ABSTRACT
D u r i n g the march from Naivasha to the Gilgil we had risen slightly in elevation. The lake stands at the level of 6200 feet, and in the two marches we had only ascended 200 feet. After crossing the river the ascent became more marked ; and, at the height of 6 7 10 feet, we reached the summit of the ridge that separates the basin of Naivasha from that of Lakes Elmetaita and Nakuro. To the south was a long slope, covered with turf and loose “ lelesha ” scrub ( Tarchonanthes camphoratus\ and in the far distance the crater of Longonot. To the north, a cliff descended abruptly to a plain on which lay Lakes Nakuro and Elmetaita, leaden-gray in contrast to the intervening tracts of glistening sand and salty desert. We scrambled down the cliff, leaving to our left a group of extinct volcanic cones, and made our way towards the southern end of Elmetaita, where we camped. There, on the banks of the Kariandusi river, we found a powerful caravan under Major Eric Smith and Captain (now Major) Williams, R.A., who were returning to the coast after the evacuation of Uganda by the British East Africa Company. They gave me a great deal of most valuable advice
and information. This included, as a matter of course, the usual warnings against the attempt to fcross Laikipia with so small a force. Captain Williams advised me to strike westward from Njemps to the Victoria Nyanza, and along its northern shore to Kampala ; there I could get whatever trade goods were necessary, and thence proceed to Ruwenzori. Food was abundant, and the natives friendly all along the line. The scheme looked attractive when compared with the risks of the march across Laikipia, and for a while my resolution of “ Kenya at any price ” was shaken.
