in good condition. Look at this one--see it--hold it--take a squint
along it! Nineteen elephants shot wi' that Lee-Enfleld, an' the man's
in jail for shootin' of 'em! Sold at auction by the gov'ment, that one
was. See, here's an Express--a beauty--owned by an officer fr'm
Indy--took by a shark 'e was, in swimmin' against all advice, him what
had hunted tigers! There's no goon store a quarter as good as mine
'tween Cairo an' the Cape or Bombay an-' Boma! Captain Cook's the boy
to sell ye goons all right! Sit down. Look 'em over. Ask anything ye
want to know. I'll tell ye. No obligation to buy."

There is no need to fit out with guns and tents in London. Until both
good and bad, both cowardly and brave give up the habit of dying in
bed, or getting killed, or going broke, or ending up in jail for one
cause and the other, there will surely always be fine pickings for men
on the spot with a little money and a lot of patience--guns, tents,
cooking pots, and all the other things.

We spent a morning with Captain Thomas Cook, and left the store--Fred,
Yerkes and I--with a battery of weapons, including a pistol
apiece--that any expedition might be proud of. (Monty, since he had to
go home in any case, preferred to look over the family gun-room before
committing himself.)

Then, since the first leg of the journey would be the same for all of
us we bought other kit, packed it, and booked passages for British East
Africa. Between then and the next afternoon when the British India
steamboat sailed we were fairly bombarded by inquisitiveness, but
contrived not to tell much. And with patience beyond belief Monty
restrained us from paying court to Tippoo Tib.