On the borders of pigmy land

ON THE BORDERS
OF PIGMY- LAND

B. FISHER

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

ON THE BORDERS OF
PIGMY LAND

ON THE BORPERS
OF PIGMY LANP

BY

RUTH B. FISHER

(nee HURDITCH)

[SECOND EDITION]

LONDON
MARSHALL BROTHERS

KESWICK HOUSE, PATERNOSTER ROW, EC

R. VI. SIMPSON AND CO., LTD..

PRINTERS
RICHMOND AND LONDON.

PREFACE

TO none of her many friends in England and Ireland
does the writer of this book, whether as Miss Ruth
Hurditch or Mrs. Fisher, need any introduction ;
but I gladly accept the opportunity offered to me
of commending her graphic story of Mission life and
work to a still wider circle, including the American
Christian public, among whom we are assured the work
will find ready circulation.

No one can read it and not be impressed by the
evidence with which it abounds that the same Gospel
which conquered Europe, civilized or barbarous, in ages
past is as potent to-day to transform the most degraded
and dormant races into peoples of quick intelligence and
spiritual consciousness, and has given them in a
marvellously short time a measure of self-respect, a sense
of the dignity of labour, and a devotion to the welfare
of others, not always found in Christian lands or even
Churches of ancient fame. At a time when the jaded
faith of many at home is giving way before the incessant
undermining of the old foundations, and when we are
invited to recast the " details " of the Gospel, it is no
small thing that the Bible is seen to be making new
history again, and giving fresh evidences of its divine
vitality. The Mission Field is paying back its debt to
the Church at home. Africa, emerging from the night of
ages, is bringing her treasures of grace to make up the
" fulness of the Gentiles." The pigmies themselves are
worthy of a better lot than to be carried off by a
traveller and be made a show for the sordid curiosity
of holiday crowds.

1C49C21

Preface

There are other reasons also why we welcome Mrs.
Fisher's journals. She has drawn with her pen pictures
of the country and people as lifelike as the excellent
photographs which adorn the book. She has enabled us
to share her adventures without the discomforts. The
tropical storms and glaring sunshine, the swamps of
Semliki, and the snow peaks of Ruwenzori, the camps
and caravans, the dispensary and the school, the good
King and the gentle Queen, the Prime Minister and poor
Blasiyo the pigmy are all as real to us as though we had
seen them and known them ourselves.

Mrs. Fisher has shown us how a devoted couple whose
hearts are filled with a longing to win souls for the
Saviour can face dangers, and cut themselves off from the
common comforts of home, not only with patience but
with cheerfulness. No one will feel the playfulness and
the sense of humour with which she often describes the
most trying situations to be inconsistent with the more
serious purpose of her Missionary life, or to unfit her for the
gracious ministry of comforting the sorrowful, teaching
the ignorant, and healing the sick, in which she has been
engaged.

If each reader of these pages will let them raise before
the conscience such questions as these, " What have /
done, and what can I do to help such blessed work" or
" Why should / not follow in such steps myself," and if
such questions be honestly answered as in the presence of
the Lord, I cannot doubt that results still more wonder-
ful than those which this book describes will find a record
in the near future, — that may be even the Coming of the
Lord.

May the Holy Spirit moving in many lives bring this
to pass.

H. E. FOX,

Hon. Sec., C.M.S.

VI

CONTENTS

CHAPTER. PACK.

I. A JOURNEY ON THE UGANDA RAILROAD FOUR

YEARS AGO i

II. ON LAND AND LAKE . . . .11

III. MENGO, UGANDA .... 22

IV. TORO, THE LAND OF THE MOUNTAINS OF THE

MOON . . . . -31

V. THE COUNTRY . . . . 41

VI. HOME LIFE . . . . -50

VII. ROYAL LIFE .... 59

VIII. THE WOMEN OF TORO . . .69

IX. CHILD LIFE .... 79

X. RELIGION . . . . .84

XL LANGUAGE .... 92

XII. FESTIVITIES IN TORO . . -97

XIII. TRAMP I. To THE ALBERT EDWARD LAKE . 106

XIV. TRAMP II. HOLIDAYS . . .119

XV. TRAMP III. TRAMP THROUGH THE FOUR

KINGDOMS OF THE PROTECTORATE . • 128

XVI. TRAMP IV. TOWARDS THE PIGMIES . 151
XVII. IN DARKEST AFRICA. THE PIGMIES (BATWA)

AND THEIR (BAMBUBA) NEIGHBOURS . l6l

XVIII. A CLIMB TO THE SNOWS . . 173

XIX. MISSIONARY WORK . . . • 188

XX. MEDICAL WORK . . 199

XXI. SCHOLASTIC WORK . 2"

vii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

.*

A GROUP OF BAGANDA.

A GROUP OF MASAIS.

A GROUP OF PIGMY WOMEN.

A MUBIRA LADY: AN AFTERNOON CALLER.

A NANDI FAMILY.

A NATIVE OF BULEGA : THE FIRST TO BE BAPTISED OF HIS RACE.

A PEEP AT THE SNOWS.

APOLO KlVEBULAYA.

A SCHOOL IN TORO.

A VIADUCT ON THE UGANDA RAILROAD.

BACK FROM THE SNOWS : BAKONGO PORTERS.

BLASIYO : FIRST BAPTISED PIGMY.

CROSSING THE MULUKU RIVER.

KICUCEI CAMP.

KING DANDI KASAGAMA OF TORO AND HIS CHIEFS.

MULUKU GLACIER.

NEW CHURCH, KABAROLE TORO.

OUR HOME IN TORO.

PORT OF MOMBASA.

SNOW PEAKS.

STIFF CLIMBING : A CLIMB TO THE SNOWS.

TABALA, CHIEF OF MBOGO, AND SUITE.

THE ALBERT EDWARD LAKE.

THE BAAMBAS : NEAREST NEIGHBOURS TO THE PIGMIES.

THE BAHUKU : CANNIBAL RACE.

THE BAKONGA AT HOME.

THE BATORO AT HOME.

THE FOUR PIGMIES AT KABAROLE.

THE KIDONG ESCARPMENT.

THE MARKET PLACE.

THE NEW BOAT ON VICTORIA NYANZA.

THE SEWLIKA RIVER.

ix

CHAPTER I

A Journey on the Uganda Railroad
Four Years Ago

IT was in the beginning of the year 1900 that a British
India steamer cast anchor and set down on African
soil a party of seven missionaries bound for distant
Uganda. Six of that number might be termed " freshers,"
for they were complete strangers to the "dark continent,"
and absolutely uninitiated in the art of African travelling.
It is a little difficult to define the feelings of a new arrival
who has before him or her the prospect of life and work
in that country. The memories of magnificent lives laid
down for its people fill the heart with an intensely solemn
sense of responsibility and dignity ; records of travel and
adventure kindle a love of daring, and a desire for oppor-
tunities of heroism ; while the meagre knowledge that
exists on the interior districts breaks the imagination of
the traveller away from its leading strings.

The port of British East Africa — the Island of Mombasa
— is a typical foreign mercantile coast town, with its
medley of craft, ships, yachts, tugs, boats and canoes
manned by seamen of various nationalities, pushing,
hustling and screaming in all the tongues of Babel. The
handsome old Arab fortress that stands on its jagged
rocky prominence as a sentinel at the entrance of the
harbour, takes one back to the time before the port was
taken over by the British, and when it was used by those
who had carried on the terrible slave traffic in the

I B

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

interior. A little to the left is to be seen the British
Consulate with its Union Jack fluttering from the mast
as the emblem of liberty and justice to all who come
under its jurisdiction.

As we stepped from the ship's deck on to the landing-
stage the sun felt distinctly African. The dazzling white
and somewhat congested streets seemed to singe our very
boot leather. It was a relief to have pointed out a strip
of bright green mainland which lay at the extreme end of
a sheltered bay, as the place where hospitality would be
offered me and two others of our party of seven, while
preparations were being made for our journey up country.
A short row brought us to this mission station of the
Church Missionary Society — Freretown — the situation of
which is very pleasing ; in front stretches the transparent
blue bay, beyond to the right the white minarets and red
tiled roofs of Mombasa, and all around dense foliage —
mango and banana trees, creepers and shrubs and flowers
in tangled confusion. A warm English welcome awaited
us from our missionary friends there who were domiciled
in a solid two-storied brick house.

The guest room delegated to me was evidently an
afterthought, as it was constructed of corrugated iron
with plaited grass stretched across for a ceiling. The room
opened out on a broad balcony, and as it is the custom
to leave open the doors at night to catch the least sus-
picion of a breeze that might blow in across the bay, the
bats and rats made free use of my room until daybreak.
The first night I found the rats had shewed an appreciative
appetite for Cadbury's chocolate, for they completely
finished off my half-pound tin which had been tusselled
for at a chess tournament on board ship.

The terrible famine up country had brought many half-
starved folk to the coast. Bishop Peel had sent down some
30 to 40 girls and boys from the Wanika tribe to be clothed,
fed, and cared for at the mission dormitory. Starvation

2

A Journey on the Uganda Railroad

had played frightful havoc with them. One wee babe of
about two years, all skin and bone, had had her hands held
in the fire by her mother because hunger bad driven her to
steal a banana. Her tiny fingers were twisted back and
much distorted, some joints having entirely gone. Other
children had no toes, these having bean literally eaten
away by the little insects known as jiggers, which
are very numerous inland, and trouble Europeans as well
as natives.

On Sunday we went to morning service in the splendid
brick native church. As it was conducted in the Swahili
language we could only follow in silence the order of the
liturgy. The church, holding about 500 people, was
almost full. Colours were very pronounced among the
women. The girls were dressed in white gowns with red
handkerchiefs round the head ; but the elder women
adopted the most remarkable hues : orange-coloured
sashes and violet head gear were the most conspicuous.
They attended very devoutly, and as I knelt at the
Communion rails with a native woman on either side,
that text appealed to me with a new power " Other sheep
I have . . . and there shall be one fold and one
Shepherd." In the afternoon I delivered my first message
to Africans. I had been asked to speak through inter-
pretation to a class of women ; it was not easy to stand
up before one's first audience of dusky faces and to try
and adapt the message to their minds — an unexplored
land as yet to me — to choose carefully words which
would lend themselves to interpretation and to recollect
the point stopped at between the sentences.

The morning after our arrival we all met in the office
of the Church Missionary Society's agency. Before us
were arrayed a dozen Swahili lads who were coming up
country with us to act as our personal attendants. Each
of us was to be allowed the sole service of one, the half of
another, and a quarter of another ; that is, one boy was

3

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

to act as housemaid, two of us would share a cook, and
four a cook's mate. Minute instructions were given us
as to travelling arrangements, which resulted in, for one
thing, the re-adjusting of every one of our loads that
weighed anything over 65 Ibs. It let me in for some
days of arduous labour. If it had not been for my newly
acquired " housemaid " Richard, who had attached him-
self to me after that morning in the office, the unpacking
and re-packing would have proved an almost hopeless
task in such melting temperature. The last load nailed
down contained a heterogeneous collection of groceries,
Monkey Brand soap, photos, a saucepan, and a few
garments, all of which had been taken out of loads of
overweight. Quite unexpectedly we heard that our start
up country was to be made on the fifth day after our
arrival at the coast. A breakdown was hinted at as being
likely to occur on the railroad on account of the heavy
rains that had fallen. Apart from this we were told that
the train would accomplish the 364 miles of its journey
in one day and night. At railhead our caravan of porters
was awaiting us, as also the two donkeys and two jin-
rickshas, which would prove essential in case of sickness
on the road. We speedily fixed our bicycles up on hearing
of the immediate start to be made, which seemed to
make us all desperately impatient to be spinning along
the African roads to Uganda.

On February 23rd we left Mombasa. A large party of
missionaries met at Freretown Church at eight o'clock
for united Communion. Then we hurried down to the
shore where a boat awaited us to take us across to Port
Mombasa. After getting together all handbags and other
small baggage we were packed away in a ghari — a tiny
truck for four persons, with shade, run on rails along the
street. A curious party we looked ; three gharis left
the town, boxes, bags and rugs heaped up in a pile, a few
natives scattered about here and there among us, and

4

A Journey on the Uganda Railroad

boys pushing behind. These vehicles simply fly along
when going downhill ; one box toppled over in one of
these wild escapades, and the whole contents burst out
and were scattered about on the road. Then a derailment
of one ghari necessitated the passengers dismounting,
and the cars that followed in the wake being carried
round the obstructing car. The terminus of the railway
is at Kilindini, which lies about two miles outside
Mombasa. At the station a strange scene confronted us.
People from various countries were rushing about in a
state of great excitement, all struggling to crowd into the
few compartments allotted to fourth class passengers.
They were so jammed together that one could only
expect to see the carriages burst apart with the pressure
from inside. Our compartments were ever so much
better than I had expected ; two had been reserved for
our party of seven. Perhaps some of us were a little
disappointed that there was no "roughing it," but we
tried to console each other with the thought that there
might be a breakdown on the line. Our feelings can be
imagined when the train whizzed away and kept up a most
respectable speed, in fact, behaved itself like a civilized
being. We had armed ourselves with plenty of provisions,
but found that good meals had been prepared for us at
various long halting stations on the route. Wanting to
lighten our supplies, however, afternoon tea was suggested,
and as passengers could walk from one compartment to
another by means of an outside foot-board, even though
the train was running, we invited all the members of our
party in to a social tea. My canteen was produced and
efforts were made to boil the water, but the train was
shaking so unreasonably that the small kettle needed to
be constantly replenished during the boiling. We had
to warn our guests to avoid the streams of water that
were running down the carriage from the kettle spout,
but the last arrival made a dreadful mistake by sitting on

5

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

the top of the teapot just as the tea was made. This
was not discovered until the whole contents were upset
and the offender realized a scalding sensation.

The first day on the Uganda railroad was certainly not
the most enjoyable; the heat was stifling and the dust so
obtrusive that in spite of having the windows closed, in
less than an hour everything had assumed a brownish-red
appearance; the carriage cushions, our clothing, hair, and
eyes were full of it, and if one did venture to open the lips
to pass a remark, a mouth-wash was necessary. Mile after
mile of country v/as passed where the grass was entirely
burnt up, and almost all trees and shrubs dried and
bleached. The land was in the grip of famine, whose
hand of death had touched all nature. Some of its last
victims dragged their exhausted limbs to the banks of the
railroad as the train passed through their land of hunger.
Poor wee children, their sharp bones standing out in a
most ghastly manner, looked like skeletons moving. We
gave them food which they voraciously seized, but alas,
many had got beyond the power of eating.

Our first halting place was Voi, which we reached at
seven p.m., after a run of eight hours. As the train was
not leaving again till eleven o'clock we were allowed time
for a short rest after dining at the station bungalow.
Native couches of woven grass stretched over wooden
frames were given to us, but the need of mosquito nets
and blankets drove all ideas of sleep away. The next
morning we found the scenery had entirely changed ; vast
stretches of plain and gently undulating country extended
for miles on either side. This district, known as the Athi
plain, is thickly populated with all sorts of wild animals.
There were scores of antelopes, zebras, and ostriches. The
tracks of lions were pointed out to us, but these are the
only animals that apparently do not venture near the
trains in broad daylight.

Nairobi, which has been named the " tin-town " on

6

account of all the buildings being composed of corrugated
zinc, is quite an important place. It is one of the head-
quarters and workshops of the railway company, and a
large and rapidly increasing European, Indian, and Arab
population has settled here. From this point we had to
take up our porters, and this was not an easy matter.
Instead of the 300 or so required, only about 150 were
procurable to carry all our loads of food supplies, clothing
and household requisites for the road and our destination,
besides various other boxes and literature for missionaries
and mission work in Uganda.

After leaving Nairobi another complete contrast opened
out before us. Dense thickets, forests and jungle covered
hill and dale, without a sign of human life. Truly the
world seemed here as in infancy, and the railway a harsh
discord of civilization. It is a rest to the mind and soul
to pass through these world's natural parks ; the deep long
silence, unreached by man's babble, carries in its air a
breeze from Home and one's whole inward being rises on
the wing to its God. I wondered why such miles and
miles of uninhabited land existed when "He created it
not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited." Was it that
He might give us "the treasures of darkness and hidden
riches of secret places " which God deposits in regions
where, untrammelled by the footprints (not the results)
of sin the Shekinah dwells revealed in such natural
splendour ?

On Sunday at two p.m., we found ourselves at rail-
head. The train before ours had been derailed several
times on account of the heavy rains washing down the
new embankments, but as trains only run once a week,
repairs had been temporarily completed, so we finished
our journey without a single mishap.

I wish you could have seen our plight as we arrived.
To begin with, even in the finest weather the country
would always appear somewhat dreary ; nature has no

7

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

behaved very liberally. The train drew up abruptly, not
because of its having reached a station, but there was no
more line on which to run. The only buildings were a
few tents and iron sheds, the property of the six Europeans
and score of Indians employed on the construction of the
railway. The whole country was under water, and the
rains were sweeping down in a deluge. Out of the
waters appeared our two jinrickshas and a few boxes,
and these indicated the spot where we were to camp.
Our first inclination was to remain in the train, but as
that had to return at once, we waded out and about, and
did not quite know what to do next. Here the Europeans
came nobly to our assistance and offered the ladies shelter
in a tent called the post-office. It is remarkable what a
lot it takes to make you depressed in Africa. In England
I believe most of us would have felt rather despondent,
but none of us confessed to those feelings. After a
cup of tea, with condensed milk, had warmed us up, we
gave a right good British cheer as a tapping at the
telegraph wires in our tea room told us of a splendid
British victory at the seat of war.

Towards evening the rain ceased and as the ground
was well digged round with trenches the water quickly
drained off, so our tents were unpacked and erected. The
railway officials kindly supplied us with a number of
solid planks, which formed a firm flooring over the mud.

The tents looked so warm and bright in the midst of
such grey surroundings. Camping out was quite a new
experience to most of us and we immensely enjoyed
moving in to our new quarters. When we had got
straight the whole party came together in our tent,
squeezed round the tiny table, and we had a thanksgiving
service. Through the goodness of God, things had
marvellously adjusted themselves, considering the short
time and the swamped condition of the country. We all
sang the Te Deitm till our little tent rang with voices.

8

A Journey on the Uganda Railroad

As we joined in the general thanksgiving and prayers
I can truly say that no more heartfelt praise ascended
into the courts of Heaven from any temple that Sunday
evening, than from our little tabernacle in the wilderness.

Outside, darkness reigned, except for the porters'
fires, burning in every direction, with the black figures
squatting round, which gave the whole scene a weird and
fantastic appearance.

The next morning all our loads were hauled out for
inspection, and owing to the lack of porters we were
obliged to choose out such as would be required for more
immediate use ; the remaining boxes had to be stacked in
a rather too well ventilated shed to await reinforcements
of porters. This particular district was in rather a
disturbed condition. The day before we had arrived
some natives fired upon a European and killed him ; in
consequence a small detachment of soldiers had been sent
out to see into matters and had shot two natives. We
were warned at night to have our camp carefully guarded
by askaris,* as thieves were about in addition to any un-
friendly folk who might be prowling round. So a fire was
lit just outside our tents, and sentries stationed at close
distances. They accosted every passer-by in angry tones,
and those who did not use the password " friend " stood
a very poor chance of getting off.

As we stood round the log-fire at evening, the thunder
and lightning roared and flashed ; and then down came
the rain and pelted hard all night. One of the tents was
quite flooded ; the bed and furniture were rescued and the
occupant moved into another's tent pitched on slightly
higher ground. We had arrived in the rainy season, and
were told that we must not be surprised if we got a daily
soaking. It rather damped one's enthusiasm for camping
out and cycling. This district is called the Kidong
Escarpment, and is a ledge of land that suddenly drops
* Native guards or soldiers.
9

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

some 500 feet. The railway takes a circuitous route to
avoid this drop, but at that time a most elaborate
temporary line had been laid down the precipitous bank,
the cars being worked by cables. One had here an
example of the almost insurmountable difficulties that
faced the engineers of the Uganda railway, difficulties
emphasised by the fact that all material required had to
be imported from India or England. Viaducts, some of
which are of gigantic height, frequently connect rock to
rock, and along these the train has cautiously to pass.
At other times the brave little locomotive pants and
gasps as it toils along with its burden ; now and again it
stops to gain breath, then it goes on again, climbing, ever
climbing, till it has reached an altitude of 7,000 feet.

After the burning heat of the dusty plains, along which
the train rushes with hysterical speed, filling the traveller
with misgivings and treating him to plenty of rough
shakings, how welcome is the cold frosty air of these
African Highlands, which have proved no barrier to the
Uganda railroad.

10

CHAPTER II

On Land and Lake

WE certainly set off for our first so-called tramp most
professionally fitted out, but this only lasted for
one day. The marching Norfolk dress was soon
discarded for a loose blouse ; the water bottle,
which did give one rather a heroic aspect, was quietly
given over to the " boy " ; that wonderful compendium of
knife, corkscrew, file, button hook, and so forth, which
includes everything that you never want and nothing that
you do, was likewise voted too heavy ; even the puggaree
that had offered a suggestion of trimming to the very un-
becoming bald topee, was thrown out, and any considera-
tion for personal appearance that might have secretly
lurked within was superseded by the one desire for
comfort, as we steamed along on our bicycles over good,
bad, and indifferent roads, the sun beating down upon us
all the time.

Lake Naivasha seemed scarcely large enough to satisfy
our inordinate thirst as we pulled up ; we were not a bit
polite when tea was generously doled out to us by the
Europeans stationed there, for none of us refused a fourth
and fifth cup, even when we saw the supply was running
short. I got very behindhand in my journal while on
the road. Never had I been successful in keeping one
for longer than a week ; on the seventh day it had
become so intolerably dull that Dryasdust must even
have yawned. Of course, Africa supplies you with
plenty of material, but the methodical mind and will

11

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

power are somehow wanting. Let me tell you why. At
4.0 a.m. daily one wakes up with a start, for as the sun
does not rise till 6.0, night still seems to rest heavily on
the land and on one's eyelids. But the caravan leader is
beating a drum, accompanying it with a shrill falsetto
call to rise ; and if one dares to stay rubbing the sleep
out of the eyes, the porters are fumbling away at the
tent ropes, and before there is time to complete one's
toilette, the whole tent flops down like a closed umbrella.
A truly undignified exit is made by a dishevelled figure,
and one turns up while breakfast is being served round
the camp fire on tin crockery.

In the dusk we push off; a real expert rider you must
be to dodge in and out of the porters who are already
filing along on the narrow path, and have a happy knack
of swinging round at the sound of the bicycle bell just
as you pass — the tent-pole carrier was a veritable man-
trap, and more than once pitched machine and rider into
the ditch. I am sure I shall never complain again of
English or even Scotch roads ; the ridges we have ridden
over (often ending in a swamp) have helped to strengthen
one's nerves and powers of balance. We generally reach
camp before our porters, and then seek out some shelter
till our tents arrive. It is a quaint sight to watch the
long line of the caravan coming in; the men become very
excited at sight of the halting place, and as the first man
who carries a drum beats it with all his might, swinging a
zebra tail round and round his head, the men all break
into song and a slow dance, which gradually increases in
volume and speed until the 65lb. box on the head is
quite forgotten, the body springs about in mid-air, and
finally throws itself down with a shout of ecstasy and an
eloquent outburst of self-praise and congratulation

When tents have been pitched and bodily restoratives
have been applied in the form of cool baths, a good meal
and a sleep, the only possible hour for journalling has

12

On Land and Lake

come. But who could resist the desire to peep outside
the tent door, and then into the new and fascinating
features of folk, animals, birds, and country that surround
the colony of tents ? So my pen remained idle for many
days on the road, and as we were constantly going
forward, it was not easy to go back and pick up broken
threads.

The day from Lake Nakuro must have a few lines to
itself. The usual 15 miles' journey had appeared
exceptionally short on account of the good roads, and
there being no houses or even signboard to tell you " this
is camp," we rode past it unconsciously. While resting
mid-day on the banks of a shady nook for a cup of tea and
biscuits, two bicycles unfortunately fell over on my gear
case and completely smashed it up. This made riding a
little difficult for the remainder of the day, as the skirt
would keep catching in the chain, and the gear-case
strapped across the handle-bars did not allow much knee
space. Very hot, dusty, hungry, and tired at 3.30 p.m.,
we came across a small Indian encampment which had
journeyed up country for railway survey with a large
number of pack mules. The campers told us we had come
34 miles. This rather alarmed us, for we wondered how
our porters could cover that distance. It was a ghastly
spot. The ground was strewn with numbers of bleached
skulls and bones, which we afterwards learned were part
of an Indian troop that some time previously had travelled
down country under Mr. Grant, and had died for want of
water.

After waiting some time scouts were sent out to
search for our men, but as night fell they returned with
the tidings that our caravan was camped some 15 miles
away, and was too exhausted to push on. Having eaten
nothing since 4 o'clock a.m., with the exception of that
mid-day impromptu lunch, I must confess that our first
consideration was for food. Fortunately one of our party

13

had shot during the day a bustard. This was speedily
prepared and cooked in a pot lent us by the Indians. A
few biscuits and some tea still remained in our canteen,
and so sitting round an ember fire inside the stockade
constructed for the mules as protection from the lions,
we enjoyed, perhaps as never before, a hearty, simple
and crude meal, .without chairs, spoons, forks, or even
chop-sticks. We tried to effect further loans, and through
the generosity of our new friends succeeded in procuring
one small tent for the night. It was small, 6 feet square,
and we five ladies had to pack into it. We did manage
it by strictly adhering to the agreement of sleeping on
one's side and not attempting to change over. There
were no blankets, but certainly none of us felt the need
of them ! The gentlemen kept guard round the
watch fires all night, but I think they got in more
sleep than we did.

In case such a thing should ever happen again, the men
of our party were evidently determined to be prepared,
for on the following afternoon we saw them shouldering
their guns, and after hearing a few distant sounds of shot,
two zebras and three antelopes were carried into camp ;
and before we had finished admiring and pitying these
splendid fallen lords of the country, they were carried off
and skinned. The next sight we caught of them was
in the form of Jong, gory strips festooned from branch
to branch of a tree close by. The porters, hawk-like,
were standing round, as hungry East Enders outside
fried fish bars. Perhaps they can l^e partially excused
when we consider the monotonous, unpalatable millet
which constitutes their daily diet. At 7 p.m. a
drum was beaten, and every man presented him-
self in as famished a condition as he could assume.
They stood like soldiers waiting to be decorated with the
V.C. In a few minutes the tree was quite cleared, and
outside each tiny tent was fixed on sticks venison and

14

On Land and Lake

wild beef roasting over the fires. The sounds of revelry
had scarcely died away when the morning call drum
sounded.

The people who live in the district through which we
had hitherto passed are called the Masai tribe, a nomadic
folk who travel about from one place to another, accord-
ing to the pasture the land offers for their goats and
sheep. They have distinctly warlike propensities, and a
warrior chief is often met having a few armed followers,
who, like their master, smear their bodies with grease
and red earth, only wearing a small strip of cloth, or an
animal's skin over the shoulder, and sometimes a few
feathers in their matted and oiled hair. The fierce
opposition they showed to the pioneer Missionaries is now
no longer displayed ; in fact they appear somewhat timid
and reserved.

The general physical feature of the land is soft, gently
undulating country. But for the lakes Naivasha and
Nakuro, and the River Gilgal, there is a marked scarcity
of water. Not until we reached the Eldoma Ravine did
we pass anything worthy of being called a forest. At that
point we had risen 7,000 feet above sea level, and exquisite
stretches of tangled forests of cedars and bamboos
afforded a welcome relief after the dried up and treeless
track we had been accustomed to. Cycling was quite
impossible owing to the many trees that had fallen across
the road, and the deep ruts made by the ox waggons
which had passed along in the wet season ; one waggon,
carrying along parts of a new boat to be floated on the
Victoria Nyanza, was overthrown and broken up by one
of these ruts the day we passed through the forest.

In spite of the weariness that often overcomes one
travelling day after day under such a fierce sun, how glad
I am that the railway had left us 300 miles of tramping
before we reached the lake! Those who come up country
now the railroad is completed will never experience

15

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

the fondness, and shall I call it proprietorship, that one
seems to feel for the land when each step has involved
labour, every little change from the prairie grass and
thorn bushes been noticed and welcomed, and each new
district and tribe prayed and longed over to be claimed
for Christ. How can I describe the scene that stretched
before me as I stood on the Nandi plateau overlooking
the tranquil silver lake, the Victoria Nyanza, lying 3,oooft.
below. The sun was slowly sinking towards the west,
and, as it did so, drew the attention to the other side, our
land of promise, Uganda. As the distant horizon and
sky were flooded with a gentle red and golden light,
salvation and victory seemed written in the handwriting
of God upon the walls of that country.

Turning round towards camp what a contrast the scene
presented. Hundreds of natives had congregated
together dressed in animals' skins, and armed with
shields and spears, which they were flourishing in the air
with wild dancing and shrill war song — they were going
out to fight with a neighbouring tribe. In the morning
I had had an undesirable encounter with some of them.
Having taken my writing case and pocket Bible to a hill
a short distance away from where we were encamped to
get a view of the wonderful panorama of plain and lake
beneath, I had been somewhat startled by a number of
men suddenly appearing from what at first were quite
undistinguishable grass huts. Void of clothing they had
painted their bodies with bright red earth, and had
made various designs with grease on their limbs. Their
hair was long and twisted into streaks by means of goat's
fat, and each man carried a spear and shield. Soon a
small crowd had gathered round, and I must confess to a
certain feeling of uneasiness at the isolation of my
position. However, I determined to evince no fear and
tried to make the best of it. I undid my writing-case
and showed it to them, and my watch. They literally

16

On Land and Lake

shrieked with delight and surprise when they saw the
hands run round. The gilt edges of my Bible attracted
them, so handling it reverently I tried to tell them it was
God's Book, and drawing one of the children to me by
signs, sought to convey to their minds that God loved us.
I do not know if they caught my meaning, but I do know
that God caught up the prayers that ascended for them.

The same evening a violent storm broke over us. One
of our tents was literally washed out, not having had a
deep ditch digged round in case of emergency.

After moving off again and descending very pre-
cipitately to the level of the lake, the heavy rains were
found to have made marching exceedingly difficult. We
had to plough through thick black mud till we reached
Port Florence, a distance of twenty-one miles. At one
point on the road a stream about thirty yards wide had to
be waded, as our porters were unavailable for carrying,
having all gone on in front. The water in some parts
was a foot deep, and it was by no means an easy thing
getting through it when there were inches of mud from
which the boots very reluctantly parted.

News had reached us that the steamboat Ruwenzori
which had been sent to meet us and take us across the
lake had been wrecked on the way, so we had to put off in
an Arab dhow, a sailing boat used for transport purposes
only, and one that offered no passenger accommodation.

Three thousand square miles ! Can you imagine a
lake about that size ? And yet on our maps it is no larger
than a boot button. Quiet and peaceful as is its normal
condition, there are times when its mighty waters are
lashed into uncomfortable anger, and casting up foaming
crests break on the shore with the force and roar of an
ocean's storm. Abundant in its resources, it can afford
to be generous in its supplies ; with prodigality it pours
its fulness into its off-spring, so that distant Egypt sub-
sists on its benevolence — the Nile.

17 c

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

Although only 7 p.m., darkness had already set in as
we made our way down to the rough landing-stage to be
shipped for Uganda. The dhow looked uncomfortably
small for its crew, seven English passengers, twelve
" boys," and all their cargo. It could not get up to the
little wooden pier, so we rowed out in dug-out canoes by
the light of a hand lamp. This took time, and it was
nearly midnight before everything was on board.

A small portion towards the stem had been reserved
to our use for sleeping, feeding, and living purposes. One
of the ground sheets of the tent was fixed up on four in-
secure poles to form an awning over us.

Our sacks containing camp beds and blankets were
placed about to act as bolsters as we lay down on the
bare boards in the vain hope of sleeping. But they were
the most bony bolsters I have ever known, for on what-
ever corner you took up your position, there was a point
of the bedstead running into you. We were all glad
when a sharp breeze sprang up in the early morning, and
the sails that had been nodding all night braced them-
selves together for work.

Mid-day we passed a small island which is inhabited by
fisher folk. They trap the fish by means of baskets with
inverted necks like a safety ink-pot. Someone suggested
pulling into shore in a canoe that was passing at the
time for the purpose of buying some fish, but the people
had misinterpreted our intentions and had armed them-
selves with spears, and were waiting for us entrenched
behind large rocks. So it was decided to lunch off tinned
sausages that day ! Our prospects of landing and enjoy-
ing a change at night from the hard boards of the dhow
were shattered by the captain assuring us that he could not
possibly waste such a splendid wind as was blowing, but
must push on. Accordingly, mattresses and pillows were
pulled out and spread on the deck, so that our couch might
be a trifle more comfortable than on the preceding night.

18

On Land and Lake

The wind did blow, and the dhow pitched to and fro
like the tub of Diogenes. He must have been a better
sailor than most of us were, else he could never have
steered his craft.

It was wonderful how the food was cooked. The
Swahili boys are prodigies, and can somehow manage
under any condition. Finding a large iron tray they
built up their wood fires on it in the bow of the boat
and with the usual three stones they boiled their
kettle, saucepan or other kitchen requisites.

The scenery round the shores of the lake is exceedingly
pretty. The land gently slopes upward. Here and there
a belt of forest stretches down to the water's edge ; the
grass huts huddled together in small communities just
appear peeping out from the creeks and woods, and birds
of gorgeous colours fly about or build their nests in
the branches overhanging the water's edge.

On the third day of our trip we were becalmed, and it
was decided to land on an island for the night so that we
might get a complete change of toilet and rest. There
was no canoe at hand to take us ashore, so a raft was
constructed of poles and two large Masai hide shields
which had been given me up country. We crossed over,
two by two, carefully balanced in the centre of the raft,
with shoes and stockings in our hands. The men
managed to get a few things across, but the raft would
not bear the weight of the tents. A ground sheet was
once more utilized by tying it to branches of trees to form
a covering over our camp and beds at night. Looking
through the mosquito net I saw the stars peeping down,
and the fireflies and glow worms lighting up the air and
shrubs, and heard the croaking of the frogs and the night
bird cooing in the trees. It seemed like a page out of
childhood's fairy book.

There was no chance of getting off in the morning, and
we made a tour of the island. It chanced to be the

19

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

one on which the Ruwenzori had been wrecked. The
captain and his native crew had succeeded in getting
safely to land, but were in a sad plight without shoes and
socks and provisions. It was most fortunate our party
happened to have lighted on that particular island, and
so were able to replenish the meagre stores of these ship-
wrecked mariners. The natives flocked together when
they heard of the arrival of white men, and begged them
to shoot the hippopotami that had been destroying their
cultivation. They showed us round their village, in the
centre of which was their devil temple. The head priest
alone was allowed to enter. Round the courtyard were
placed flat and upright stone slabs ; these were the seats
of the priests, who sat round in a semi-circle when their
head priest was inside invoking the evil spirit. The only
one in our party who knew their language spoke to them,
and they all united in asking that teachers might be sent
to them to instruct them in these "good words." Now
there is no need to send to them, for since then the island
has been depopulated by the sleeping sickness. Not one
inhabitant remains — and they died with their request
unanswered !

On the morning of the eighth day we were all eagerly
examining the fringe of land lying straight ahead. The
opera glasses spied out a few dark figures moving about
close to the landing stage. In imagination and Pears'
Soap advertisements I had often seen the picture, the
blue, transparent water, a stretch of sandy shore — the
background of banana trees and palms, a few grass huts,
and a dark-skinned figure standing out in bold relief with
the broad smile displaying a row of white teeth.
" Otyano Munange " (How do you do, my friend ?) and a
prolonged exchange of grunts greeted us as we stepped
from the dhow on to the shores of Port Munyonyo.

During the few minutes of waiting for our boxes to be
unloaded I moved toward a little hut from which the

20

On Land and Lake

sound of voices was coming. Peeping in at the low door-
way, I saw a man dressed in white linen (evidently the
head of the household). He was sitting, reading aloud
to a group of men and women gathered round him. The
Book was the Gospel of St. John.

Surely this was Uganda, where the people who sat in
darkness have seen a great light. It is wonderful what
the Bible has done for them. Its influence penetrates
the entire country, and its very utterances are the
language of the people. Its expressions of greeting and
farewell are used, and with reverence.

How our bicycles did run away with us over those
seven miles to Mengo. After mounting them, we were
followed by numbers of natives, and from every direction
they came out of their shambas to greet us, falling down
on their knees and saying, " You are our prayers, thank
you."

On hearing of our arrival, our missionary friends had
all started off to greet us. They described it as a little
bit of England to see seven cyclists coming along with an
impress of home which the five weeks' knocking about had
not quite obliterated. The first one to meet us must
have been guilty of scorching, as he was far ahead of the
others, and he was determined to give us a real taste of
Uganda right away, for he produced from his pocket
some bananas (shall I own it, rather squashy) wrapped
up in a newspaper ; they were good !

Next came along a mule, bearing towards us Bishop
Tucker, who had come out to welcome his new recruits.
I do not remember quite distinctly the other faces, for we
were literally hemmed in by scores of excited natives,
hustling, bustling, clapping, and chattering, seizing our
hands and thanking us for having come so far to them,
while tears of gratitude glistened on some of their
splendid, intelligent, brown faces.

21

CHAPTER III

Mengo, Uganda

JUDGING from the view obtained from this, the
native capital of Uganda, Mengo, the country
seems composed of hills. On one of these stands
the cathedral and missionaries' houses, and the splendid
hospital, then just ready to be opened (but since burnt
down), and holding fifty to sixty beds. The Roman
Catholic Mission commands another hill, while on the
highest is the King's palace. The head man of the district
builds at the top of each hill, and his dependents live round,
their site being determined by their social position. The
whole district is densely populated, but this is difficult at
first to see, as the huts harmonize with the vegetation
around, or are hidden by the large banana plantations
that surround each dwelling. What strikes a new
arrival are the very wide, well-made roads that have been
cut in various directions, quite a novel feature for Africa.
Living out here is necessarily very simple. The
English houses then resembled bungalows constructed of
poles and light, long reeds sewn together by means of a
black fibre : two layers formed the walls, with dried leaves
stuffed between, the roof being thatched with grass. The
floors were beaten earth, with skins or grass mats thrown
down in place of carpets. There were only outside
doors, pieces of terra cotta coloured bark cloth being
hung as curtains between the inside doorways. The
apertures made in the walls for windows were closed in

22

Mengo, Uganda

at night by shutters of sewn reeds. The rooms looked
distinctly rural, with bookshelves, wardrobes, and
cabinets made with packing cases of uniform size
stacked one upon another. A few native curios and
chairs placed about were rather more useful than
ornamental.

Each missionary's house was fitted up with a spare
room, but visitors were expected to bring their own
furniture and attendants, even though it might be but a
Saturday till Monday visit. If you were not a bona-fide
fresh arrival you had to bring your cow as well. The
European's staff of domestics consists generally of small
boys varying from eight to thirteen years of age. These
cook, wait, clean up, wash, in fact will do anything you
want them to do and a great deal more besides. As we
passed the little cook shed one evening the chef was
rubbing up the roast chicken with his grimy little hands
to give the final touch before sending it to table. The
ladies employ female labour, and the girls range from three
to fifteen years of age, after which they marry. One
small thing of five years was " parlourmaid " to their
household at the time of our arrival. At afternoon tea
she strolled into the room with the tea-pot balanced on
her head ; in the same exalted position were the vege-
tables brought in at dinner served up in a large plaited
basket shaped like a Japanese hat, with leaves placed
under the unsweetened cooked bananas or potatoes.

