached Kampi Mbaruk on the evening of the same day, and there found Norman Macdonald and Bright expecting us. The main body arrived the following morning, and also Mr. F. J. Jackson, from the Ravine station, which he was shortly leaving to take up the appointment of ActingCommissioner in Uganda, vice Major Ternan, who had been officiating up till now, during the absence of Mr. Ernest Berkeley, C.B., at home. I was delighted to meet my old friend Jackson again, as we had not seen each other for more than four years, when we were at home after the railway survey, on which he had been with us for some time before being invalided from Kibwezi. I had received many hints from this hunter of renown when he travelled with us in 1891, and I was to learn yet another before the sun went down. Towards evening we strolled down to the margin of Lake Elmenteita to secure a few ducks for the pot. I stalked a flock of some twenty or thirty of these birds quietly feeding on the sand near the water's edge, and fired into the 'brown,' knocking over a few. Jackson, who had been watching, now came up with a' tip,' which I have found most useful since. 'Just as you are ready to shoot,' said he, 'whistle; then the ducks will all raise their heads, and if you let drive at once you will bag many more. Try it.' I have-with good results. On September 13 we reached Lake Nakuro; but during the afternoon, whilst the main body were enjoying an exciting lion hunt on a low hill overlooking the lake, Kirkpatrick securing a splendid lion and Jackson a lioness, the Indian carts and ourselves pushed further on some six miles, to reduce the long, waterless march to the Molo River. Both columns camped together on the Molo River, which we crossed by a bridge on September 15, and the following day Ngare Nyuki was reached, and our mission with the carts at an end. We had joined the main body now, and as a complete reorganization of the expedition into three columns (unaccompanied by wheel transport) for further work north was about to be made, Ngare Nyuki (the red stream) had been decided upon as the concentration camp, at which we were to leave the Uganda road. I may incidentally mention that the equator runs through the camp we were now settled at, and here it was that the first signs of that great struggle, which none of us at that time could possibly have anticipated or foreseen, made themselves manifest. Jackson had proceeded to the Ravine station, some eight miles distant, but was to return on the morrow with Dr. J. S. Macpherson, the medical officer in charge there, who was to accompany the expedition in place of McLoughlin, left behind at Fort Smith. An immense amount of work had to be done at our base of operations before further progress could be embarked upon, and from morning until night all officers were employed in the multifarious duties incidental to the complete equipment of three separate and more or less independent columns now being organized. No. 1 Column, under my immediate command, was to consist of some 300 men, accompanied by 38 camels and 105 donkeys for transport purposes, and 50 oxen and 100 goats and sheep for commissariat. In addition to many other loads, numbering close on 300, some 229 loads of flour, etc., were carried for the consumption of the men. Tracy, Osborn, and Ferguson were the other officers of this column. No. 2 Column, under command of Norman Macdonald, assisted by Bright, was to be a light flying column of some 200 men and a few transport animals; whilst No. 3, or the Headquarter Column, the largest and most important one, was under the immediate command of our Chief, assisted by Woodward Kirkpatrick, and Macpherson. The details regarding numbers, loads, etc., I have, unfortunately, no records of; but perhaps this is of little account, for, as will be seen, unavoidable changes had to be made in these two columns, due to the attitude of the Sudanese troops, and No. 1 Column was the only one that proceeded as originally constituted, with the exception that some sixty-nine Sudanese, who were to have accompanied it, deserted en masse at Njemps. On September 17 the first contingent of ninety-two Sudanese arrived from the Ravine, after having been ordered no less than three times by Jackson to join us. On the 19th others arrived, and by the 20th the remainder of the 330 men, with the exception of some 113, who were still on the road under charge of Bilal Amin, and were expected shortly. I have met many people who are still under the impression that the mutiny was caused by Macdonald refusing to allow the Sudanese women to accompany their husbands. In reply I can only state the fact that on September 20, the day before my column started, I received orders to ration the women accompanying me on the same scale as the men. It was only at the earnest request of Mabruk Effendi, their senior native officer, that Macdonald agreed to leave the women behind at first, until a relief convoy, which was subsequently to be sent back for more supplies, should bring the women on to their husbands. This decision was not arrived at until the evening, when we had to call in again the food issued to the women. Until 9.30 that evening was Macdonald palavering and discussing all details with the native officers, with no thought for dinner, which we were all simply dying to begin on, as 6.30, or 7 at latest, was our usual dining hour in camp. Yet people who knew not our Chief at all, and had never worked with him, accused him of being hasty, unsympathetic, and inconsiderate in his. |