A White King in East Africa: The Remarkable Adventures of John Boyes, Trader and Soldier of Fortune, Who Became King of the Savage Wa-KikuyuBoyes, John
History
A White King in East Africa: The Remarkable Adventures of John Boyes, Trader and Soldier of Fortune, Who Became King of the Savage Wa-Kikuyu
Boyes, John
Africa, East; Kikuyu (African people)
During my stay at Wagombi’s another chief turned up, who proved to be a
man named Olomondo, chief of the Wanderobo tribe. The Wanderobo are a
race of hunters, who live entirely by hunting, and inhabit the country
round Mount Kenia and on the great plain adjoining Wagombi’s country,
down towards the Guasa Nyero River. Olomondo came to see me, and,
according to the custom of the country, brought me a present of honey.
It is always customary when making a visit to a stranger to bring a
present, and the recipient is himself expected to return the compliment
by giving a present of at least an equal value to the one he has
received. This man was plainly quite a different type of native to
Wagombi’s people, being rather sharp-featured and practically the same
as the Masai. I found out, in the course of conversation, that his clan
numbered about six hundred men, besides women and children, and that
their kraal was about two days’ march to the north-west of us. He
mentioned the Maswatch-wanya, and told me that in the course of his
hunting he had seen these pigmy people, but had never got into
communication with them. It was Wagombi’s boast that Mount Kenia
belonged to him and the Wanderobo were his people, and joined him if
there was a fight. I afterwards found that they were a very timid
people, but, judging from the quality of their weapons, I should imagine
that they could put up a good fight, Olomondo’s bow and arrows being
much larger and stronger than those of the Kikuyu, which were like toys
in comparison, while as a proof of their ability to use them, I saw
Olomondo put an arrow clean through an antelope as big as a sheep. He
invited me out to his camp, saying that he had some ivory for sale, and
also saying that there was any amount of game out on the plain, and
asking me to go hunting with him. This I promised to do later on.
Incidentally, he complained of the Kikuyu getting his ivory, as many of
the elephants his people wounded strayed away and died in the forest,
and the Kikuyu would find their bodies and take the ivory. I told him
that I was afraid I could not do anything in the matter, as it was quite
impossible to trace the ivory. The Wanderobo knew the commercial value
of ivory, and had sold it to the Arab and Swahili traders.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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