The kitchen, like the servants' quarters, is built apart
from the houses. There are no ranges or stoves. The
cooking-pot, saucepan, kettle, or frying-pan sits on three
bricks or large stones between which the firewood is
rammed. The cooking-pots make successful ovens for
bread-making if a tray of fire is placed on the top.

The day after our arrival being Sunday we had
an early opportunity of witnessing a little of what
Christianity has done for Uganda. The unreached tribes

23

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

we had passed through in their nakedness and savagery,
propitiating demons, and offering human sacrifices,
are what these people were before the Gospel reached
them. Now, as the huge church drum, echoing from hill
to hill, called to morning prayer, a continual stream of
people was seen pouring into the large "basket"
cathedral. As we entered at 9 a.m. what an impressive
sight awaited us ! Perhaps the first thing that attracted
one's attention was the veritable forest of poles that sup-
ported the roof; but, then, looking down, the eye travelled
over a sea of black woolly heads — of about two thousand
men dressed in spotless white linen on one side, and of
women draped in the bark cloths, so soft and restful to the
eye, on the other. There were no chairs or pews, but each
one brought a goat skin or grass kneeling mat. With no
muffled, inarticulate voice did they join in the service,
but as they all united in the Lord's Prayer a noise as of
thunder sounded throughout the building. When the
time for reading of the Scriptures had come, there was
a general unbandaging of Gospels or Testaments, which
their owners securely bind round in strips of calico to
protect them.*

In the afternoon we paid a visit to the young king
Daudi Chwa. His palace is approached by passing through
an endless number of courtyards formed by woven cane
fencings ten feet high. In some of these are circular reed
houses for his courtiers and servants ; the last one is the
royal enclosure. Three round buildings stand here,
coloured grass plaitings over the entrance distinguishing
them from others. In one, the audience chamber, sat the
King, then aged four years.

* Surely the most ardent critic ot missions could not have failed to
be convinced of the reality of these people's Christianity had he
looked at the order of this great service. Their reverent behaviour
as they worshipped in a church built with their own hands, and
listened to one of their own native clergy, must have deeply impressed
even the most cynical onlooker.

24

Mengo, Uganda

There was no furniture in the apartment; fine grass was
carefully and uniformly laid on the ground, over which
mats were placed on a slightly elevated reed dais. He
was an important-looking little lad ; his curious get-up
made him appear twice his age. In spite of the great
heat, a man's European shirt fell in folds to his feet, and
over this was an English greasy black morning coat, made
to fit a man of abnormal proportions. Five women and
two chiefs waited upon him. Not a word did he speak,
but stared uninterruptedly, and when on leaving we had
reached the last courtyard, I was peremptorily recalled.
It was my velvet collar band he wanted to inspect.

The form of native government is very highly
developed and remarkable, for a tribe that had had no
contact with the forms of government adopted by
civilized nations. The feudal system is practically that in
vogue throughout the country, which is divided up into
shires or districts placed under a chief called the Saza,
who has his own sub-chiefs. He has the power of settling
trifling local questions, but everything of importance has
to be transferred to the King.

The English Government had recently levied upon the
whole Protectorate a hut tax of 3 rupees yearly. This
creates a new demand, and has had a salutary effect on
a people whose needs are so few, and these so easily
supplied, that they have had little necessity for learning
the dignity of work.

Tourists could easily spend some days profitably in
Mengo, where there is much of real interest to be seen. I
will give my few days of excursion trips, as there is no
Baedeker on the subject.

First day. — Grand reception by natives.

Second day. — Visit to Cathedral, Schools, and
Industrial Department of the Church Missionary Society,
open each day from 8.0 to 4.0. Pay respects to His
Majesty Daudi I., King of Uganda.

25

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

Third day. — Uganda " Picture Gallery" in the Bishop's
Palace (constructed of mud and wattle). Every picture
produced by the Bishop's own brush while journeying
through the country. They were so beautiful and give
such a faithful idea of the country I simply longed to
despatch the whole lot home.

Fourth day. — Three miles' walk to the ruins of Mackay's
Church and house. Banana plantations now extend over
his once carefully cultivated garden, a few scattered
bricks (the first and only introduction of bricks up to that
time in Mengo) point out the place where the foundation
of the great invisible Church of Uganda was laid. As
one stood there one almost felt surrounded by that crowd
of witnesses of whom the world was not worthy. Just
to the front is that sacred spot where the first native
converts were martyred for their faith.

Fifth day. — Visit to the Hospital. I went with the
doctor to observe and take notes for future use. The
day's work commenced with a half-hour's service held in
an open outside court. The gate was closed then against
those who might come for the medicine without the
morning prayers. Some 150 patients were seeking
attention this day, and they were allowed into the tiny
consulting room five at a time. They evidently have a
good idea of anatomy, for they have a word for nearly
every bone and gland. Their faith in the white doctor
speaks eloquently of the cures he has effected. One man
was quite hurt because the surgeon would not take out
his liver.

On the same day can be fitted in a bicycle ride to the
native potteries. Outside a small hut we found two men
squatted moulding the soft clay with their hands ; a well
rounded flint gave a polish to the pot, while a strand of
coarsely plaited grass stamped on the soft clay gave a
border impress. A huge wood furnace was burning in an
adjoining court into which the vessels were placed and

26

Mengo, Uganda

baked. We were so interested in this process that the
sun had set before we were aware of it, and our ride home
was in pitch darkness over the deep rutted roads. I had
a nasty fall which suggested that it might be wiser to
walk our machines the remainder of the distance. When
we reached Mengo sharp pain and swollen ankle told of a
sprain. This kept me a prisoner for three days. It was
rather providential, for the mail from England came in,
and as no letters had reached us since leaving the home
shores, just ten weeks ago, a very big budget was handed
in to me. Only those who have really experienced it can
enter into the awful homesickness that sometimes a girl
feels on her first long separation from England. After
some amount of tossing about and roughing it, to be
suddenly carried back by a letter into the peace and quiet
of the home, and to read all the interesting little natural
bits which make you feel once again among the home
circle, for a minute, when no one is looking, you may
behave like a big baby.

The destinations of our party of missionaries were
soon definitely fixed ; I was asked to go as one of the first
women to Toro, a separate and independent kingdom nearly
200 miles further inland to the north-west of Uganda.
It involves a journey of 12 to 14 days, as the road is rather
tough and there are no conveyances. The wonderful
growth of the work there dates from the conversion of
the King Kasagama at the beginning of the year 1896,
who was the first monarch to be baptized in the whole
Protectorate. In 1897 he wrote the following letter to

the C. M.S. :—

TORO, February i, 1897.

To my dear Friends the Elders of the Church in Europe.

I greet you very much in our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us

on the cross to make us children of God. How are you, sirs ?

I am Daudi (David) Kasagama, King of Toro The reason why

I commence to tell you that is because I wish you to know

me well.

27

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

God our Father gave me the Kingdom of Toro to reign over for
Him, therefore I write to you my brethren to beseech you
to remember me and to pray for me every day, all the days.

I praise my Lord very very much indeed for the words of the
Gospels He brought into my country, and you my brothers
I thank you for sending Teachers to come here to teach us
such beautiful words.

I therefore tell you that I want very much, God giving me
strength, to arrange all the matters of this country for Him
only, that all my people may understand that Christ Jesus
He is the Saviour 01 all countries, and that He is the King
of all kings. Therefore, sirs, I tell you that I have built a
very large Church in my Capital, and we call it "The
Church of St. John."

Also that very many people come every day into the Church to
learn the "Words of Life," perhaps 150, also on Sunday
they are very many who come to worship God our Father in
His holy Church and to praise Him. I also tell you that in
the gardens near here we have built six Churches. The
people of this place have very great hunger indeed for the
" Bread of Life," many die every day while still in their sins
because they do not hear the Gospel. The teachers are few
and those who wish to read, many. Therefore, sirs, my dear
friends, have pity upon my people, in great darkness ; they
do not know where they are going.

Also I want to tell you that there are very many heathen nations
close to my country — Abakonjo, Abamba, Abahoko.
Abasagala, Abasongola, Abaega, and many others in
darkness. We heard that now in Uganda there are English
ladies ; but, sirs, here is very great need for ladies to come
and teach our ladies. I want very very much that they
come.

Also, my friends, help us every day in your prayers. I want my
country to be a strong Lantern that is not put out, in this
land of darkness.

Also I wish to make dear friends in Europe, because we are One
in Christ Jesus Our Saviour. Now good-bye, my dear
friends. God be with you in all your decisions.

I am your friend who loves you in Jesus,

BAUD I KASAGAMA.

How well I remember the deep impression that request

28

Mengo, Uganda

made on me as I read it, little realizing at the time that
God would send me out in answer to it. Mr. and Mrs.
A. B. Lloyd were also located to Toro, and Miss Pike,
who had arrived in Uganda six months previously.

As soon as we knew our location we went off to
Kampala, the market place and Government station of
Mengo, to lay in a stock of oil, wheat, matches, bark
cloths ; also cowrie shells, beads, and calico, which are
the currency of the Toro district. Our purse took the
shape of two large sacks, each weighing 65lbs., and these
needed two men to carry them.

Kampala was very different from Namirembe. Swahilis,
Indians, Arabs, and natives crowded the narrow, stuffy
street called a market place. Open booths extended
down either side, and on shelves were displayed various
native grains and vegetable produce, while gorgeous
coloured prints and calicoes, baads, and brass wire
adorned the outfitters' shops. As we passed along, small
amused crowds followed us to see the " tall ladies."

The law court would have shocked the members of the
profession of Fleet Street. It was a barn-like structure
built of reeds ; there were no benches and witness boxes,
the only official item being a coat of arms wrought on an
enamelled iron plate over the judge's seat and table.

We heard there was a nice little white-washed mud
house awaiting us in Toro, but there were no windows
or doors. The European missionary already working
there promised to make these when we supplied him with
wood from our packing-cases.

Toro was still in its very dark state, but the people
were willing and eager to learn. The Uganda of the
present has been the result of years of labour, the cost of
noblest lives, the scenes of grandest heroism, the patient,
untiring, lonely work of such men as Mackay, Pilkington,
and many others. Toro appeared to have few physical
dangers, but the moral and spiritual difficulties were just

29

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

the same. A fortnight's journey seemed a long distance
to the nearest European station, especially to one straight
out from the roar and bustle of London life, the noise and
rattle of a large family of brothers and sisters.

We felt very incompetent implements, but remembered
the prayers going up for us in England, and believed that
they would have power with the great Master-Builder,
the Architect of the ages — so that the habitation being
builded together for God in Toro might be " all glorious
within."

30

CHAPTER IV

Toro : The Land of the Mountains of
the Moon

ON Tuesday, April loth, igoo, the start was made for
Toro. Our caravan of porters had been sent on
before to have our first camp in readiness on our
arrival.

Bishop Tucker, who was coming our way for
two days on a visit to an out-station, set off on his mule,
with Miss Pike mounted on a most apologetic-looking
donkey. The Lloyds and myself arranged our departure
two hours later, as our cycles promised a quicker method
of locomotion. Having said the last good-bye to friends,
I went away for an hour's quiet to get strengthened for
the journey. Taking out my " Daily Light " I looked
for its message, which was the promise given to Israel
while in captivity, " Thy renown went forth among the
heathen for thy beauty, for thou art perfect in the majesty
(R.V.) that I have put upon thee, saith the Lord."
What a glorious responsibility through the graciousness
of God to be allowed to proclaim the renown, beauty and
majesty of Christ among the heathen.

At 3.0 three cyclists could have been seen scorching
down the hills from Mengo with a crowd of boys and
men as bodyguard, all the twelve miles to camp. Africans
seem to be possessed with an extra breathing reservoir,
for they can run almost any distance without stopping to
regain breath. It was dark or semi-obscure in the small
forest opening where we found our encampment. Miss

31

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

Pike was unceremoniously seated on a big box swallowing
pints of tea ! The porters had tried to erect our tent,
but had not learned the knack, and we had to creep into
flabby folds of canvas. It looked like a native who wants
his one daily meal — it sadly needed inflating. Oh, dear !
How did we manage that night ! It became dark so soon,
everybody had to fish about with candles among a
medley of boxes, porters and food. Our Baganda boys
were certainly not trained like the Swahili attendants
who came up with us to Uganda, in the mysteries and
arts of camping out. European equipments were un-
solved conundrums to them. Our four youths looked
hopelessly vacant, jabbering about round the tent, doing
nothing but getting into one's way. When we did sit
down to a personally - superintended cooked meal, the
" waiter " knocked the wash-hand basin of water over
my pillows, which had to be round a fire all -night to dry.
The "boys" can learn to do things fairly nicely if you
have patience to allow them plenty of time for an idea to
filter through their minds. They wanted an hour for
preparing our table at each meal, which was only
furnished with the simplest and most limited number of
things. Sitting down before the food box they took out
every tin and contemplated each one for some minutes
before deciding whether salt was eaten with tea, jam
with meat, and so on.

The next morning at 4.30 we were all astir again, and
as soon as our belongings were packed up, were on our
way. How I wish I had the power of descriptive
writing to enable others to peep into one of the many
exquisite belts of forest that crossed the road at constant
intervals. They surpassed any Kew tropical greenhouse.
Unlike the tangled disorderly forests passed on our way
to Uganda, date palms, trees, climbers, flowers such as
orchids, sunflowers, wild pea and tomatoes flourished
there in perfect life and vigour.

32

The Mountains of the Moon

Emerging from the cool shade of these trees, our track
passed through stretches of papyrus and pampas grasses
eight to fifteen feet high. It was almost impossible to see
the path of about one foot wide which had become over-
grown and covered by broken tiger grass. Cycling was
anything but easy. We had to butt our sun helmets into
the long, wet waving grass, blindly careering forward.
There is absolutely no level ground between Toro and
Uganda, but a succession of hills over the tops of which
the road has been cut. The descents, sometimes very
steep are dangerous on account of the thick muddy swamps
that frequently wind round the bases of the hills. The
bridges over these swamps often get washed away in the
rainy seasons. One almost feels the treacherous malaria,
as heat waves sweep heavily along, while being carried
through these " Sloughs of Despond " on the shoulder
of one of the strongest porters. I suppose one of these
was responsible for the heat sickness that I woke up with
one morning. A long tiresome march lay ahead, so the
hammock was insisted upon, and six men, lent by the
chief of the village, came as carriers. It was rather
ludicrous to watch the sympathy of the natives. I could
have imagined myself dying; but the shock they sustained
when the first little bit of decent road was reached !
In half-a-minute the awe-struck men stood gasping as, call-
ing out to be lowered, the poor, dying " Mukyala " (lady)
coasted down a tempting hill. They looked quite relieved
when they found her awaiting the hammock at the foot
of the next climb.

In one camp the chief came to pay us his respects
and brought six old men with him and several folks to
whom he wanted to show the white ladies, none having
passed along that way before. I could do nothing more
than greet them with an extenuated string of grunts, but
this pleased them immensely. Mr. Lloyd asked if I
•would let down my hair, as they had never seen

33 D

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

anything different from their own cropped, frizzy pates,
and the short hair of a few white men. Out came
the hairpins, and as the hair tumbled down a
loud laugh of delight and surprise came from
every onlooker. A lesson in hairdressing 'followed,
and each twist, turn and pin was watched with lively
excitement. A spoonful of salt was given round to every
visitor before leaving. Their eyes glistened, their hands
were lifted to their mouths, the tongues protruded, and,
oh, the delight of that moment ! They smacked their
lips and relished it as much as I enjoyed sherbet in girl-
hood's days. The remaining dainty morsel was tied up
in a piece of banana leaf.

The roads proved too much for my poor wheel. Until
it could be attended to by a London specialist it had to
be regarded as a chronic displacement. The strain on
the fork had been too incessant and heavy with only a
front rim brake. The ruts, ditches, and obstacles had
given it a terrible shaking, and finally succeeded in
literally tearing the fork away from the bar. The
remainder of the journey, about 140 miles, had to be
covered on foot. Miss Pike was in the same predica-
ment, as the donkey gave in even before the bicycle.

On the sixth day from Mengo we reached Lwekula and
put up at a European fort, vacated now, but built and
occupied at the last Soudanese rebellion when the Nubian
troops and Mohammedan population were up in arms
against the British Government. It is a square fenced-in
enclosure with sentinel boxes at each corner and a deep,
dry moat surrounding it. Two or three reed sheds
stand inside, one of which we made use of instead of our
tents, which are intensely hot during the day time.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Lloyd was taken with bad fever as
we reached here, and as her temperature remained at 104
on the third day a special runner was dispatched to
Mengo asking Dr. Cook to come out to her. The six

34

The Mountains of the Moon

following days of waiting for his arrival were anxious
times to us all, and we watched by her bedside day and
night. When he did come the fever refused to yield to
treatment. After a fortnight spent thus it was decided
that she should be carried back to the nearest European
station three days away. Before leaving, the doctor had
an opportunity of relieving several poor native sufferers.
One was a tubercular case, which necessitated amputation
of the finger. In lieu of an operating theatre the patient
was laid on the ground and given chloroform ! We
enjoyed a few regular out-patient days of hospital life
again.

The knowledge that our two travelling friends must
return had come to us on my birthday, and a new weight
seemed added to my quarter of a century of life. They
had been like brother and sister to me ever since leaving
England, and now it was like going away from everything
that connected one with the old land. Then I turned to
my Bible, and Psalm 22 was the birthday portion — " The
Kingdom is the Lord's " stood out as written in gold. I
could nsver get beyond God's country, God's territory.
It brought such peace, comfort, protection. No longer
was it one person almost alone in a big strange land, but
a child of a King who reigneth in Africa as in England,
and never sends without Himself going, too.

The doctor left at 12.0 p.m. on April 30th to get ready
the camp for the Lloyds, and at 4.0 p.m. we fixed the
invalid up in the hammock and left the Fort with them.
It was a sad and silent procession, and a talk with Mr.
Lloyd showed us how bitter was the disappointment to
them both. At sunset we stood and wished them good-
bye, and it just needed all the strength we could command
to keep back the hot tears that wanted to fall with those
that shook the poor little patient. Neither of us could
speak as Miss Pike and I returned to the desolate Fort.
Already two of our companions has been obliged to turn

35

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

back, and we two girls were left to go on with a missionary
who had come out to escort us to Toro.

At midnight my companion was seized with violent
sickness and slight temperature. Donning slippers and
enveloping myself in a blanket, I ran out across'the Fort
to rouse one of the boys for hot water. It was awfully
uncanny. The starlit sky was entirely shut out by angry
clouds, and the darkness was intolerable. Only the shrill
shriek of the hyenas broke the stillness, and I half expected
the faint light from my candle lamp to fall upon a leopard
or reptile.

After two days, however, she so far recovered as to be
able in a hammock to take up the journey once more.

I am quite sure Heber had never visited Uganda when

he wrote : —

11 Where Afric's sunny fountains
Roll down their golden sand."

If he had done so it might have run : —

" Where Afric's swamps and mountains
Meet one on every hand."

Our experience next day especially proved this. At 6 a.m.
a cloudless sky greeted us, and damp white mists were
sleeping in each hollow. At the foot of the first hill we
were confronted by a long swamp with tall papyrus grass
growing on either side. We had recourse to the
hammock, and as the water reached the carriers' waists,
one felt the canvas was some inches in water and that it
was a case of floating through the dirty, stagnant river.
I wondered if poor little Moses in the bulrushes ever felt
as we did among the papyrus. The second swamp gave
us a little variety, as the reed bridge had been broken
down and the step down into the swamp was so steep
that we felt uncomfortably like sliding over the front
carrier, while the climb up at the other end gave us our
first sensation of standing on our heads.

36

The Mountains of the Moon

At ii o'clock we halted under a tree and feasted on
sausages (tinned), sweet potatoes, cornflour, biscuits, and
tea. Sausages are a great treat out here, and we only
indulged as we were doing a double march to reach Toro
that day week. We then waited till 2 p.m. so as to
allow the sun to cool down a bit, and enjoyed reading an
English newspaper, the " British Weekly," of February
i6th date. After that we felt quite ready to continue our
march, reaching camp at 4 o'clock, only to find our tents
had been pitched on such a disgustingly dirty old camp-
ing ground that they had to be taken up and erected
some hundred yards further on.

Diary-making that day was impossible. Our tent, from
the bottom to the top, was literally lined with mosquitoes,
and their singing quite put in the shade the Royal Choral
Society at the Albert Hall. In the two previous camps
they had covered the roof, but evidently never tasted the
joys of European flesh and feared to descend. These
others were more initiated.

Arriving at Butiti, which is only 30 miles from
Kabarole, the capital of Toro, we found a most prosperous
work going on among the people. Our kind escort from
Lwekula, Mr. Ecob, was stationed there. A marriage
was solemnized in the Mission Church on the day of our
arrival. We went out of curiosity and to get a peep into
the native customs. Never have I disgraced myself by
such uncontrollable laughter. First of all, the pair were
not forthcoming, and so the parson organized a search
party. A hilarious sound from the porch warned us of
the bridegroom's arrival. He was a lanky stripling of
about 17, dressed in a long white gown. His best man
wore a very hole-y shirt, Jaeger-coloured for want of a
wash. An unwound turban was thrown over his
shoulder till required. The bridegroom went forward
and squatted on a grass mat in front of the chancel to
await his betrothed. Soon a slow, solemn procession

37

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

coming in at a side door brought in view the belated
bride, accompanied and surrounded by about thirty
maidens. How can I describe that picture ! She was
ugly — as ugly as the imagination could picture ; some-
what advanced in years ; her face was marred by cutting
and branding, and she was reeking with grease which
was amply smeared over face and shoulders. On her
head sat a red Turk's cap worn as a sign of marriage or
high station. This, on account of its size, had the
appearance of a candle extinguisher. Then her body
was swathed in all sorts of coloured prints and beads.
After the ceremony, the couple left by different doors, the
bridesmaids holding an old torn " brollie " over the
retiring bride, who was weeping copiously. The women
regard marriage in rather a philosophical light. They
say it has two arms. One brings a home, protection, and
presents of clothing and rejoicing. The other, shuts the
door of liberty ; it brings work, and that means sorrow.
The thought of the latter predominates on the wedding day.
When six miles away from Butiti we got our first view
of the Mountains of the Moon. I can never forget the
sight that was suddenly opened up as we turned a sharp
bend round a high hill. It was 4.30 p.m. Huge peaks,
sharp and rugged, stretched from north to south in an
unbroken range of sixty-nine miles long. Heavy black
thunder clouds rolled over some of the summits, while
the lightning shot out angry tongues of fire. Torrents of
rain were sweeping away to our right, while the sun beat
down in full strength upon the valleys. Above all, calm
and serene, shone the region of snow. For all ages the
sun has directed its equatorial power against that ice
fortress. Storms have thundered and crushed against its
foundations, but it has ever stood as the one impregnable
and unsullied witness of holiness and purity to God, in a
land where darkness has reigned, and the storms of
passion, vice and barbarity have laid desolate.

38

The Mountains of the Moon

Descending to the forest just beneath us, we sat under
the shade of its trees, keeping well in view of glorious
Ruwenzori. While tea was in preparation we just gave
ourselves up to the influences of environment. For a
moment we even dared to feel poetical. Long forgotten
stanzas lived again in the memory, but were all put down
as original and momentary genius. My turn having
come round, I made a rush at something with a guilty
conscience of poaching on another one's preserves, and it
ran something like : —

" Mountains on whose rugged breast
The labouring clouds do often rest."

But I got no further, for who should appear but someone
suspiciously like a tourist. So unusual a sight made us
forget English customs, and we waited for no introductions.
We received a real warm welcome straight away from our
companion-designate and only co-worker in Kabarole.

Next morning we rose at 5.0 and saw the sun rise on the
snow peaks and then started on our last walk.

Almost immediately runners met us bearing letters
from the King and Queen, the Namasole (the King's
mother), the Prime Minister, and chiefs, all welcoming
us in words of warmest thanks. These men scarcely
waited for our verbal answer before rushing back. In
fact, the road for a long way ahead was defined by men
and boys rushing toward and from us with messages. As
we drew nearer a few teachers and others came to prepare
us for the reception that awaited us, and informed us
that the women of Toro were congregated just beyond
our next hill. We little guessed what an army lay
entrenched there. As we approached, one moving mass
of fluttering white and crimson gowns came bearing down
upon us, rushing, clapping their hands, and shrieking.
Then crowds of black arms were thrown wildly round our
necks, and as many pates placed from one shoulder to

the other.

39

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

We talked as well as we could to them, but our pro-
gress was slow, as every now and again they stopped us
and repeated their demonstrations. Over the next hill
the male force had rallied, and here a no less hearty
though more formal welcome awaited us.

We made for the church, which was crowded, and a
few impromptu prayers and hymns of praise went up on
our behalf. Then we inspected our future white-washed
home, and from that moment, all day long and every
day, we were crowded with visitors.

The royal band was sent down by His Majesty to play
outside our house. It was composed of six drummers
and twelve fifers, whose instruments are able to produce
about five notes, and with these they produce indistin-
guishable tunes. Their appreciation of music seems to
depend on the volume of sound produced, so in order to
give us a proof of their welcome they blew to bursting
pitch. All day long we were serenaded and at night,
too. It went on into the second day, and thinking the
bandsmen might prove to have stronger lung power than
we had of endurance, we sent a polite message to his
Majesty asking that they might be allowed to rest at
night till daylight.

So at last we had reached our journey's end. The
sixteen weeks that had run out since leaving home had
been long and eventful. As the evening fell on our first
day in Toro, we gathered round our log fire and sang
together " O God our help in ages past."

40

CHAPTER V

The Country

TORO is one of the four Kingdoms that comprise the
Uganda Protectorate and lies on the North-west
boundary. The present outlook would lead one to
think that it will remain unaffected longer than the
other three neighbouring States by the inroads that
civilization is making in Uganda, which the railway has
brought into such close proximity to the outside world,
while traders pass along the splendid caravan roads
through Bunyoro up to the Nile, and to the Southern
cattle-rearing Kingdom of Ankole. There is nothing to
attract them to Toro, as the journey is a real physical
effort, and there is no commercial prospect of mineral
wealth or remunerative industry to justify the long journey.
The ivory that formerly brought the Arab traders into the
country is now almost entirely preserved by the British
Government. So, unless Toro is visited by more suc-
cessful prospectors than those who have already casually
looked round, who shall discover some hidden mine of
wealth, in all probability it will remain undisturbed in
its present state of rusticity.

But it is a wonderful country, and one that must ever
fascinate a lover of nature and its freaks. The moun-
tains are in themselves a unique feature. One can
scarcely reconcile the co-existence of an equatorial sun
and eternal snows, yet so it is. Strange mountain tribes
in quite primeval state live among its forests and creeks,
while just on its other side extends Stanley's Great
Forest with its pigmy inhabitants.

41

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

On all sides one sees the results of the operation of
mighty unseen forces. Numbers of extinct volcanoes are
visible from our hill, the craters of which form the beds
of lakes now, with vegetation and forest growth stretching
down their sides to the water's edge.

They must have enjoyed a good long sleep, as no hints
of their activity are traced in the native traditions, which
go back to a corresponding Adamic period. There are
quite a number of legends, however, which invariably
associate them with evil spirits that are supposed to live
in the craters. This is believed even still by some of the
raw peasants. One day a woman told me that her two
little boys had been playing in the courtyard while she
was at work, and the " Muchwezi " (evil spirit) from the
Crater hill two miles away had come and run off with
her elder child. For two years he had remained lost to
them, when suddenly he returned clothed in a strip of
bark-cloth and a charm round his neck peculiar to that
evil spirit. He was sworn to divulge nothing of what
had happened to him while being with the evil spirits in
the crater, under the penalty of being caught away again
by them.

Here let me recount a rather unique picnic we had at
one of these crater lakes three miles away. It happened
on a Monday — the Missionaries' off-day — when general
repairs and washing are usually done, or visits paid to
neighbouring villages. We started off on our bikes in
high spirits which managed to survive a heavy thunder-
storm that overtook us half way and soaked us through.
We hung ourselves out to dry round a fire in the hut on
the lake shore, and having warmed ourselves with tea
made for the lake in search of wild-duck. We baled
the water out of the dug-out canoe and set off with three
boys as paddlers. You never met with anything more
aggravating than an African dug-out ; they are so badly
balanced that the least movement threatens to overturn

42

The Country

the skiff; and as for steering, that is out of the question.
Anyhow, when we were far away from our landing point,
the canoe refused to move, except in complete circles. We
could make no headway; the united efforts of all — barring
myself, who did not row — failed to move the boat except
in rapid revolutions. Then a storm blew up and dark-
ness seemed to be suddenly settling down on us. One of
our party, who knew from experience our danger, was in
a terrible fright. I tried hard to tune up to " Excelsior"
and " Midshipmite," which eventually evidently appealed
to the kind heart of the elements, for the boat moved and
we were safely landed. But the return home was the
difficulty. The moon went in as soon as it appeared,
and as it was so dark a different route was suggested, in
order to escape the river which we had to cross on our
way out. About half way we found out that the recent
storms had washed away the bridge we had relied upon
to get us across the river and so were obliged to trust to
other means. Miss Pike headed the procession on a
boy's shoulder, but as the water came up to the lad's arm-
pit her position was far from enviable. Then I ventured
on the donkey, sitting in a sort of tailor fashion, but, alas!
the water refused to let me off scot free. After that, in a
miserably drenched condition, with our flapping skirts
like reservoirs of water, we trudged on through long grass
and thick mud, and at last reached a succession of deep
swamps. One of these looked so tragic and interminable
that the men insisted on crossing hands and taking me
through in dandy-chair style. I shall not forget that
experience. Like Christian of old, one of my carrier's
strength and courage failed him, and half-way I became
suddenly aware that he was rapidly disappearing under
water. A violent yell brought small boys to the rescue,
who, supporting me, managed to extricate him from the
mud depths, and a second start was made ; but just as we
were reaching the other side the same poor, unfortunate

43

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

man landed in more mud, into which he sank. Before
I could release my hold, I saw him go completely under
the water, and felt myself rapidly descending into the
depths over his head. The situation was so ludicrous
that the awful after-effects were forgotten in the. peals of
laughter which no one could restrain, in spite of the poor
man's miserable condition and my own.

To resume our description — on the east of Ruwenzori
the land presents an unbroken stretch of undulating
country; on the west side the land falls rapidly and forms
the Semliki plain, so called after the river that winds
zigzag through it, uniting the Albert Edward Nyanza on
the south to the Albert Nyanza on the north.

Descending to this plain round the north end of the
mountain range, the configuration of the land indicates
two distinct ancient water levels ; this is confirmed by
the quantities of small shells that are often - found in
scattered heaps among the sandy soil, similar to those
now found on the Lake shores.

With the exception of the fringe of the Congo Forest
that enters the Toro boundary, and the Bamboo Forests
that grow so thickly on the slopes of the mountains, Toro
is not .abundant in trees and timber. Wide veins of
woodland winding along the river courses, however, form
welcome relief to the prolific elephant grass that covers
hills and valleys. Looked down upon from a distance
these extended forests present a rich variety of tints.
Winter is never seen, for when old age strikes the
branches, the tree breaks forth into its second childhood
under the influence of the sun's rays. But on entering
beneath the shade of these tempting oases, one realizes a
feeling of disappointment, for everything appears to have
outgrown its beauty. Powerful and unkempt creepers
and rubber plants have wound their long bare limbs like
poisonous snakes round the barks and branches of the
trees till the vegetation has ceased to breathe in their grasp,

44

The Country

and has withered away. Then the mischievous little
monkeys as they frolic and scamper about leave such
litter behind !

Toro is almost entirely void of isolated trees. The
annual grass fires that are lighted to clear the country
for the sowing of the crops have given them no chance of
an existence.

Banana groves are gradually springing up over the
country, for the Batoro are emulating the example of the
Baganda in adopting the unsweetened banana called
" Matoke " as their staple food. Formerly they lived
entirely on " Bura," a small millet which possesses a
very low percentage of nutritive quality. The only
thing that commends it is the infinitesimal amount of
labour needed for its cultivation, and this is the chief
consideration of these folk. They grind the grain
between two stones which gradually crumble away in the
process, making the food when cooked hardly distinguish-
able from boiled sand.

Ruwenzori gives the whole kingdom of Toro a very
plentiful water supply. The streams, flowing down from
the ever-melting snow and ice, unite and form clear and
swift rivers which provide the land with pure cold water,
but at the same time make the country difficult for
travelling about in. The crude bridges made by the
natives get washed away in the rainy season, which often
monopolises nine months out of the twelve. The moun-
tains seem to attract every cloud that rises above the
horizon. Nature indulges in most phenomenal pranks
out there. There may be a perfectly bright cloudless
afternoon, when suddenly it looks as if all the clouds of
heaven had been unchained and let loose. From every
direction they gather in impenetrable blackness, then
girding themselves with fury, they burst forth and, with
a hurricane in their wake, menace Toro with a few angry
tears of passion and break with roars of thunder and

45

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

tongues of fire on Ruwenzori's side. Failing to shake
that mountain ridge, they rebound and empty themselves
upon Kabarole. In a few minutes the whole country is
a wash-out ; the hills send down sheets of water, and so
do our thatched roofs. Unless these are under constant
repair, all our little black boys, when they see a storm
coming, are armed with pots, pans, basins, and dishes,
and stand about in the rooms to catch the rain water,
and so save themselves the trouble of going to the spring.
One afternoon a terrible thunderstorm broke over
Toro ; the force of one clap, which was simultaneous with
the most vivid lightning, was indescribable. A thunder-
bolt seemingly had fallen just over our heads and sounded
as if a million dynamite explosives had burst over us.
Scarcely had one recovered from the momentary shock,
when the dreaded sound " Tera enduru " was heard; this
is a fire alarm which the natives produce by clapping their
lips with the palm of their hand. Hastening outside, we
saw clouds of smoke issuing from Mr. and Mrs. Maddox's
house, which adjoined ours. Not waiting for hats or
umbrellas, we hurried across to the yard, where boys and
girls were rushing frantically about; Mrs. Maddox was in
bed with fever in the very room where the fire had broken
out. Her room was blazing away, while she was asleep,
unconscious of her danger. Wrapping her in blankets,
we managed to have her carried across to our house.
The lightning had struck the corner of the room, instantly
igniting the thatch, poles, and bamboo ceiling ; the flash
had travelled through the room, just escaping the
bed, but singeing a little Bible on the table close by.
Really, her escape was nothing less than a miracle. In a
very short time the Katikiro was on the spot with his
men, and we all worked hard at carrying out the things.
To save the house was an impossibility. It was merely a
fight with time and fire — pulling down packing cases and
books, carrying out stores, boxes, bedding, clothing,

46

The Country

crockery, tables, and chairs, and feeling the flames were
quickly devouring all that lay in their way. When
almost the last item was out, we were ordered away, and
with a crash the end of the roof fell in, while the flames
ascended in one solid, angry mass. Meanwhile, the King
had posted an army of men to guard our house, and fan
away all sparks with large banana leaves. All this had
taken but fifteen minutes, so you can imagine the rapidity
with which everyone had worked. The only things burnt
were a tent and camp-bed, which had been stored in the
roof, and were quite unreachable.

Fortunately, this happened just ten days before they
were due to leave for England, so they were not homeless
for long.

The whole of Toro seemed to crowd into our court,
congratulating us all on our escape, and thanking God for
protecting us. You will easily imagine how dead beat we
were when the day was over, and how we welcomed
sleep ; but this was not to be for long, for at 12.0 mid-
night the same alarm of fire awakened us, and tearing on
our dressing gowns and slippers, we found Mr. Fisher's
women's house a conflagration. This was truly terrify-
ing, as it was in such close proximity to his own house ;
while, as the house was entirely built of grass and reeds,
the flames were more rapid and dense. Black figures,
silhouetted against the flaming background, were seen
wildly scrambling up on to these two roofs, beating away
the flames and sparks. It really seemed an impossibility
to save either, especially when you heard people shouting
" Muije okutukonyera enju yahya " ("Come and help us,
the house is on the point of burning.") But I am glad to
say the God of Deliverances was again with us to save,
and to show forth His power. Nothing was lost but
the women's house, and the possessions and clothing of
the seven women. In the morning, this was found to be
a case of incendiarism ; a small girl, who had recently

47

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

left through stealing, had set fire to the house to revenge
herself on the women.

These things are a little bit upsetting to one's nerves ;
the constant earthquakes and terrific thunderstorms keep
one always girded for flight. One afternoon the
missionaries had met together for afternoon tea, and
suddenly there was a slight underground murmur, and
the house shook as if it trembled. There were three
windows and one door to the room, and out of them the
three men instantly disappeared ; they looked rather
shaken when they came back for their tea. It was agreed
not to let out names !

On the western wide of Ruwenzori, and close to the
base of that mountain range, are boiling springs contain-
ing a considerable proportion of sulphur. The natives
have discovered their medicinal properties for skin
diseases and have digged channels so as to divert part of
the water into trenches or pits where they can sufficiently
cool it for bathing purposes. They also carry their food
down to the springs, and in a short time the plantains or
potatoes are cooked and ready for use.

Lying as it does on the Equator, Toro experiences
scarcely any change of seasons all the year round, and in
consequence of its being some 5,000 feet above sea level,
the temperature scarcely rises above 75-80° Fahr. in the
shade, while the nights are often cold enough to justify
the log fires that the Europeans indulge in. The
prodigious and constant rainfalls just rob the country of a
reputation it might have held for possessing an ideal
climate for the colonist and for agricultural purposes.
Except in the low-lying marshy districts, Toro is
exceptionally free from mosquitoes and malaria,
and, up to the present, not one case of sleeping sickness
has been known.

The soil is abnormally rich. Eucalyptus seed sown in
the open produces trees of 12-156:. in 18 months.

48

The Country

Strawberries yield two and three plentiful crops annually,
in fact growth has often to be checked, as in the case of
cauliflowers, which need transplanting three times if fruit
is to be obtained. Excellent coffee is grown in the
country, and a very limited amount of inferior
wheat. There is no reason why rice should not be
successfully cultivated in the swampy soil, and tea on the
sides of the mountains. The great obstacle to the
developing of industries at present is the difficulty of
transport to the districts where there is a profit-yielding
demand. No minerals have yet been discovered with the
exception of an appreciable amount of iron, which the
people have instinctively learned to work ; they are able
to turn out good spear heads, hoes, knives, and even
rough needles of clumsy proportions.

This is undoubtedly one of the world's natural
zoological gardens. Huge herds of elephants, sometimes
numbering 200 or 300, trundle through the tiger grass;
leopards and lions may be heard at night roaring after
their prey, sometimes even round the capital ; crocodiles
and hippopotami infest the lakes ; monkeys and
chimpanzees scamper about the forests ; snakes lie coiled
up in the long grass; and everywhere teems insect life,
from the infinitesimal jigger to the locust. Lions are
feared less by the people than leopards. In Bunyoro,
where lions showed a leaning towards human flesh and
blood, the King or Chief of the infested district used to
send out two black cows or calves, and the lions, after
having tasted their blood, no longer troubled the people,
but dieted from that time on pigs and hyenas.

