Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-08
In Closed Territory
Continued from rage IL

drew from old AgllO a lew Drlel SIdfp ORDERS
to one and another, spoken IN the rolling roar
of mouth pouting, tongue wabbling, blub-
bering labials with which kavlrondo COM
municate condolences, which soon wrought
wonders.
Out of this posholess land, within half an
hour naked women Young and old, came am
bling into camp with baskets of metana, and
active barter began Some wanted rupees
probably such only as were short of liquid
funds to pay their annual hut tax of rupees
three-but few could resist the temptation of
such rare chance of acquiring stunning new
full dress costumes as was afforded by the
heaps of tiny shining gauds piled at Outram's
tent door. And such master he proved of ma
tive foibles that by night We had acquired
twenty twelve hundred pounds) loads of
metama at cost of about a cent pound.
And in this price figured liberal donations of
bakshish to Agilo in coin of the Protectorate
and to Others IN trinkets.
Native War Dance
INDEED, so pleased were the kavirondo with
their traffic that in the afternoon Agos son
led to our tents group OF young warriors, all
armed and gorgeously deCked IN dress,
himself mounted bareback on a bridlcd brlndle
steer and wearing his fathers war bonnet a
two-story mass of superb black ostrich feathers,
with circle of white ostrich feathers sticking
out at right angles from the top of the second
story; while another wore gorgeous war bon
net made of grayish yellow monkey skin, tall
as a grenadier's busby and shaped much like
one.
Up before us they danced singing chorus
of welcome occasionally led by his Ostrich
Plumes-as often led by him as he could sue
coed in persuadng his long-horned brindle
mount to stay anywhere in the vicinity. Then
they lined up and gave us war dance. of
the more striking poses of which are shown in
my photograph-herce charges, individually
and in line stealthy approaches retreats be-
hind the cover of their enormous shields. with
brandishngs of spears and grimacings of face
calculated to chill the marrow of the boldest
enemy.
To this afternoons festivity Agilo socially
brought generous a jag of afembe (native
spirits, brewed of honey and metama) as his
system could hold and continued to carry it to
the end of the day without serious in Jury to his
sultanc tiara or dignity
And when at our evening. parting risked
giving him a modest Jorum of gin and told him
1T was sample of the sort of water found in
most of the streams in my country, he wolfed it
down, coughed and spluttered, and then CUR
gled to me Through the interpreted earnest
inquiry as to how many days march it was to
my country, whether the expression of po-
lite interest in my wandering or of a keen APP
probation of American water, he did not ex-
plain.
News a Month Old
THAT night January Is, l sat down to an
unwonted luxury perusal of the latest"
news, contained in one copy each of " The
London Weekly Times and The London
Daily Mail " each of December 49, which came
day two before to Northcote and were
kindly given to me.
| Oddly.-camped there the Oyan which
is the main southern branch of the kuia, and
come recently from the Mara, the two largest
tributaries of Victoria Nyanza, the mother of
the Nile. traveller for weeks along and be-
tween the Niles remotest sources, in territory
still plotted unknown" the most re-
Gently published maps, region a scant dozen
white men have ever ntered-the very first
article to catch my eye in The Times was an
account of the Royal Geographical Society's
meeting In commemoration of the fiftieth an
niversary of Spekes solution of the world-old
Nile source mystery, by the discovery of Vic
toria Nyanza, the browning feat of the many
most notable of his African explorations, begun
the year | was born, 1856.
The next day wasted on promises of Agilo
to furnish porters he did not produce to carry
our posho to the Mara for which he was prom
ised premium for himself Of one rupee each.
However, the delay gave US opportunity for the
pleasure of having Northcote and Baker at
luncheon; and while we had nothing better
than chop boxes to serve as tables and seats,
and menu | am sure Oscar would have inn
proved whether our guests enjoyed it not, l
know Outram and | did.
Big Tuskers Rare
DURING luncheon Northcote cracked almost
to a shatter our hope of elephant by telling
us that while there were probably three hun