wear them much longer we shall not only lose the intended use of our
feet, but we shall lose our toe nails as well; the savage man, etc.,
etc., etc. Now I saw a great many of said savage men in Africa, and I
got much interested in their toe nails, because I soon found that our
own civilized "imprisoned" toe nails were very much better developed. In
fact, a large number of the free and untramelled savages have hardly any
toe nails at all! Whether this upsets a theory, nullifies a sentimental
protest, or merely stands as an exception, I should not dare guess. But
the fact is indubitable.

XVIII. IN THE JUNGLE (a) THE MARCH TO MERU

Now, one day we left the Isiola River and cut across on a long upward
slant to the left. In a very short time we had left the plains, and were
adrift in an ocean of brown grass that concealed all but the bobbing
loads atop the safari, and over which we could only see when mounted. It
was glorious feed, apparently, but it contained very few animals for all
that. An animal could without doubt wax fat and sleek therein: but only
to furnish light and salutary meals to beasts of prey. Long grass makes
easy stalking. We saw a few ostriches, some giraffe, and three or
four singly adventurous oryx. The ripening grasses were softer than a
rippling field grain; and even more beautiful in their umber and browns.
Although apparently we travelled a level, nevertheless in the extreme
distance the plains of our hunting were dropping below, and the far off
mountains were slowly rising above the horizon. On the other side were
two very green hills, looking nearly straight up and down, and through a
cleft the splintered snow-clad summit of Mt. Kenia.

At length this gentle foothill slope broke over into rougher country.
Then, in the pass, we came upon many parallel beaten paths, wider and
straighter than the game trails-native tracks. That night we camped in
a small, round valley under some glorious trees, with green grass around
us; a refreshing contrast after the desert brown. In the distance ahead
stood a big hill, and at its base we could make out amid the tree-green,
the straight slim smoke of many fires and the threads of many roads.

We began our next morning's march early, and we dropped over the hill
into a wide, cultivated valley. Fields of grain, mostly rape, were
planted irregularly among big scattered trees. The morning air, warming
under the sun, was as yet still, and carried sound well.