Toro is still in the infancy of its development ; the
land, its resources, the people, and their possibilities are
fields that give promise of a harvest of rich fruition to
those who go to labour with mind and will.

49

CHAPTER VI
Home Life

LIFE in Africa offers as sharp a contrast as is possible
to imagine to the rush and bustle of the old
country. Perhaps this is one of the earliest
impressions that strikes one when coming straight
from a large and noisy household in the Metropolis. The
keynote of this country is " mpora, mpora" — "slowly,
slowly," and its effects are seen and felt everywhere.
Time is of no consequence or value to the people. The
wheels of life revolve so slowly that I felt as if my whole
being had been pulled up with a jerk. The clockwork of
activity had to be allowed to run down gradually, in order
to fall into correspondence with things around.

Having left England just after Christmas, with its
memories of busy thoroughfares streaming with
lights from the gaily decorated shops, and teem-
ing with folks big and small all chattering and
preparing for the festive season, I had scarcely hid
time to forget all this noise and rattle before
arriving at the antipodes of existence. Step out of
the house one evening with me at about 8.0. Miles
and miles of country lie faintly outlined by the phantom
light of the moon — that orb of death. No other spark or
ray breaks the long, wide expanse of darkness, and all the
land and nature lie in profound sleep : no song of mirth
or infant's cry reaches us, everything is mute and every-
where is sleeping.

50

Home Life

Suddenly a shrill shriek from the hyena or a leopard's
low growl drives us indoors. Oh for the rumble of a
London 'bus or the rush of the Irish express as it passes
the old home in a mad hurry night after night. There is
the faithful companionship of a scratchy pen, so that is
how one generally turns out a voluminous correspondent
in these parts of silent Africa.

Now let that same pen tell something of our home and
various domestic odds and ends. Our house was built
of wood and mud daub with a roof of thatch. The rooms,
five in number, were lofty and fairly large, with walls
which could be called neither straight nor smooth — in fact
they rather reminded me of " Uncle Podger's " wall that
looked as if it had been smoothed down with a garden
rake after he had been hanging a picture. But ours were
whitewashed, and this, at least, gave them a clean and
cheerful appearance. The fact was that a violent storm
had slightly blown the walls out of gear before the ground
had sufficiently hardened round the framework poles.
The windows were ingeniously made of wood with calico
nailed across as a substitute for glass. We had only one
door to start with — the front door — made of the unpolished
and unplaned material of two packing cases, ornamented
with the names and destinations of the owners of the
boxes. There was a verandah all round the house which
kept it cool from the midday sun.

Really, it was a marvellous building when you consider
that the workmen had never built anything different from
the round beehive grass and reed huts in which the
people live. The poles had all to be brought in from a
forest seven miles away, and were carried in on men's
heads. The mud was beaten by their bare feet. They had
to be overlooked at every point and turn as they have no
idea of work, or even a straight line, unless the European
is actually on the spot to show them. And when that
European was absolutely alone and endeavouring to act

51

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

as pastor, teacher, and schoolmaster to hundreds of eager
and teachable people, the question is how he ever squeezed
in time to build this and his own house.

Our tent furniture was far too diminutive and scanty to
fill our five rooms, so we turned cabinet-makers, -and pro-
duced some highly creditable articles, all things
considered.

Piling up six packing cases of uniform size, and nailing
round strips of native grass matting, we had a splendid
" Liberty " bookcase.

A " cosy corner " was made out of two more boxes
turned upside down, stuffed with shavings and covered
with cretonne. It looked very comfortable but rather
belied its name.

Our dining-room table consisted of the lids of cases
joined up and nailed to four posts planted in the mud
floor. After a few weeks the legs took root, and the
young branches supplied novel decorations.

We framed a few large photographs in reeds and hung
them where the walls were flat enough.

The nights in Toro are cold, for although we are only
i "5 degrees lat. North, the capital is 5,000 feet above sea
level. In consequence the houses are built with brick
chimneys. With a bright log fire burning in the open
hearth and a comfortable arm chair our sitting-room
looked very cosy and bright. It is quite remarkable the
amount of enjoyment one can derive out of things which
cost nothing but a little hard work and a good deal
harder thinking out.

One learns sometimes from rather trying experiences
that several things which have been regarded as absolute
essentials in England can so easily be dispensed with out
here.

A lot of things brought out from home reached me in a
hopelessly wrecked condition. As I have said before, on
account of the scarcity of porters we had been obliged to

52

Home Life

leave several boxes behind. Three of the twenty-three
I had left were never again heard of. As these were food
supplies I hoped they nourished some of the half-famished
natives we passed up country. But the cases that did
arrive had been exposed without protection from the
rains, and were absolutely rotten when they reached me ;
the zinc linings had been destroyed by rust, and the con-
tents reduced to pulp. In a sort of mechanical way I
sorted out the different things, throwing aside books,
letters, clothing, and nick-nacks on the rubbish heap.
Some things could never be replaced — little recollections
of the past and home-links. How reluctantly were these
cast out ! — but God showed me that this was known and
allowed by Him, and when once He shows us this, the
sunshine bursts forth and the heart rejoices. It
strengthens one all round when sometimes the temporal
is shattered to allow the Invisible and Eternal to appear.
I should not be at all surprised that our missionary
example St. Paul had had all his loads spoilt by shipwreck
when he wrote : " I have learned in whatsoever state I
am therewith to be content ; not that I speak in respect
of want."

On another occasion when our annual supplies from
England were within one day's march of Toro the porters'
shed was burnt down and all our loads but two were
destroyed.

Now, as to food, there are just three items you can
buy out here : goats, or sheep that have not an ounce of
fat except in their tails. These cost about 2s. 8d.
Chickens, which provide sufficient flesh tor one person's
meal of very normal appetite, can be purchased for fifty
cowrie shells (i^d.), twenty eggs for the same price, but
these are not often cheap, as very frequently they are
brought for sale when they will not hatch.

Of course our store room, furnished from England, is
our grocer; the garden answers to greengrocer and

53

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

fruiterer, for it produces nearly everything ; crops can be
had in constant succession if care is taken to sow
systematicallv. We also have from our cows a constant
supply of fresh butter, cream, and milk which is churned
on the premises in a native gourd. Besides this we are
our own bakers. Flour is grown in limited and
fluctuating quantities in the country. This is ground up,
mixed with carbonate of soda and buttermilk, baked in a
native pot with fire above and under, and in less than an
hour a very decent wholemeal loaf is ready for afternoon
tea.

The only drawback is that most of these departments
of industry have to be worked by one's self. It is rather
curious the number of professions a European holds out
here, simply because he must, there is no one else to do
it. The natives have such exalted ideas of the powers of
a white man, that they appeal to him in every difficulty.

The first week we had brought to us an umbrella to be
re-covered, one watch with broken mainspring needing
repair, a lamp to be soldered, all sorts and conditions
of sick people wanting medicine, and one raving mad-
man !

The servant question was one that had to be faced
immediately on our arrival, so we decided to write up to
the King and Namasole. In reply, four young girls were
sent down who did nothing but weep in spite of our
kindly assurances of friendliness. They had never seen
white ladies before, and were literally scared at us.
They all ran away during the first night ! So we had to
keep on our road-boys until we had won the confidence
of the women. We sometimes wondered if we should
live to see that time ; for one day a cabbage was sent to
table that had been cooked in about one pound of soda.
The cook had seen the European put a pinch in the water,
and judging the diminutive quantity was with an eye to
economy, determined on giving us a liberal treat for once !

54

Home Life

Our best " cosy " was served up at another meal as a
dish cover to the roast chicken !

It is not often, however, that they knowingly deviate
from the model lesson given them; they sometimes err
too faithfully on the other side by reproducing the
European's mistakes and never improving on them. If
you have once taught them a heavy pastry, your pies
will always have that same unfortunate crust in spite of a
more successful second lesson. They believe absolutely
in reverting to original type. However, this is a one-
sided view of the little black cooks. Imagine an English
lad of twelve serving up a six-course dinner as these little
fellows can, after some training ; and with such a kitchen
range, three bricks or stones and some twigs, and a very
limited storeroom. Give a Toro cook a leg of goat and
he can turn out a most satisfying meal of varieties — goat
soup, goat curry, goat stewed, goat boiled and roast ; and
then if you want one more course, give him flour, eggs,
milk, and a little butter, and he could send you in goat
pie and goat pudding, or pancakes, boiled or baked batter,
boiled or baked sponge pudding.

If you live on poor food in Toro, you must not blame
the country or your cook, but yourself, that you did not
arm against the future by occasional visits to your
English kitchen. That is by far the best way of learning;
cookery lectures and cookery books are not much use for
a country like this ; they generally tell you to " take "
something you have not got and cannot get, and on that
seems to depend the success of the recipe. Often have I
recalled the long, tiring hours spent in learning to knead
bread, and then the patience of waiting for it to rise ; we
should be eating tinned biscuits (like our predecessors)
till this day if our bread depended on that method out
here.

Vegetables form rather an important part in the daily
diet ; in fact, one is inclined to be a vegetarian where

55

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

vegetables are so plentiful and meat very tough and
tasteless. On some occasions fifteen different kinds have
been sent to table at a meal. They are all cooked in one
large earthen pot, each vegetable being tied up in a large
banana leaf with water — the leaf is water-proof and made
soft and pliable by passing it through the fire.

The white ants and snakes show marked appreciation
for the Europeans' houses. In spite of digging deep
trenches round outside, the ants, which are supposed to
travel only a few inches under the surface soil, manage to
get at the poles and so gradually undermine the safety "tf
the walls. They are the most indefatigable workers. In
one night the floor of a room will be covered with little
heaps of soil which they have carried up ; a mackintosh
coat was half eaten away by these little pests that had
discovered it on a peg behind the bedroom door.
Sulphur, hot water, Keating, pepper, thrown down
proved quite ineffectual in driving them off. The natives
advised a European to leave the little ant-heaps for a few
days until a crop of small mushrooms appeared on the
ant-heaps, and that would satisfy the ants and off they
would go to begin their work elsewhere. The experiment
was tried, with the result that on the third day the floor
was covered with tiny white fungi, and the ants really
did disappear after that. I will not attempt to explain
the reason scientifically.

More stringent measures than passive resistance were
needed for the snakes that came and built under the
sitting room floor. Their appearance was first discovered
by one of them leaving his top coat behind him in one of
the rooms.

One evening we were roused from our peaceful occupa-
tions hearing two rifle reports and a regular stampede
outside our house ; we rushed to the door, but were
quickly told to shut it up, as a leopard was rushing about.
Two shots had been fired, but missed it. A large search

56

Home Life

party was formed of excited, frightened natives with
spears, rifles, and long torches, but all their endeavours
were in vain. Three nights after that another and even
larger leopard prowled round the houses, entered the
donkey stables and dragged out a small baby donkey.
In the morning an awful sight met our gaze on the path
outside the stabling. The two hind legs had been com-
pletely eaten and the body torn open ; the ground was
covered with blood, and many claw marks were visible.
The war drum was beaten, and, according to the law of
the country, all the men turned out, from the chiefs to
the poorest peasant, armed with spears and clubs. The
excitement was intense, the King's Hill was thronged
with dancing, rushing natives, singing war songs and
making dashing onslaughts toward imaginary foes. They
all danced and rushed in step, accomplishing the curious
body dance in perfect order. They tracked the beast,
and Mr. Fisher, who had led out the party, shot it as it
gave one spring from its lair. The return home was a
yell of victory, all assembling under the large tree on
the top of the King's Hill to salute the Katikiro (Chief
Minister), who sat in state to wait the arrival of the prey.
Afterwards all the wounded were brought to the
dispensary for surgical attention ; one arm was so
severely cut with spears and torn by the leopard's claws
that I had to stitch it up. Leopard's claws are very
poisonous, and inflammation immediately sets in ; many
cases prdve fatal on account of blood poisoning.

Just one word more before closing this. Life out here
is not one of constant "roughing it." No girls in
England could have been happier than we were, and
there are heaps of things that make up for some left in
Merrie England.

For instance, a punt down the Thames is not to be
compared to a paddle in a dug-out canoe or a sail in the
same by a square of calico hoisted. There is a delightful

57

lake right away among the mountains, only five miles off,
and no one ever enjoyed a lunch like the one we had in
the little reed bungalow on the shore. Our first picnic
there was unique. The lunch was provided by the
Government officials, and really, I had never -imagined
men were so domesticated. They superintended the
culinary arrangements. The Administrator made a meat
pie, the crust of which might have been improved ;
another produced a sort of trifle ; while a third manu-
factured scones ; and we tried not to notice the lack of
baking powder. But we survived all three.

58

CHAPTER VII
Royal Life

KABAROLE, the capital of Toro, may be described
as a city of hills. On the highest of these, com-
manding a panoramic view of the country north,
south, and east of Ruwenzori, stands the palace
of King Daudi Kasagama. The Uganda Protectorate
differs from Nigeria and the other west coast districts, in
that it possesses no old-established cities and towns. The
custom of the Kings of each of the four independent
Kingdoms of the Protectorate formerly was to remove the
capital as each succeeded to the throne. This involved
a constant exodus of the people, who cleared out bodily
in order to be close to their King. Scarcely any traces
can be found of the previous capitals, as the houses were
constructed merely of reeds, poles and thatch, which offer
no resistance to the destroying hand of time ; occasion-
ally a worn grinding-stone or a broken cooking-pot is
met with among waving elephant grass that immediately
assumed mastery of the ground on the removal of the
people.

In 1891 Kasagama succeeded to the throne of Toro,
which was then being plundered and ravaged by the
Kabarega, the neighbouring and powerful King of
Unyoro. For some years the whole district was dis-
tressed by the merciless tyranny of the raiders, and the
people were obliged to flee to the shelter of the moun-
tains. Now peace and order reign, the security and
authority of the King and his counsellors have been

59

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

established by the British Government, and the country
sown on all hands with the seed of Christianity which has
effected a complete reformation in the lives and condition
of the people.

The King's house is the only brick building at- present
in the country. It is two-storied, with walls two and a
half feet thick. The staircase is roughly constructed of
bricks and runs outside. On the ground floor are three
rooms. The centre one, into which the front door opens,
is the reception room. The walls and ceiling are gaily
hung with bright printed calico strips of varied design
and colouring, stitched together. Over these are large,
coloured Bible pictures illustrating the life of Christ.
On the floor are spread grass mats and leopards' skins,
which are the sign of royalty. An Indian rug is placed
under a table and chair in one corner where His Majesty
sits and receives his guests. The room is supplied with
no other furniture. A waiting-room leads off from this,
which is unfurnished, with the exception of a native
divan made of reeds for important or sick attendants ; the
others lounge about on the fine, soft grass strewn on the
floor.

Kasagama's study is on the other side of the reception-
room, and that is where he does most of his business
and carries on his correspondence. Upon the rows of
shelves fixed to the wall are to be seen small piles of
documents and letters received from his chiefs in the out-
lying districts, who are just learning to write. The
boxes at the end of the room contain all his treasured
presents received from the Government officials,
missionaries and friends in England. If you call in any
afternoon about five o'clock and are a friend of His
Majesty you would perhaps be allowed into this sanctum,
and there might find him working away at his typewriter
or dictating to his typist, who can run his fingers very
rapidly over the keyboard. Kasagama is now hard at

60

Royal Life

work writing a history of the country. To prevent any
unauthentic references to the past he has two old men,
well versed in ancient lore, to refer to.

The Council Hall, in which Parliament assembles every
Monday, is in an adjoining country, and this is a large
reed structure decorated inside with coloured calicos like
the reception room. The railed off partitions are
intended for the King's chair, and for the Queen Mother
or Sister, either of whom is expected to attend each week,
The Ministers of State are arranged in straight rows down
the building, and the people involved in the various cases
brought up for trial come and kneel in the wide aisle
which leads up to the King's seat.

I only attended once, as women are generally debarred
the privilege, but the first thing that struck me was how
very civilised is the House in Toro and much in advance
of one's own native land, for we were not put up in a
third gallery behind wire caging to merely catch a glimpse
of the Speaker's head, but had seats given us next to the
King ! However, there was a sad need of an Opposition
or Nationalists' Bench, to add a little gusto and sensation
to the proceedings. To make up for this at the conclusion
of each case, the Royal band broke out into uproarious
melodies, and the bandsmen accompanied their instru-
ments with caricature Irish jigs.

A visit to the King must always include an inspection
of his flower garden, of which he is very proud. It dates
back to our arrival in Toro. As he used to drop in for
afternoon tea, he would often find us armed with rake
and spade, just ready to tackle the patch of weeds out-
side our house. It was a matter of surprise to the natives
when they heard that the white ladies were " cultivating,"
and a still greater wonder when they learned that they
were not sowing food but flowers. Whatever was the use
of flowers ? However, Kasagama thought it must be the
correct thing, so one day ventured to beg a few flower

61

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

seeds to start a garden for himself, and then very
hesitatingly and half apologetically he asked what was
the exact use of flowers, as he wanted to have an answer
ready to give to questioners However, the beauty and
fragrance of our English flowers have spoken to these
people and awakened in their hearts a real admiration
and love, so that outside many a Toro homestead now
can be seen borders of carefully tended flowers ; and often
prettily-arranged bouquets will be brought by them as
greetings or offerings. At Easter time one result of this
is seen in the Church. On the Saturday each one is
asked to bring in the decorations and to help arrange
them. The first time this was done the chancel was
simply banked with bouquets, wreaths, and bunches of
wild or cultivated flowers; palm leaves and papyrus grass,
fixed to the columns of reeded poles down the church,
made continued arches right along each aisle, while the
open window sills were festooned with wild clematis.
Most of this was done entirely by the natives.

Court life in Toro has a very attractive home side to it.
One can scarcely wish for a more touching picture than
when, the affairs of State being over for the day, Damali,
the young Queen, comes into the Royal Palace with the
little Princess Ruzi (Ruth). The Queen first bows before
her husband-King, and the tiny child follows her mother's
example, and in baby language greets His Majesty. Then
Kasagama for a time lays aside his regal dignity and
clasping the child in his arms fondles her and talks and
romps like a big school-boy.

The old custom of the men and women feeding apart
has disappeared in the King's household, and every
evening Kasagama and Damali dine together. The menu
never varies from one year's end to another. Each day
the King has his own particular cut from the goat,
namely, the chops and cutlets, and the Queen has a leg.
They generally manage to finish their joints, besides the

62

Royal Life

quantities of boiled plantains and various native vege-
tables served up with the meat.

Kasagama has recently developed distinct sporting
inclinations, and although it cannot be said that he has
made his name, certain it is he has made his mark at
them. Tennis was the first pastime he indulged in. One
court was enough to allure anyone ! A space was
thoroughly cleared of vegetation in the mission compound
and beaten by foot in place of a roller ; two posts were
firmly planted in the ground, a rope stretched across and
strips of banana pith knotted on to it, hanging down like
kippers put out to dry. The King was rather too power-
ful with his racquets; scouts had to be posted like fielders
at cricket. Seeing the ball coming he made a desperate
plunge toward it and either missed it altogether or slogged
it as if intended for Ruwenzori's snows. So he gave that
up for football ; the dimensions of the ball I suppose
appealed to him as being more adapted to his size. He
is now a great player ; his grief is that he has never
experienced the excitement of a scrimmage, as the men
are afraid of hustling their King ; the only member of the
team who apparently does not mind doing so is Blasiyo,
the pigmy ! Another reason is that there is little chance
of getting too close, as he is followed about the field by
one attendant who holds an umbrella over his head and
another man careers about with a chair, so that His
Majesty can rest when the ball goes in an opposite
direction of the field to where he happens to be.

In all Church work, Kasagama has been a leader and
example to his people. Almost daily, at 8 a.m. as the
people gather from all directions for Bible Classes or
school teaching, a procession may be seen slowly issuing
out from the reed enclosure that surrounds the royal
palace. With a large company of retainers and an
armed bodyguard at the front and rear, on his bay steed
rides the King, a fine majestic figure, 28 years of age, and

63

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

6ft. 3in. in height. The Katikiro and other important
Chiefs, with their attendants, if they have not already
started, come out from their houses on their side of the
King's hill, and fall in behind His Majesty. They are
bent on no Ministerial business, but if you we're to ask
the King, he would say " to learn wisdom from God, for
how can I rightly rule my country without having first
received that."

When the drum beats for Sunday services, Kasagama
is nearly always at his place in the church to join with
his people in prayer and worship. Besides encouraging
his young men and chiefs to offer themselves as mission-
aries to the neighbouring villages and districts, he helps
in every possible way to supply the necessary means in
order that the native organisations shall be supported by
themselves. When the large reed Church showed signs
of old age, Daudi Kasagama, like his namesake David,
King of Israel, set his heart to " build a house unto the
name of the Lord."

Calling together his Christian Chiefs, he conferred
with the Missionaries as to the quantities of material
needed for a large Church, and when the approximate
number of poles was given, he divided it up asking his
Chiefs each to be responsible for a proportion.

The new " Temple " was not to be built of carefully-
hewn stone, prepared bricks, or granite pillars, but of
forest poles brought from long distances, many needing
fifty men to carry them in ; bamboos from the forest-clad
heights of snow-peaked Ruwenzori ; grass brought in by
the women for thatching ; reeds fetched from the swamps
by men and children, and red mud for the walls. Every
morning the King came down to work with his people in
the erection of the building, and when the framework
was completed, helped to bring in the grass which was
cut up and beaten with the mud to form a kind of solid
brick wall.

64

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o

QJ
O
H

W
J
O

Royal Life

At 8.0 a.m. the Katikiro, Chiefs and others made their
way down to the mud pits, into which there was thrown
red earth, straw and water. About twenty men then
would jump in, clasp arms in a circle, yell anative air and
stamp the mud with their bare feet till the right con-
sistency was reached. By that time they had become
splashed and disfigured into fearsome representations of
painted Red Indians. The mud was then put into baskets
and shouldered by a body of carriers, who marched single
file to the scene where the building operations were being
carried on, while a drummer always went on before to
give a spirit of militarism to the work.

With shirt sleeves rolled up, Kasagama and an army
of mud-layers were ready to receive the mud and slap it
into the walls with a whoop and occasional mutual con-
gratulatory exclamation " Wehale " — " well done."

In this manner the Church, holding eight hundred
people, was completed in six months free of debt and not
having caused any expense to the Missionary Society !

When it is remembered that until the advent of
Christianity six years previous, the King and Chiefs had
never done one day's manual work, one can only regard
this Church as a standing testimony to the reality of a
religion that can call forth such a spontaneous demon-
stration of the sincerity of its disciples.

One day while watching the unmistakable earnestness
of the men at their toil, I turned to Kasagama and said:
" King, your people are really enjoying their hard work."
He replied : " Oh no, my people have not yet arrived at
liking work, but they are rejoicing because this is
God's house."

Pending the arrival of the Bishop, an informal dedica-
tion service was arranged on the first Sunday of its
completion. The Church was packed from end to end,
the men on one side led by their King, the women on the
other with the Queen Damali. A great stillness fell on

65 F

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

that large congregation as King Daudi, who scarcely ever
takes an active part in the services, rose and offered up a
prayer of Consecration. In it he said : " O God, we
know Thou dwellest not in temples made with hands, but
this House has been built with our hearts' devotion ;
therefore come down and take up Thy dwelling place,
that sinners entering may be saved by Thy presence."

Kasagama in his time has played several "parts."
Two days after the opening of the new Church, he was
called upon to fill a position in a novel function for Toro,
namely, the first European wedding. A great deal of
excitement had prevailed for some time among the
people, and whisperings of the unique event had filtered
through to the villages, bringing a large number of people
into the capital out of curiosity. It was a beautiful
clear morning, and before sunrise the bride designate was
needlessly reminded of the day by a loud shuffling and
scurrying going on outside her calico window. The
Katikiro's loud baritone was heard commanding a regi-
ment of workmen, and by way of creating an excitement
in the proceedings, he accompanied his orders by
eloquent aerial cracks with his whip of hippo hide.

In order to have a share in the festive preparations
they had come down to strew fresh cut grass all round
the house, in the courtyard and along the road to the
church. On the preceding days, the chiefs' wives,
headed by the Queen, had been with their spades levelling
the mud floor in the scarcely completed church and
carpeting it with soft green grass. It was a welcome
substitute of nature for the customary red felt drugget,
and no one would have exchanged for canvas awning the
archway of palm leaves and bushy papyrus grass heads
that adorned the verandah and porch leading from the
house.

All the Europeans in Toro were invited — they numbered
five — and each had an allotted task. One performed

66

Royal Life

the ceremony, another stood as best man, the organist
pedalled away nobly at the portable baby organ and
even persuaded it to produce the Wedding March
creditably. There was one bridesmaid, and the fifth took
the part of "guest."

At 9.0 a.m. the church drums beat, and King
Kasagama, dressed in a cloud of white and elaborate silk
draperies, came down to act " father " to the bride. His
Majesty looked almost pale with the responsibility of his
new position, and scarcely trusted himself to speak as he
took his " child's " hand and led her from the house
along the road lined with crowds of his excited people.
The church presented a sea of black faces and white
linen garments freshly washed for the occasion. Every-
one was standing, for there was no room to sit down. A
Lunyoro hymn was sung, and then the service proceeded
in English till the close, when the faithful old native
deacon Apolo offered pra}Ter in the language of the
people.

The usual carriages and greys had to be dispensed
with as the livery stables were a little too far off ! But
a regulation reception took place and about seventy
guests crowded into the very limited space of the
European's sitting room. A real iced cake specially im-
ported, was mounted on a stool draped with trails of wild
clematis. Heaped up dishes of thick sandwiches, stodgy
jam tarts, cakes and biscuits, that suggested a Sunday
School treat for at least some hundreds of hungry English
bairns, proved a scarcely adequate supply for the visitors,
who started on the cake, then tucked in sandwiches,
jam tarts and sandwiches again, and so on, in a hopeless
mix up. The tea was served round time after time, till
the guests, out of sheer inability, had reluctantly to refuse
further supplies. One chief, with a sigh, regretfully
eyeing a dish of cake, exclaimed : " Okwongera nukwo
kufa " — " Any more would be death."

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

As the guests departed, timidly limped forward old
Mpisi, the first dispensary patient. He had been silently
waiting his opportunity to slip in and give the bride his
little wedding gift of five cowrie shells : their value was
one-third of a farthing, but they were all he possessed.

The honeymoon was spent " on the Continent " — the
dark continent of Africa, a trip of about 700 miles, across
lake and over land, visiting a continual succession of
mission stations. It included a visit to the Government
Capital of Entebbe, where an official repetition of the
marriage service had to be performed. Fancy being
married twice within one month !

As the happy pair rode off on mules, actually the
customary rice followed them. A mob of natives enjoyed
this part immensely; but some of the women ran up, and
tearing the bracelets and necklaces from their own wrists
and necks, gave them to the bride with sympathetic
tears !

Even the slipper .was not wanting; it was delivered to
a native to throw at the couple as they turned off at
cross-roads, but not quite seeing the point, and having a
respectful regard for the shoe, he solemnly presented it as
a parting greeting from the Europeans !

68

CHAPTER VIII

The Women of Toro

ALTHOUGH undoubtedly belonging to one and the
same parent stock, as a race the Batoro are in
features superior to the Baganda, but physically
inferior owing to the different conditions under which
their lives have been lived. Women, both high and low,
until within recent years, were practically the slaves of
the Baganda households, and even now are expected to do
the cultivating and cooking of the food. Before the sun
has risen the Baganda women start on their digging in
their banana plantations or potato fields. This has
developed their muscles and at the same time had a
healthy effect on the mind, for no one can handle nature
without consciously or unconsciously being influenced by
it for good.

The Batoro women, on the other hand, have been
merely the chattels of the home. The upper classes
scorned menial work and left it to their dependents and
peasant folk. The middle class did no more than was
absolutely essential, which generally resolved itself into
cooking the one meal for the day. Their homes offered
no occupation for them. The rude grass huts possessed no
furnishing, for their wants were of the simplest. Bark
cloth stripped off the wild fig tree and beaten out into a
soft texture, or animals skins, provided them with clothing
by day and covering at night. Their water vessels consisted
of the hollowed out gourds that grow round their huts.
One cooking pot sufficed for the household. A plaited

69

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

grass mat took the place of mattress over a bed of reeds
strung across a wooden framework and built in along
the side of the hut. Grass covered the floor of
every house — seldom changed and never aired.
Soot and cobwebs hung in festoons round the
inside, as there are no chimneys in the huts to carry away
the smoke from the open fire in the centre of the floor.

In recent years the upper class women have discarded
the barkcloth as apparel for white calico and coloured
prints. When these garments show signs of wear the
general custom is neither to wash nor change them for fear
of hastening their end, but clean draperies are thrown
over them when the wearer appears in public.

Some of the women can work very prettily with grass
and fibre. Having discovered various vegetable dyes,
they are able to make very attractive designs in basket-
work by dyeing the grass different colours. The fibre they
make into string and then form beautiful knotted bags in
which they have their gourds. It was only by living
some time among them that we discovered these hidden
trophies of a spasmodic industry. Very few care about
rousing themselves and devoting the time and care
needed for this work ; the fault of the women is their
inherent laziness ; the generality of them desire nothing
so much as to sit still and do absolutely nothing. They
are so fond of begging, begging, begging, but when you
suggest their working, off they go and you never see them
any more. Others will remain in their homes ill for
days, and no one will have the energy to come down and
ask for medicine. An industrial exhibition was suggested
by two of our missionaries in 1903, and will be held every
year, it is hoped. Most ingenious bee-hives and rat traps
were brought in as exhibits, besides all sorts of grass and
string work, painted bark cloths and gourds, and so on.
The novelty of the exhibition caused great excitement
among the people, and the schoolroom was packed to its

70

L

utmost capacity with competitors and others. His
Majesty, Daudi Kasagama, opened the proceedings with
an earnest appeal to his people to make the show an
even greater success next time by increasing the number
of exhibits and raising the standard of proficiency.

Before the advent of Christianity there had been nothing
to break the dull monotony of the women's existence. As
they sat, day after day, huddled together in their dirty little
grass homes, their conversation scarcely ever ventured out-
side the well-beaten track of real or imaginary sickness, and
the usual revolting topics that polygamy and heathenism
suggest. Modesty, reserve, shame and sensitiveness were
not known among them. One's whole nature recoils
from the recollection of Africa's lost womanhood.

Girls are sometimes betrothed as infants but do not
marry till they have reached the age of 14 or 15. The
husband is judged rarely according to his merit — that
receives small consideration — but chiefly according to his
means. The girl's value is determined by her rank or
physical appearance. Her parents or master fix her
price at so many heads of cattle or goats. A peasant
woman can be had as cheap as one goat ; should the
husband be fortunate enough, in course of time, to possess
a sheep or second goat, he will sometimes take it and
his wife and exchange them for a stronger and better
woman who will be able to do more work for him, or add
more variety, quality or quantity to the day's menu. A
peasant, living on the mission hill, married one of our
women, and coming to the missionary in charge, fell
down on his knees and eloquently praised him for his
gift of potatoes, bananas, and beans. The European
looked rather perplexed, and at last had to own up that
the present had not come from him. " Oh yes, Master,"
answered the man, " it was you who gave me my wife."

When we arrived in Toro in 1900 there was quite a
goodly number of baptised women, including Vikitoliya,

71

the Queen Mother, Damali, the Queen, several of the
Chiefs' wives and ladies of the royal households. Several
of these had been taught to read before the arrival of the
European missionary, by King Kasagama, who was
baptised in 1896 during a prolonged visit to Uganda.
On his return to Toro he had become a true missionary
King, and gathering his women around him day after day
in his courtyard he instructed them in the things he had
been taught, while the men went to the two Baganda
Evangelists in the little reed church.

When the European missionary arrived he found a
large body of eager women as well as men, ready to be
prepared for Baptism. Vikitoliya was one of the first
whose heart responded to the new religion of love and
holiness, as she listened to the earnest words of the King
— her son. She is a woman of considerable influence
and of decided intellectual ability. Her features present
none of the negrotic characteristics, but on the contrary
they are sharply defined and somewhat aquiline ; her
expression, sweet and pleasing, betokens her kindness of
heart and gentleness of disposition. She has built for
herself an imposing two-storied mud house with a
verandah and balcony all round. From the inside door-
way hang reed and bead curtains which she made herself
after seeing a Japanese model in a European's house.

She lives about two miles from the capital, and in order
to encourage her people to learn to read and attend daily
Bible classes she erected on her estate a church, which
holds about 400 people. I rode over there one Sunday
morning as I had been asked to stand as godmother to
the first little son of the sister of the King. When I
arrived the Church was crowded — it is a large cane
building, with innumerable poles inside to support the
walls and roof. It contains no stained glass windows, but
the blue cloudless sky, tall, waving banana trees, and the
graceful grasses of the Indian corn with its golden heads

72

The Women of Toro

of grain, made a charming background to the aperture
windows and helped the soul in its flight toward God
perhaps more than such exquisitely elaborate windows as
are seen at Notre Dame, which always struck me with
their rich colouring. At the west end stood the font, a
black native pot fixed to a wooden packing case which
was draped in Turkey twill. Who could help being
impressed as the words "Suffer the little children to come
unto me "sounded out in the foreign tongue, and a sweet,
wee thing, lying on white flannel worked with pink silk,
was brought forward by its delighted royal grandmother.
At the east end were spread the sacred memorials of
our Redemption, speaking with such force of that
one Sacrifice which uplifts and unites all nations under
Heaven.

Vikitoliya possessed a peculiar love and reverence for
our late Queen, after whom she was named. She never
tired of listening to stories of the " great white Queen,"
and it was her ambition to strive to be to her people
something of what Her late Majesty had been to her
subjects. Never shall I forget her grief and that of all
the leading women when the news of her death reached
us. Immediately they came down to us to sympathize,
and were at first quite silent in their grief, then with
tears running down her cheeks, the dusky Queen subject
said, "Your sorrow is our sorrow, we have lost our
Mother, our friend." It is wonderful the influence that
such a reign of purity and righteousness has had even on
far off Africa, rousing the best chivalry and patriotism in
the hearts of its people, and inspiring them to
nobler ends.

Christianity is doing for Toro what it has done for
every other country where it has effectually entered — it is
raising its women from their depths of degradation and
beautifying their lives, cleansing and refining their speech
and habits. Clean, tidy homes are now seen, and care-

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

fully cultivated land in place of the pestilential filth and
gaunt elephant grass. Happy family life is springing up
among the people, and everywhere there is a stir and pro-
gressive vigour.

Upon the Christian women as well as the men has
been laid the responsibility of doing something toward
spreading the knowledge of Christ among the surround-
ing heathen. At first a district visitors' band was
organized to go two and two into the near villages when
the daily classes in the church were over. They took
their books, and either collected the villagers together or
entered their houses and taught them their letters and
syllables, after having read and spoken to them. I used
frequently to go out with them to see what progress they
were making ; a shrieking bodyguard would at once
attach itself to me under pretence of frightening the wild
animals off! Our arrival was always hailed with delight,
and a dirty mat that acts as bed, couch, and footscraper
was generally politely placed for me on which to be
seated. The small children generally showed their
appreciation of the white lady by opening their
commodious mouths as wide as possible and screaming
prodigiously. It took one a very long time to find them
attractive, they so sadly needed a rub down with Pears'
soap or Monkey Brand.

Sometimes I found 100 or 150 natives eagerly struggling
with their reading sheets, all squeezed into an infinitesi-
mally small hut. Somehow they always found room for
the European, for they were very impatient to be questioned
by her and passed on to a higher class. When the read-
ing lesson was over we used to have a short service with
them, and it was exceedingly impressive to listen some-
times to the young Christian women speaking to them
naturally of Christ's love. They never attempted an
impossible address or delivered a thorough out-and-out
sermon, but with touching simplicity told in their own

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The Women of Toro

language what was a living and real thing to them. It
seemed impossible to believe that so wonderful a change
could have taken place in these Batoro women in so short
a time. When the visit was over, all the women,
children, and some of the men used to tear off in front to
the neighbouring huts to inform them that the European
was passing, so on my homeward journey I was accom-
panied by excited, chattering men and women and a crowd
of naked little folk, many of them bringing small offerings
of flowers, beans, or eggs to deposit at our door.

Although these folk can make plenty of noise they can
make very little music. They have never been educated
up to it. The royal band has been their only conservatoire
of music, and their few songs were connected with drink or
plunder, themes scarcely conducive to the highest poetry.
But their singing is great. You should have heard a
singing class I used to have on Saturday mornings.
About twenty of the ladies used to turn up and exercise
their vocal powers. They only knew a few of Sankey's
most unmusical hymns, and to these they resigned them-
selves with a fixed expression and still more fixed
attitude, without making the slightest facial movement.
They produced a curious grunt through their nasal organ,
quite irrespective of time, key, or tune. I sacrificed myself
to making the most hideous grimaces it is possible to
form my features into, in order that they might imitate,
and so bring a few muscles into action. But neither
tonic sol-fa nor any other tonic would bring about results,
so I gave up the class very hoarse from my efforts.

In August of each year is held in Toro a Teachers'
Conference. All other work is suspended and the native
teachers come in from all the villages and distant
districts. In 1901 we decided to invite the women who
were church members, so that a united Women's Confer-
ence might be held for the deepening of spiritual life, and
discussing methods of work.

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

We had three separate meetings for women, at each of
which a native and a European spoke. The subjects
treated were : — ist Meeting — The work of teaching for
Baptism and Communion — its methods and re-
sponsibilities. 2nd Meeting — The work of visiting and
teaching in the gardens — its methods and its importance.
3rd Meeting — The organization of women's work, and
farewell word.

On the last day, at the close of a very solemn afternoon
gathering, one woman rose from among the large number
present, and in a trembling voice said, "My heart pains me
for those around in darkness, and I want to go and teach
them of Christ's love." A great stillness fell on the
meeting, and Damali, the Queen, scarcely able to steady
her voice, closed in prayer, thanking God for having
called one from among them to be a missionary and ask-
ing that others might hear the voice. On the third day
nine more women had come to offer themselves as
missionaries. One was Ana Kageye, the head woman of
the Royal household, one of the leading women of the
country. Before coming to us she had been to the King,
and received his permission for her to leave him for God's
service. She had, before her conversion, led a desperately
wicked life, and, being old and so steeped in witchcraft,
one almost supposed her to be beyond the power of
reformation. She had first heard of Christ from
Kasagama's lips, and although her eyes were then getting
somewhat dim with age, she learned from the King to
read the Bible for herself. From that time a complete
change came over her whole life and appearance, so that
her scarred face became quite attractive. Since then she
had proved a most indefatigable teacher and helper in all
Church work.

A class was at once arranged for instructing these can-
didates morning and afternoon for six months in St.
Matthew, St. John, Acts, the Pauline Epistles, and a

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The Women of Toro

sketch of Old Testament history. At the end of that period
they were examined for one whole week. During that
time their excitement and anxiety were strained to their
highest pitch ; they refused to eat at mid-day for fear they
might become incapable of hard thinking, and were found
in their places at class nearly one hour before the
appointed time. After the first week old Ana Kageye
took pity on their troubled appearances, and insisted they
should all go to her house after the morning class and
she would give them a substantial meal. Out of twelve who
were questioned two reached ninety-eight per cent, marks
and the lowest did not fall below seventy-five per cent.
After that they were brought before the Native Church
Council and ten were assigned to stations. Two (one being
Ana Kageye) were located as foreign missionaries to distant
Ankole, two to a hill station four days' journey away on
a southern ridge of Ruwenzori, and the remaining six
villages two and three days away. This was a brave
step for these Batoro women to take, after having led
such indolent and sheltered lives, and in spite of the
intense joy that filled their heads, they did not leave
without tears in their eyes as they bade good-bye to all
their friends for the first time. Surely they teach a lesson
to many in favoured England who have not yet faced
their personal responsibility to the unreached heathen.

