way to the coast after a journey of two years
through the country lying to the north and west
of Lake Rudolph. They had with them 35,000
pounds of ivory and 600 donkeys. George succeeded
in purchasing seventy-five of these donkeys at twenty-
five rupees each, giving in payment a draft on my
agent at the coast.
This intelligence made my heart actually leap with
joy. There then seemed to be no difficulty lying
between me and the north I so longed to reach.
I had men, food, and donkeys sufficient to carry
the food. These high hopes, however, were destined
soon to meet with the severest possible blow. From
this time Fortune hid her face from me, and our
luck returned to the condition which had characterized
it since the outset of the expedition.
Ever since Lieutenant von Hohnel had left for the
coast, I had suffered from continued attacks of fever
and liver trouble. The fever never caused my temperature
to rise very high, but the attacks returned
daily, and my liver troubles became more and more
frequent. I attribute this condition of my health to
the fact that, throughout the journey to the Rendile
and return, I had greatly overexerted myself, and
this had its effect upon the liver, which in all probability
gave rise to the fever and high temperature.
Although my appetite was good, I grew thinner day
by day; and I looked forward with impatience to
the time when George should return, and we should
be once more able to push into the healthier country
lying to the north of the Guaso Nyiro. By this time
our supply of goats and cattle was almost exhausted;
so I sent a party of men across the river to Ukam-
bani, to purchase as many goats as possible from the
natives of that country. While they were gone, five
Zanzibari turned up at Daitcho. These men were
members of the caravan from which George had purchased
donkeys in Ukambani. They had left their
companions at Njemps, in order that they might pick
up some ivory they had left at Daitcho.
I spent many hours chatting with them about the
journey they had just accomplished. They stated
that under the leadership of an Arab, named Abdu-
rachman, they had set out two years before from
Mombasa 400 strong. They had journeyed via
Kikuyu, and passing these people had continued
their march, until they finally reached the country of
the Donyiro. From there the party had crossed the
country of the Reschatt, and had even passed as far
north as the Buma Murle, the people first visited by
Count Teleki and Lieutenant von Hohnel on their
journey. They had a little fighting on the road,
having been attacked once or twice in the Buma
Murle country. They were also attacked just before
leaving Donyiro on their homeward march; but on
the whole had not had more fighting than usually
falls to the lot of the ill-governed and irregular caravans
the Arabs lead. They said there was much
ivory to the north, particularly in the Donyiro country,
and among people called by them Mortunye, who
inhabited a part of the country two days’ march
beyond the Donyiro. From these the caravan had
bought 12,000 pounds of ivory; and as they had
never before been visited by a trading caravan, the