ir who managed to get so tangled up in the shrubbery that he
could not get to us. He was so frantic with disappointment that we made
an exception and waited.

About three miles out, we lost one of our newly acquired totos. Reason:
an exasperated parent who had followed from Meru for the purpose of
reclaiming his runaway offspring. The latter was dragged off howling.
Evidently he, like some of his civilized cousins, had "run away to join
the circus." As nearly as we could get at it, the rest of the totos, as
well as the nine additional we picked up before we quitted the jungle,
had all come with their parents' consent. In fact, we soon discovered
that we could buy any amount of good sound totos, not house broke
however, for an average of half a rupee (16-1/2 cents) apiece.

The road was very much up and down hill over the numerous ridges that
star-fish out from Mt. Kenia. We would climb down steep trails from 200
to 800 feet (measured by aneroid), cross an excellent mountain stream of
crystalline dashing water, and climb out again. The trails of course had
no notion of easy grades. It was very hard work, especially for men with
loads; and it would have been impossible on account of the heat were
it not for the numerous streams. On the slopes and in the bottoms
were patches of magnificent forest; on the crests was the jungle, and
occasionally an outlook over extended views. The birds and the strange
tropical big-leaved trees were a constant delight-exotic and strange.
Billy was in a heaven of joy, for her specialty in Africa was plants,
seeds and bulbs, for her California garden. She had syces, gunbearers
and tent boys all climbing, shaking branches, and generally pawing
about.

This idiosyncracy of Billy's puzzled our boys hugely. At first they
tried telling her that everything was poisonous; but when that did not
work, they resigned themselves to their fate. In fact, some of the most
enterprising like Memba Sasa, Kitaru, and, later, Kongoni used of their
own accord to hunt up and bring in seeds and blossoms. They did not in
the least understand what it was for; and it used to puzzle them
hugely until out of sheer pity for their uneasiness, I implied that the
Memsahib collected "medicine." That was rational, so the wrinkled brow
of care was smoothed. From this botanical trait, Billy got her native
name of "Beebee Kooletta"-"The Lady Who Says: Go Get That." For in
Africa every white man has a name by which he is known a