All of these first women teachers did splendidly. After
six months' work they returned for a few weeks, as no
native worker is allowed to remain at his post without
coming in for occasional rest and restrengthening. The
deadly influences of heathenism might prove too strong
for such young Christians if they were to live away from
helpful surroundings. Eight of the ten again returned to
their work, and the other two were married and after-
wards went out as teachers with their husbands.

Ana Kageye at first found the women of Ankole eager
to learn to read, but not so quick to believe the new

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

religion she brought to them. One day a young Princess
fell sick, and their own cures failing she was carried up
to the European doctor temporarily stationed at the
Government fort. When it was declared by him to be
almost a hopeless case the natives gave up all idea of her
recovery, saying that if the white man could not cure
her nothing would.

Good, brave old Ana then came forward and told them
again of the Living God who hears and answers prayer,
and they answered together "If your God will heal her
we will believe." The young dying Princess was there-
upon carried to Ana's little grass house, and as night
fell the fires died down in every hut but the one in
which the sick girl lay, and all night long the faithful old
servant of God, as she watched by the bedside, wrestled
in prayer for the life before her. What a wonderful act
of faith was witnessed that night in the little hut in
Darkest Africa ! This woman so recently brought to
know God even dared through faith to prove her God
before these heathen. As the day dawned the women
gathered round the hut expecting to mourn over the dead
body, but the God of Life had come forth and revealed
His power, the girl's unconsciousness had passed off and
she had taken the first step to recovery. The result was
that after Ana had been working there nine months she
had instructed and prepared for baptism the first five
women of Ankole.

Is it not worth leaving home and friends to search
among the dust and mire of that dark Continent and find
such gems, even if they be but few ? " They shall be
mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make
up my jewels."

78

CHAPTER IX
Child Life

CHILD life! How immediately our minds linger
over happy scenes of mirth and innocent laughter,
romping, rollicking games of mischief or of fun.
Bright, happy childhood ! No cloud of care and trouble
has arisen on life's horizon, and sin has not yet tainted
the atmosphere of Heaven that still lingers round its off-
spring.

But where can memory rest upon such a picture as
that in darkest Africa ? Look upon a tree, the tender
buds of which half fearfully peep through the bare
branches just to catch a glimpse of the outer world, when
a cold frost blast of winter strikes across the frail young
life and withers it for ever. That is child life in Africa.
Innocence and purity were withered just as they dared to
step from infancy. Happy, careless mirth was crushed
with the weight of the burdens laid upon the shoulders
of childhood. Their mother's home, as has been described,
was their earliest environment, their language was learned
from her, and then lovelessness was the children's portion,
as they were sent away as servants or slaves to neighbour-
ing chiefs. Parents scorned the idea of bringing up their
own children ; they affirmed that a child would never
listen to its parent and would refuse to work, so they
exchanged their children at the age of four or five years
for others who would be as slaves to them. Even at this
tender age they were taught to gather the sticks and
twigs, and then sit by and feed the fire while the food

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

was cooking, or they carried the gourds or pots on their
little woolly pates down to the river to draw the daily
supply of water. They were generally fearfully neglected
and underfed ; their dislike to water was accounted for by
the fact that they possessed no clothing and the dirt kept
them warm. If anyone had been born with a leaning
towards cleanliness his mother would have effectually
crushed this by the cold water treatment administered
during infantile blutions. It was the custom every
morning between 4.0 and 5.0 a.m., when the cold night
air still clung in damp mists to the land, to hold the
babies naked out in the courtyards, throw cold water over
them, and then leave them out to dry.

Their little insides were treated with no greater con-
sideration. One morning a woman brought down to the
dispensary a wee morsel of three weeks : it was a pitiful
little object of mere skin and bone. The mother explained
that it had either been poisoned out of spite, or it was
possessed of an evil spirit. " See," said she, " I have
done all I could to let out the poison or devil." Looking
at its body I saw it was covered with a number of small,
deep cuts, and the blood had been left to dry. Low
moans and a tired cry came from the poor little helpless
mite as the flies tortured its mutilated body. After
questioning the mother the " evil spirit " took the form of
bananas and mushrooms that she had been bringing the
three weeks' infant up on! Feeding bottles were an
unknown luxury, and as no equivalent had been invented,
babies were compelled to lap from the hand, an art they
never properly learned and thrived very poorly on. Some
three dozen india rubber " comforters" were sent out to
me, and these I managed to fix on empty ink bottles or
medicine bottles, and so a new-fashioned "Allenbury"
feeder was introduced. The demand far exceeded the
supply, so they could only be lent out by the month.
" Stephens' Ink " would have been immensely pleased

80

Child Life

could it have snapshotted the babies being solemnly fed
in church with its bottles held to their mouths.

Certainly it was a case of the survival of the fittest
with the Toro infants, and as the " fittest " were few and
far between, mortality was very great among them.

The first two dolls that arrived in Toro met with a very
mixed welcome ; the children howled and fled in terror,
but their mothers showed a most profound admiration
for them. At first they held the doll very gingerly and at a
distance, as if in fear of being bewitched, but finding that
nothing happened to either one or the other, and the doll
still smiled at them like the Cheshire cat, they became
great friends and begged that they might borrow it for a
few days to play with.

Whether it was the large circulation that those two
dolls got, or the gradually increasing confidence of
the Toro children in the white ladies, the fact remains
that in a few months all childish prejudice had
disappeared, and often a little voice was heard asking for
"a child that causes play." When this was known in
England over 100 dolls were sent to me from two work-
ing parties. I never saw such a wonderful doll show as
they made. They were all displayed on our verandah,
and the house was literally besieged with men, women,
and children for some days.

A bride, beautifully dressed in white satin and kid
shoes, who, even in her wedding attire, cried " Mama "
and " Papa," was sent to little Princess Ruth, but the
report reached me that King Kasagama had constituted
himself guardian, and kept it locked up in his study for
slack moments ! The Mother Queen wrote an imploring
letter to me for a dainty little Parisienne who arrived with
her travelling trunk ; and Apolo, our faithful native
deacon — confirmed bachelor — asked me in secret if men
ever played with dolls, and beamed with satisfaction as
he most triumphantly carried one off, peacefully sleeping.

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

The others were given out to the little girls who had
been most regular at the school, and were noted for
having come with clean faces and bodies.

When the boys saw that the dolls were only given to
girls, some borrowed their sisters' garments to try
and appear eligible ! I did not know till then they were
versed in such cunning ! It was so pretty to watch the
joy and even playfulness that those dolls brought into the
lives of so many little ones who had scarcely known what
this meant till then. Christianity has completely
revolutionized child-life in Toro. No longer are the
new-born babes given over to the Devil by causing their
blood to flow as a dedicatory offering ; the teeth are not
now extracted to propitiate the Evil One, and happy
family circles are seen in place of slavery.

I am sure in no Sunday School in England is there
brighter singing than among the Toro infants when about
200 of them, with very lusty lungs, open their rather
prominent mouths and sing " There's a Friend for little
children above the bright blue sky."

Certainly the girls and boys make very clever little
domestics. I have sometimes wondered whether the
problem of the over-taxed English market could not be
solved by exporting some of these small people. I had a
little maid named Keturah, who was 12 years of age, and
she could almost manage the work of a housemaid and
parlourmaid. She kept my room in perfect order, care-
fully putting away anything left about, and cleaned it
regularly every Saturday. On Mondays she carried off
the soiled linen, washing, starching, and ironing it as well
as I had been able to teach her ; and she could wait
at table like a Gatti's waiter ! Was that not splendid for
a little girl who had come to us without ever having seen
an English bed, garment, knife, fork, or iron ?

Of course, one has occasionally to put up with small
inconveniences. One day a pair of boots were sent out

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Child Life

to be dried by the fire, with strict injunctions not to leave
or scorch them. In a few minutes they were brought in
with a big hole burnt out of the leather, and the sole
shrivelled up beyond repair — and these were a last pair !
Pocket handkerchiefs frequently find their way into the
boiled starch, a white muslin blouse sometimes loses its
identity completely by a strong dose of the blue-bag ; if it
is needed for a special occasion the quantity is increased !
A flannel nightgown was boiled for three hours on one
occasion ; fortunately it was a very unattractive Jaeger,
but even then it did not surrender its colour. That shade
of flannel is like the Ethiopian's skin — I could never even
get it to fade. Take my advice, and try white instead.

But, after all, these are mere details. They are faith-
ful little people, and would never refuse to follow their
master as he travels up and down the country, though
they scarcely ever escape malaria when marching through
fever districts, in spite of strong doses of quinine. Often
concealing a high temperature from the European, they
hurry on in front to see that his tent and a refreshing cup
of tea are ready when he comes into camp. As we
travelled down to Uganda, on our way home to England,
our staff of six boys started out with us; one after
another knocked over, and had to be carried back, till we
were left with only two to do everything for us, and
in spite of their being ill, they insisted on coming as far
as Victoria Nyanza. As the big lake steamer weighed
anchor and cut through the water, two little white caps
were waving at the end of the pier until we disappeared
from sight.

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CHAPTER X

Religion

CENTRAL Africa may be said to have no religion,
if by that we understand belief in a God. It has
produced no Buddha or Mahommed to make known
to its people some revelation of a deity, neither has
it possessed any ancient writings that a Confucius could
bind together as a foundation to a nation's creed. In its
belief we see the most pitiable product of a dark,
ignorant, and degraded mind, that, left to itself, has
worked out some antidote for that which is inherent in
every man — an indefinable longing after the spiritual. Its
faith bears in it the seeds of inevitable decay, for in its
tenets can be found no trace of truth, purity, or holiness,
which, varying however much they may in degree, hold
together the great religious systems of the world. It
might be described briefly as Devil-worship or the
Propitiation of Evil Spirits ; it differs in its rites and
rituals among the various tribes. In Uganda the
practices of the people were more extreme, perhaps, but
certainly less torturing than in the Western Provinces of
the Protectorate, where superstition led to the most
barbarous infliction of human suffering from the cradle to
the grave. For every real or imaginary evil and sickness
that fell upon the individual, family, or community,
branding, cutting, and mutilation of the body took place ;
while, without exception, all the front teeth in the lower
jaw were extracted as soon as ever they appeared.

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Religion

These customs, practised for so many generations, have
had a very deteriorating effect on the physical constitution
of the people. The strength of the natives has been
sapped, their minds degraded, and their energies crushed.
They possess very small physical resources, and fall an
easy prey to any sickness that visits their district.

A few years ago, before the teachers of Christianity
reached their country, tiny devil temples, made of grass
and twigs, stood in the courtyards of the houses, and in
these were placed, from time to time, offerings of cowrie
shells or food. One day there was brought to me at the
dispensary a child who was said to be devil-possessed.
The physic prescribed was so far successful that the
grateful mother brought a little thank-offering. It con-
sisted of ten cowrie shells tied round a small piece of
papyrus stalk. When the child had fallen ill, the mother
had tied one of these shells to the strip of grass and given
it as a propitiatory offering to the devil ; as the sickness
increased, each day another shell was added, until, find-
ing her child become rather worse than better, she
brought her down to the dispensary. And as the
European had done what the devil refused to do, the
woman took the shells away from him and gave them to
the white lady !

Generally speaking, the people are in partial or total
ignorance of their belief ; they have never been taught it,
and practise the rituals from habit without realising their
significance. The priests prescribe what form the
offerings shall take and their claims are never questioned;
besides this, they extort heavy fees each time they are
consulted. They profess to divine the will of the evil
spirit by means of charms made of sticks, hide, horns,
and the entrails of fowls and goats. When Kasagama
was brought from Budu by Sir Frederick Lugard to be
re-installed in his kingdom of Toro, from which he had
fled, as a young prince, from the raiding bands of Banyoro

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

under King Kabarega, a white fowl was killed and
examined. The priest declared the omen augured that
success and peace should attend his reign. But
Kasagama, being unacquainted with what they had done,
nearly brought upon himself the worst misfortune by
approaching near to the grave of the fowl. Had not his
attendants just stopped him from walking over the grave
a moral offence would have been perpetrated upon the
body of the fowl and its spirit would have avenged the
wrong !

By carefully clearing away the accumulated legends of
centuries, one finds, however, faint suggestions of a purer
belief, which reminds one of a saying by an Indian
monarch, who lived in the 3rd century B.C., " The sap
of all religions is alike."

There are a few Batoro whose memory recalls their
primitive belief, which, despite the contortions which
time and repetition have effected, bear a recognisable
similarity to Old Testament revelations.

At the beginning of all history they say God and his
brother Nkya were in the world and made all things.
Nkya had three sons whom he brought to God to be
named, and in order to do so He proved the heart of each
man. When the sons were brought in at night, to
each of the sons was given a pot full of milk and God
ordered them to take care of it until the morning. At
midnight the youngest dozed and some of his milk got
spilled ; then he turned to his brothers and asked them
to fill up his pot with a little from each of theirs, and this
they did. After a short time the elder son knocked over
his pot and all the milk was spilled out. Then he begged
the others to give him of theirs, but they refused, saying,
" And what shall we do? " When the night had passed
God came and uncovered each of the milk pots. To the
second son he said, "Where is your milk?" And he
answered, " The youngest's milk was spilled and I filled

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Religion

up his pot." And to the eldest God said, "And yours? "
He replied, " I slept and mine was all upset and I asked
my brothers to give me of theirs but they refused."
Then God cursed him and called him Kairu (a little
servant), saying that he should become his brothers'
servant. And God said to the youngest, " You shall be
called Kakama (Little King), you shall rule all people,
you shall be King, and your second brother shall live
with you and be your minister."

After this God took counsel with his brother that they
should leave the world and go to their home in heaven, for
there was very great sin in the world, and God did not wish
to kill man whom he had created. So God and Nyka left
the world and Kakama was left to rule the people. The
Banyoro trace all their Kings back to this great Monarch.

Their fifth King was named Kantu, who they say,
brought punishment and death into the world. Like his
predecessors, he disappeared suddenly, and is believed to
have gone up to God to beg that disease and death might
visit the people. God then spoke with Nkya, his brother,
and said it was well people should die and come to life
again after four days. But Nkya said, " Let them die
absolutely." After this the little son of the reigning king
became ill and died, and the King Isaza sent to God
and said, " My son will not wake up." God said,
" What is his sleep like ? " And he replied, " Since lying
down to sleep he will not move and he does not breathe."
Then God sent to Isaza and told him to dig a hole and
bury the child. But the King did not understand what
death was, and as he sat in his house he sought for his
son and ordered for him to be brought. But his people
told him that he would never again see his son ; hearing
this the King lifted up his hands and as he stood over
the grave he cursed all men for the death of his child.
For this God plagued his people with sickness, but Isaza
remained unsoftened, so God sent death to his second son,

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

After this the King of Hell sent messages to the King
Isaza, tempting him with gifts to make a covenant with
him ; and after much hesitation Isaza yielded and set out
with his companion the Moon to visit the King of Hell.
When he had gone some distance the ground suddenly
opened, and Isaza was cast down till he reached the gate
of Hell, from whence he never returned. Whereupon
the moon, grieving over the loss of his royal friend, went
up into the sky and has ever remained there.

The method of these people for making a covenant was
that of blood-brotherhood.

Each of the two parties took a coffee bean, dipped it
in the blood from a small incision made in his body, then
handed it to his companion to be eaten. It was a most
sacred pledge of indissoluble union, a breach of which
met with immediate death. Whoever the King chose to
honour with blood brotherhood, was raised to the highest
position, regardless of his birth or estate. This has often
made clear to them the passage, "we who sometimes
were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." It
is said that when the first English official passed
through the neighbouring country of Ankole, the King
and people were in a state of great consternation,
speculating as to the purport of his visit. The
explanations of the Englishmen were not sufficient
to allay their suspicions, but on his agreeing to
make " blood brotherhood " with the King an under-
standing was arrived at and the confidence of the
people established.

Their ideas of an after life seem to have been of the very
vaguest. Their belief that the soul continues to exist after
death was evident in that they had a great fear of the spirits
of the departed. A man on the death of his wife (or one
of them) did not marry again till the body had decayed,
for fear of offending the spirit of the dead. Frequently
in the villages are to be seen long zig-zag paths leading

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Religion

to the huts that are supposed to baulk the spirits which
only travel in straight lines.

Burial takes place immediately after death. The body
is wrapped round in bark cloths and with it are buried
quantities of white calico, bark cloths, and blankets,
according to the wealth of the chief mourner. When
the head of the household dies he is buried in the court-
yard of his house, after which the hut is removed to
another spot, so that the spirit of the deceased shall not
trouble the surviving members of the family. When the
King died the custom was for five women and four men
of the chief families of the land to be taken by force and
buried alive with the King, to complete the number ten,
so that he should not be alone. A house was then
erected over the grave, and inside the surrounding fence
the Queen came and lived. Every day at daybreak she
went with the keepers of the tomb to clean it down and
sweep out the courtyard. They lived on the food and cows
stolen from folks passing along on the roads. A man had
to forfeit all right to anything claimed for the " Gasani "
(the King's Tomb), and could look for no reparation.

If a man dies without expressing any wish as to the
disposal of his belongings, his brothers, and not the wife
and children, inherit them. Among the Bahuma tribe
the wife is included in the personalty and is handed over
as wife to the brother of the deceased. Our small milk
boy, of about fourteen years of age, came to me one day
with a petition for a rise in his wages, as he found it
difficult to support his wife and children on his present
earnings. He then went on to explain that his brother
had died, leaving him to marry the rather elderly wife,
who had two children. I felt the right thing was to
sympathise with him, but quickly learned my mistake,
for he was very well pleased with his legacy, which gave
him a wife to cultivate and cook for him without the
usual payment of goats and sheep.

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

The Batoro have little or no fear of death, in fact some
seem rather glad to create a iittle sensation among their
friends by becoming for the time the chief object of
interest ! On one occasion I was called to visit a dying
man in the Namasole's village. With a little bag of
medicine strapped on to my saddle, I rode out to see if
anything could be done. An unusual stillness had fallen
on everyone, for the sick man was none other than the
Katikiro ot the place. Suddenly, as I stepped up to the
doorway of the hut, there arose a wild shriek from
inside ; this was taken up immediately by everyone
around and the air was rent with wailings and loud,
piercing screams. I knew at once my medicine would
not be required, but, entering, tried to quiet the frenzied
mourners. I drew out from my bag the Gospel of St.
John, and read the words " I am the Resurrection and
the Life." Immediately the tumult ceased, and every-
one listened to the message of Life spoken in the
presence of Death ; and as we all knelt in prayer one
realised perhaps as never before how death hath been
swallowed up in Victory. One of the greatest joys one
can know is to wave the torch of Life and Immortality
across the darkness of ages that has never known a hope
beyond the grave.

The result of the people's belief is stamped unmistak-
ably on almost everything in the country. With the
lack of physical energy has died the desire to master
their country. The rich, productive soil, with its
abnormal generative properties, has been left uncared for
and unkempt, till "thorns also and thistles," the insignia
of a blighted world, cover a land that might have been a
veritable Eden.

Tall, tangled weeds creep up to the very doorways of
the houses, while most of the roads are merely narrow,
beaten tracks. Whenever an attempt is made to tackle
an appreciable task, a few days suffices to exhaust

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Religion

the labourer completely ; at the end of that time he may
be seen in a state of total collapse, with a strip of rag
bound tightly round the hand, the outward and visible
sign of being hors de combat.

In Toro one realises at times the dead weight of life
and its environment. The changes of the seasons — spring
with the freshness of infancy and vitality of youth ;
summer decked in the exquisite glory of a new life ;
autumn and winter folding tired nature up in a long,
deep sleep — are sadly missed where the trees are always
green. The sympathy in nature is lacking ; flowers lose
their subtle and delicate charm ; the bright, soft sward is
there exchanged for the elephant grass with its saw-like
blades. The birds have no song ; the voices of music
and poetry have never been heard ; and as age after age
has rolled by, no lip has breathed a prayer to its Creator.
There are instances when heathenism seems to surround
one with such blackness that the soul stands as if isolated
in a foreign Land, breathing a new atmosphere in which
there is lacking the spiritual ether of one's native land.

91

CHAPTER XI

Language

THE language spoken in Toro is Lunyoro, and quite
distinct from that used in Uganda ; but it is un-
doubtedly the parent dialect and almost identical
with that spoken in the Kingdoms of Unyoro and Ankole,
besides being very generally understood by the tribes
beyond Ruwenzori.

For the first three years, Missionary work in these
districts was carried on in Luganda, as neither the
European nor Baganda teachers had sufficient knowledge
of Lunyoro, and there were no books or reading-sheets in
the language. Luganda was understood by some of the
upper class men and a few women, but it was scarcely ever
spoken, and none of the peasants were acquainted with it.
Until these people could have their religion and reading-
books in their own tongue, it seemed as if vital Christianity
must remain more or less outside their actual lives. So
towards the end of 1899 Mr. Maddox went up to Toro
with the intention of studying and reducing the language
of the people to writing.

When we arrived in 1900 a little reading-sheet had
been printed, and St. Matthew's Gospel was in hand.
But there was no book or literature to help us, and as the
natives did not understand one word of English it seemed
a hopeless difficulty. Miss Pike, my companion, had
studied Luganda for six months, so was able to speak with
those who knew it, and through interpretation to those
who did not. By this means she piloted us both through
those first days when the house was thronged with

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Language

people from morning till night, and they pelted us with
kind remarks and every imaginable and unimaginable
question. I never felt so absolutely stupid as when they
addressed me with a torrent of eloquence, until the idea
struck me of retaliating with a continuous flow of
English. It pleased them immensely, but certainly did
not check them.

The third day after our arrival, Mr. Maddox kindly
gave us our first lesson in Lunyoro. He was trying to
impress on us that the words were largely formed by
prefixes and suffixes, so one had only to find the stem and
it was all right. " Tinkakimuherayoga " was obviously,
said he, from the verb " okuhu," to give ; find that, the
meaning of the word was made plain : "I have never
given it to him there " ! My mind was chaotic, and I
wondered if it ever would be anything else.

After a few weeks our patient teacher had to go off on
an itinerating trip, so we were left alone to flounder
through the quagmires. I believe the best and quickest
way of acquiring a new tongue is to summon up all the
courage you possess and go in and out among the people
until you adopt it much in the same way as an infant
does its mother language. Undoubtedly it requires pluck.
The first time I ventured forth with a remark, peals of
laughter came from my audience, which almost quenched
the one spark of courage left. Afterwards I learned this
was a mark of their appreciation !

In the fifth month, and after a great deal of hard
persuasion, I decided on attempting to take a daily Bible
Class. As the 8.0 morning drum sounded and I made my
way to the church, my nerve powers fell below zero, and
I felt decidedly limp. The words " Who hath made
man's mouth ; I will be with thy mouth " pulled me
together a bit, and I hurried in to my class to find
between twenty and thirty women waiting for their
teacher. Talking for one whole hour was a terrible tax

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

on my vocabulary, and must have been even a greater
tax on the endurance of the class. I was quite done when
they were in a questioning mood ; it would have been bad
enough if there had been no foreign language to under-
stand. The very first morning they asked me about
Michael disputing with Satan over the body of Moses !

It is rather surprising to find that such simple people
possess so advanced a form of etymology. The parts of
speech and general construction in a broad sense resemble
the other dialects of the Bantu class, but the verbs are
very complex and more technically developed than its
offsprings, Luganda and Swahili. All our English tenses
are employed besides several others met with in Greek.
Most of these effect a complete change in the relative
form. Verbs practically dominate all the other parts of
speech ; the nouns, with very few exceptions, are their
parasites. A few straggling prefixes tacked on to the verb
root are the only attempts the nouns make toward an
individuality of their own. Adverbs and prepositions are
rarely granted an independent existence. They add to
the corpulence of the verb by being absorbed in it. The
perfect harmony between nouns, adjectives, and verbs is
a veritable man-trap, for a native will rarely understanda
discord, however untutored he may be. Besides grammar
and pronunciation, there are two other important things
to study — the proverbs, and the mode of expressing ideas.
The Batoro are not quite so versed in the metaphorical
form of speech as the Baganda, who are capable of carry-
ing on a lengthy conversation in the most mystical and
involved proverbs, only quoting the first two or three
words of each, and quite expecting you to imagine the
rest. I trembled literally when this was first told me, for
I had never been able to get beyond " never too late to
mend " in English proverbs. But Lunyoro is really
kinder in this respect. They do, however, exist in
spasmodic forms. If you want to really win the love and

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Language

confidence of the people you have to make a regular
business of learning their catch expressions and idioms,
and dropping completely the habit of translating English
into Lunyoro, then they will confer on you their highest
degree " Oli Mutoro," " you are a native of Toro."

The Batoro have what I believe is a unique custom
among these tribes, that is, every mother gives a pet
name to her child, and this clings to him always ; it is
used when addressing as a token of love or respect by
friends and dependents. Ana Kageye constituted herself
my African " Mother," and straight away gave me the
name " Adyeri " (pronounced Ar-de-air-y). This was
very readily taken up by the people, as my name abso-
lutely beat them. Only the King and one or two others
got so near as " Hurudeki," and really it took some time
to answer up to " Beki " " Deki " " Heki " " Bodeki "
" Hedeki " and even " Paratata," which were all supposed
to be " Hurditch." Really, to save the poor family name
from such rough treatment I was not sorry to put it away
entirely except in memory.

In less than five years a great deal has been accom-
plished in translation, and with the exception of a few
hymns, it has been entirely undertaken by the one
missionary who has also been responsible for direct
mission work. During that period the New Testament, the
Prayer Book with Psalms, two Catechisms, a hymn book
of nearly one hundred hymns, and a reading sheet for
learners have been completed in the language of the
people. Since Lunyoro was adopted in place of the
neighbouring dialect of Luganda, the work has gone for-
ward in leaps and bounds, and to it must be attributed
largely the wide spread of Christianity among the
peasants in the villages. It is not an uncommon thing
to find a village that has given up devil-worship, not
through the instrumentality of a European or native
teacher, but simply through the people having learned

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

to read the Bible for themselves from someone who had
been instructed in the alphabet or syllables.

When Mr. Maddox was about to leave Toro for
England, the King and chiefs came together and pre-
sented to him a letter signed by a very large number of
Christian men. In it they expressed their warm appre-
ciation of all the work he had done for them in translating
the books, and earnestly hoped he would soon return to
them again. These books form the entire library of the
Batoro. They are most insatiable readers, and as you
pass along the roads any hour in the day you will hear a
voice here and there issuing from the little grass huts
reading in loud measured tones from the Bible. It is
impossible to estimate the purifying and sanctifying
influence this literature has had on the national and
family life. The conquering martial strains of the
" Onward Christian Soldiers " have displaced and driven
out of the country the old songs of plunder and bloodshed.
Instead of the little children learning demoralising
heathen songs and dances they are being taught to sing
such hymns as " I think when I read that sweet story of
old." Right away among the creeks and crevices of the
ancient Mountains of the Moon, on the very borders of
the great primeval forests inhabited by the little pigmy
tribe, you hear to-day the strains of these Christian
hymns.

96

CHAPTER XII

Festivities in Toro

I. CHRISTMAS.

CAN it be that this is the season that in one's mind is
always associated with snow, Jack Frost, Santa
Claus, shops and streets ablaze with gas jets,
holly and mistletoe, people hurrying and jostling
each other good naturedly, wrapped up in the warmest
furs to keep out the crisp, frosty air, and wishing each and
all the compliments of the season. Yes, it is really Yule-
tide ! And yet the hills and dales are waving their
ripening grain under the deep sapphire of a cloudless sky.
The dry season is near its close, hills and mountains are
scorched and parched, the banana groves and the tiger
grass of the swamps which wind like a serpent's trail
round the base of the hills, are the only bright and green
tracks that have survived the conflict with the equatorial
sun. On all sides are to be seen tiny patches of culti-
vated land, even reaching up to the lofty peaks of
Ruwenzori's range, where the people have sewn their
grain (Euro), and this will soon be ready for the har-
vesters.

In the garden round our bungalow mud house are
gorgeous zinnias, balsams, mignonette, carnations, sweet
peas, geraniums, nasturtiums, and two little rose buds.
A few steps further will bring you round to the vegetable
garden. One gardener being an Irishman, potatoes are
very much in evidence, and of course cabbages. Besides
these there are cauliflowers, green peas, beans,

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

celery, only wanting the nip of frost to make it excellent,
lettuces, beetroots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, carrots,
and turnips. And yet this is Christmastime ! It is little
wonder that one has constantly to revert to the calendar
to be assured of this.

And so we set to work to get the little gifts together
that our kind friends from home sent us for our native
friends — knives, pencils, bags, sashes, blotters, and so on.
The wee tots from the school come down for their attend-
ance prizes, and go away beaming with their new posses-
sion of a pinafore. Then the oxen are killed, and on
the day before Christmas all the sick folk come to the
" missionary butcher " and hobble off rejoicing with their
joint of beef wrapped up in a banana leaf. And, although
Father Christmas has assumed a black face in Africa, he
does not pass by the white man's door, and he leaves his
gifts of a grass mat, animal's skin, beans, beads, or
bracelets, the only things with which he can fill his Toro
sack.

At 12.0 a.m. on Christmas Eve from the King's, the
Queen Mother's, and the Mission Hills the drums are set
beating, and from the English forts the guns are fired to
proclaim to all the country that the Christian's day of
rejoicing has dawned, for the Christ child — Immanuel —
has come. Then on the midnight air is borne the strains
of " O come all ye faithful " and " Hark the herald angels,"
sung by some of those who have been redeemed from the
heart of Darkest Africa, and now step out from their
little huts to join with us in praising God.

At 8 a.m. on Christmas morning the church drum is
beaten, calling the people together, and by 9.0 the church
is completely crowded out, many being obliged to sit
outside. In the schoolroom over four hundred of the
peasant folk and children have gathered, and in the
dispensary the sick have come together for morning ser-
vice.

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Festivities in Tore

The church is beautifully decorated with palm leaves
and flowers that have been brought in by the people, and
the building echoes with voice as the audience unites, as
one man, in the service.

On ^.fric's sunny shore, glad voices

Wake up the mom of Jubilee
The negro, once a slave, rejoices ;

Who's freed by Christ, is doubly free.

After that we all go to our homes, the natives to make
merry over their beef and bananas, and we to prepare as
near an approach to an English Christmas dinner as is
possible, and although there are no grocers' shops or
fruiterers' to supply the usual details, and our cook for
the twelve j^ears of his existence has been reared in
African ignorance, still one can fare very excellently, for
the guinea fowl and sausages are really turkey in all but
name. The baron of beef, although far removed from the
prize oxen of the English markets, is very good, and
the home-made plum pudding, with its few suspicious
native ingredients, brings up the menu to almost English
standard.

Boxing Day is generally a grand field day, when sports
are arranged on an extensive scale, including running,
pick-a-back, hurdle, three-legged, and obstacle races.
This latter involves scaling a bamboo scaffolding, crawling
through packing cases with the ends kicked out, climbing
a tree, and wriggling through a stack of reeds. Then
there is a greasy pole placed in an oblique position, at
the end of which is hung a leg of goat. Big and small,
old and young attempt this, quite regardless of the
undignified tumbles each experiences. Loud was the
shout of applause on one occasion, when the Katikiro,
who is of clumsy proportions, after many falls landep
safely at the top and secured the joint. A banana peeling
competition for the women comes next. The competitors,

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

some twenty at a time, sit in a row with their knives and
twenty green bananas on a leaf before them. When the
whistle sounds they attack their task with great excite-
ment. Some women, in place of knives, use sharpened
pieces of wood. Those who finish first and peelthe best
receive prizes of calico. Scrambles for cowrie shells
generally bring the sports day to a close.

On more than one occasion Bishop Tucker has honoured
Toro by dating his annual visit about Christmas time.
This was the case during our first year in Toro. We
had had a busy time previous to his arrival questioning
and examining the hundred and fifty women candidates
who were to be presented for confirmation, and when all
this was completed we ran away to the crater Lake, eight
miles distant, to snatch a few days' rest. But on the
second day we were unexpectedly recalled, as one of our
fellow missionaries had been taken very ill and was
obliged to be carried into Mengo under the care of the
other one. So for the first time we two girls were left
quite alone, eight days away from the nearest European.
But we were too occupied to realise it. The engineers,
surveyors, and foremen (?) having suddenly left us in this
manner, we were obliged to see through the completion
of the jobs they had taken in hand in order to get things
into shape before Christmas. Here at last we found a
chance of putting to use our youthful study of Euclid.
With a measuring line and sticks we felt distinctly pro-
fessional as we tried to mark out a new road, but we
found that if only the ground space had been long enough
to test it our two straight lines would certainly have
enclosed a space. So perhaps Euclid's axiom is only an
absurdity after all !

Then the house where the Bishop was to be entertained
needed repairs. The roof was in such a state that one
evening, while we were tidying up inside, a big storm
visited us and simply poured down through the reed

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Festivities in Toro

ceiling into the sitting-room. Fortunately there are no
carpets in these parts, for the floor was covered with
puddles in a very few minutes. But the water soon
drained off into the holes the white ants had made; they
must have suffered from rheumatism that night !

It was a difficult matter to find workmen just then, for
most of the chiefs had gone off, each with some hundreds
of men, to capture young elephants. Sir Harry Johnston
had offered a certain sum for each young elephant
brought in alive, as he was hoping to have them trained
for transport use. A few days after the first party had
set out, a loud report of distant yelling and screaming
reached the school, where daily classes were going on.
Nearly everyone ran out to discover the cause of the up-
roar. A large crowd was seen approaching, beating
drums, blowing pipes, dancing, and shouting. There
seemed no apparent occasion for such a row till one spied
a tiny, hapless baby elephant, with ropes round its body
and four legs, limping along among its captors. It died,
like all its followers. But for a few days just then Toro
threatened to become a most undesirable menagerie, for,
besides these elephants and various monkeys, the King
had collected, and sent to the Commissioner, one of the
largest, most repulsive, and horribly human-looking
chimpanzees. The mode of capture had been rather
unique. The tree in which it had taken up its position in
the forest was isolated by the capturers cutting down all
the surrounding ones for some distance. Then, placing
a circle of men with spears to guard the boundary,
they felled the only standing tree, and as it suddenly
crashed down with its coveted and unsuspicious object, a
net was thrown over the black monster, that was then
hustled into a large cane cage standing in readiness.

One of our runaway Missionaries managed to get back
to Toro just in time for the Bishop's arrival three days
before Christmas. We went with the King's wife, his

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

mother, his sister, and about 250 women, and waited for
his arrival on the brow of a hill. All the men, headed by
the King and Katikiro on horseback, had preceded us.
When the Bishop came up, riding on his mule, he was
literally besieged, and we could scarcely move on for the
crowd. The days that followed were big days. Three
hundred and sixty-four candidates came forward for con-
firmation.

It was a truly wonderful sight to see the church with over
500 men and women assembled for Holy Communion. My
mind travelled back in thought to six years ago, when
outside the houses had stood the devil temples. Genera-
tion after generation had passed, the Prince of Darkness
exercising undisputed sway and holding the people in the
most degraded and merciless allegiance. Now his power
had been completely shattered, his temples cast down,
and a great Invisible Temple was being builded together
for a Habitation of God through the Spirit.

Together at the Communion rails knelt the King in his
royal robes, and close by was one of his peasant subjects
dressed in a small goat skin. There was old Apolo Mpisi,
the dispensary patient, with a beaming and peaceful
countenance — this was his first communion. Among
others, hobbled up an old lady on crutches, who had had
her leg amputated during a visit from Dr. Cook, of
Mengo. The responsibility was a solemn one of feeling
that we had done something toward preparing many of
the women for this holy ordinance. When we shall
stand together, all united before the Throne in Heaven,
will it not be glorious to have had a share, however small,
in leading forward some of the multitude from Africa !

As the powers of Heaven looked down upon Toro that
day, surely they broke forth into a song of victory. Bless-
ing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and
honour, and power, and might be unto our God for ever
and ever, Amen.

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Festivities in Toro

II. CORONATION CELEBRATIONS.

Although so far from things that stir and thrill the
great heart of the British Empire, Toro must not be con-
sidered behind in loyalty to that centre of its Govern-
ment. Certainly it exercised its utmost ingenuity to
follow close in the wake of the plans and excitement that
occupied the mind of every English subject for commem-
orating the great event of the Coronation of its King —
Edward VII.

Our mails from England for months seemed to have no
other subject to talk about. Our minds pictured it all —
sombre London stripped of its usual calm sobriety,
decorated in full war paint. We were seized with a
violent fit of patriotism, and because we could not join in
the London throng, or even go to the grand festivities
that were prepared by the Government at Mengo, we
determined to do our best for Toro.

First of all, some days before the event, invitations
were sent out to the four other Europeans, and to the
royal native court, for a coronation dinner. Ordering the
donkey to be harnessed, someone was despatched to our
village shop to purchase red, blue, and white calico, with
which were made two long lines of streamers for decor-
ating our station, and a large Union Jack to cover the
Table in the Church. Some of the people came down to
decorate the outside, while we decked the church inside
with the royal and imperial colours. At 8.0 a.m. on Coro-
nation Day over 1,000 people had gathered in and outside
the church for a brief service. After prayer and Scripture,
a Royal decree was read that had been sent out from
England and translated, and this was followed by a brief
address on the event of the day. Then we all rose and
united in the good old National Anthem, that had been
translated and type-written for the occasion.

That was the first half of the day's proceedings. The

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

second half started at seven, when the dinner came off.
The table was decked out with a table centre of red
geraniums, white balsams, and cornflowers, the serviettes
were folded as crowns, and the first course consisted
of crown-shaped patties covered with the yoke of eggs,
and studded with the white to represent crown jewels !
King Kasagama and Queen Damali, dressed in draperies
of silk and white linen, arrived with the other native
guests, who had hung about the outside courtyard so as
to avoid being the first arrivals. It was marvellous how
easily and quietly our native guests manipulated the
European table equipments ; half concealed glances were
cast in our direction every now and again. The serviettes
rather puzzled them — were they to be left on the table or
used as handkerchiefs ? When the plum pudding came in,
all ablaze, with a little British flag stuck at the top, three
hearty cheers greeted it, the King joining' in with
boisterous glee.

On the table there were three dishes of strawberries, the
first we had been able to produce in Toro, and we were
keen on introducing them into the country generally. Pre-
paring a plateful with sugar and cream, I respectfully
begged his Majesty to try a real English luxury. He
glanced timidly at them, and showed the usual disinclina-
tion that is always evinced \\hen given a new English
dish to sample. He assured me that he was so satisfied
that anything more was impossible, but, passing the plate
to the Katikiro, told him to try it. The poor man, look-
ing the picture of misery, begged to be excused, so it fell
to the lot of the unfortunate chief minister to submit
himself to the task. With a pitifully resigned expression
he took one strawberry on a spoon, then another, and
another, till he called out " Excellent, excellent, the best
of all." Forgetting his recent excuse, the King took the
dish near at hand, and simply finished off the whole lot !
The day following requests came from one and another

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Festivities in Toro

for strawberry roots, and King Daudi superintended the
Queen as she herself planted them in a plot outside the
sitting-room window of his Majesty's new house.

