“We are on the fringes of big game country by all accounts,” he said, “both from what I picked up in Nairobi and from what Wimba tells me. West of us lies Lake Victoria; east, Mount Kenya.”
“That’s the high one, isn’t it, Dad?” asked Jack.
Mr. Hampton nodded. “Said to be 17,010 feet,” he commented. “Next to Mount Kilimanjaro, which is also in Kenya Colony, lying southeast of Nairobi and more than 19,000 feet in height, it is the tallest peak in Africa.”
“I vote for striking toward Mount Kenya,” said Frank, emphatically. “We’ll get into higher altitudes and escape from this awful heat.”
“Huh,” grunted Bob. “It wasn’t so hot that night eight or ten days ago when we couldn’t get enough blankets to keep warm.”
He referred to one of the meteoric changes in temperature which makes Africa land of extremes, when even the equatorial region a day of blazing sunshine and suffocating oppressive heat is frequently succeeded by terrific rains and a freezing night.
Niellsen looked thoughtful. “It’s not such a bad idea to strike for Mount Kenya,” he said, “if only there’s a chance of getting some films of animal life. But what are game conditions like over there?”
“Wimba says they’re pretty good,” said Mr. Hampton. “However, he believes that in the Kavirondo country northeast of Lake Victoria, they will be better. And if we strike in that direction, we can replenish our supplies at Kisumu on the lake. It is on the railroad from the coast, and lake steamers touch there, too.”
“Lake steamers?” Bob cried in surprise.
Mr. Hampton nodded. “The immediate region around Lake Victoria was developing rapidly when the war halted its progress. Germans, British, Belgians and Portuguese, all are in this country hereabouts, you know. Their armed forces of blacks officered by whites messed life up pretty badly. However, since the end of the war I was given to understand in Nairobi development has been picking up again at a great rate. So at Kisumu, which is the trade center for a big region, although only a little town itself, we undoubtedly will be able to replenish our supplies. And as we are beginning to run rather low, I believe it will be wise to do so.”