Meantime Brentham and Lucy could remain encamped at Burungi awaiting the return of Ann’s escort. If the message was "All’s well," they could start off for the coast by the roundabout northern route.... "You seem to be a very capable woman," said Brentham, "as well as being an obstinate one. I agree to your plan, though I have a presentiment I may regret it. If you change your mind and come back I shan’t reproach you for being fickle. And besides, you may bring us later news. I must in any case stay here for a few days to prepare for the big march. I must shoot game and have a lot of ’biltong’[#] made for the men...." [#] Strips of lean meat dried in the sun and thus preserved for a considerable time in dry weather. "I’m glad you agree," said Ann. "I know I shall be in the right place at Hangodi—for many reasons. As it is, I’ve already had an idea. The Stotts seem to have been saved by the Masai. The Masai that our Walunga people call ’Wahumba’ are on good terms with us. We brought about peace between them and Mbogo. They come to our station to trade and we have cured several of their wounded men from bad lion bites. We will send messengers to the Humba Masai asking for a large war party of spearmen to await down below in the plains any attack by the Arabs. I think the mere knowledge the Masai are there will keep the Arabs from coming near Ulunga." So the next morning Ann rode off at five o’clock astride her Masai donkey, on which some makeshift arrangement of padded cloths had been tied by way of saddle. Her buxom Big-geru hoisted their light loads and struck up a Moody and Sankey hymn translated by Ann into Kagulu. The grinning Wanyamwezi gunmen brought up the rear, and the wild, unclothed Wagogo with fantastic ostrich feather or zebra-mane head-dresses dashed on ahead, whooping and leaping and shouting their determination to scare away the beasts of the field from the white woman-chief who talked like a man. *CHAPTER XI* *THE HAPPY VALLEY*