After dinner the King was determined to do his part,
and insisted on our all going up to his home. To our
utter amazement we found our court outlined with
hundreds of flaming torches, ten to twelve feet long ; the
bearers were waiting to conduct us to the royal palace.
The whole distance was lined with double files of torch-
bearers, which made the country look like Earl's Court
Exhibition on an exaggerated scale. Big bonfires were
burning on the surrounding hills, the torches of guests
coming from all directions looked like so many fireflies.
On arriving at the Royal Court, we were met with a blaze
of fire. Quickly falling into order, the people unanimously
shouted a salute to his Majesty and his friends, as we
made for the chairs all set out on leopard skins outside
the two-storied mud palace. Then the performance
began. The Royal band was then in full force. On
striking up one of the most weird, discordant tunes,
nearly the whole crowd of people broke into dancing,
their fluttering, white linen garments flapping about them
as wings. More and more excited they got, till they
danced so high as to appear held up in mid-air. Then
they gave way to the pipers, who performed on
instruments made from crude pieces of reed. Singing
accompanied this performance — such fantastic tunes, all
praising the greatness of their King and exalting in the
prowess of his people, with ringing cheers interspersed for
England, its King, and King Kasagama. The evening
closed in giving us all a longing that the great
Edward VII. might have seen how one of his kingly
subjects in the heart of Africa had commemorated that
important day.

105

CHAPTER XIII

Tramp I. To the Albert Edward Lake

THE year after our arrival in the country my com-
panion and I were again on the tramp toward the
Albert Edward Lake, combining an itinerating tour
with a holiday. We started under not very pro-
pitious circumstances. The wet season was not over, and
promised to treat us rather shabbily, for the rain began
drifting down just as we had put off from home. We had a
small body of caravan porters numbering about fourteen
in all, and an ordained native deacon, named Apolo
Kivebulaya, as protector and overseer of the forces. He
is just one of the best natives you could ever meet.

His experiences seem like a page out of apostolic history.
He, with his friend Sedulaka, came from Uganda to Toro
in 1896 as teachers. When a European was afterwards
stationed there, he went further afield, even as far as
Mboga, on the boundaries of the Pigmy Forest, and there
he established a Mission Station. At first he met with a
great deal of opposition from the chief Tabala, which
might have been expected from the graphic account the
late Sir Henry Stanley gives ot these uncontrollable
people in his book " Darkest Africa." Apolo's house
and few possessions were burnt by incendiarism, and for
three weeks he remained hidden from his persecutors in
a house of a woman, who had become a "reader"; but
his zeal and faith never flagged even when he was
cast into the chain gang, for there he commenced to

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a-

D
ffl
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To the Albert Edward Lake

speak to his guards, and taught them to read the Testa-
ment, which he always carried about with him. Shortly
after these things Tabala himself got converted to
Christianity through the instrumentality of this very
man, and, from being one of the fiercest opponents, he
became, and has remained since, one of the most ardent
supporters of the Christian Faith. Apolo is a well-known
character throughout the country ; nothing succeeds in
ruffling his quiet, contented nature, but with a chronic
beam on his old dusky face, he goes along in his daily
routine of instructing catechumens or confirmation
candidates, officiating at burials and marriages, or visiting
the outlying Mission Stations.

Certainly we could not have had a native escort so
respected and beloved all round these parts than good old
Apolo.

In order that we should find camp comfortably fixed
up on the first day, we had despatched our belongings
some time ahead. We were anxious to wait for the heat
of the day to pass before actually starting off on our
wheels. Just outside Kabarole the rain came down in
torrents. We struggled to cycle on through it, but it was
tough business. The mud, added to the hilly condition
of the path, prevented us from making much headway.
My wheel was a solid tyre, generally known as a " bone-
shaker " ; it would not stick on the down hills, and
insisted on skidding along the narrow, slanting paths cut
round them. Once I did a most uncomfortable somer-
sault, and having for a second time got thrown into thick
mud, relinquished the bicycle for the remainder of that
day's journey. When we reached camp, we were in a
condition better imagined than described. Evidently the
rain had rather damped the energies of our porters, for
we found the tent only just commencing to be tackled,
and mud, mud, mud, everywhere. It was certainly rather
confusing ; 5 p.m., and in a tiny space surrounded by

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

banana trees were the jabbering porters ; boxes were
lying about in the mud, and a small crowd of inquisitive
natives stood round gaping with astonishment. One of
them kindly offered to turn out of his tiny hut to allow
us to change our soaking clothes, and our stay there
turned out to be somewhat longer than we bargained for,
for one of our porters came to us with a cheerful grin
saying that he had left the ground sheet of the tent
behind. Stacks of soaking grass had been laid down over
the wet mud inside the tent, and our low camp beds
were almost sitting in it. So we had them removed into
the hut, and there we passed the night. Oh, these native
huts ! There are no apertures for light excepting the
low entrance ; this one was partially divided into two
apartments by means of a reed screen, and in one of these
we slept; in the other, our girls cooked and knocked
about. There was just squeezing space for our two beds.
Above mine was a ledge, where some fowls were roosting
and strutting about, shaking down the soot and cobwebs
that hung round the inside of the hut. We scarcely
dared attempt to close our eyes, as rats were scampering
about very excitedly all night. We cleared off as soon
as we could in the morning, hoping to settle on a more
congenial spot next time. The road left much to be
desired : it was a constant succession of hills and deep
ridges, with a few swamps to add variety to one's mode
of travelling. Feeling scarcely like wading through
these, I mounted the shoulder of a stolid porter, who
stumbled through the mud and water above his knees. It
is a tragic experience to balance yourself up so high, and
only a woolly pate to tenaciously hold on to, especially
when your carrier gets stuck in the mud, and extricating
it, with an unexpected jerk, nearly sends his burden and
himself head-first.

At every halting-place food was brought to us by the
natives for our porters ; they generally offer it as a gift,

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To the Albert Edward Lake

but would be very disappointed if they did not get some-
thing of greater value in exchange. One has to be pro-
vided with a purse of curious dimensions, for at some
villages reading sheets, hymn books, or gospels are the
payments most valued ; in others, calico, cowrie-shells,
pice, or even beads of the particular design which
happens to be the latest fashion in clothing there at the
time. The scenery on our second day's travel was
exhilarating ; the road lay near the base of Ruwenzori's
mountains. We steamed along on our machines with sun-
hats and big sun-shades over ridges and through mud at
which even a horse would stop and consider. Our noble
Apolo insisted on keeping pace with our bicycles, and as
small batches of natives passed on the road, gazing with
blank astonishment at these " running snakes," he called
out with pride and elation " Look at the wisdom of the
white man." Just as this remark was shot out for the third
time the front bicycle tumbled clean into an ant-pit, and
was irremediably smashed up. The people did not
evince any concern or surprise : they evidently con-
sidered it a part of the show. One of the onlookers was
chartered to shoulder the fragments back to Kabarole. I
am not quite sure if he did not wonder where the
•' wisdom " came in.

When we were within one and a-half hours of our next
camp, streams of natives came running out to meet and
welcome us. They continued increasing in number till
we reached the village, Butanuka, which seemed well
awake, what with the shrieking excitement of the people
and the howlings of the children, who yelled with fear
and alarm. Really our welcome resembled our first
appearance in Toro, for here as everywhere in these parts
the people had never seen white women. The drum was
beaten, and although we were tired out and longed for a
quiet rest and a cup of tea, we were borne along with the
crowd there and then into the little grass church, where

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

the native teacher thanked God for sending us, and we
expressed our joy at coming out to them. The chief had
erected a large grass shed where we could sit during the
time of day when the sun makes a tent absolutely unbear-
able. His wife brought us in her offering in the shape of
a sheep, six chickens, eggs, twenty bundles of bananas,
native spinach, and two large gourds of " mubisi " —
banana juice. Butanuka is a charming spot, surrounded
on three sides by mountains. Toward the south these
suddenly terminate and expose an arm of Lake Dweru.
In nearly all the valleys are stretches of cultivated land
and banana groves, while the little brown grass huts peep
out like so many eyes from among their green surround-
ings.

There is a peculiar fascination in journeying through
these unknown districts of Africa. When one can talk
with the people in their own language they become an
intensely interesting study. Cunning plus lying plus
theft plus indolence — these qualities seem to sum up the
very generally accepted idea of a black man. Thus the
European approaches him with a distinctly biassed
opinion, and instinctively realising that the white man dis-
trusts him ; the real self of the negro shrinks back into
itself, the fidelity, dog-like affection, generosity, and keen
penetration of his nature remain unrecognised because
untouched. Dispel all preconceived ideas, study the
people's environment, the external and internal influences
that sway them, approach them not as "niggers" but
fellow creatures, and the European will never need to
complain of the black man's presumption, but will find it
even possible to accept the inspired statement " God
. . . hath made of one blood all nations of men."

During our three days' stay at Butanuka we were
besieged with callers. The sick came in for medicine,
readers to be questioned for baptism, and others desirous
of being written down for instruction. A teacher from a

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To the Albert Edward Lake

neighbouring village was sent to us with an eager request
that we should visit them. We agreed to squeeze it into
one afternoon. Although the teacher had only been there
at work one month we found quite a lively interest had
been awakened among the people. The chief of the
village, who was captain of the King's soldiers, came out
in big style to welcome us. After a little service and a
great deal of medicining, we were taken to the chief's
hut, where a meal had been prepared for us. After
seating ourselves on the soft, fresh grass that had been
laid down on the floor we started operations. First of
all water was brought in for hand ablutions, then the
unsweetened cooked bananas were brought in, and a
boiled chicken, all wrapped up in the banana leaves in
which- they had been boiled. The chicken was broken
up into tempting morsels by the host and an immoderate
helping of the bananas was plumped down in front of each.
Then commenced the process of rolling the bananas
into small balls in our hands, and punching a depres-
sion in the middle by which the gravy could be scooped
up. A sheep and three chickens were brought to us as
presents, and as we started off nearly the whole village
followed on behind. In spite of hurrying we did not
reach home before the darkness fell, and a thunderstorm
broke over us, extinguishing the long, flaming torches
which the natives carried ; so we had to push along as
best we could, and arrived in a wearied and very
bedraggled condition.

Leaving Butanuka and keeping a southerly course we
found ourselves shut in by the big mountains that rise up
so erratically from their gently undulating surroundings.
For the first time I indulged in the questionable luxury
of being hammocked. We had been experiencing some
days of heavy rains which had made the paths very
muddy, and the long grasses through which we had to
push our way was very wet, so that I determined to take

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

advantage of the voluntary offers from some of the young
Christian men, headed by the teacher, to act as carriers.
The men gaily hoisted the hammock pole on their heads,
and trying to appear unconscious of their 10^ stone
burden, rushed off at a motor-like speed. They evidently
felt a little uneasy of the possible consequences, for the
front man kept calling out to me " Do not fear, my child,"
but suddenly I was precipitated backward, the heavy pole
on the top of me, and my black " father " was sprawling
unceremoniously in the mud. After that they were con-
vinced of the necessity of going slowly, especially as our
imperceptible path lay somewhere between tall thistles
that gave us uncomfortable pricks and scratches as we
pushed our way through. When we reached our destina-
tion for that day the hammock bearers yelled and literally
jumped with joy, regardless of my feelings, calling out
"JuliAbakuru ba Buingereza," "We are great people
of England," as they put me to the ground with " Well
done, very well done, mistress " ; but I felt in an
advanced stage of mal de mer.

That day we had a typical African travelling experience.
After descending a long, almost perpendicular hill we
landed where our path lay through a broad, rushing
river, the force of which was so great that the men could
scarcely stand. The recent rains had swelled the river,
which, coming from the lofty snow peaks, formed into a
perfect cataract. The first man who very gingerly went
to test the strength of the water was carried off his feet
and just saved himself by clinging on to the bank at a
bend. After long deliberation Apolo, our leader, got
together six or eight very powerful men, who volunteered to
post themselves where the current was strongest and help
the others along. The first load that was taken across
was our sack of kitchen utensils, which floated cheerfully
down stream for some distance. Then the men suggested
taking me across in the hammock. I generously hinted

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To the Albert Edward Lake

to my companion that she should go over first, but she
would not see it. So, summing together all my courage,
I got into the hammock and they plunged along, dragging
their burden through the madly rushing waters. After
about three hours had elapsed everything was safely
landed on the other shore, baggage and all. The only
tragedy we had to relate was the sad fate of a chicken
that, at sight of the tempestuous waters, broke from its
captivity and was carried away by the relentless river to
supply food to the hungry little fishes.

Things were not much better on the following day.
We had almost walked on to the Equator and the sun did
its best to make us know it, so that at the end of four
solid hours' marching we literally collapsed under the
shade of a big tree and sent scouts on ahead to ascertain
the condition of the River Mubuku, through which our
path lay. They returned with the news that the waters
were so high that it was impossible to attempt crossing
that day. We determined not to be done if possible,
however, and pushed on to see for ourselves. The
mountains seemed to close in upon us on all sides, and
from their precipitous heights rushed down numerous
rivulets, which united and formed the mighty Mubuku
River. We halted on the stony bank and viewed the
situation. On the opposite side could be seen groups of
natives crouching down among the long grasses and
peering with frightened glances in our direction. It was
evident that we must wait till the waters had abated
somewhat, so pitched camp close by and made the best
use of our time by rallying the villagers round us, who
gathered together in swarms. There, as everywhere, the
cry was, " Give us a teacher." The desire on the part of
these people for instruction is quite remarkable, but to
speak intelligently to them is very far from easy. They
have never thought in the abstract, so it is essential to
clothe every spiritual truth in parables or concrete

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

qualities. One must get back further than the A. B.C.
and adopt the kindergarten method. If one does not reach
them it is because the teacher has forgotten how to be a
child, or has failed to make the invisible visible. God in
revelation and God in manifestation employed parabolical
means for presenting to the natural man in his infancy
truth which is infinite and incomprehensible.

When once the desire for reading has been actually
awakened in these people, nothing will deter them from
mastering the letters. If they possess nothing with which
to purchase the five cowrie shell reading sheet, they will
be quite willing to bring in firewood or do any work in
order that they may obtain it. One old woman at this
particular camp brought her spade and cleared a small
space round our tent, and when we gave her the longed-
for wages she started right away to struggle with the
Alphabet, although her eyes were dim and her bristly hair
was tinged with white.

Thus, when no teacher can be sent to the people, they
are not left in total darkness, as the Bible is slowly
penetrating the entire land and being read eagerly by its
people.

The next morning we found the waters had gone down
sufficiently to enable us to venture cautiously. It was not,
however, a very desirable experience ; about twenty men
supported the hammock while the waters were foaming
and roaring beneath and coming right over the sides of
the canvas ; two men who were attempting to lift it out
of the water by holding on to the sides were carried
away by the strength of the current, then all the remain-
ing availables made a hasty grab at the other side, with
the result that I was on the point of being overturned and
pitched out. I just managed to save myself by hanging
on to the pole, but got drenched through.

The following morning we started off at 7 a.m. The
scenery was enchanting and the air very invigorating.

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To the Albert Edward Lake

We continued steadily marching until 11.30, passing
through hamlets absolutely deserted on account of the
destructive visits of the elephants, which had torn up the
banana trees from the roots, trampled down the Indian
corn, and razed to the ground the little grass houses of the
people. They themselves had fled in terror, leaving the
wild pigs to feast on their potato patches.

The four and half hours' walk gave us a decided
hankering after i A. B.C. or Gatti, also a change of
clothing, as our boots felt like water cisterns and our
skirts were weighted with mud and water that literally
trickled off the edges. The porters put our boxes down
under a tree and went off in search of what they could
pick up in the way of food, while we fished out some dry
things and indulged in a meal of goat soup and cold
chicken. Our guide told us another hour and a half
would find us in camp, but at the end of two hours hard
walking and no signs of our tent being visible we
inquired how much further had we to go. " Oh," said
one of the porters, " it is impossible to halt here, three
hours more will bring us to water and food." This fairly
did for us ; we had somehow doled out our walking
powers without reckoning for this extra distance, and we
felt decidedly despondent. The natives always under-
estimate distance in order that the very prospect should
not have a discouraging effect on a pedestrian's spirits.

The scorching sun had made us very thirsty, and we
worked our teapot very hard that day ; the mosquitoes
gave us a lively time of it, but faint, yet pursuing, we
dragged on, reaching our welcome little tent at 6 p.m.
But oh, what a resting place. A strong smell of stale
fish pervaded the air, mingled with all the odours peculiar
to African huts, where cattle, sheep, chickens and people
all huddled together. We found our tent pitched in the
middle of a court completely surrounded and suffocated
by fishermen's huts, for we were close to the lake shore.

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

The only compensation for this and the mosquito
discomforts was the enjoyment of tasting fresh fish once
more. The lake fish somewhat resemble fresh haddocks
and are of delicious flavour. On our arrival men were
sent to catch them, and in half an hour they were
served up steaming hot from the stewpan ! Their
method of fishing is primitive in the extreme. They
have wicker baskets open top and bottom, which are
shot down in the water ; when they have enclosed a
fish its kicking about is heard on the sides of the basket ;
then they thrust in their arms and draw out the captive.

Nyagwaki, the mission station for which we were
making, is situated on one of the southern points of
Ruwenzori. A short, steep climb next morning brought
us face to face with streams of people, who came hurrying
down the mountain side to greet us and to help push us
up the rougher places. When we reached the summit of
the hill on which stands the village, a truly marvellous
view stretched beneath.

Evidently the Albert Edward Lake once extended over
the miles of plain which lie to the north of it, for bare,
flat islands appear here and there in the large arm of the
lake that lies almost surrounded by plain. It is just as
one might imagine the world looked when Noah came out
of the ark with his family. At sunset the view was most
impressive, the lake lay shimmering like a sea of gold,
while the evening mist that gently touched the land made
it appear as though it were blushing as the sun kissed
good-night and disappeared behind the distand hills.

A very vigorous work we found was going on here ; the
little mission church, with its capacity for about 200
people, was well filled, and several came to be written
down for baptism. An occasional visit to these isolated
stations from a European missionary does much toward
encouraging the young teachers and Christians who often
are subject to severe and subtle temptations to fall back

116

into the old heathen practices by which they are
surrounded. The Chief of the village, Kasami, had been
brought into touch with Christianity when visiting
Kabarole during a visit from Dr. Cook. There he
had undergone an operation for opthalmia, and, having
received " new windows," he returned to his country to
use them in learning to read.

Our experiences on the homeward journey were much
the same, although we took a less circuitous route.
Almost without exception, we got soaked through and
through twice daily : first with the heavy dews, which
necessitated a mid-day halt and change if malaria was to
be avoided, then again, in the afternoon came the rains,
which fell regularly from i.o p.m. and onwards. Our
first thing on reaching camp was to have a large fire
kindled and all our wardrobe hung round to dry, singe, or
stiffen. Our boots suffered terribly — and so did we when
we struggled into them each morning.

One day, after five hours' marching, the thunderclouds
came tumbling together and sent down torrents of rain.
We tried to squeeze up under a tree, but this soon offered
no shelter, and even our mackintoshes could resist the
water no longer. It was impossible to cook any food as
the fire would not light ; meanwhile our thirst became
tragic, until the idea occurred to us of standing under
each other's umbrella and quaffing the streams that ran
from the spokes ! Hunger at last drove us on toward
camp, despite the rain, but the roads required one to be
rough shod. Faithful Apolo insisted on grabbing my arm
with such a grip that when it finally lost all power of
feeling, a row of bruises presented themselves to prove
the conflict passed through.

For a whole week we had been passing elephant
tracks, which the porters declared were quite freshly
made, but once only were we fortunate enough to see
these magnificent monsters. At mid-day the porters had

117

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

spied three some distance off, slowly tramping along in
the tall grass, but we only saw their heads and tops of
their backs. At 5.30 p.m., however, that same day, a
herd of fifteen passed comparatively close to us. In single
file they solemnly marched over the brow of a hill,
silhouetted against a gorgeous sky. A yell from one of
the porters brought their heads round in our direction,
when we saw that five had immense tusks. It was an
imposing sight, the whole was so perfectly harmonious ;
there is something vast, untrammelled — a strange
abandonment and magnanimity of nature in scenes like
this, that even an Englishman must feel small!

Antelopes, birds, and butterflies of the most brilliant
colouring abounded in these parts, and these make up for
the less attractive shades of an African tramp.

We arrived home very much braced up (the malarial
germs had not a chance of settling down), and feeling
that we had perhaps been enabled to accomplish some-
thing toward the carrying out of the marching order,
" Go ye into all the world."

118

AUGUST, I believe, is generally admitted to be the
month of domestic monsoons. Bradshaw,
Baedeker, and time tables are the hardest-worked
books in the house at that time ; trunks and boxes
are all upset ; and every conceivable seaside town and
village is considered and rejected in turn as a possible
antidote to the general disgust with which we regard
home at that time of the year. Even in the remote
corner of the world known as Toro, my companion and I
managed to create something of the old disturbance by
announcing that we wanted a holiday. Perhaps the con-
ventionalism of our up-bringing was to blame for the
suggestion, but I believe we were honestly a wee bit
tired after eighteen months of wrestling with the
language and becoming acquainted with such new con-
ditions of life and work. But the fuss that Uncle Podger
created whenever he undertook to do a little job was
nothing compared to the business our little holiday
involved. First of all we had to get the permission of
the Missionary in local charge, and he had to write in to
headquarters at Mengo to find out if the Committee
were agreed on the point. Then the whole district had
to be carefully considered as to the spot most likely to
offer real rest and enjoyment without encountering any
perils of microbes, perils of hunger, perils by animals,
perils by heathen, and perils by cannibals ! That
seemed a difficult matter, but when it was at last all fixed

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

up the drum was beaten to rally together porters ; food
boxes, tent and furniture were packed up into parcels,
and two cows were ordered to the front to complete our
daily rations. Swarms of people came down to wish us
good-bye ; one dear old lady declared she was consumed
with grief, and another that she was on the point of death
because of our leaving, but we told them all to cheer up
and hurried away to assure ourselves that we were really
off. We found ourselves with two military attache's,
who had been told off by the King with strict injunctions
to guard his European friends on their travels. But
rarely have I set eyes on more spindle-like specimens of
humanity ; if it had not been for the thick puttees, heavy
jerseys, and cartridge belts with which they were laden,
one would scarcely have noticed their presence.

It had been decided to make for the southern shore ot
Lake Albert, which as the crow flies appears to lie about
forty miles north of Kabarole. The first day we struck
camp at the crater Lake only a few miles away. This
spot has a peculiar charm; a turn in the road brings one
suddenly in view of this still sheet of water, and there is
something rather uncanny about the dead waters lying in
sepulchres of the past. I am not surprised that the
natives associate them with stories of devils and hob-
goblins. One side of the crater has been worn away,
leaving an outlet for the water that has accumulated
in its mouth, and this flowed out a few hundred yards
before it found its level. Numbers of duck play about
the waters of the lake, and beautiful purple and pink
water-lilies grow close to the banks. We found a regular
orchestra of frogs croaking forte fortissimo as an all-night
serenade. It was just one of those days when the world
feels flooded with self-satisfaction and peace and God
seems " to rest in His love " as we started off early the
next morning. Having the loan of a Muscat donkey
given me, I hurried off to get ahead of the caravan and

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Holidays

reach 01 listeners, and then gave full vent to my feelings
in that glorious hymn, " Praise my soul, the King
of Heaven." An old woman, who had been fearfully
startled at the unusual sight and sound, peered suddenly
through the long grasses on the roadside, and so stopped
my noble steed in his lively gallop. Exercising the usual
native politeness, I greeted her with " How are you, my
mother ? " She replied in the most complimentary terms
" How's yourself, mother of my grandmother? " I then
asked her why she wore the shell and bit of wood
threaded on string round her neck, and she told me it
was to cure a pain on the chest. The words felt like a
harsh discord. When " Heaven lies about us" and every
common bush is aflame with God, it is inconceivable how
any man can remain cognisant only of the Spirit of Evil.
Our path led us right close up to the north end of the
Ruwenzori range, where it gets broken up into a
succession of pyramid peaks, ridge intersecting ridge.
Bamboo forests crowned the crests, as few points reached
a higher altitude than eight thousand or nine thousand
feet. The dry season had just about exhausted itself at
that time, in consequence of which the grass on the
mountains was dried up or had been burnt away in huge
patches, exposing the bare soil and jagged rocks that
frowned down upon us with uncompromising severity. As
the second day closed in upon us, we stole out of our
little tent to watch the storm freaks on the mountain
sides. An old dame, with a basket of sweet potatoes
balanced on her shaven pate, passed us, and stared hard
from our headgear down to our boot leather, with grave
disapproval. She insisted most vehemently that we must
live without eating, for where could the food go when we
were tied up in the middle like that ! Which reminded me
of a chief who visiting us one day just as we were going
in to lunch, asked if we became like the Batoro when they
had finished eating, who resemble inflated balloons.

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

Instead of being able to take a direct route to the Lake
over the hills we were obliged to get down into the
Semliki plain, a long, unwholesome tract reeking with
malaria that lies between and unites with a broad
navigable river, the Albert Edward and Albert Lakes.
Although actually in sight of the broad sheet of water, to
our dismay we found the only path zig-zagged continually
across the plain, so that we were actually let in for five
days floundering up and down it — pushing our way
through grass five to ten feet high always laden with
moisture as we started out each day on our tramp. The
river Semliki winds along the plain like a glittering
snake : it is about thirty yards wide, and has a very rapid
flow which prevents swamps from collecting along its
course. A few straggling huts sprawled about on the
banks go by the name of fishing villages. With small
harpoons the fisherfolk spear the fish, which are chiefly ot
the carnivorous species. Great care has to be exercised
by the people as the river abounds in crocodiles. The
inhabitants of the plain are a timid, dull folk — they did
not even venture to look up at us as we passed them,
although they had never seen a white woman. Arriving
at one village we found it absolutely deserted ; the people
had all fled on hearing of our approach, leaving their
homes with their few possessions scattered about. A
search party was organised from among our porters, and
after a long hunt one poor, unhappy creature was brought
in. He looked as if his last moment had come when he
was brought to us, but when he heard his own language
spoken and learned our peaceful intentions he went off
and hauled in the others who were soon on the most
friendly terms with us. Towards evening they all came
round us as we had prayers with our boys and porters.
They were delighted with the singing, and without
waiting to be correctly taught the tune of " Jesus loves
me " they rushed into it, all together, and soon fell into

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Holidays

unison. The original air was quite unrecognisable, but
one must forget to be orthodox sometimes out here.
Singing never fails to arrest the minds of the people, and
offers an opportunity of telling them something of the
Great and Loving Creator whom we laud and worship.
Christ alone who is Wisdom can give one the confidence
to attempt, in one short time, to draw aside the veil from
the eyes and reveal the Father to those who have never
heard His Name. Yet once having seen Him, one dares
not allow that opportunity to pass by.

Within the last few years this plain has been placed
among the game preserves of the Protectorate ; it will
consequently be a tantalizing route to the sportsmen, as
it abounds in antelopes of several kinds — harte-beestes,
wilde-beestes, water-buck, wild boars, and birds of
exquisite colouring. We could get practically no food
for our porters, and on the second day's fast, regardless
of laws and regulations, we ventured out with a gun to
try and bring down something. But it was impossible to
get anywhere near the animals, as our scouts got so
excited that they frightened them away before we could
get within shooting distance. Then we tried the plan of
despatching one of our noble soldiers with a number of
men from one of the villages to the nearest market in
order to buy food. The men procured some potatoes,
and started back with them, but, as the military went on
slightly in advance, they all decamped one by one, carry-
ing off the food with them. They had evidently taken in
the measure of their leader !

The following day, Sunday, we could not do otherwise
but press on, while our men were without food. At mid-
day we reached a most indiscribably desolate stretch of
country; for many miles there extended scrub, inter-
spersed only by thorn bushes and tall cactus trees. Being
thoroughly exhausted with fatigue, we struck camp by
three lonely huts that unexpectedly were dumped down

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

in this wilderness, without any sign of cultivation around.
The people were wretchedly emaciated and seemed to
have no spirit or strength to provide themselves with
nourishment. They declared nothing would grow, and
they were obliged to live on what they hunted or the food
which occasionally they could get in exchange for animal
flesh or hides.

The only prolific life was mosquitoes. We got out our
prayer books towards evening to sing one of the well-
known hymns, but our spirits were at low ebb and would
not rise. Two hungry-looking vultures sat on a naked
cactus tree opposite our tent, watching our effort ; they
did not encourage song ! I do dislike those birds so !

The fact was we were all feeling the dreariness of
our surroundings, and needed a good, sound chop !

During a holiday, perhaps more than at other times,
one just longs for a Sunday back in the dear country.
The exposure and frugality of camp life makes one appre-
ciate the shelter and calm of the home life. That all
seemed so far off, and yet the setting sun said it is but
two hours away. It is always thus when we look up.
Here below it is distance, time, and change ; up there it
is infinity, Eternity, God ; and our citizenship, after all,
is in heaven. Our earthly life, home, and loved ones are
gradually passing beyond the arc of time, and hereafter
we shall find all again, perfected and completed, like the
rainbow, round the Throne.

We were really getting very alarmed on our porters'
account, but they were very plucky about it, and, seeing
our concern, assured us they could go without food nine
days ! Nevertheless, they all sent up a shout of joy on
the third day when a fairly flourishing little fishing
village was spied close by, on the south end of the lakes.
It consisted merely of a few scattered huts, but food was
plentiful. As we arrived, the fishing smacks (dug-out
canoes) had just come, bringing in a two days' haul.

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Holidays

The fish, which resembled large cod and dabs, looked
delicious, and was a rare treat after the everlasting goat
and chicken. In the evening the proprietor of the boats
came, asking if we would like to be paddled out on the
lake. It was a case of paddling, for the canoe let in the
water as quickly as two men could bale it out. Stacks of
grass were laid at the bottom of the canoe for us to sit on,
but we got horribly wet. The beauty of the scenery
made us forget this, however. From the eastern shores
rose, sheer out of the lake, cliffs rising to 800 or 900 feet,
with thick vegetation growing down to the water's edge ;
and round the wooded banks on the west the most
gorgeously-coloured birds and herons sported about. The
wide, tranquil waters, like a great sleeping ocean,
rested in a dead calm. Suddenly, without the least
warning, five huge hippopotami raised their ugly heads
out of the water and snorted at us furiously, which made
us beat a hasty retreat. But they were evidently keen on
catching another glance at the Europeans, for in the
middle of the night, when the whole camp was peacefully
sleeping, we were awakened by feeling the ground literally
shaking under us. A premonition of- impending
destruction seized us ; then the ropes of our tent
cracked, and we made for the poles, which were tottering.
But the tent withstood the attack, and with loud, hungry
snorts our clumsy mammoth intruders trundled off, under
cover of night, to seek their prey.

The people round the southern end of Lake Albert are
extremely primitive. In their homes is no indication of
the least exercise of intelligence to furnish themselves
with any tool, utensil, or garment. Only a very few of
the men and women adopt clothing ; their food consists
almost entirely of fish, which they hang out in the sun to
dry. Those who possess a boat, a cooking pot, or a food
basket have obtained them from other folk in exchange
for fish, or inherited them from their ancestors. There

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

are times when one asks if the soul of these people has
ceased to pulsate, all human instincts are so crushed in
them. But even here were the temples of a deity — in the
centre of each courtyard stood a rickety wee grass hutch,
in which offerings of food had been placed. Carlyle has
rightly said that man was made a worshipping
creature.

At evening prayers we called the people round us, and
tried to talk with them. One typical grey-haired old
heathen appeared interested, but hurried the audience
back to their homes as soon as possible. When we pro-
posed moving off to a village higher up on the lake, he
generously offered himself as escort, and, on our reaching
the spot, went from hut to hut, as we thought, asking the
people to bring us in food for barter. He then wished us
farewell and returned to his home. We afterwards
learned that he was circuit priest and had been to every
home forbidding the people to visit or listen to the words
of the white ladies for fear of offending their god, the fish
of the lake, who might withhold their only means of
sustenance. Demetrius has many descendants !

Judging from the few days we spent roaming along the
shores of the lake, I should say that it would be difficult
to find a more fascinating spot for a holiday when once
you get there. The botanist finds rare treasures hidden
away in the creeks and crevices of the cliffs ; the sports-
man has a free hand to carry home as many hippo teeth
or crocodile hides as he may desire, and the modern
historian would find on its shores not a lew materials for
writing up the story of present day Africa.

Quite close to where we were camped, took place some
years ago the meeting between Emin Pasha and his
rescuer, the late Sir Henry Stanley, who had, in his
search for the lost general and his column, penetrated
right through Africa from the West coast, overcoming
almost insuperable difficulties. In spite of the attractive-

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Holidays

ness of the Albert Lake it is scarcely a cheerful place to
be isolated at, and standing so near to the same spot one
felt a strong pity for that Egyptian leader as he gave
orders for his boat to be sunk to prevent the enemy
seizing it, so cutting off all chance of his own escape.

Time has wrought a phenomenal change ; the country
from being threatened by strong foes on the north, and
harassed by rebellious tribes within itself, has now settled
down into a quiet peace, and two English girls were able to
stroll over the same soil in perfect safety, with nothing to
fear, save perhaps that the)' themselves should fail to rise
to the privileges given them of living and working in such
a land where lie footprints in the sands of time.

127

CHAPTER XV

Tramp III. Through the Four
Kingdoms of the Protectorate

THE Uganda Protectorate is built up of four inde-
pendent self-governing kingdoms, besides some
outlying districts to the South East, which are
under the control of Chiefs. The kingdoms are —
Uganda, Toro, Bunyoro, and Ankole. Toro is ruled
over by a once rebellious branch of the Bunyoro tribe, ttha
many years ago drove out the original inhabitants and
established an independent kingdom. With this excep-
tion each state is absolutely distinct from the other in the
general physique and customs of the people. All of the
four reigning sovereigns have been baptised into the
Protestant Faith, and excepting in the case of Daudi
Chwa, King of Uganda, who is at present but a small lad,
they are leading exemplary Christian lives and helping
forward Missionary work in every way.

A circular tour of 600 or 700 miles through these
districts could be accomplished just within one month, but
this would involve heavy travelling and give but a feeble
chance of appreciating the rapid transitions that are met
with in country, animal life, and people.

It took us nearly nine weeks to go the round, as our
object was to visit all the mission stations along the
route. In Toro we deviated slightly from the direct path
in order that church sites might be measured and pegged

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Through the Four Kingdoms

out. The English Government some months before
had granted to the native church a certain amount of
land which could be divided up and marked out wherever
required. In the kingdom of Toro about 130 plots were
chosen where, in the near future it is to be hoped,
mission centres will be planted, manned by trained native
teachers. Already between 90 and 100 have been taken
up and occupied, which means that the country is slowly
being net-worked with Christian testimony. Measuring
and marking out land in these parts is a rather complicated
business. Once only did I attempt to offer the help of my
services, and never again. It means geometrically describ-
ing circles and right angles through the rankest weeds and
tiger grass, stepping it out through swamp and marsh ;
planting young saplings at every point as boundary marks
only to find all these carefully calculated demarcations
removed after perhaps a few days, to suit the convenience
of one of the land holders who was in need of firewood,
or wished to extend his boundaries. Quod non crat
faciendum.

Starting from Kabarole, we took a south-easterly
direction toward Ankole, making the first halt at Isumba,
a charming spot on the banks of a crater lake. There
are seven more of these large volcano puddles in the
immediate vicinity, lying in the heart of mountains of
various altitudes. The waters are extremely picturesque
with the rich tropical vegetation extending from the lip
of the crater down to the water's edge. Hippopotami
plunge about in fhe day time, while at night they lug
their heavy bodies up the steep banks and snort about
from one lake to another in search of food. The country
round is very beautiful and reminds one faintly of
Cumberland — hills, mountains, forests, and lakes — the
monkeys and ourang-outangs, however, would not allow
that idea to take root ; they made a fearful noise as we
passed near their quarters. They were too much for our

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

little fox terrier, who worked himself into a great rage at
being unable to get at these intruders of the peace ; he
simply made for the next native on the road (evidently
thinking him one of the same tribe), but was driven off at
the point of the spear that his antagonist was carrying.

The forest close to our camp was swarming with
monkeys, which made wide turning movements from
branch to branch when disturbed. I kept on wondering if
one was not going to land on my head. The two days old
baby monkeys led their big sedate mammas exhausting
scampers from tree to tree. What a good thing it is
that they improve in behaviour during the process of
evolution !

At 9.0 p.m. a message came asking me to give medicine
to a sick person close to camp. Taking our lantern we
went out and administered physic, then hastened home
as lions could be heard roaring some distance "away. The
oil unfortunately gave out before we reached our tent,
and I must admit to a horrid sensation of fear lest one
of them should spring out upon us from the pitchy
darkness, as the roaring seemed to get nearer and nearer.

In the morning our cowman came in with the tidings
that one of these creatures had broken through the zariba
built round the cowshed and run off with one of the
calves.

While encamped there a terrible storm visited us in
the afternoon. We had watched the clouds rapidly
gathering from all directions, increasing in density and
rapidity until they collided together and crashed with
terrific force on a near hill, blotting out all objects from
view. Then, with united energy, these heavily charged
thunder clouds bore down upon us with such anger that
it seemed our little tents must be torn up and twisted into
shreds. All the porters had been called out to stand each
at his post to meet the enemy ; and right well they did it,
too, for as the tent cords snapped we must have soon been

130

Through the Four Kingdoms

houseless if the men had not held on to poles and canvas.
In less than half an hour the storm had passed, and then
the porters set to work, repairing ropes, hammering in
pegs, and redigging the trench round the tent.

The following day, after a hot, dusty march, we reached
one of the mission stations, and before \ve had the chance
of a wash-up and rest, the teacher came begging us to go
to the church, where the people were all waiting. So in
we went and found nearly two hundred squeezed into the
tiny reed building (intended to hold one hundred), all
roaring from the various grades of the reading sheet.
Instead of stopping the clatter when we entered, a sign
from the teacher made each one put greater exertion into
his reading and they simply yelled out their lesson to
impress us with the progress they were making.

After a short service with them, we were escorted to
our tent by a considerable following. When my medicine
chest appeared the scene was like the "Zoo" let loose.
A guard had to stand round to prevent me from being
suffocated; of course the majority of the applicants were
shams. They watched to see which patient received the
largest dose, then asked him what his complaint was, and
by the time they had pushed their way to the dispenser
were suffering from the same trouble, but in an acute form.

