The Flames Of Grass Fires, Too, Could
Plainly Be Made Out, Incredible Distances Away, And At Daytime,
Through The Reek, Were Fascinating Suggestions Of Distant Rivers,
Plains, Jungles, And Hills.
You see, we were still practically on
the wide slope of Kenia's base, though the peak was many days
away, and so could look out over wide country.
The last half day of this we wandered literally in a rape field.
The stalks were quite above our heads, and we could see but a few
yards in any direction. In addition the track had become a
footpath not over two feet wide. We could occasionally look back
to catch glimpses of a pack or so bobbing along on a porter's
head. From our own path hundreds of other paths branched; we were
continually taking the wrong fork and moving back to set the
safari right before it could do likewise. This we did by drawing
a deep double line in the earth across the wrong trail. Then we
hustled on ahead to pioneer the way a little farther; our
difficulties were further complicated by the fact that we had
sent our horses back to Nairobi for fear of the tsetse fly, so we
could not see out above the corn. All we knew was that we ought
to go down hill.
At the ends of some of our false trails we came upon fascinating
little settlements: groups of houses inside brush enclosures,
with low wooden gateways beneath which we had to stoop to enter.
Within were groups of beehive houses with small naked children
and perhaps an old woman or old man seated cross-legged under a
sort of veranda.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 224 of 371
Words from 58343 to 58622
of 97210
