ABSTRACT
NjEMPS is the district on the floor of the great Rift Valley, at the southern end of Lake Baringo. It is inhabited by a section of the tribe of the Wakauvi, who are related to the Masai ; they are, however, agriculturalists, having abandoned the pastoral nomadic habits of their ancestors. The first European who succeeded in reaching this country was Joseph Thomson in 1883. ` He gave the natives a character for trustful friendliness and simple honesty, which has been confirmed by every subsequent traveller. So peaceful are the Njempsians that one can walk about their country unarmed and unattended, or chase butterflies or stalk zebras with as little fear as if one were rambling through English lanes. In contrast to the caution necessary in the land of the Masai, this feature makes Njemps a welcome haven of rest for the weary. The country, moreover, is usually rich in food, and caravans refill their empty sacks for the journey northward over the foodless wastes that must be traversed in order to reach the ivory-yielding districts of Karamoyo and Samburu.