On the fourth day we reached the capital of a Saza or
country Kitagwenda. Toro is divided up into five large
chieftainships or sazas, each of which is governed by a
man who has tributary chiefs. The "lord" of Kitag-
wenda was ready in state to receive us as we arrived.
His round reed house is built on the brow of a hill, and is
surrounded by a tall, imposing plaited reed fence. As
we slowly climbed up the broad, well-kept path, the
chief, dressed in white linen, came down to meet us with
a large crowd of followers. He was very keen on impress-
ing us with his greatness, so ordered a drum to precede
him and one piper. The people were all wildly excited,

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

dancing and shouting themselves husky. While this
pandemonium was at its height, two poor, miserable-
looking fat-tailed sheep were pushed forward for our
acceptance. With these Uganda sheep all the good
points were embodied in the tails. These are 'often as
broad as the back, and hang in festoons almost to the
ground. They are poor creatures, and are not cheap at
2s. 8d., which is their market value. I doubt whether
one animal contains as much nourishment as two pounds
of Welsh mutton. At this place two of our first trained
women teachers had been at work. They had experienced
some difficulty in getting the women interested, for digging,
cultivating, and cooking had provided ample excuse for
staying in their homes. On the second day of our visit
we rallied all the women together at the tall mission
church and urged them to stand by their teachers, who
had come with a message of love and peace and would
instruct them in wisdom. There and then classes were
formed, and some sixty came forward for daily teaching.
At night a body of soldiers were sent down by the chief
to guard our camp against the lions, which were very
numerous in these parts. The head officer, feeling the
importance of his commission, essayed to issue his com-
mands in true British fashion by using a few words he had
picked up from the English lieutenant in Toro. He
drilled his men just outside our tent door, and it was
evident that the language of their general, as he bawled
out incomprehensible English, was quite a conundrum to
the men, and in concealed whispers he was obliged to
repeat his orders in the native tongue.

A remarkably fine view of Ruwenzori snows was
obtained at the junction of Ankole and Toro. With no
cloud to intercept, miles of glittering ice stood out
against a sapphire sky, and pushed down a hundred
streams that tumbled in impetuous speed and flowed as
swift rivulets- through the forests that crossed our path.

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Through the Four Kingdoms

Only those who have known the weariness of continual
walking in the tropics can rightly appreciate the joy that
these forest shades and the cool, refreshing rivers bring.
At no time of the year could the country have been seen
to better advantage ; the grass fires had carried off all the
long withered grass, and the hills were now carpetted with
fresh, green glades. The forests displayed a strange
variety of colouring, for the young buds of spring, the
luxuriant verdure of summer, blended in exquisite con-
trast and harmony with the gold and ruddy tints of
autumn. Shrubs of wild jessamine and seven-petalled
tuber roses were in rich bloom on the roadside. These
latter are called by the natives " Eky skulema njoju,"
" that which gets the better of the elephants," for
although the bark is comparatively slender, it can stub-
bornly resist the force of the powerful elephant trunks
that make matchwood of the larger forest trees.

Two days further marching brought us to the boundary
of Ankole, and glad were we to leave behind the rains of
Toro, which had made the paths so slimy that with diffi-
culty we maintained the perpendicular. Our peaceable
caravan was evidently mistaken for a raiding horde. The
villagers were in a most perturbed state of mind as we
pressed on ; the men collected together all their women,
children, and goats and packed them off with all speed to
hide in the swamps and hills, while a few of them
remained hidden on the outskirts of the huts to sound an
alarm at our approach.

The language at this point deviated from that spoken
by the people of Toro. Besides employing a few entirely
different words, the Banyankole soften down the s, j, and
k, and until the ear has become accustomed to these
changes one might imagine it a distinct dialect. A rather
welcome sight was the men working on the roads and
digging in the banana plantations, in place of the peasant
woman who do all the rough manual work in Toro.

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

Ankole is a large ranch country. A gentle range of moun-
tains extending toward the east shores of the Albert
Edward is the only interruption to an extensive area of
rolling land of which the whole kingdom is composed. It
is inhabited by two separate races, the Bairu, who are
the original people of the country, and the Bahima, the
ruling race. The latter are an extremely superior order
of people ; generally speaking, they are of lighter com-
plexion, and their features, in the sharply defined nose
and chin and the thin lips, are in marked contrast to the
other tribes of inland Africa. Another peculiar
characteristic is that the women live in entire seclusion
and keep the face and head covered, as in Mahommedan
lands. It is generally believed that they migrated from
Abyssinia or Arabia ; probably disease among their cattle
drove them from their native land, and they travelled
south until they reached the pasture land of Ankole.

At first sight the country looks scarcely inhabited —
there are no fences or patches of cultivation which else-
where denote villages. The population, however, is con-
siderable, but the people are a tribe of herdsmen, who
build unpretentious little grass huts among the soft,
waving grass, and live almost exclusively on their cattle,
which graze together in enormous herds. The oxen are
splendid creatures, with immense horns ; there is not so
much hump with them as with the cattle of Uganda.

The unvaried diet of milk and butter has produced
a people of abnormal dimensions. The King, although
only about 19 years of age, weighed 20 stone. He could
not walk, but had to be carried about in a gigantic kind
of clothes-basket. One little chief waddled into our tent
to salute us who stood about three feet high and was
nearly twice as large in circumference. The higher
a person is in social position the larger is the amount of
milk he must daily get down in order that he may reach
a worthy correspondence in weight. On one occasion,

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while walking along the road, we heard screaming and
shouting coming from a hut, and, on going in to find out
the cause, saw a young princess with her eyes bandaged
and face dripping with milk ; an old hag was standing
over her with a cane, which she brought sharply
down across her shoulders when the unfortunate girl
declared she could take in no more milk. Being
remonstrated with, the old woman explained how the
young princess was only going through the customary
preparation for her bridal days.

As Uganda gradually opens up, Ankole will probably
become the Leadenhall Market of the Protectorate.
Excellent roads have been cut for transport to Entebbe,
on the shores of the Victoria Nyanza, to Albert Edward
Nyanza and Koki, and the Government has built a strong
fort at Mbarara, the capital of Ankole, which is
under civil and military control.

After years of bigoted opposition to the missionaries,
the country has now been thrown open to them. A large
mud church had just been completed when we visited
there, and a large number of men and women were under
Christian instruction. For generations there had stood
in the Royal courtyard a large drum, which was
absolutely believed to bring death to the King who beat
it. Immediately after the baptism of the King, he,
Kahaya, in the sight of a large crowd of his subjects, went
deliberately towards the drum ; then, loosening the
sticks, he stood for a moment looking round at his
people, who were expecting his instantaneous death.
With one mighty swing he brought the sticks down
on the drum, which only thundered out, as it were, the
doom which fell that day on their old heathen
superstitions.

Soon after arriving at the capital we went to pay our
respects to the Royal Household.

Passing out from the new mud " palace " of the King,

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

I went across to the ladies' quarters. The seven wives of
His Majesty Kahaya, who at that time war, only an
inquirer after Christianity, were all sitting silently in a
semi-circle round the inside of their grass hut. The
atmosphere was unbearably stuffy, and reeking with
odours of rancid butter, for the custom is to rub this well
into their bodies, and, without washing off the stale, they
rub in a fresh quantity each day. They treat in exactly
the same way the bark cloths in which they entirely
envelop themselves. Not until I had become accustomed
to the dim light could I distinguish the seven shrouded,
dusky figures. Then they resembled so many ant heaps.
After the usual voluminous salutations, they begged me
to take off my hat and show my hair. I agreed, if they,
on their part, showed me their faces. Immediately
fourteen merry eyes popped out of the oily bark cloths,
and a row of fat, smiling faces appeared. After satisfy-
ing their inquisitive questions about my clothes, my age,
my parentSi and how long I had been married, I tried to
find out a little about them. From what I could learn,
they seemed to spend all their lives huddled together as I
saw them, with absolutely nothing to do except to feed.
They neither cooked, sewed, plaited grass, cultivated, nor
worked at any of the small industries common among
other tribes. The Christian women teachers were visit-
ing them each day, and a large number of women had
shown a real desire to read. As their minds have been
allowed to lie dormant for so long, it is a wonder
that they can learn to do so really quickly.

After a few happy days spent in Ankole, we pushed
on in a south-easterly direction to Koki. Scarcity of
water necessitated rather longer marches than usual, so I
indulged in the luxury of a hammock. Six men were
taken on as carriers who did not understand the art in the
least. They literally galloped away with me. The
hammock swung to and fro with such force that the ropes

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on the pole gradually slackened, and the canvas hung
like a sling with its burden doubled up inside. My
gesticulations and calls were quite unavailing, as the
carriers ran on, singing gaily ; then they suddenly hauled
the pole over from one shoulder to another, which was
more than it could stand, and, with a squeak of pain, the
ropes burst, and the hammock fell with a big bump to
the ground. While I stood endeavouring to recover
from the rather boisterous mode of travelling, the carriers
walked round inspecting the shattered ropes and con-
gratulated each other on being such men of strength !

We had reached a wide, scorching plain with no trees
or shelter save a few tall thorn bushes, which made the
ground all about like a pincushion with the points stand-
ing out. We had come along at such a rate that the
caravan and lunch basket were miles behind. One
hundred and five minutes were spent under that thorn
bush waiting for the rear with nothing to read, nothing
to look at, and nothing to eat. I tried to think a thought
that might find a niche in my next journal letter, but the
sun must have nearly melted all the brain cells as it
poured down its burning rays, for nothing took shape.
To punish the men for their rash behaviour I inflicted on
my carriers the punishment of searching for firewood, so
that when our detached corps joined us we soon had the
kettle singing and a chicken frizzling to replenish
exhausted strength and revive our fainting spirits. The
following morning camp was awake at 4.0 a.m., and a
hurried start was made in the dark so as to get the day's
march over before the sun had a chance of treating us as
it had done previously. But it was rather an unfortunate
day to have tried the experiment, as our path for the first
three or four miles skirted a long swamp, the haunt of
mosquitoes, and these little pests had not been frightened
away by sunrise before we ventured through their
domain. They swarmed round us like locusts, and

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

although we kept furiously beating out at them in all
directions at once, the prodigious application of Homocea
afterwards was, for the first time in my experience,
ineffectual in allaying the inflammation and irritation.
We spied a few monkeys in the trees, but instead of being
up to their usual pranks they solemnly sat staring at each
other, looking deplorably sorry for themselves ; evidently
the mosquitoes had proved too much even for them. I am
sure they would have been willing to pay a pied piper
any fee.

After five days journeying from Ankole we reached
Rakai, the capital of Koki. The C.M.S. had two ladies
stationed there and an ordained M Uganda.

Koki was in former years an independent kingdom ruled
over by Kamswaga, but in recent years it has been joined
to Uganda, on the King agreeing to become a " Saza "
of his stronger neighbours.

Excepting for Lake Kanyeti, which twists about among
rich and varied vegetation, the scenery is unattractive —
in the dry season the chalky soil gives an anaemic appear-
ance to the country, and the rather too plentiful supply
of swamps necessitates a large stock of quinine being
always at hand. Kamswaga himself at that time had
gone up to Entebbe on business, but hearing of our
expected arrival had left us a greeting in the shape of an
ox and quantities of food for our caravan. Visitors in
these parts were rather a novelty, and the people came
dow,n in large numbers to look at us. I returned the
visit of the wife of Kamswaga before leaving. Her
reception house quickly filled with a number of men and
women, each trying to get a word in edgeways with the
" white " visitor. A handful of boiled coffee beans in the
pods was passed to me to dispense to whomsoever I
wished to honour. I was obliged to take a share, but that
was very limited, for they are as hard as nuts to crack and
like physic to swallow. On leaving they pressed round

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and ^bedecked my wrists with all sorts of curious wire
and bead bracelets which they had taken off themselves.

The work being carried on there was, happily,
prospering. The school, daily classes, and the church,
holding two hundred people, were well attended.

A whole day's excursion in a native skiff on the Lake
gave us an opportunity of seeing something of the village
work that has been opened up by the Mother Church of
Rakai. We could not stay longer than three days, as
there was still a long programme before us. Budu was
the next district on the list to be visited.

This is the stronghold of Roman Catholicism. At
every side road we found a tall wooden cross standing and
nearly everybody wore a medallion or scapular.

At Kajuna the people were evidently not accustomed to
seeing European visitors, and they came tearing out of
their houses like mad creatures, dancing round us and
clapping their hands. It was a perfect pandemonium,
and we were not sorry to escape from such a rabble.

The two missionaries welcomed us very warmly. They
were hard at work on a much needed house for them-
selves. The new building was a unique structure, for it
was built only of one brick — that is, the walls were formed
of solid mud beaten down between wooden boards, which
were removed when the mud had dried. The roof was
thatched with strips of banana bark knotted on rows of
poles. This is supposed to offer stronger resistance to
lightning than the usual grass. A regular timber yard
had been set up in a strip of Forest close by to supply
doors and windows for the new house, and the natives
were receiving from the missionary practical lessons in
carpentering as they felled the trees, adzed them out and
then sawed out planks in pits. The scene suggested
pictures of Canadian life among the Rockies. Truly a
missionary in Uganda is a compendium of trades.

One of our hosts was an out-and-out Irishman, and

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On the Borders^ of Pigmy Land

when he was joined by an enthusiastic compatriot the
conversation waxed very warm. I wonder if everyone
belonging to the Emerald Isle regards it as the pole-star
of the Universe — the two Sassenachs did not quite agree
to it.

At the time of our visit twenty-one men and women
were being finally questioned with a view to baptism.
No chiefs were then under Protestant instruction, and in
consequence there was little inducement for their
dependents to associate themselves with our missionaries.
It was therefore very pleasing to find this number ready
to publicly confess their faith in baptism, for one felt
they must have been prompted by an honest and sincere
conviction.

A fifteen miles march from Kajuna brought us to the
shores of the Lake Victoria Nyanza. Nearly six miles of
the road was across a sand plain, and walking it was too
much for me, for the boot at each step sank in four to six
inches of burning sand. I was obliged to call the
hammock-bearers to my assistance, who panted along
without a murmur ; but when they had safely landed me
under the first tree of a lovely wood, they exclaimed
" We are nearly dead."

The two boats provided for us looked very frail and
small to carry two Europeans, eight "boys," two steers-
men, two balers-out of water, twelve rowers, and all our
loads. The boats on this Lake are constructed of boards
he,wn out by native knives, and sewn together with cane.
There are no seats for passengers, but sticks and grass
are laid at the bottom. There was a big gale blowing
when we wanted to make a start — foam-crested waves
broke on the shingly shore as if it had been the Atlantic.
One is surprised to miss the brine in the spray, forgetting
momentarily that so immense an expanse of fretful water
is other than an ocean. We waited two hours for the
storm to abate, when the boatmen came saying we could

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put off. As soon, however, as we had rowed well out, the
wind got up again and blew with terrific force ;
immediately the lake was lashed into anger, and had no
mercy on our little craft. The oarsmen were quite unable
to keep her from being driven broadside to the storm.
Sitting at the bottom of the boat we watched wave after
wave bear down upon us like a wall and break over our
heads. The boatmen assured us that we could not
stand much more, for the cane fibre that kept the boat
together was rotten and giving way under the strength of
the breakers. The heavy tossing made us feel wretchedly
sea-sick, but we dared not let our courage flag, as the
men were losing heart. We had drifted completely out
of our course, but fortunately were driven toward one of
the Sese Islands, which we ultimately reached, drenched
through and very exhausted. Here we pitched our tent
for the night, and as evening came a dead calm settled
down on the Lake, and insect life awoke, swarming
round us in clouds. All night we kept waking up to
assure ourselves that we had not contracted sleeping
sickness, as this was one of the haunts of that disease.

The next morning dawned bright and calm, so we
started before sunrise, startling the many gulls, divers,
and herons that were indulging in a morning bath. The
paddlers broke out into weird nautical songs ; there is
generally one man in a boat whose special work is to
lead the singing to encourage the oarsmen. He begins
with a loud shrill note, sustaining it with a few minor
variations till a short stanza of the song is sung ; then all
the others join in with a deep, guttural grunt of assent to
the words ; this is repeated over and over and over again
until the voice cracks. Seven hours' rowing was as much
as they would undertake in a day, so we landed on a
beautiful little island which since then has been entirely
depopulated by sleeping sickness. The sun was just
about to say good night when we put into Entebbe on the

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

following day. The view from the water was quite en-
chanting. A bold, rocky promontory reminded one of a
bit of the borderland coast between England and Scot-
land, otherwise the shore and islands were covered with
the most prodigious forest growth.

As we landed from the boats and looked up at this
town we really asked ourselves if this were Uganda.
There are rows of neat villas with the strips of gardens
back and front resembling the bijous of London suburban
life ; splendid wide roads with avenues of trees planted ;
a market with an English butcher, a dairy, an Indian
bakery where delicious little loaves can be purchased for
four annas, and an aggressive Indian firm that is the
William Whiteley of Uganda, and manufactures mineral
waters at two annas per bottle, are some among the
many surprises. There is a very cosmopolitan popula-
tion, and comparatively few of the real natives — Baganda
— are seen in the town. The fifty or more Europeans
made it feel very homelike after the isolated life in Toro ;
and yet after the first surprised impressions had partially
worn off, one was conscious of two distinct elements
running side by side — the English and the African — with-
out actually becoming assimilated the one by the other.
The result was that so many reminders of England
brought with them feelings of home-sickness, but the next
moment one was sympathising with the country yokel in
London who pined for the rusticity of village home life.

Our four days there were spent very pleasantly. Colonel
Sadler, H.M. Commissioner, Mrs. Sadler, and several
friends were most kind and hospitable ; indeed we were
almost strangers to our tents.

A visit to the Botanical Gardens was most interesting.
Mr. Mahon, who was then in charge, took us round and
pointed out the tea, coffee, cocoa and cotton shrubs
which gave promise of agreeing very amiably with their
newly-adopted land. Fruit trees, vines and pine apples

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were also being experimented on, and the flower beds
were aflame with colour. The idea is, I believe, to test
what flourishes successfully in the Uganda soil, then to
send out cuttings and encourage the cultivation of that
plant throughout the Protectorate. Colonel Coles, who
is in command of the troops, is a very keen horticul-
turalist, and has been most successful in rose-growing
and in bringing to perfection the native crinum lily.

Leaving Entebbe, we made for Port Munyonyo by
canoe, which took six hours in consequence of a wind
working against us all the way. Reaching the Port at
5.0 p.m. we had no time to inspect the vigorous dhow-
building that was in operation. We hurried off on our
seven to eight mile walk into Mengo, which we reached
just after seven o'clock. A roast leg of goat and steaming
potatoes were being served up by our kind hostess as we
entered. I think we had rarely enjoyed a dinner more
than that one, as we had eaten nothing since 7.0 a.m.
excepting two cold sausages and some bread and milk,
the only things procurable from our food basket in the
canoe.

This was the only time I had visited Mengo since first
arriving in the country, and it was interesting to find out
how many of one's first impressions remained. Two
years ago it had been to me a country unpenetrated, its
people and lauguage unknown, and now in a limited —
very limited — degree the closed door had been pushed
open and something from within had been revealed. In
that time Mengo seemed to have made wonderful pro-
gress. A colossal brick cathedral stood on the site of
the previous wicker building ; it is a striking witness of
what the Baganda can be taught to accomplish under
such persevering and able instruction and superinten-
dence as they have received. The educational work had
developed considerably. At 8.0 one morning we went
across to Mr. Hattersley's boys school : he certainly had

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

his work cut out, for I should not like to guess at the
number of men and boys that were packed into the large
class rooms, through which ran rows of desks and forms
made at the Industrial Mission. At each class stood a
native teacher setting sums or copies on the blackboards.
His pupils were a strange collection, for a grey-bearded
old chief would be sitting next to a sharp eyed infant,
both eagerly wrestling with pen and ink. Specimens of
writing, which had been acquired in six months, were
shown to us, and they compared very favorably with a
fourth or fifth standard in England. Every afternoon
classes were held for the teachers for instruction in black-
board writing, geography, astronomy, natural history and
Scripture, and these men were being sent out to the
villages for educational work, when their course was
completed. Since that time, scholastic work has received
very special attention. A boarding high school for the
sons of chiefs was opened in 1904, and the number of
lads that were immediately sent by their fathers or
guardians was a proof of its need. The Baganda are
quite conscious of the fact that the time has come to
rouse and equip themselves in order that they may be
able to stand before the civilized nations with whom they
are now brought so closely in touch.

A third school is also in course of erection, which will
be an intermediate step for those desiring to train after-
wards for Holy Orders.

The Industrial Department of the Mission is certainly
one of the most necessary and practical methods of help-
ing these people who possess no trades or crafts of their
own. On passing along the road toward the Industrial
quarters, one sees a crowd of men hard at work in the
brick-fields, and others employed at rope-making. Enter-
ing the actual work-shop compound a buzz and whirr of
machinery meet the ear. The first building is the
carpenter's sheds ; here were men turning out book-cases,

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Through the Four Kingdoms

chairs, tables, and really a first-class sideboard. Across
the courtyard the printers and stitchers were hard at
work producing Lunyoro hymn sheets, Luganda hymns,
Luganda commentary on St. Mark, and a book of Uganda
fables by Ham Mukasa. Until within six months of our
visit all this work, including the building of the
Cathedral, had been started and supervised by one man.
Uganda owes a great debt to Mr. Borup for the in-
valuable help thus rendered to the country.

The hospital, which was nearing its opening day when
I had first seen it, was now in good working order and
quite full up with patients; some, alas, suffering from
the dread sleeping sickness.

No one then dreamed that the fine building was on the
eve of being completely destroyed by fire. But such was
the case. Within a very few months the scene of pain,
yet of peace and comfort, had given place to one of
noisy activity, for on the old spot there was immediately
put in hand the erection of the present solid brick
building with an iron roof to resist the lightning which
destroyed its predecessor, and a concrete floor that can
withstand the constant traffic up and down the wards.
After a few days we again set off on the march, making
for Bunyoro, in a northerly direction. A good road had
been cut for a distance of a hundred miles by order of the
Government for transport purposes toward the Nile. On
the second day we overtook an oxen wagon caravan,
which was being conducted by a young Englishman, who
we found was down with bad fever and cough. We sent
him milk and meat juice, but could not dissuade him from
pushing on in the evening. The scarcity of food for porters
on the road makes delays very difficult, and in his case,
travelling by night was essential as the oxen cannot bear
the heat of the day. But being jostled along on spring-
less carts in the damp and cold African nights did not
suggest much comfort for a patient suffering from malaria !

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

Next day on arriving in camp we found no less than
three other European caravans settling in. A military
captain and a ship captain were coming down from
Bunyoro, and a trader was making for that direction.

Uganda is getting overrun with civilization ! There is
generally a little consternation and hurried confusion
when an English woman is seen in camp. There is at once
a shout for the "boy "who had relieved the pedestrian
of his coat on the march, and a long search is made for
the razor that, very apparently had been some days in
disuse. One of our fellow travellers who came in at
afternoon tea suggested that a new regulation should be
passed by the Government, ordering all ladies travelling
on the road to send a white flag three miles ahead to
warn fellow countrymen !

We did some fairly long marches on this road, as we
were anxious to complete our tour, and although fifteen
to eighteen miles do not look anything to the Londoner
who is accustomed to record spins on his bicycle, yet I
think he would find five hours walking day after day a
laborious task, especially when it means rising at 4.0 a.m.
We had been a little unfortunate in our culinary arrange-
ments, for our cook was taken ill and had been obliged
to return to Toro. We took on a substitute from our
porters' ranks, who knew nothing about cooking. I care-
fully taught him how to turn out a decent pancake which
he seemed really to master, but a few days afterwards he
served up hard, solid, flour-and-water dough-balls, saying
he feared he had forgotten the recipe, so the process of
teaching had to be gone through over again. He never
would believe that anything could be cooked without
water — roast goat he cooked in quantities of it instead of
fat, and buttered eggs were swimming in brown swamp
water ! Then all our other boys got down with fever,
and one day we were without a single attendant.

When we were half-way to Bunyoro, a Nubian caravan

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Through the Four Kingdoms

encamped close to us. We instantly ordered a close
watch to be kept on our goods, as these folk have
the reputation of being not too strictly honest. In spite,
however, of vigilant guard, very soon things were
missing. We succeeded in rescuing some articles from
one of their temporary huts, but a large plate, which con-
verted an open cooking pot into an African oven, was
never found, and so we were deprived of bread and all
baked food for the remainder of our journey.

The country was a monotony of undulating land, with
no hills, forests, or rivers to interrupt the continuity of
sameness. For three days we were travelling through a
district of Uganda called Singo, where eight years ago
Mr. Fisher was stationed. A particularly dreary spot
was pointed out to me as the place where he lived
for months quite alone, and had one attack after another
of fever. During one of those occasions, a woman, the
wife of the district chief, came a long distance twice a day
to nurse him, and, when he lapsed into unconsciousness,
she took a razor and shaved his head to ease him. He
was rather a shock to himself when he was well enough
to see his own reflection in the lid of a Huntley &
Palmer's biscuit tin — the only looking-glass then in his
possession, as he had lost most of his things through a
recent act of incendiarism.

We were delighted to catch sight of the hills that
lie round Hoima, the capital of Bunyoro, on the seventh
day. Mr. Lloyd, who had been Mr. Fisher's fellow-
worker in Toro, and chaperon to the party from England
of which I had formed part, came scorching down on his
bicycle to meet us, with a large following of natives who
had come to greet "their father." In the year 1895 Mr.
Fisher had visited these people, who, up to that time, had
never heard of Christianity, and in 1898 was located at
Hoima in order to establish a European Station. Then
the country was in the grasp of famine ; the people, from

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

the King down to his peasant subjects, came each day to
the European teacher and his two Baganda assistants
begging food. Through the generosity of friends in
England and Uganda, a fund was organized, and with
presents in kind from the Christians in Uganda and Toro,
hundreds of the Banyoro were saved from starvation.
With the return of the rains, the famine terminated, but
this time of trouble had created and cemented a con-
fidence between the natives and missionary, who learned
to know them then better than if he had lived years in
the country at the time of its prosperity. The King, his
brothers, sister, and several of the leading chiefs, became
sincere inquirers after Christianity, and ultimately
acknowledged their faith in public baptism.

The kingdoms of Bunyoro is one of the most ancient
now existing in inland Africa. Formerly it was the pre-
eminent power of all the districts round and including
Uganda, but for many years its strength has been on the
wane through internal disaffections and external warfare.
Toro, which was once ruled over by Bunyoro, broke
away from its rule, and the Baganda gradually ascended
north, appropriating to themselves large districts of
Southern Bunyoro. Kabarega, then King of Bunyoro. was
for years the terror of the surrounding weaker tribes. He
was quite a remarkable character. Realizing the gradual
decadence of his kingdom, with persistent effort and
despotism he rallied his people together for one mighty
struggle to regain their lost power. Marching on the
surrounding weaker tribes, he raided, plundered, and
burnt their villages, and King Kasagama (of Toro) and his
people fled to the mountains for shelter. But in 1899
the British Government sent up a force of Baganda under
Colonel Evett, who succeeded m taking prisoner
Kabarega. The latter has since remained a prisoner in
the Seychelles Islands. His son Andereya, an earnest
Christian and an able man, is now reigning in his stead.

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Through the Four Kingdoms

The Banyoro have always had a most elaborate priest-
hood and abundant ritual connected with their belief;
hence it will be a long time before heathen customs and
degrading forms of superstition will be effectually up-
rooted.

After the discomforts of the road it was delightfully
restful to revel in the refreshing luxury of easy chairs,
sipping cups of tea, surrounded with a hundred and one
reminders of dear old England, while a pink-cheeked,
chubby baby grabbed at the flat nose of his black boy
nurse and cooed with satisfaction at having two, new,
civilized admirers. A week spent with Mr. and Mrs.
Lloyd, during which time we were enabled to visit the
people and hold some meetings with them, brought us to
the final stage of our circular trip — a seven days' march
home. The anticipation of once more seeing Ruwenzori,
our mud bungalow house, and all the Batoro folk, made
one forget to write notes and comments of those few
days. But no written records were necessary to keep at
least one day green in the memory. The wet season had
begun in real earnest, which did not improve the many
unbridged swamps that lay across our path at constant
intervals. One day we were plunging through grass,
often twelve feet high, for nearly three hours right off.
Emerging from that, we had to pass through a succession
of nine swamps. The only possible means of getting
across was to sit on the shoulder of a thorougly sturdy
and sure-footed porter, holding on with all one's might to
his woolly head. At the ninth swamp I had maintained
that position for ten minutes, with feet held straight out
in front, as my noble carrier stumbled among a broken
down bridge, sometimes to his armpits in black mud.
Actually weeping tears, I called down to my steed, " My
friend, you must put me down, my back is broken with
weariness." Without a word he floundered off through
the grass, having spied a fallen tree trunk on which to

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

put down his burden. There we stood panting, too tired
to speak, but a hallooing and a shouting at one side
made us both turn round. There we saw the other
European in a most indescribably mixed-up position,
being brought along on the shoulders of two men, while
two more hung on to a leg each. With scarcely a note
of warning, the front man lost his foothold and
disappeared with the second. The European immediately
followed suit, but the remaining two stood their ground,
still holding on to those legs.

Never did the Mountains of the Moon appear more
fascinating than when we returned to our home under
their shadow after nine weeks' absence. The first to
welcome us, four miles out on the road, was old Apolo
Kivebulaya, the native deacon. Close by on his heels
followed my little god-son, the first baptised pigmy, who
looked characteristically grimy, but his ugly 1'ttle face
appeared really pleasing as he ran up and welcomed his
master and mistress back with a grin that seemed to
stretch from one ear to another. Then the Katikiro
came out with thirty to forty retainers, all of whom he had
dressed up in brand new white linen turban caps as a
token of welcome to us. Last of all rode out the King.
" Well done, my friends. God be praised for bringing
you back." And we could only in our hearts respond
"Amen."

150

CHAPTER XVI

Tramp IV. Towards the Pigmies

WHILE the Kingdom of Toro has distinctly defined
boundaries on the East, North, and South (the
latter two being the Albert and Albert Edward
Nyanzas) there are no lines of demarcation that bound it
on the West. It adjoins the Protectorate to the Belgian
territory that extends across from the Congo Free State,
and until that boundary is officially fixed the Kingdom of
Toro may be said to include a number of untamed savage
tribes with a portion of the pigmies, who recognise no
authority and rule outside themselves.

Immediately the Toro Mission was established its
first branch station was planted about sixty miles west in
Mboga, the district that touches Stanley's Great Forest
— the home of the pigmies. Although the chief offered
much opposition to the Baganda missionaries, yet the
workers persistently held on, realising its important
strategic position for reaching the many tribes round its
borders, and it formed one of the few last links yet to be
forged in order that Krapfs dream of a chain of missions
extending across Africa might be fulfilled. After oppo-
sition had burnt itself out and the Chief Tabalo had him-
self become a Christian the work prospered vigorously,
and in 1903 the number of men and women baptised
reached over two hundred.

In that year the question of boundary line between
Belgian and British territory was again raised to be
finally marked out. The decision would either result in
the district of Mboga being retained by the British, or
given over to the Belgians in exchange for a strip of land

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

farther south, in which latter case the River Semliki
would form the natural dividing line.

It was considered expedient, pending the arrangement
between the two Governments to strengthen in every
way possible the mission work at Mboga so that it might
not be shaken should it ultimately lie outside the Uganda
Protectorate.

It was, therefore arranged that in the five months
remaining before leaving for furlough in England we
should fit in a visit to that district. The time of year
fixed on for starting was a little unfortunate, as the wet
season was in full working order, and that never adds an
enviable charm to the gipsy life of African travelling.
It was evident that we were getting near the end of the
prescribed period of service, for instead of gaily trudging
off in stout boots and puttees, we pushed off from Kabarole
with a donkey and a hammock, the only available modes
of conveyance.

When only three miles out we were overtaken by one
of Toro's special storms. The heavily laden clouds had
been running off towards the west when Ruwenzori stood
in their way and forbade them. So, in a terrible temper,
they turned back and gave us the full benefit of their
tears. My hammock bearers did not seem to mind ; cer-
tainly they had nothing on that would spoil, and I believe
these casual drenchings are the only occasions on which
many of them feel the touch of water on their bodies. I
have often seen them trying to avoid even this by taking
shelter under a tree and holding a huge banana leaf over
their head, when only clothed in a tiny goat skin. The
donkey slipped along behind with its rider enveloped in a
commodious mackintosh that left only the donkey's nose
and feet visible. In order to get to the mission station
of Busaiga, where we were to spend a day, we had to
turn off for two miles along a sloppy kind of sheep-track
path, which the donkey managed better than my men,

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Towards the Pigmies

who stumbled along in the mud, very fearful lest they
should let their burden down. The man carrying our
bath went before to warn them of danger ; but we passed
him halt-way, for with a splash he fell. No one seemed
to regard it as anything unusual, and continued marching
on. Looking over the side of my hammock, the last I
saw of him was a hopeless mix-up of black man's limbs
and bath sitting in inches of mud.

It was very good to find a big fire burning and a hot
cup of tea ready in a well swept native house that had
been prepared for us, and designated for our temporary use.
In the afternoon our tent was well surrounded by broad
grins and inquisitive eyes as we were "at home" to
callers. They continued coming in from 1.30 to 5.30, by
which time the air felt heavy, so we escaped for an
evening look-out. The complete range of mountains
was clearly defined from south to north and terminated
close to us, in the Semliki plain. Towards their northern
base rested a heavy dense bank of white cloud that slowly
glided along. When it had reached the farthest shoulder
of the range, it woke from its soliloquy and with a mighty
effort plunged upwards, and in a few minutes flooded the
whole country with a dense, damp mist.

The first of May dawned in all the brightness of its
reputation. Lake, plain, valleys, and mountains appeared
in their brightest garments to do honour to the day, and
the air trembled in its endeavour to laud the Creator. No
wonder that the people swarmed out of their stuffy little
huts for morning service. It was then pointed out to
them that their house of prayer needed rethatching, and
in less than three hours the " restoration of the church "
was completed, for streams of tiny naked figures went off
and returned with a few strands of grass balanced on
their heads ; the women followed with heavier burdens,
and the men were standing ready to tie it into small
bundles and stuff them into the thatch. There was here

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

as everywhere a great demand for "reading sheets," and
those who did not possess five cowrie shells (half a
farthing) wherewith to purchase one brought in a bundle
of firewood, two eggs, or undertook any little job in order
to earn the sum. In the afternoon we had meetings for
men and women. At each gathering over one hundred
were present, which must have included nearly all the
adult inhabitants of the place. The audiences one meets
with in the villages are distinctly responsive; they
evidently have an idea that it is a slight to leave the
European to do all the talking. In the middle of your
" sermon " one native will burst out with " Aye, aye, that's
so," and the whole company will agree in chorus. Then,
again, they will repeat after you a whole sentence that has
struck them, and when your oration is over they all
exclaim " That's very good ; well done, very well done."
It is most encouraging to a nervous speaker.

Leaving Busaiga, we descended to a wide plateau,
which was most likely at one time a lake bed, but the
water has run off and left it quite dry. The curious
parallel gorges, where villages now nestle, resemble
immense yawning cracks formed by the land calling out
for water. In one of these clefts, where there was a
sleepy little hamlet, we pitched camp. The old chief of
the place was sitting in his courtyard contentedly smoking
a huge pipe. He did not take the least notice of our
arrival, and, from what he said, if we had been a party
of plunderers, he would have assumed exactly the same
immovable attitude. It was a very stuffy place ; the
heat seemed to fall down listlessly in the little valley and
had no strength to move off at night. As for the varieties
of insects that visited us as the candles were lit, even the
most initiated naturalist must have been puzzled at
classifying them.

On the following day we were up at daybreak to cheat
the sun, which we expected would do its worst for us in

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Towards the Pigmies

the exposed Semliki plain. When we reached that level,
although it was only 8.0 a.m., the heat was almost un-
bearable. The little donkey must have felt it rather
badly, for it upset itself in the mud, and this twisted into
weird contortions the invaluable umbrella that was being
carried on its back. The Semliki River has to be crossed
halfway across the plain ; its waters are of a thick grey
colouring, and in them are smuggled away crocodiles, all
sorts of fierce fish with tusk-like teeth, and fever germs.
A big dug-out canoe came over from the opposite bank to
ferry us across, and then returned to fetch our porters,
ass, and cows. The animals took most naturally to the
skiff — which might perhaps be traced back to their
ancestors of the Ark period.

In the cool of the afternoon an old fisherman punted
me out in his canoe. He attracted my attention to a big
crocodile drawn up on the bank — it suddenly woke from its
sleep and slipped into the water for an evening ablution.
These dug-outs are scarcely what you might call inviting.
I have never seen one that does not leak considerably, and
it is difficult to imagine yourself comfortable when seated
on a few rushes at the bottom of the boat, feeling all the
time the water oozing in under you.

Antelopes simply abound in the plain. In one spot
alone there must have stood forty of these peaceful
creatures. They evidently understand that all their
district is preserved against the sportsman, for they now
venture quite close to the path and look at passers by
with the greatest impertinence. Two fine creatures with
handsome antlers stood defying our caravan only about
fifty yards away, and simply refused to be frightened off.

Mboga stands on a ridge of hills about 18 miles on the
opposite side of the plain to Ruwenzori. The scenery
was in charming contrast to that on the previous day's
journey, as we lifted up on to high land. Forest arteries
flowed through every bend and hollow from the great

155

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

aorta of Stanley's Pigmy Forest that stretched away for
miles behind the Mboga Hills. The trees closely
resembled the English oak and mountain ash ; there was
a marked scarcity of flowers, and my butterfly net
remained quite limp as we climbed up for -three hours
till the Mission station appeared in sight. The people
that came out to meet us broke up into two parts ; the
one went with Mr. Fisher to superintend camping opera-
tions, and I was borne off by the others to the Chief's
reception hall to hold audience with his mother, who had
ready a big black native pot of smoked milk to offer me.
Over one hundred women then streamed in to look at the
first European lady who had visited their country. They
exclaimed, " Bwana Fisher has much grace and love, for
he was the first white man to come and tell us of the
religion of Christ, and now he has brought to us the first
lady." A large open shed had been erected by the Chief
Paulo Tabalo, under which our tent could be erected and
so sheltered from the burning heat of the day, and it also
provided us with a large airy sitting room, which was
necessary for the four weeks we intended to remain.

The first thing that was absolutely essential to take in
hand was the building of a new Church, for the reed
one standing was totally inadequate to accommodate
the people. Consequently each morning after a brief
service the men and women poured across to the new
site to start operations. The men, headed by their Chief,
went off into the forests for poles, and the women, laying
aside their white linen draperies, handled their hoes, and
in a few days had completely cleared the plot of all the
long grass with which it had been covered. It was quite
astonishing to see the rapidity with which everybody
went to work, and although the proposed large mud
church looked rather a formidable undertaking, the
Christians insisted on building a permanent mud house
adjoining the Church, which they hoped would secure

156

Towards the Pigmies

more frequent visits from the Missionary, or procure them
an ordained teacher from Uganda.

The late Sir Henry Stanley, in " Darkest Africa," has
given a most vivid picture of Mboga in his time. It was
there he met with so much trouble and savage opposition
from the natives. Paulo Tabalo tells a thrilling story of
how his father collected together a large army to oppose
the great white man on the banks of the Semliki River, but
was compelled to flee, leaving behind a number of slain.

Oppression has given place to justice, turbulence to
peace, and the most abject fear of and subordination to
the Evil Spirit is gradually being overcome by knowledge
and trust in God.

Stepping out from our tent one evening, I strolled away
to a near hill to watch the sun set. As it slowly disap-
peared behind a low ridge of distant mountains it
scattered trails of golden light across the plain, through
which the white waters gleamed. Then for a few brief
minutes the vast Ruwenzori Range appeared completely
vestured in a deep pink transparent mist, above which
shone as a coronet the pure white snows. Never again
in the four weeks we spent there was such a wonderful
effect repeated.

