FOOTNOTES: [6] The sap of this wood possesses certain stimulating qualities, and is extensively chewed by the natives of North Kenia. I tried it afterwards, and found it of a somewhat peppery flavour. Its effect upon me was rather nauseating, and it afterwards gave me a slight headache. CHAPTER VIII. _THE START FOR THE WASO NYIRO._ Some of El Hakim’s experiences with elephants—I am made a blood-brother of Koromo’s—Departure from M’thara—A toilsome march—A buffalo-hunt—The buffalo camp—Account of Dr. Kolb’s death—An unsuccessful lion hunt—Apprehension and punishment of a deserter. Early the next day the Somalis left for the Waso Nyiro. Soon after their departure we were aroused by a sound of altercation in our camp. On sending to inquire the cause, we found that four of the Somalis had returned, and were busily searching the tents of our men for deserters from their safari. Summoning them, we asked by what right they entered our camp and searched it without even asking permission. They were so impertinent that I lost my temper, and abused them soundly, and ended up by kicking them out of the camp. The looks they bestowed on me, an Infidel, who had dared to raise his foot against a follower of Mahomet, boded ill for my personal safety, if it should ever chance that opportunity favoured them. We were not quite ready to march, as our loads gave us more trouble than we had bargained for. N’Dominuki came to see us in the morning, accompanied by a large number of his people bringing food. We purchased about a fortnight’s rations, as we did not intend to be away more than a month in any case, and we could easily eke out the rations with game. We only took a month’s supply of tinned stuff, soap, candles, etc., for ourselves, leaving two cases behind with N’Dominuki as a reserve store to take us back to Nairobi. We also left behind twenty loads of beads, large-bore ammunition, and odds and ends of equipment, and all the cattle, except eight or nine head which we intended to take with us. N’Dominuki had five young camels belonging to El Hakim, which we also took along, as we thought they might be useful for buying ivory from the Rendili. I wished to go out again to look for my friend the bull elephant, but I was unable to put my foot on the ground in consequence of my injured instep. After our evening meal, which we had taken under the trees outside the tent, George and I had an interesting chat with El Hakim about elephant-hunting, upon which subject he was a veritable mine of information. He had shot elephants persistently for the previous four years in Somaliland, Galla-land, and the country round Lake Rudolph, having killed over 150, on one occasion shooting twenty-one elephants in twenty-one days—a fairly good record. Commenting on the size of the tusks obtainable in the districts north of the Waso Nyiro River, he mentioned that his largest pair weighed just over 218 lbs., and measured 9 feet in length.