March 24th, Monday
It was with relief that I heard the first bird sing but the rain went on until 8. Breakfasting, we then took N’Gayo our guide and marched off to scale the heights taking with us our last tin of bully. Giant Senecio and Giant Lobelia grow here besides many interesting specimens of marsh plants unknown to me. The path ran up and down and at length ascended steeply to the foot of the final climb, bare of trees. Here I realized that 50 couldn’t do what 25 can and decided most reluctantly to send them on and await their return. Choosing a hillock near a Masai hut in which N’Gayo told me to shelter when rain came I watched them slowly toil up hill and soon the descending clouds hid them from sight. Very soon the rain came so I approached the house and having attempted unsuccessfully to negotiate the mire which guarded the entrance I called “hodi” and a voice replied come in. I found myself in the cattle compartment and my host, a young Masai, pointed to a pile of well manured logs saying sit here. The aroma!! cattle, goats, sheep, manure and smoke. The floor was a foot deep in manure and two women armed with curved wooden scrapers were busy collecting it. The hut, a very large one, was divided into two, the cattle in the outer one, the Masai with their goats and sheep sleep in the inner. There are no window openings, only a few holes here and there to let out the smoke. I sat a long hour conversing with the young Masai and the rain ceasing I thankfully emerged, soon after to my relief the others returned. Their climb had been most severe, the clouds prevented their seeing much and the guide failed to take them to the flat table where sits the bottle in which one places ones name. Most disappointing. We waited just long enough to feed, and the Masai brought us milk and water in a gourd bottle and then rain appearing we began the descent. We hadn’t gone a mile before torrents, thunder, lightening greeted us and we took shelter in a hut, a smaller and much more sinister one than the last surrounded by the same feet of manure. While we sat the babies, fat, well formed, clean little shavers, came peering round the corner and were pulled away by unseen hands. Beads ornamented their waists whilst weird witchdoctor charms hung round their necks. We could hear the sounds of milking and maize grinding going on in the inner recess and a continual low murmuring of voices. I was not sorry when the rain ceased and at length we reached camp, our arrival greeted with the joyful news that the boys had come up and so we are now well away for food again.
March 25th
We breakfasted royally, and all the Masai assembled to see us do so. One thing they freely provide one with here is milk, excellent rich lovely milk in exchange for which we gave them cigarettes, empty tins and bottles. We struck camp and got back to our base about 11.15 and spent the rest of the day resting from our labours and ended it round a huge fire.
March 26th
Our boys (PInk and Parkin) left soon after 5 for the salt lick and not until past 1 did they return having for 8 hours followed the buffalo tracks and never coming up with them. They were just about done in, thus do amateurs conduct. Considering we are surrounded by tracks of elephant and buffalo it is most disappointing never to have seen a sign of either.
March 27th
Now that our safari is over the weather has cleared, the mountains look lovely and all nature is at peace! We struck camp early and with two rests en route we arrived home without incident at lunch time. We gratefully accepted large drinks of shandy and tea at Wreford’s and once more took car. All was well at home and the place is certainly topping to come back to, so is a spring bed!!