The hushed stillness was suddenly broken by a voice
that issued from a little hut almost hidden from view.
Glancing round a tall rock that stood between, I saw a
dusky figure sitting in the doorway peeling potatoes for the
evening meal. She was quite unconscious of any intruder,
and as she bent down over her work she sang in the native
tongue " Like a river glorious is God's perfect peace."

Mboga of the present is a " Cave of Adullam " to the
numerous surrounding tribes who have fled from the
hands of plunderers and raiders and come to settle down
under the peaceful rule of the Christian Chief.

Among the thirty-six men and women who had been
instructed and were then presented for baptism there

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

were representatives of five different tribes, three of whom
were the first-fruits from those tribes. I held a daily
class with them for three weeks, and so had a chance of
comparing the brain power of these people. Certainly
the one pigmy did not by any means stand last in the
class ; on the other hand, he displayed a very keen
perception and often turned round to his neighbour and
tried rather impatiently to rub in the point. On the
other hand, he was entirely lacking in concentration, and
it seemed impossible to pin his mind down to the subject
under discussion. Every afternoon the people stopped
work for two hours in order to go to Church to listen to
the white missionaries' words. On the first Sunday a
hint was thrown out to them that they should study
together in their homes, and so help each other to under-
stand their Bibles better. The day following Paulo
called his people together in his audience hall and told
them that they had listened to very good words from
their European friend and teacher, and he felt that if
they were to become strong and be blessed by God they
ought to carry out the advice given. Several of them
thereupon started systematic Bible study in their homes.
Many of the Christian women came to my afternoon
class with questions prepared which they had planned
out together ; and they helped each other to make notes
of my answers. I was surprised at the intelligence
shown in their questionings, for they had received
practically little teaching and are not naturally sharp.
They asked many things about the Epistles, when they
were written, whether on St. Paul's journeyings or when
in imprisonment ; then they wanted to know the meaning
of " Alpha and Omega " and " the woman clothed with
the sun," etc., etc.

One afternoon, just as the class was closing, I looked
up, and in the doorway of the Church stood two most
repelling figures. Their hair had grown to the shoulders

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Towards the Pigmies

and was rolled into thin streaks with an ample quantity
of white goat's fat ; they wore a mere fragment of clothing,
and held in their hands a bow and sheaf of arrows.
My lesson came to a dead standstill, and I asked the
women who the two men were. " They eat each other,"
was the reassuring response. I dismissed the class right
away and made off, but found the two cannibals standing
outside. Very bravely I went up and saluted them, but
they only stared and grunted, then when I turned to
hurry back to camp they came too ! In spite of being
told that they only eat their own people, I did not like to
run any risk, so enticed a number of women to come
with me all the way to our tent by saying I had some
pictures just out from England to show them.

As we stood there in Mboga among some of the most
primitive of the human races it was difficult to realize
that they formed part of that greatest existing empire of
the world. Let us hope the time will soon come when
these people will be brought within the circle of its moral
and intellectual influence as well as the circle of its civil
rule. One can scarcely imagine that there ever existed
a more unenlightened age in the history of man than the
present twentieth century among these distant subjects
of Great Britain. From the brow of the Mission hill at
Mboga no fewer than seven distinct practically untamed
tribes, each with its own peculiar customs and dialect,
lie within the range of eyesight. During the four weeks
spent in these parts we had an opportunity of coming in
direct contact with some people from each of these tribes,
and as we learned something of their habits and modes
of existence we realised in a deeper sense than ever before
the significance of the words, " And darkness was upon
the face of the deep."

After one month's life under canvas, nomadic life loses
its charm, especially when the rains are a little too
generous. The last three weeks of our stay in Mboga

159

proved somewhat distressful on this account, for the
storms beat down upon our skeleton shed and poured in
through the tent almost daily. The wide trenches dug
round our quarters were quite ineffectual in carrying off
the water which came sweeping in upon us like a flood.
Frequently we were obliged to sit on our chairs or boxes
with our feet tucked under us while the water gaily took
possession of the ground floor of the tent.

Then food was a difficulty, for no one would sell the
few goats and chickens that they possessed. After the
first fortnight they assured us that we had eaten up all
the chickens in the place ! (In spite of this we certainly
lost weight.) Eggs were very scarce, and were sold at
the same price as a chicken, for, they argued, an egg is
a chicken, and the ones they brought for sale nearly
proved their argument ! All our boys got ill with malarial
fever, and when they were at their worst a "case of cholera
was brought in to me for treatment. This seemed to be
an unknown complaint in these parts, and the people had
no idea of its infectious character. Already three deaths
had occurred, and two households were stricken down
with it through visiting the sick house. We immediately
ordered all the infected huts to be quarantined and the
strictest attention given to the burning of all contaminated
matter. Fortunately the disease was thus checked from
spreading, but not until four had succumbed to it.

Our last Sunday spent there was a memorable occasion,
for thirty-five men and women were admitted into the
fold of Christ through the confession of their faith in
Baptism, and sixty-two from this little "lighthouse"
station united with us in Holy Communion. After the
evening service two young men came forward and offered
themselves to be trained as teachers to the villages beyond.
So although darkness yet covers the land of Mboga it
might be said " And the Spirit of God moved upon the
face of the waters."

160

CHAPTER XVII

In Darkest Africa. The Pigmies
(Batwa) and their (Bambuba) Neigh-
bours

IN attempting to describe some of the tribes that we
have come in contact with round Mboga, I feel the
first place should be given to the Pigmies, for
although they are the smallest of all folk, yet they are
one of the most ancient peoples of history. Not only do
they appear in the pages of the Greek historian,
Herodotus, but to-day their representatives may be traced
on the Pyramids. Beyond these bare facts of their exist-
ence nothing was definitely known about them until the
late Sir Henry Stanley penetrated their forest home on
his search for Emin Pasha, and startled the civilised
world by his marvellous accounts of these legendary
folk. Judging from their present conditions of life it is
impossible to believe that they have made any advance,
physically or morally, during the hundreds of years that
have passed by since first they were known to the outside
world.

Their home is one vast, impenetrable forest which
extends about one hundred and twenty miles north to
south and nearly two hundred miles east to west ; with-
out intermission its vegetation has assumed abnormal pro-
portions ; out of dense, tangled undergrowth the trees

161 M

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

h ave forced their way, and, as if to find breathing space
and shake themselves free of the crush and their tiresome
parasites, have reached a gigantic height. But the
rubber plants, ivy, and creepers have proved equal to the
task, and pushed their way up the tree trunks, have
crawled along from branch to branch, until only glimpses
of sunshine and sky appear through the thick foliage.

Doubtless this obscurity and the seclusion of their
environment have acted as a narcotic on the develop-
ment of the people.

Although small of stature they are by no means dwarfs,
for their little bodies of four feet to four feet eight inches
are perfectly proportioned. A very close view shows
them to be covered with an almost imperceptible downy
hair ; on the arms this meets at the elbow as in monkeys.
It may be due to their habit of sitting with arms crossed
round their neck while the rain constantly drips down
upon them through the trees. Their features are not
prepossessing — in fact they are really ugly ; a very broad
bridgeless nose and two wide protruding lips appropriate
as much space as the face can spare.

They possess no permanent homes, but are constantly
on the move, never spending more than three to five days
at one spot. They burrow among the thick undergrowth,
and make clearings round the trees in order to erect
their tiny grass huts, which are built in less than an hour,
with saplings stuck round in a circle and tied at the top ;
grass and leaves are then thrown over as roofing. Very
few adopt any clothing. Each man travels about with a
bow and quiver of poisoned arrows in order that he may
keep the family supplied in food. Although peaceable
among themselves, there is no civil cohesion among the
pigmies. They recognise no king or chief; each man is
perfectly free to control his own household. There are no
class distinctions ; but the best huntsman will have the
largest following because with his spoils he is able to

162

The Pigmies and their Neighbours

effect exchanges with the near neighbours of the tribe —
the Bambuba, a sturdy, thick-set race varying in height
from four feet eight inches to five feet, who live on the
north-east fringe of the Forest.

Necessity has never taught the pigmies to make fires.
They are dependent on wood ashes from the Bambuba
folk, which they carry about tied up in leaves, in which
the fire smoulders for hours and is kindled into flame with
a little gentle blowing. The Bambuba have learned to
produce fire by means of igniting two little bits of stick by
friction. They also make tiny torches of three or four
thin twigs tied together by fibre ; these are dipped into
rubber juice freshly drawn away from the plant; then on
the point of the torch is placed resin, which moderates the
rate of combustion. One of these torches will keep
burning for two to three hours. The pigmies do not
cultivate the ground; they are exclusively a tribe of hunts-
men who travel about in search of their prey. Their
remarkable agility enables them to spring from branch to
branch when watching the track of an animal. Often
they are obliged to follow an elephant for hours before this
forest monarch succumbs to the poisoned dart that has
lodged itself in its tough skin ; then as the huge animal
rolls over like a thunderbolt falling, the little pigmies
jump down from the trees, stand on the carcase, and
draw out of a crude leather sheath their knives which
have handles made of animals' bones ; they then com-
mence cutting up the joints. Some of these will be
carried off to the agricultural Bambuba tribe, who give
potatoes, Indian corn, knives, or arrows for the meat.
The rest is taken up into the trees and dried, after which
it is either roasted or eaten raw. Although all their meat
is poisoned they do not attempt to purify it, and the
blood is regarded as a special delicacy. They do not,
however, suffer any ill-effects, for the poison is said to
have lost its power when once it has acted. The pigmies

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

are regarded by the neighbouring tribes in very much
the same way as the wild pigs, inevitable plunderers. At
night they creep up to the potato patches, under cover of
the long grass, and carry off their booty into the copse.
No one dares to venture on revenge; indeed the surround-
ing tribes stand in terror of the little people because of
their wonderful powers of self-concealment and deftness
with their bows.

A pigmy rarely possesses more than one wife, and
never more than two. A man purchases her with
poison or fowls — a woman is valued at eighty to one
hundred chickens. The wives are treated kindly and
with consideration ; only when a husband is provoked by
abuse does he attempt to subdue his fractious helpmate
by a sound beating.

A pigmy baby is the funniest little atom imaginable.
A woman once brought to me her infant of three
months ; it was her first, and she evidently regarded it
as an exceptional beauty. It was about the size of a six-
penny doll. I did not venture to touch it for fear of
hurting it.

Having only reached the outskirts of the Congo Forest
we never had an opportunity of seeing the pigmies at
home. Those we have met and conversed with are
women and boys that were stolen some years ago, and
now have no desire to go back to the forest. At Mboga
we found seven under Christian instruction, one of whom
had been baptised. In Kabarole there are two pigmy
girls and one lad learning to read besides Blasiyo, who
was the first of his tribe to be baptised.

He was my first God-child, the first of these wee and
ancient people to step forth from their physical and
spiritual darkness and before the listening Host of
Heaven declare his belief in God the Father, God the
Son, and God the Holy Ghost, his faith for salvation, for
salvation in Christ's sacrifice, and his desire to never be

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The Pigmies and their Neighbours

ashamed "to fight under the banner of the Cross." He
is a quaint little figure, with a high sense of his own
importance, and is quite able to stand his ground alone
when assailed by his taller companions. Work is a great
trouble to him, but he is always ready for tricks and
games. Football is his speciality, and he never misses a
chance of squeezing his way into the game, even when
the men's team is on the ground. In order that he might
have a game with his friends whenever he could shirk his
work, he invented a very ingenious football of a goat
skin stuffed with dried banana leaves. While learning to
read we took him on our staff of boys, not that he did
much work, but in order that we might try and instil
clean and industrious habits into him. His duties were
to help the cook by feeding the fire with fuel and keeping
clean the pots and pans, but when he knew his master
and mistress were at lunch, he would run away from his
post, and fetch a large ivory war-horn ; then, taking up
his position outside the dining-room window, would blow
for all he was worth. He accompanied the blasts with
weird, swaying movements that gradually developed into
wild dancing, and transformed the little figure into a
veritable imp or gnome. His idea was that this enter-
tainment would quite justify his act of truancy; and he
reasoned that if he could get his master and mistress to
laugh their anger would be dead, for laughter drives out
wrath. When he came to us, cleanliness was not a
strong point with him, and he was for the time being
quite debarred from playing football on account of being
crippled with jiggers — an irritating, infinitesimal insect
that bores in under the surface skin of the feet, and if
allowed to remain there sets up mortification. The fact
of their being there did not trouble him in the least, but
his inability to kick the football drove him to get them
extracted. A message one day was brought in that a man
wished to see me on business. Going out on to our

165

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

verandah I found a powerful, muscular figure dressed in
a colobus monkey skin. He told me that his name was
Mbeba, which means " a rat," and that he had been sent
by the pigmy to contract for his jiggers. Hia fee would
be five hundred cowrie shells, which was a big price, but
it would be a long job. I felt it was an offer to close
on, and did not in the least regret my investment of
sevenpence halfpenny when the pigmy proudly emerged
from a ten days' operation with his unshapely little feet
considerably battered, but in sound kicking order.

Each week it was our custom to give round to our
boys fifty or hundred cowrie shells for pocket money.
These generally went to purchase pencils, or exercise
books, or were carefully put by till sufficient were collected
to buy a sheep or goat. But Blasiyo was never able to
save a shell, for his great ambition was to ride about on
a horse like the king, and as this was an impossibility
he hired the tallest available man to run him up and
down the roads on his shoulder for payment of shells.

One day aloud altercation was going on in our court-
yard, and I was called out to arbitrate between Blasiyo
and his two-legged steed. The man's grievance was that he
had agreed to ride the pigmy round our courtyard for five
shells, and now he was refused payment. Blasiyo listened
until he had finished presenting his case ; then, when
called on to give his defence, declared the man had not
fulfilled his contract, for he had cut off all the corners.
He was told to pay down three shells, and these he pro-
duced from under his tongue ! When he had learned to
read, he was very anxious to exhibit his wonderful
intelligence, and asked that he might have a class in the
reading school. Accordingly he was enrolled as a
teacher. With an air of great importance he used to
strut into school and take up his position among his
scholars, some twelve to twenty men, whom he had
asked to be allowed to teach in preference to boys. One

166

The Pigmies and their Neighbours

day while going the round of the school to take the
register I found Blasiyo's class in rebellion. The reason
was that the teacher had brought with him a little cane
and whacked them all round because they did not pay
him due respect. " Without respect," said he, " progress
is impossible."

For several obvious reasons it will be impossible to
send teachers to the pigmies under present circumstances.
While they continue constantly moving about they can-
not be satisfactorily reached ; and no European or native
of another tribe could live in the semi-obscurity of the
dense forest, or exist solely on poisoned meat. The only
hope of effectually reaching them is to teach and train
those who are living outside among other people ; for
there is every reason to hope that some from among them
might be found who will in the future be ready to go back
to their old forest home and carry the torchlight of
Truth to their own kith and kin.

Meanwhile it is a cause of great rejoicing that already
some of these strange tiny folk have been baptised into
Christ Jesus, of whom the whole family in heaven and
earth was named.

THE BAHUKU.

In a strip of forest lying between the Semliki River
and the Congo Forest, and within four hours of Mboga,
lives^a savage tribe known as the Bahuku. Among all
the distinct races to be found on the western slopes of
the Semliki Plain, these people undoubtedly are the
most degraded and void of intelligence. Like the
Ba-amba, many of the men allow their heads to remain
unshorn : when the hair has reached to the nape of the
neck they twist it into thin strands with goat's fat, which
is frequently mixed with a quantity of red earth. This
gives them quite a terrifying appearance. They live in
circular huts composed of closely-packed poles, with

167

roofs of grass and leaves. They have no means of digging
up the soil, but their method of cultivating is to cut down
the grass and shrubs, to fell the trees, and sow their
crops of Indian corn, beans and sweet potatoes among
the stubble and roots.

A Muhuku may have any number of wives, but is
obliged to build a separate house for each, as the women
are very quarrelsome among themselves. If any
favouritism is shown for one wife the others make no
attempt to conceal their jealousy, and sometimes poison
or spear the unfortunate woman. The custom of pro-
curing a wife is to take her in exchange for a sister, cousin,
or any other available female relation. When these fail,
goats will be taken as a substitute. By the former
method a woman is free to leave her husband and marry
another if she wishes, but purchase by goats is binding on
her; she has become her husband's property absolutely.
Should she run away and return to her people they are
immediately suspected of bribing or stealing her. The
injured husband then sounds the warhorn, and a sharp
encounter with spears and knives takes place between the
two families. When the victor has succeeded in driving
off his antagonists he claims the bodies of the slain,
which are taken to his home and feasted upon in honour
of the occasion.

The warhorns of the Bahuku are regarded by them
as family heirlooms, and have been handed down from
their distant ancestors. They are formed out of small
elephant tusks, which have been scooped out and shaved
down to within two or three inches of the mouthpiece.
Strips of elephant hide or lizard skin are sometimes
neatly fitted round part of the horn and sewn with gut.
The centre part of the instrument, which has become
much discoloured by time, is decorated with various
curious designs. These probably were intended for hiero-
glyphic writing or distinguishing family marks, but their

168

The Pigmies and their Neighbours

significance, if ever their really was any, is quite unknown
to the present generations. The Bahuku are very loth
to part with these horns for fear of offending the spirits
of their forefathers. A few, however, were willing to risk
their displeasures when they saw the skinny little goats
we sent out as purchase money.

Human flesh is regarded as a luxury among them,
besides corpse-eating. The upper class buy from the
peasants their dead for two to six goats. The bodies
that are not sold for food are buried with a very prolonged
ceremony. A deep hole is digged and the corpse is
placed in a sitting posture with the hands crossed on the
chest. It is then covered over with earth as far as the
neck ; the head is left exposed for six days, during which
time the friends come and bestow on it their farewell
glances. Then the burial is completed and the grave is
carefully swept and guarded day and night until the
family removes to another place.

Their religion is a form of fetishism. Tiny devil
temples are built among the long grass away from the
homes of the peoples so that the evil spirits may be kept
at a safe distance. Only the men and old women are
allowed to visit these little grass temples to take offerings
of food or to practice divination. The men take with
them a horn in order to acquaint their wives with the
time of their worship.

Several from among these people came and visited us
during our stay in Mboga, and although they were quite
friendly, they expressed no wish for a teacher to be sent
to them. Indeed, their minds seemed so unutterably void
that they appeared incapable of receiving any new impres-
sion.

BABIRA AND BALEGA.

A few years ago, before European rule was established
over the country, Mboga could scarcely have been a

169

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

desirable quarter in which to find oneself shut up. The
Bahuku, on the west, then practised cannibalism without
any restraint, and captured anyone who ventured near
their domain.

Then, while the vindictive little pigmies and half-
tamed Bambuba enclosed it on the south and west, two
powerful and savage tribes joined hands and claimed the
district running north, right along to the western shores
of the Albert Lake. These Babira and Balega people are
very closely allied in features and customs, but the
former are numerically very inferior. These have a
peculiar practice, which I believe to be unique among
Central African tribes, that is, the women bore a hole in
their top lip and gradually increasing this until it is able
to enclose a disc of wood two and even three inches in
diameter. A Mubira woman came to call on us whose
disc measured two and five-eight inches across. The size of
the wood inserted proclaims the rank of the person.
Peasants are only allowed to wear pieces of stick the
same dimension as a match. The weight of the wood
causes the lip to fall down over the mouth, and, in order
to eat, it is necessary to lift up this shutter with one
hand while the other conveys the food to the mouth.
Frequently the lip breaks under the strain put upon it, in
which case the disconnected ends are carried back and
tied to the ear.

While the Balega do not adopt this inhuman custom
of their neighbours, they have not reached to their degree
of civilisation in introducing clothing. The Balega
women still groan under the weight of pounds of thick
brass wire wound round their arms and legs. This is
supplemented by a prodigious amount of beads.

Until brought under Belgian rule these people refused
to recognise allegiance to any power. Nominally they
were under Bunyoro, for the King of that country years ago
went across and laid waste the whole district plundering

170

AN MUBIRA LADY: AN AFTERNOON CALLER.

A NATIVE OF BULEGA : The first to be baptized of his race.

The Pigmies and their Neighbours

their sheep, cattle, and women. This was repeated
by successive kinds till the people were compelled to
yield to the claims of the Banyoro. But their submission
was compulsory and not permanent, so that when Bunyoro
was troubled with civil war and outside foes the Balega
ceased to be controlled by them. But the Banyoro are
very proud of a legend that relates how their King,
Ndohura, who conquered the Balega, while righting them
broke his stick and from it sprung up the Forest of Kirare.
Returning from the war the same King is said to have
slipped on a rock, and his footprint is to be seen to this
day.

These people are very clannish and insular. Children
remain under their mothers' roof until they marry. If,
like the " old woman," they lived in a shoe, the mother
would need a fairly roomy one, for often her offspring
number twenty to thiity. As a man possesses many
wives he has a lively time trying to keep his children in
hand. When the sons marry they bring their wives and
build close to the old homestead, and generally continue
to recognise the authority of their father, and no other.

They believe in an evil spirit called Nyakasana, for
whom they build a little grass temple in the court yard of
their houses. They always offer to him the first-fruits
of their potato, Indian corn and millet crops, and when
they kill a goat for meat or entrap an antelope they take
to their little temple a portion of the flesh, before tasting
it themselves. The spirits of the dead have constantly
to be propitiated by gifts of food and live stock. These
are carefully kept apart, and when any member of the
family is taken ill, the offerings to the dead are brought
in, so that the sick person shall look on them and
recover.

During our stay at Mboga, the first man from the
Balega tribe was baptised, and since then several
teachers have gone to them from Bunyoro and found

171

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

a great willingness and desire among the people for
instruction.

Thus gradually the Light is dawning on " Darkest
Africa."

"Arise shine, for the light is come and the glory of
the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold the darkness
shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people but
the glory of the Lord shall arise upon thee . . .
And the Gentiles shall come to Thy light, and kings to
the brightness of Thy rising." Isaiah.

172

STIFF CLIMBING: A CLIMB TO THE SNOWS.

CHAPTER XVIII

A Climb to the Snows

IT is impossible to live any length of time in close
proximity to Ruwenzori without being overcome
with a desire to reach the land of glittering ice that
resembles an enchanted city with its pinnacles,
turrets and domes pointing upward to the sun, which with
all its equatorial strength has ineffectually endeavoured to
displace the age-long snows and ice. The highest point
has, in recent years, been estimated to reach an altitude
of 20,000 to 22,000 feet. The snows are not often clearly
visible, for in the dry season the hot heavy mist that
envelops the whole country completely hides the range
from view, while in the wet season clouds frequently veil
the highest peaks. From the glaciers rush numerous
streams that flow down into the Albert Edward Lake,
and out again by the River Semliki to the Albert Lake
and the Nile. In ancient times an Egyptian caravan
road extended right down into these interior districts
along the route of this great natural watercourse. Doubt-
less the Egyptians, and probably Solomon, drew their
supplies of ivory from the vast herds of elephants that
still ramble about round Ruwenzori with tusks some
weighing 150 to 2Oolbs. each.

The old legend that the sacred river Nile had its
source in Heaven may have originated from the reports
brought back by traders that one of its most important
tributaries flowed down from a mountain that seemed to
reach into Heaven. The Baganda call the mountain

173

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

" Gambalugula lufumba ebiri," which means " the leaf
that cooks the clouds." This has reference to their
custom of cooking all their food in banana leaves. Their
imagination regards the mountains as a big leaf which
holds the clouds over the boiling springs that bubble up
from the base of the mountain, the mists that sweep
down the mountain sides is the stream from the "cook-
ing pot."

Ruwenzori does not consist of one single snow peak
like Kilimanjaro and Kenia, but vast fields of inter-
cepted snow and ice extend for over twenty miles North
and South.

The late Sir Henry Stanley heard of its existence in
1875, but not until his second visit to its locality in 1887
did he obtain a complete view of the snows.

Since that date several have tried to reach the glaciers,
but only three expeditions had been successful up to the
time of our ascent. Others had proved unfortunate in
the time of year, for it is impossible to accomplish
the task in the wet season. Mountain sickness, and
pneumonia among the carriers had compelled others to
turn back from the attempt. Until 1904 no one had
tried to reach the snows from the Western side of the
mountain range. From the east several had unsuccess-
fully endeavoured to discover a route to higher altitudes,
but the one along the course of the Mubuku River was
the only one that had proved practicable. During our
visit to Mboga we were very fortunate to obtain con-
tinual views of the snow peaks, and we were convinced
that an ascent from that side of the mountains would
prove more resultful. This has been conclusively con-
firmed since by a recent explorer, Dr. David, who
reached a point 16,000 feet high ; that is, 1,200 feet
higher than anyone previously. To scale Ruwenzori's
highest point must remain an impossible task. No one
could endure the penetrating cold for the period of time

174

A Climb to the Snows

required to master the prolonged and precipitous heights.
Besides a complete Alpine outfit being required, tent and
food would be compulsory, and no native would under-
take the transport of these things beyond the lowest
glacier point, and even if this difficulty could be overcome,
camping space might be sought for in vain. Judging
from the angle at which my bed was placed at one camp,
I can picture an 9ver ambitious adventurer, having
pitched his tent within 3,000 feet of the summit, suddenly
finding himself and his belongings toboganning down
over the glaciers at lightning speed, only stopping to find
himself landed in a freezing morass.

In 1903, Rev. A. L. Kitching, Mr. Fisher, and myself
started off for a trip to that unfrequented region. Our
baggage looked more suitable for a Polar expedition than
a climb on the Equator. Every conceivable fusty and
moth eaten winter garment was hauled out and packed
into a waterproof sack ; eiderdown quilts, India rubber
foot warmers, and bales of blankets for ourselves and
boys formed part of the caravan. The reports of our
mountaineering predecessors led us to anticipate an
arduous and colossal task, but our ambition was not to
attempt more than those who had a wider experience in
mountain climbing than ourselves, but to stand on that
untraversed land of ice where scarcely mortal foot had
trod, and to inhale its cool life-giving air so that we
might be refreshed for a return to work in the hot
tiring lowlands.

January was the time fixed on for the expedition. That is
generally regarded as one of the most reliably dry months
in the year, but the mountains manage to upset all one's
calculations, and in Toro fine weather is more the excep-
tion than the rule. So we found ourselves in a few
very stiff storms before we had even reached the base of
the mountains. Our porters were aggravatingly discour-
aging, and on the first day, regarding my skirt flapping

175

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

about after a drenching shower, shook their heads, and
said, " Perhaps the two Bwanas will reach the snows,
but who ever heard of a woman doing it." They did not
understand that their very argument was one of my
strongest incentives ! Four days of strong marching
from Kabarole brought us to a village of the Bakonjo
called Bihunga. It was about 6,oooft. high, tucked away
in the very heart of the mountains. Frowning peaks and
ridge upon ridge of dense foresting completely shut us in
from the outside world. Save for the noise of the River
Mubuku, as it rushed madly down and tumbled into the
valley beneath, there was no sound to break the deep
silence of the mountains. All nature was at perfect peace
with itself, and the few clouds that seemed wearied
in their flight through the hot, dry air rested for a while
on the green slopes as if to enjoy the quiet and beauty of
the scene. It was to these strongholds that the Batoro
fled in past times for security when the raiding King
Kabarega of Bunyoro made plundering expeditions into
their country. Although they found safety and shelter in
the thickly-wooded crevices and creeks, the refugees
searched in vain for food, and while some were able to
drag through the time of their temporary captivity by
subsisting on the roots and leaves of wild plants,
hundreds are said to have died from hunger and
exposure.

The so-called village at which we halted was a collec-
tion of three tiny circular huts, built of poles packed as
closely together as possible. Round and outside these
was tied a thick padding of dried banana bark, leaves,
and saplings, as protection from the gales and storms that
blew down from the snows and whistled round these
little dwellings.

A grandsire and his dame, two sons, one daughter-in-
law, and an infant composed the entire population. The
old man, in a very contented state of mind, sat in

176

A Climb to the Snows

the doorway of his hut smoking a pipe over a foot in
length. He gave us a most reassuring smile of welcome.
The two females, heavily decked round the knees and
arms with scores of plaited and greased bracelets,
immediately made off with themselves into the thick
vegetation, and only came out of their hiding by a great
deal of persuasion. We explained to the people the
object we had in view, and how we wanted to leave our
Batoro porters with them to await our return, while we
took on men from among them who were acquainted
with the mountains and inured to the cold. The two
young men at once offered their services, and promised
instantly to get together as many other porters as
required. We wondered how they could do this, as there
was no sign of a habitation, excepting two lonely huts on
a far distant height. But, after making a long, far-reach-
ing sound with their lips, there suddenly appeared, as if
by magic, quite a number of figures emerging from far
and near. The Bakonjo, in the old times of rapine and
oppression, had chosen out the most secluded spot where
they might safely build their homes, and they still adopt
this practice, from custom — no longer from necessity.
Among the dense forest growth it is quite impossible to
detect their huts, and as only a very small minority of
the Bakonjo cultivate the soil, there is nothing around to
indicate human existence.

As is the case among most of these tribes, the women
do all the digging and sowing, but they are very few
in number as compared with the men, and in consequence
are regarded as valuable property, and not to be worked
to excess. Being naturally more prone to indolence
than industry, the furnishing of the daily board depends
almost solely on what the husbands can bring in from
the hunt and exchange, but they generally keep in store
a stock of arum roots (the women's cultivation) on which
they can fall back when fortune fails the huntsmen.

177 N

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

The men are a striking race, their arduous searching
after rats and conies (hyrax) often leads them up to the
regions of ice ; this constant climbing and exposure to the
cold have developed their muscles in a remarkable
manner, and with the surefootedness of a mule and light-
ness of a gazelle they spring up the steepest bank and
rock, experiencing no fatigue.

Besides being their chief item of diet, the coney supplies
them with practically their sole clothing. Six or eight of
the little skins are sewn together, and worn over the
shoulders, secured by a thin piece of hide round the
neck.

Although the conies have enough sense of self-
preservation to burrow among the rocks for shelter, they
have not sufficient instinct to escape their capturers when
once they have tracked them down. The men sit
patiently for hours outside the conies' entrance door, and
when at last the little creatures come out in single file to
search for a meal, a stick suddenly descends on one head
after another ; sometimes fourteen to fifteen in one family
are killed off in this way.

Twenty men were chosen out, from those that offered,
to act as carriers, two more were appointed guides, and
two of special strength were told off to help me over the
exceptionally rough bits of climbing. While the neces-
sary agreements were being gone through, the sky
became suddenly overcast with dense, threatening clouds,
and a loud clap of thunder, that reverberated all round
us again and again, scattered us in every direction with
great speed to our several homes. From the tiny
window of our bedraggled tent we peeped out at the
storm, as the forked lightning struck one peak after
another almost simultaneously, and the thunder concus-
sions made the very mountains tremble.

An Academy picture, of many years back, illustrating
Dante's Inferno, seemed to have assumed living form

178

A Climb to the Snows

here. It was almost impossible to believe that such a
transformation could have taken place in so short a time,
for in comparatively few minutes day was plunged into
night, calm into torrential storms, and quietude into a
fierce battle of the elements.

When we at last ventured to draw back the canvas
doorway the rain had ceased, and mud, mud, mud lay
everywhere. The storm had left behind it a cold, raw,
dismal evening. And there drawn up in single file before
the tent were our twenty porters and guides, who, in
order to appear more pathetic, had come without their
fur shoulder garments. One of the guides stepped for-
ward as spokesman and explained that they wanted to be
paid in advance. They absolutely refused shells and
rupees, and would only accept calico, which, they said,
would protect them from the cold on the journey to the
snows. Judging from the quantity of clothes we had
heaped already on ourselves to keep off the penetrating
damp wind, their demand threatened to be a real
difficulty, as we had only equipped ourselves with a
limited supply of calico. They were then asked what
length of material each required as wages, and in a half
timid voice, as if afraid of uttering such an extortion, the
answer came " three hands apiece" (one and a half yards).
Our calico managed to run to that, and thereupon each
man received his advance payment. With a broad grin
of satisfaction and pride they struggled to tuck as much
of themselves as possible inside their fifty-four inches of
material. The result was quite ludicrous, but they
appeared perfectly delighted. Evidently their plea had
only been a ruse to insure their wages, for none of the
calico was seen on the journey. The only personal
impedimenta with which most of them travelled were a
few strands of smouldering grass encased in a bark
sheath. This was brought out immediately we struck
camp, and they had ferretted out a shelter for themselves

179

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

under a rock or trees. A fire was quickly kindled, and
round this they all squatted and roasted the conies they
had entrapped during the day's climb. At night they did
not attempt to erect a hut or covering, but maintained
this same cramped position round the fire ; they inter-
laced arms, and each one slept with his head resting on
the next man's shoulder. On one occasion the rain
poured down upon them all night long, and although their
little shoulder coney-skins were hopelessly inadequate
to insure them against a thorough soaking, they turned
up in the morning in the most cheerful spirits, absolutely
unaffected by their uncongenial surroundings.

In preparing for the actual ascent to the snows from
Bihunga we were obliged to reduce our outfit to mere
essentials. A large caravan would have experienced
considerable difficulty in the matter of food ; and each
man was only able to carry a load of twenty to twenty-
five pounds, which was fastened to a strong sling of fibre
and slipped round the forehead. This method of carrying
is adopted by the Bakonjo tribe, and leaves the arms
perfectly free for climbing up on fours, which is so often
necessary. I was the only member of the party privileged
with a bed; the two men had to content themselves
with waterproof sacks and blankets. Our boys judged
spoons, forks, and knives as non-essentials and reduced
us to two forks and one pen-knife, so for some days we
had to return to the most primitive manners at meal-
times. Our first days real climbing began in a kind of
retrograde direction, for we had to slide down a hope-
lessly greasy track for some two hundred yards. My two
supporters evidently anticipated a lively time ; they were
required to render aid at once ; the fact was, my feet
refused to stick, and in struggling to keep me back with
yards of calico brought round under my arms, I nearly
succeeded in dragging them down head-first. They were
urged to manage better than that, and they promised to

180

A Climb to the Snows

improve, but explained how they had had no practice at
that kind of travelling, and were a little unprepared for
it. I again tried the plan of a calico body sling when a
very steep bracken ascent had to be scaled, and the sun
was at its height. The men went in front, each pulling
most vigorously at the calico end which he held, but
they somehow always managed to jerk in the wrong
place. Just as I had breathlessly succeeded in securing
a foothold a big pull from the front almost robbed me of
my last gasp. So I dispensed with such questionable
aid and found all the help I wanted in a long bamboo
which our guide presented to me as a kind of charm, for
it had taken him up to the glacier when he escorted Sir
Harry Johnston's expedition. At an altitude of seven
thousand feet we reached the point where tropical
vegetation assumes its most exquisite form. The river
Mubuku had to be crossed and recrossed six times in the
one march, and all along its river bed was the richest
display of varied forms of vegetable life. Several species
of palm trees, a few wayward bamboos, tree-ferns, a tree
resembling the English yew, and the bright red-flowering
Ekirikiti tree. The forests passed through frequently
recalled some of the most charming parts of Devonshire ;
the ground was carpeted with ferns and moss interspersed
with forget-me-nots and orchids.

At Bihunga we left behind all human habitation. Our
first halt after leaving it was under a rock at a height of
eight thousand feet. From the almost intolerable silence
it seemed as if we had also got beyond all amimal life.
We listened in vain for the insect's hum, the bird's
chirrupping, or the squabbling of the monkeys. How-
ever, similar welcome sounds had not entirely ceased, for
very occasionally a night bird hooted, a rat squeaked, or
a solitary fly cheered us with its living presence.

Our camping space was decidedly cramped, and the
tent felt very insecure, for it was impossible to drive poles

181

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

or pegs into the rocks ; the canvas merely had to be
balanced by tying the ropes to large stones. Water was
also very scarce, and, in spite of a consuming thirst after
our hot climb, we were obliged to content ourselves with
two cups of tea and half that amount for a wash down.

The region of Bamboo Forests was next reached, and
it was disappointing to find that what looked so attractive
from a distance beneath when seen from within was
nothing but a monotonous stretch of stiff brown sticks
surmounted by masses of green grass. The bamboos had
completely monopolised the soil to the exclusion of almost
every other plant. For hours we were pushing our way
through these obstinate poles that would not bend or
budge an inch to let us through. Men went before to
slash them down, and as we stumbled over the broken
stems my poor skirt was literally torn into, shreds, even
though it had been shortened eight inches the previous day.
Emerging from bamboo-land we crossed a stretch of
marsh and found ourselves surrounded by frowning bare
rock peaks which rose almost perpendicularly from where
we stood. Pointing up to a spot about one thousand feet
above us, our guide indicated the only possible halting
place. Although so near, it took us over two hours to
reach ; with the utmost caution we had to drag our bodies
up the sheer face of the rocks. At one place we had
recourse to a rough native ladder formed of two long
bamboo poles with rungs of the same tied with grass.
This was placed against an absolutely smooth-faced
stretch of rock, where for a space of ten to fifteen feet
no hold could be obtained. To add to the danger, strong
mountain streams were pouring down over the rocks, no t
only soaking us through, but making our grip less secure.
Certainly I had never before been in such a critica
position ; it was quite impossible to get a real firm foot-
ing, and one slip might have resulted in dragging others
down into the seething waters and rocks that lay beneath.

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A Climb to the Snows

On reaching the top, vegetation assumed an entirely
new form. The only trees were gigantic heaths, but it
was almost impossible to distinguish them, for the stems
were covered with a thick moss, which in some places
was 12 inches deep. In colouring it varied from a dark
brown to a light golden or deep red. The trees were
almost entirely denuded of leaf, and festoons of whitish
lichen hung from branch to branch. The ground was very
marshy, for the hills that enclosed us emptied down into it
numerous small torrents. About fifteen square yards of
dry land was found on which to erect our tent and hang
up the clothes to dry. Our stout marching boots had
already succumbed to the rough usage, and we each took
a strong needle and thread to see who could turn out the
neatest job. In the evening the rain poured down upon
us in a deluge, and continued all night till it even
penetrated the double roof of our canvas waterproof tent ;
besides this, as we were now at an altitude of io,oooft.,
the cold was indescribable. Each breath we took seemed
to cut at the chest like a knife, and, in spite of blankets
and an eider-down, it was impossible to sleep with the
damp piercing cold. All the following day the rain
continued and kept us prisoners at this indescribably
cheerless spot. I had time to overhaul the shattered skirt ;
it looked a hopeless task, for it really would not bear
shortening again. The advice was then given me to cut
it up and put it into bands under the knees, which I acted
upon on hearing the toughest bit of climbing was yet to
come. When we were at last able to push on, and the
garment was worn with puttees and a football jersey, I
felt like an evoluted man.

For three hours from Kicucu camp we did not once
touch the ground ; during the whole of that time we were
slowly climbing with hands and feet over fallen heather
that for scores of years must have lain in that position,
only becoming more seasoned with time. The thick moss

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

that still clung on to the slender bark was very deceptive,
and, when mistaken for firm soil, broke away from the tree
and one suddenly found oneself slipping down, down
between branches and barks; fortunately there was a
depth of fallen forest underneath, and this saved me from
disappearing beyond the armpits. These heaths grow
on the rocks in a very thin surface soil which is not able
to support them when they reach great heights, conse-
quently the tree falls, and in this way the irregular jagged
rocks have been bridged and joined up by the continually
increasing amount of timber thrown across.

Having once disentangled ourselves from this tumbled-
down forest, a weird scene was opened out before us.
Almost surrounded by a lofty ridge of rocks was a wide
river basin fed by the melting snow from above. With
the exception of one waterfall which poured down from a
height of about 200 feet, the water did not descend in
streams, but fell slowly in sheets from the surrounding
rocks. The few trees visible were entirely enveloped in
the white lichen, and the ground was covered with thick
drab moss, dwarf cactus plants, and a tall green poker
called by botanists lobelia, but resembling in shape
Cleopatra's needle. The effect was that of a world
tottering in its old age on the verge of death — it was
easier to imagine it another planet, for is it possible to
recognise Earth without voice, without colouring, and
almost without life. We plunged through this morass
and found the moss saturated like a sponge with freezing
water. The effect was chilling in the extreme, and before
we had crossed it half way my limbs felt quite numbed
with the cold ; I scarcely knew how I dragged myself up
into our last camp. The roof only of our tent was some-
how fixed up under a rock, over the entrance of which
water continuously trickled. But these little discomforts
were quite forgotten when towards sunset the clouds
rolled away and the land of snow and ice was revealed

184

MULUKU GLACIER.

A Climb to the Snows

crowning near ridges and peaks with its dazzling white-
ness, while in the hollows and clefts all round lay patches of
glistening ice. Before sunrise next morning we were all
astir, impatient to reach the goal of our expectations. The
air was clear and crisp, patches of freshly fallen snow lay
around us on all sides, icicles hung from the rocks, and
little frozen puddles glistened like glass. The wet
penetrating cold of the two previous days was now
exchanged for the dry frosty breezes that nipped toes,
finger-tips, nose, and ears. Although the thermometer
had fallen to freezing point, no numbing sensation was
experienced ; but as the blood tingled through the veins
it seemed to impart a feeling of rejuvenation, and an
uncontrollable exhilaration laid hold of the spirits. In
the valley of the Muluku glacier vegetation had once
more assumed its healthy green colouring ; a little silver-
leafed buttercup even ventured to peep out at us, and a
tiny white flower, almost identical with the Swiss
edelweiss, concealed itself among the rocks. This
beautiful little fertile spot seemed a special pet of the
snow mountains, for they clasped it in their great white
arms as if desiring that its only life should impart some
degree of warmth to their implacable nature.

Ruwenzori certainly has not left one point of its snows
unfortified against intruders. Having taken possession of
the most unconscionable heights, all sorts of subtle man-
traps have been laid up the mountain's sides, and even if
an attempt is made to merely stand on the threshold of
its domain an almost impassible rock barrier guards the
portal, just as the adventurer imagines all difficulties
have been passed. But that realm of ice allures one on
to dare much, and so while two ropes were thrown down
from above the forbidding rocks, one was hastily tied
round the body and with the other we slowly climbed
up hand over hand. Twice we attempted this per-
formance, and twice we succeeded in mastering the situa-

185

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

tion, and then — we stood face to face with one of
Ruwenzori's glaciers. It was in the shape of a huge,
open mouth, and as it slowly pushed its way down into
the valley, the tongue collected the few fragments rubbed
off the rocks and taken up from the soil, but the cave
itself was one spotless mass of dazzling white.

We had decided to dismiss any idea of prolonging our
stay at this altitude, realizing the terrible suffering that
this involved among the porters in previous expeditions,
so, instead of using any of the precious time in attempt-
ing to reach a higher point, which seemed futile without
Alpine implements, we explored the Muluku glacier cave,
from which flows that remarkable river that carries
its cool, life-giving stream into the scorching plain till it
loses itself in the Albert Edward Lake.

Only one of our personal boys had succeeded in facing
out the difficulties of the climb. While standing on the
ice with us, he took out from his pocket a little tin pot,
which he filled with ice. He explained it was a present
for his wife. Afterwards, when we had descended to
camp, he took it out to show the other boys, and,
although disgusted beyond measure at the trick nature
had played him, he consoled himself by taking the
water to his wife to explain to her how it was once
a stone.

Scrambling up on to the glacier, we looked beyond
over miles and miles of ice that for hundreds of years
God — the Creator — alone had been beholding. Although
we were standing nearly I4,oooft. above sea-level, the
highest peak, that rose as a white dome above its com-
panions, appeared miles above us. It was difficult to
judge of its approximate height, as so many other points
intervened, but it could not have been much less than

20,000ft.

Having climbed above cloud-land, there was nothing
to break the reflex in the ice of the deep sapphire sky, and

186

A Climb to the Snows

as the sun poured down its white heat, the whole world
around glittered and sparkled with iridescent hues.

" A step . . . opened to my view,
Glory beyond all glory ever seen
By waking sense or by the dreaming soul !
The appearance, instantaneously disclosed,
Was of a mighty city— boldly say
A wilderness of building, sinking far
And self-withdrawn into a boundless depth
Far sinking into splendour — without end !
Fabric it seemed of diamond and of gold,
With alabaster domes and silver spires
And blazing terrace upon terrace high
Uplifted . . Forms uncouth of mightiest power
For admiration and mysterious awe."

187

CHAPTER XIX
Missionary Work

MISSIONARY enterprise in Uganda has been justly
described as one of the greatest modern triumphs
of Christianity. Indeed, the record of its work-
ings read like pages from the annals of the infant
Church in Apostolic days. But, whereas in those times
Christianity had to face the most exclusive and bigoted
form of belief, Judaism, the highly developed intellectual
power of Grecian learning, and the shameless profligacy
of civilized Rome, in Uganda it has had no force to con-
tend against save barbaric ignorance that could not stand
before the advent of Truth and Righteousness. After the
missionaries had been working some years in the country
it occurred to them that the most effectual way of reach-
ing the people was to try and meet their insatiable
demand for instruction by instituting throughout the
country little synagogues or reading schools, where the
people could come together daily and be taught to read
by one who had received some training. A little gradu-
ated reading sheet, consisting of the alphabet, syllables,
words, the Lord's Prayer, and a selection of texts, was cir-
culated by the thousand at a charge of ten cowrie shells
each. By these means within a comparatively short
time the land had been sown with portions of Holy
Scripture, which were being eagerly read by the people,
who possessed no other books.

Certainly the success of Christianity in Uganda has
been due to the widespread distribution of the Bible

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Missionary Work

among the people and the remarkable desire and ability
on the part of the Baganda to impart whatever know-
ledge they have been able to assimilate. It has been
rightly said that every country must be evangelized by its
own people. Certainly this has been proved to be so in
Uganda.^ A European pioneer missionary is obliged to
travel with a certain number of things, and, however
meagre they may appear in his eyes, yet to these poor
Africans they represent great wealth and create a deal of
suspicion. They will gather round him half timidly and
full of curiosity, and while he is endeavouring to deliver
his message to them, their eyes are travelling from his
collar stud to his boots, then from his bath to the frying-
pan, and all the time they are thinking within themselves,
" Wonderful, wonderful ; the white man is beyond our
understanding quite ! " When they, at last, attempt to
listen and find that he is speaking to them in their own
tongue, and not in English, in spite of the slight foreign
accent, they are absolutely incredulous, for they cannot
believe that they and the European can have anything in
common. The European is white, he has wisdom — great
wisdom — he is rich, but the African is black and a fool,
and a beggar; the white man worships one great,
wonderful Spirit, and the black man worships a spirit —
only it is an evil one. On the other hand, if one of the
native converts goes out on pioneer work, he ties all his
possessions in a sleeping mat, and off he starts with the
little bundle on his head. When he reaches his destina-
tion, he creates no suspicion or fear, as he unrolls his
mat, shakes out his bark-cloth covering, and takes a drink
of water from his gourd ; they see he possesses nothing
beyond what they themselves own. But as he draws out
of a little cotton bag a Book, they all gather round
to inspect the novelty, and he tells them that the Book is
a written voice, and the letters stand for the words
uttered; he has learned to read the signs, and he

189

On the Borders ol Pigmy Land

has come to teach them to do so, for it is God's voice
that has spoken to them. Immediately their excitement
is aroused, and the teacher from that time has found his
pupils. As there is no house large enough to hold them
all, they set to work to build a reading school, and, as
many come from a distance and are anxious not to arrive
late for the day's lessons, a big drum is hung outside the
building and beaten every morning at 7.0 and i.o to warn
everybody that in one hour reading will commence.
After a few months, when the European visits the station
on an itinerating tour, he finds a demonstrative welcome
awaiting him. Food is brought and banana juice to
show their gratitude for the teacher having been sent.
Then their books are produced in order that the
European may hear the great wisdom they have
learned, and others come with questions about words
they have read in their Gospels and do not understand.
Uganda to-day is calling out for European missionaries
more than it ever was, not to evangelise the heathen but
to organise, train and instruct the thousands of Christian
men and women, that they may be capable of taking
their place among the civilised nations of the world, and
become a praise and a glory in their land.

It was through two young Baganda teachers that
Christianity was first carried into Toro in the year 1895.
At that time the country was in a very unsettled state.
The King, Kasagama, had not long been established on the
throne, and his chiefs were not too eager to own allegiance
to him. Soon after the arrival of these two evangelists,
Kasagama was falsely accused before the British Officer
in charge of the Government Station there, and was
thrown into the chain gang. On his release he was
advised to go into Mengo to the Government head-
quarters and have his case gone into. His stay there ran
into some months. During that time he was deeply
impressed by the change that Christianity had effected in

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Missionary Work

Uganda, and attended the Church classes daily that he
might receive instruction. When Her Majesty's Com-
missioner had heard the charges and exonerated
Kasagama he was told to return to his Kingdom with
full power ratified by the British Government. Before
leaving Uganda he begged Bishop Tucker to be allowed to
publicly confess his faith in Christ by Holy Baptism, and
asked that a European missionary might be sent to Toro
to help him and his people to increase in the wisdom ot
God. Meanwhile there was great excitement in Toro
when the people heard that their king, after such a long
absence, was coming back to them, and they collected
together in hundreds at the capital to welcome him. As
he mounted the hill, leading to his house, the people
thronged him, dancing and screaming with joy and
poured into his courtyards. Then, standing up and
ordering them to remain quiet, he delivered his speech to
them. He told of all the wonderful things he had seen
in Mengo, of his own confession of Christianity in the
Cathedral, and concluded by saying that he wished his
country to go forward in strength and wisdom, and this
could only be obtained from God, so he called on his
people to believe in his God, to stand by him faithfully
in the united desire for the good of their country.

From that day the teachers had as much as they could
do to instruct all those who came forward to be taught ;
and when Bishop Tucker arrived there the following year
with Mr. Fisher, who was to establish a permanent
station, he found fifteen men and women ready for
baptism.

''Excepting in the case of old people, everyone in
Uganda desirous of being baptised must first learn to
read. When they have passed the standard required of
them and are ready to enter a baptismal class, they are
obliged to bring with them two witnesses or sponsors who
can vouch for the sincerity of their belief by the outward

191

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

conformity of their lives to the teaching of Christianity.
Then, for from three to six months instruction is given
them for two hours four days a week. At the end
of this course of teaching each candidate is carefully
examined, and should the result be satisfactory the name
Is read out twice in Church and anyone is asked to bring
forward a reason, if such there be, for keeping back the
candidate from baptism. Thus every care is taken to
test converts thoroughly before admitting them into this
sacred rite.;

Toro very soon sought to emulate the church in
Uganda in recognising its responsibility to those living in
darkness around, and one year after the founding of the
work in the capital, young men came forward and offered
themselves to be trained as teachers to the distant villages.
Apart from an honest desire to enlighten those who
have not received the Truth as it is in Christ Jesus, there
is little to tempt men to devote themselves to this service
— the only payment they receive is sufficient unbleached
calico with which to clothe themselves. ; The people in
the villages who have sent in the pressing request for a
teacher are expected to build their own " synagogue," as
well as house, and feed the teacher sent to them. In this
way the whole native church organisation throughout
the Protectorate is self-supporting. In Toro alone, seven
years after the introduction of Christianity, there were no
less than eighty-five mission stations established through-
out the Kingdom, with a staff of one ordained Muganda
deacon and one hundred and five paid men and women
teachers, all supported entirely by the young Christian
Church! Besides these there was a strong band of
honorary workers who taught in the capital on week-
days or went out to the near villages on Sundays.

Once a year there is a " review of the troops," when all
the teachers — regulars, reservists, and volunteers — come
into the capital for re-equipment and reappointment.

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Missionary Work

One of these events took place after we had been in
the country only a few months, when we were decidedly
new to the way things were managed out here, and still
retained a fair amount of the provincialism of home
training ; so when a teachers' conference was announced
we conjured up in our minds a kind of forthcoming
Mildmay or Keswick Convention on a small scale, but
the arrangements took a slightly different form. The
first day opened with a big feast to all the workers. The
dispensary was converted for the day into the banquet-
ting hall ; the entrance was draped in gaudy native
cloths, and the floors of the two rooms were carpeted
with banana leaves. The men were allocated to one
room and the women to the other. Long before the
hour of the feast the guests had arrived and packed
themselves as closely together as was possible in circles
of seven or eight, the King and his chiefs forming one of
the groups. An ox had been killed for the feast ; it was
boiled in banana leaves and served up with quantities of
unsweetened, cooked bananas. Prodigious piles were
placed in the centre of each circle of guests, and then
business began ! Off came their top draperies or coats,
and with bare arms all eagerly outstretched towards the
food they dived into their food with astonishing rapidity
and energy. The banana mash was rolled round the
fingers into balls and stuffed down their throats without
any regard being given to mastication. The King and
chiefs seemed to momentarily forget their dignity, and
ate till the perspiration rolled down their faces. Tea
was served round in kettles ; every available cup, mug,
basin and jug on the station had been collected together
for the use of the guests — and the two-quarts jugs were
far more popular than afternoon tea cups.

With no small compunction I submitted myself to the
native custom and joined in the feast. After a series of
hand ablutions I sat on the floor next to the King's

193

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

mother, who picked some of the choicest bits of meat off
a bone and set them before me. It was such an effort
for 3.0 p.m. in the tropics, and visions of Mildmay's
shilling tea tent, with its ices and strawberries, made at
least the first stage of the Conference appear very
different.

The King's band, with its medley of instruments, round
drums, cylindrical drums, squat drums, horns, and reed
pipes decorated with monkey tails, performed boisterous
symphonies outside. But when, after the feast, the
people were for the first time introduced to the phono-
graph, the Toro band stood still in astonishment, and as
an English orchestral band roared out " Soldiers of the
Queen" it felt quite eclipsed and could only exclaim
" Ekyamahano, ekyamahano " (marvellous, truly marvel-
lous).

The following day the real Convention started, and
was continued over three days. The mornings were
entirely given over to devotional meetings, and in the
afternoons the workers were asked to bring forward diffi-
culties met with in their work, and discussions were
invited as to what more effectual measures could be
employed in organisation and in strengthening of the
various mission stations. Throughout all the meetings a
deep and earnest interest was evinced by the teachers.
It was most encouraging to watch the enthusiasm
gradually growing and to hear the young teachers talk of
their work and their peculiar difficulties relating to the
subject treated.

A specially impressive service was held when all the
workers gathered in from near and far distant heathen
districts met together at Holy Communion.

Before returning to their spheres of service a large
missionary meeting was held in the church, at which
most stirring accounts were given of the victories against
the powers of darkness. At the close, a collection was

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Missionary Work

taken up. For this a large packing case was placed in
the centre of the chancel to receive the larger contribu-
tions and a row of baskets for the smaller offerings. Then
the people came up in single file to place in their gifts ;
one brought a tusk of ivory, another a huge bundle of
bananas, others beans, potatoes, and sugar cane, the
Queen forty yards of fine white linen, others chickens,
and finally a goat was brought up and tied to the pillar.
One little boy, carried away by the impulse of the
moment, put his little fez cap into the basket, and as
this was only a loan it had to be redeemed afterwards.

The sight was very remarkable. It was as if one had
been taken back to the Court of the Tabernacle at the Feast
of First fruits. The similarity of these people's lives with
those of Old and New Testament history is so strong
that it is difficult to convey to the native mind the idea
of distance in time, and often one is asked if Joseph, the
son of Jacob, was the husband of the Virgin Mary, or if
Paul before his conversion was the first King of
Israel.

The Toro Church has now reached its sifting time.
The excitement and rash enthusiasm of infancy have
matured into the more evenly balanced judgment of man-
hood. Its disciples are learning to weigh the demands of
its tenets, its refusal to compromise with sin and with
almost everything that has constituted their existence for
centuries past, and its call for constant activity of heart
and hand as opposed to the intolerable indolence of their
nature. All these things must constantly be borne in
mind by the missionary if he is not to be unnecessarily
depressed by occasional failure on the part of the con-
verts. One must not look for impossibilities, and the
growth of past centuries cannot be destroyed in a day.
I am not sure but that too much is expected of the young
teachers. For instance one goes out to the villages when
only quite a youth with a hereditary taint, many generations

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

old, of the worst forms of heathenism as against two or
three years of religious instruction. He is the only
Christian in the village, and, indeed, for miles round ; and
there he is surrounded by the old heathen practices and
constantly tempted to return to habits of the past, while
he has not the same normal amount of moral and intel-
lectual strength which nerves an English lad to fight
against these external influences and internal tendencies.
And yet only about twenty per cent, of them really
fail.

King Daudi Kasagama once said that the white man
could never understand how fierce was the black man's
conflict with himself at times. The one has generations
of civilization and Christianity as a rear-guard, and the
other, centuries of corruption and self-indulgence. With-
out trust in a Divine keeping power, said he, one would
inevitably fall. Ten years have now passed by since the
Baganda teachers left for heathen Toro, and in that time
the character of almost the entire country has been prac-
tically transformed. British jurisdiction has established
peace throughout the Kingdom, and now that an end has
been put to tribal and civil warfare, there is nothing to
distract the mind of the people from settling down and
learning to improve their land.

In the districts that have come under the influence of
Christianity, heathenism has been abolished, if not abso-
lutely at least in the outward form of practice. Over
three thousand converts have been baptized, and although
this only represents a very small proportion of the
inhabitants, it includes mainly the more influential and
leading body of men.

The desire of the Batoro for teaching and their love of
reading promise much for the future of the country if this
can be satisfactorily coped with immediately and not
starved by inability on the part of the missionaries to meet
the need. It certainly cannot be said of Uganda and

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Missionary Work

Toro " of the making of books there is no end." The
Baganda are, I believe, limited to ten books, namely : —

Hoi)' Bible. Oxford Bible Helps. ' ' Pilgrim's Progress."

Prayer Book. " Search and Find." " Kings of Uganda."

Hymn Book. Geography Book. English Primer.

Commentaries on three Gospels.

Those of the Batoro who do not understand Luganda
and so are confined to books written in their own
language, only possess the New Testament, Prayer Book,
with Psalms and Hymn Book. Through the generous
aid of the British and Foreign Bible Society, the
Religious Tract Society, and the S.P.C.K.. which have
provided the country with almost the whole of its
literature, these books have been supplied at a cost price,
much under their cost of production and carriage, so as
to bring them within the possible reach of the people,
who, as a whole, are exceedingly poor.

But even so, it is generally necessary, in the villages
especially, for the people to make real efforts to supply
themselves with books they require. A curious scene
was enacted in the courtyard of our house when the
teachers came in from their stations on the first Monday in
every month to execute the orders for books or stationery
entrusted to them by their people. Our yard was
temporarily converted into a live-stock market, for the
purchases were rarely made with cash. The most popular
currency was cowrie shells, which were tied up in
bundles by means of dried banana bark, but when these
were beyond the means of the would-be purchaser, he
would send in by his teacher a goat, or chickens, or eggs.
A curious shaped till was needed by the salesman ! One
of his orders would be for " One chicken, Matthew,"
which being interpreted was " One Gospel of St.
Matthew, price one chicken."

Another man, after purchasing a hymn book for six
eggs, would ask if he had enough eggs over to buy

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

Bunyan. It frequently happened that a lad had been
carefully collecting the eggs from his one hen for weeks,
but as the hen had not been very obliging by the time
the right number was reached, the salesman was distinctly
out of profit through his customer.

Others, who possessed nothing saleable, came in from
distances of ten to fifteen miles and asked to be hired for
work during the day, in the late afternoon they would set
off on their journey home the proud owners of the little
hymn book or reading sheet which had been thoroughly
earned.

At the close of one of the terms of the teachers' pre-
paration class, prizes were to be given for the best
answers at their examination, and the first prize was to
be the option of four yards of calico or a Bible. The
one who on this particular occasion stood out pre-
eminently first was a peasant youth of about eighteen
years of age with exceptionally well-formed and forceful
features. His dress consisted of a coarse piece of the
barkcloth knotted on the shoulder : having come from a
distant district he had never known the luxury of the
calico garments worn by the more fortunate town folk.
As he came forward to receive his prize, the choice
between the calico and the Bible was given him. For a
while he stood handling the material, then looked down
at his own shabby garment ; but it was only a momentary
hesitation — laying aside the calico, he took up the Bible
and clasping it with both hands, said " My master, the
Bible has got the better of the cloth."

198

CHAPTER XX

Medical Work

REALISING that the acquisition of the language
would be slow work, with no books to study, and
only five hours teaching a week. I had decided on
arriving in Toro to plunge into work right away. It
was not a case of going out in search of work, for outside
one's very door was the mute call for help. When the
tidings of our arrival had filtered through to the villages,
sick folk came from every direction to see if the white
women had brought medicine. In our courtyard each
morning there was quite a large company of maimed, halt
and blind, who had hobbled along, or been brought in,
some from very long distances, by their friends. The very
prevalent forms of skin diseases, ulcers, and the hacking
cough required no language even for diagnosis by an
amateur dispenser; other patients, by eloquent grunts and
gesticulations, managed to convey some idea of their
complaints; and the remaining class, whose language and
sickness were conundrums to the European " quack,"
received a mild dose of nauseous phj'sic; certainly it
did them no harm, and in some cases their faith in that
dose of " white man's medicine " worked the cure.

At first I used to receive the sick folk on our verandah,
but they became too numerous, so a removal was
effected. The first house of the European missionary in
Toro was still standing, but was quite uninhabitable, as
it had been made of reeds which rot very quickly. It
stood in a very forest of weeds. The long elephant grass

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

barred all the windows and doors against would-be
intruders, snakes suspiciously lay hidden among the
thick tangled undergrowth, and a few half-choked
flowers struggled to exist as a witness to a past cared-for
garden and in protest against their present usurpers.

A few days of hard work with hoe and shovel cleared
a breathing space all round the house, the ceilings and
walls were swept down and repaired, new beaten mud
floors laid in all the three rooms, shelves and boxes fixed
up as fittings, a rough table, chair, enamel wash-hand
basin brought in as furniture, and there was a splendid
dispensary quite formidable in appearance and decidedly
pretentious for one who possessed no qualifications
beyond a few months hospital training. In Africa
a little knowledge is not dangerous so much as useful.
The most appalling forms of suffering are met with on
every hand, and nothing but inhuman, superstitious, and
absolutely ineffectual means are employed to alleviate it,
Even if one can only cleanse and bind up the wounds
and pour in oil, the look of gratitude and contentment
that reward the soothing of the pain reminds one that it
has not been wasted labour.

This first dispensary consisted of three apartments, the
" consulting room," drug store, and waiting room, where
patients assembled every morning at 8.30 for instruction
in reading and a short bright gospel service. This
primitive medical work was a distinctly effectual means of
reaching the bakopi (peasants), who had not hitherto
been touched in any large numbers. The King having
been the first in the country to adopt Christianity, the
work in its initial stage had extended almost exclusively
to the upper classes, while the " foreign " language had
been an obstacle to the peasants who could not under-
stand it.

It was frequently found that the curiosity and interest
of patients in the letters and syllables were so awakened

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that when there was no longer need to attend the
dispensary several passed on to the school to be further
instructed.

One of the first patients was an old man who had been
receiving ulcer medicine from the missionary then in
charge. Although his hair was sprinkled with grey, and
he suffered from an impediment in his speech, nothing
would daunt him in his assiduous struggles to master the
alphabet. Day after day he came, and even when cured
of his ulcer continued coming, as he was afraid to go to
the big school to learn. Actually he did in time master
words of three letters, and then, as he was so anxious to
be baptized, he was put into an old men's daily Bible Class
for instruction. His joy was beyond description when
with tears streaming down from his eyes he came to me
one day saying, " My mistress, I have finished being
questioned, and now lam going to be baptized." I asked
him, " Mpisi, will baptism save us ? " And he answered,
"Oh no, only Jesus who died for us on the Cross."
" Then what is the use of baptism ? " " Well," said he,
" Christ told us to believe and be baptized, and it shows
that we want to leave our bad habits and follow the habits
of Christ." From that day he has rarely missed coming
to the dispensary, not always for medicine, but that he
might teach the patients what he has learned.

A daily attendance of thirty to fifty sick folk soon
exhausted our limited supply of drugs, and when Dr. and
Mrs. A. Cook, on an itinerating round, paid a medical
visit to Toro twelve months after our arrival they found
the medicine almost completely used up. Till the
arrival of fresh stores the patients were being kept
together by supplementing the diminished stock with
table salt, mixed spice, and curry powder. This latter I
found was a much-appreciated prescription, and as none
of the missionaries were partial to it and each had a good
supply among their stores, I dispensed it generously to

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

dyspeptic patients. You never saw such agonizing
grimaces as when they swallowed a spoonful raw, but
they smacked their lips, saying, " Omubazi mubingi muno
muno," " Medicine very very good," and would have
finished off the whole tin if they had been allowed.

That visit from the real " medicine-man " was a grand
time for our people, and they were not slow to show their
appreciation and wonderment when opthalmic patients
found themselves with " new windows," and surgical
subjects, the possessors of " new bodies." After that the
Toro dispensary became amalgamated with the Mengo
Medical Mission, and was regularly supplied with
medicines. The chief diseases met with out there are
skin complaints, malaria, dyspepsia, pleurisy, bronchitis,
besides paralysis, muscular rheumatism, dysentery, and
pneumonia. Owing to the inexperience of the dispenser
nothing surgical was attempted in those days beyond
lancing abscesses and gums, cutting tongue-tied infants,
and stitching up leopard-torn patients. One man was
brought in from a leopard hunt in a terrible condition ;
limbs and body were badly damaged, while the face was
scarcely visible, the flesh of forehead and one cheek having
been torn away, exposing bone and teeth. The extra-
ordinary thing was, that after weeks and weeks of careful
treatment, some very deep scars were the only signs
remaining of the terrible ordeal he had passed through.

These Batoro have grown absolutely reckless in the
hunt. Their method is to surround the spot where the
leopard is known to lie crouched, and slashing down the
thick vegetation that conceals their prey, they gradually
draw closer and form a smaller circle round it. All the
time they scream and pour down invectives on the head
of the leopard, and by the time it actually appears in
sight they have worked themselves up into such a state
of excitement that, losing all self-control, some will
actually throw themselves upon the infuriated creature,

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Medical Work

With one last death effort the leopard throws all the
strength of its fury into its final attack ; torn, and perhaps
with mangled limb, the man is released -from the grasp of
his foe by a hundred spears being run through its body.
The injured are then borne on stretchers in triumph to the
dispensary, and while the wounds are being attended to,
the carriers and friends laud the extraordinary prowess of
the patient. Every man who is able to carry home a
blood-stained spear is sure of his wife killing the fattest
goat or cooking the best possible meal in their honour.

One day, while dispensing medicine, an unusual
shuffling and pushing seemed to be going on in the
doorway, and walking round to find out the cause, I
saw a cow being pushed by force toward me. The
herdsman explained that it was very sick with " Kifuba "
(chest — generally meaning indigestion). In order to
quickly get rid of this undesirable patient I mixed up
some castor oil with salt and ordered it to be administered
in one hour's time. I thought that would allow the cow
and its master to get a safe distance off.

I rather regretted this afterwards, for very soon another
veterinary case was brought in for treatment. This time
it was our own faithful Muscat donkey ; it was suffering
terribly from the plague of flies that generally appear in
the dry season. The poor creature's legs were absolutely
raw, and it had almost lost the power of standing. After
the donkey boy had applied antiseptic washing and
ointment I tried to fix on bandages, but donkey's legs
were evidently never made the right shape for that — I
could not get the bandages to stick. Mr. Fisher was then
consulted on the point, and of course, man-like, he
suggested trousers. It really sounded very suitable, so I
set to work on a pair, and when the donkey was put into
them he looked most distinguished. The people gathered
round in numbers to see it, and exclaimed, " What
honour the European gives his animal!" There were

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O n the Borders of Pigmy Land

several spectators who were not clothed so magnificently,
and being afraid of giving the impression of extravagant
waste, I explained to them the object of the garment
and our ideas of kindness to dumb animals. The
donkey did not take at all kindly to his first pair of
trousers ; perhaps they did not fit well ; at all events,
he kicked them to pieces in two days. A second pair was
made on a modified scale, and whether or not the owner
had cultivated more civilised instincts, it is not easy to
affirm, but they remained intact till they were no longer
needed, and the owner was able to run about and be up
to his usual pranks again.

Great care has to be exercised in administering drugs,
as the people have absolutely no idea as to how they act
on the system. Medicine intended to last for some
days has often been swallowed down in one dose, as
they argue that if so much physic can cure them at
all, the sooner it is taken the better. Powders for
internal use have been received with incredulity and
sometimes scorn by those suffering from skin diseases,
and they will insist on impressing the dispenser that they
are quite well inside. If, with all their persuasion, they
cannot obtain some blue stone to apply to the sore (which
they simply love, as it causes them to scream uncontroll-
ably), then they go off with their packet of powders and
show the superiority of their wisdom to that of the white
doctor by using it externally.

One of the very few medicines that it is absolutely
necessary to keep under lock and key is sulphur, which is
well known to them as an unfailing skin remedy when
mixed up with butter. Our cook once bribed one of my
little assistants to smuggle some away for him, and being
misled by the similarity in appearance, the lad gave
him iodiform instead. This he mixed up into an oint-
ment and smeared well all over his body. As he sent up
dinner that evening iodiform was as pronounced as oil is

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Medical Work

in a German table d'hote. It was soup a 1'iodiform,
viande a 1'iodiform, confection a 1'iodiform, cafe" a
1'iodiform, in fact there was no getting away from it.
When we left the table in despair we were like a
chemist's laboratory.

As for ideas of hygiene, these are absolutely absent from
the native's mind. When a person is very ill, regardless of
her station in life, she is carried into the dirtiest and
smallest hut. This is soon crowded up with well-meaning
and sympathetic friends, whose one idea of condolence
seems to be to assure the invalid that she is on the point
of dying. The hut continues filling up till the only inlet
for fresh air (the cramped doorway) is entirely blocked
up, by which time the condition and atmosphere of the
hut becomes so indescribable that it is a wonder anyone
comes out alive. These things suggested to my mind
that a few elementary lessons on hygiene might perhaps
prove beneficial, so, taking to my afternoon class a
diagram of the human body, I described to them the
anatomy of the body, blood circulation, &c. Their interest
and surprise were great. They had always imagined
that blood circulated from the head. This was their
argument for cutting their heads in cases of fever ; they
reasoned that malaria was an over-heating of superfluous
amount of blood, so they must let out some. At first they
were inclined to doubt the soundness of the new theory of
circulation from the heart, and asked " can a river flow
up, does it not always flow down ? " " What about a
spring ? " said I. They thought for one moment, and then
answered " The European's wisdom has overcome ours."
Then a new difficulty struck them, how was it in the case
of women, for they had no hearts. Their old King
Kabarega, when he killed off his wives, had cut open
some, and never found one with a heart. So the state-
ment had become an accepted fact with them. How
could they have believed such an error !

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On the Borders of Pigmy Land

They also imagined that mind was tucked away in the
heart, and did not in the least associate brain with intel-
lect. Poor woman, minus heart, therefore minus mind,
was very poorly endowed.

Their attention and interest were very keen, and did
not seem to diminish when the moral was applied in
the shape of ablutions, fresh air, and the care of the body
being essentials to health.

It is sometimes difficult to arrive at an exact diagnosis
of a patient's ailment. One will describe her complaint,
pointing to her lungs, as a voice inside that says " Chew,
chew." Another affirm that a spear is running into every
part of his body. Infants are always suffering from evil
spirits or poisoning, in cases when a dose of dill water
would be generally prescribed.

Although I have occasionally met with a native doctor
in a sick house, I have never been able to discover a
native drug or remedy outside cupping, branding, and
revolting forms of witchcraft. These men make a
regular study of the art of deception and exact
exorbitant fees in the form of goats or even oxen. As
an example let me give the case of a lad who was suffer-
ing from tuberculosis. He had consulted the witch doctor,
and after having paid his fee was told that he had been
poisoned. Whereupon the " surgeon " drew his knife
out from his belt and made a number of small incisions.
He then declared he could see the poison inside the
youth and took it away. But the lad was not cured and
so came down to give the European's wisdom a trial.

This ignorant credulity of the people has sometimes
proved useful to the white man in times of extremity. In
one instance a European noticed that his daily supply of
milk was continually disappearing in an unaccountable
way, and one day he determined to investigate the cause.
It had been proved that the cows were not to blame ; they
had given their usual supply. The milk boy was cleared,

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Medical Work

for the boys of the household vouched for having seen it
being delivered. The discrepancy in the amount had
unmistakably occurred in the cook house, where the cook
alone was resident at the time. So the culprit was called
up to be examined. He insisted on his innocence
declaring all the while that he did not know how
to drink milk. As no eye-witnesses could be called the
idea struck the " magistrate " that he would conclude the
matter quickly and unquestionably by their own means.
Turning to a youth close by he said "Just fetch me my
little pocket knife to bore a hole and see if the milk is
inside the cook." Whereupon the culprit fell on his
knees exclaiming, " Oh, master, I did drink the milk.
Forgive me, I pray you."

After the affiliation of the Toro branch with the
medical headquarters at Mengo, the work was placed on
a far more satisfactory basis. A report had to be sent in
every three months with statistics dealing with daily
attendance at the dispensary, out-patients' visits, etc.
Then, in addition to this, a list was made out yearly of
drugs and dressings needed for the forthcoming twelve
months, which ensured an adequate and regular supply
of medicine. The work, however, passed through a
varied succession of small vicissitudes. Our faked-up
building had to be pulled down, as the site was needed
for a new missionary's house, but in exchange we got a
brand-new airy dispensary. We scarcely knew ourselves
with such spacious surroundings, and the two little native
assistants, who had been trained to attend to all dressings,
assumed quite a ridiculous air of professional importance,
to say nothing of the feelings of the quack doctor ! But
at the end of a fortnight we were completely evicted from
our grand premises — patients, staff, drugs, and all. A
violent storm had destroyed the only house that had been
standing ready to receive a fresh addition to the staff of
missionaries, which was then only within a few days of

207

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

arrival in Toro. As there was not another available
inch, the new dispensary had to be speedily converted
into a domicile.

Feeling decidedly crest-fallen, my little assistants and I
packed up all the medical impedimenta and carried them
over to a little reed building that had been the reading
school till the constantly increasing inside pack had
necessitated more ceremonious premises.

We completed our removal, and had not been installed
many weeks when a furious hurricance swept over the
little hill capital, and succeeding in throwing our new
dispensary completely over on its side. When the debris
and roof were cleared away, a most heterogeneous
collection of medicines were revealed, all hopelessly
mixed up in wild confusion. Pills of every shape and
form were scattered about, bottles of liquid drugs, and
stock mixtures had been smashed up, and the combination
of odours was enough to frighten away all the microbes
for miles round. Once more, and for the fourth time,
the dispensary was transferred to different quarters, and
there it remained until the present complete medical
compound was erected at the advent of the much-longed-
for and long-expected doctor in 1904. Through the
generosity of a friend in England the " Gurney Hospital"
and new dispensary were then built, together with the
doctor's house. The former is a good-sized building
consisting of two wards for thirty-four patients, besides
consulting and waiting rooms, while the broad ten-foot
verandah which runs all round allows ample space for
convalescents.

At first the Batoro were inclined to be fearful of under-
going chloroform, but King Kasagama, half out of
curiosity and half out of a real desire that his people
should derive the fullest benefit from the " doctor's
wisdom," successfully banished these fears. One morning
he came down to the dispensary asking that a slight ulcer

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Medical Work

from which he was suffering might be lanced under
chloroform. This was kept a profound secret from his
people till it happened to reach the ears of his mother
just as he was getting over the operation. The poor old
lady came bustling down in breathless speed very fearful
of the effects the "sleeping medicine" might have had
on her son. She was intensely relieved to find that
nothing worse had resulted than rather a sorry expression
on the usual smiling countenance of the patient. It soon
became the topic of the hour, and even to the distant
villages the news spread. From that time surgery was
in great demand ; in fact it became a kind of fashionable
epidemic.

The need for medical work in these parts is seen in
the one hundred to one hundred and fifty out-patients
that came up every day for doctoring, and the scarcity of
vacant beds ever since the opening of the new hospital.
Indeed it seems a practical impossibility to carry out to
these people the message of love, peace, and goodwill
unless one can at the same time do something to alleviate
the terrible physical suffering to which they are subject.
Besides being a most effectual channel for conveying
balm and healing to their souls, the object lessons given
to the in-patients must accomplish much in introducing
new ideas of cleanliness and possible comfort into their
own poor, dirty homes.

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CHAPTER XXI

Scholastic Work

THERE are many people who, not being quite
up-to-date in missionary literature, have an idea
that the work of a missionary in such places as
Africa is to stand under the shade of a huge sun-
hat, umbrella, and palm-tree, in the broiling heat of the
day, and preach to a small crowd of open-mouthed
astonished semi-savages. The picture does not attract
them, and they dismiss the subject from their minds with
" I could never be a missionary."

Well, although I have found in Africa the identical
topee, the umbrella, palm-tree, the broiling sun, and a
few gaping crowds, yet the picture is a painful distortion
of the truth. If there is one thing that a missionary has
less to do with than any other, it is preaching — at least,
that is so in Uganda. He rather assumes the roles of
teacher, schoolmaster, builder, carpenter, doctor, nurse,
and everything else, for he has learned that the African
cannot be a saint without being a scholar and an artisan,
any more than men of other nations can.

Besides the more direct spiritual work and the medical
work that are being carried on in Toro, there are also
industrial and educational departments. This former
branch has not been developed to any extent, owing to
the lack of workers, but, as far as he is able, King Daudi
Kasagama personally superintends it. Being most
anxious that his people should be instructed in useful
trades, some years ago he sent a youth, Iburahimu, into

210

M

Scholastic Work

Mengo to be apprenticed for two years to carpentering at
the Industrial Mission of the Church Missionary Society.
When the period had transpired and the lad had served
his time, Daudi wrote to England ordering Rs.3OO worth
of tools, and, close to his own house, the King had
a large suitable shed erected. Iburahimu was then
installed as Carpenter to the Royal Household, and
twenty youths, who had signed for a two years'
apprenticeship, were placed under him for instruction.

Any serving lad of the King who was employed on
no particular service, and refused to be taught, was put in
the chain gang for three months ; for His Majesty was
determined to put a price on loafing in his household.

The entire educational work of Uganda is being
carried on in Church Schools. Receiving no subsidy
from the British Government, up to the present there has
been no question of Education bills, and consequently
there are no passive resisters among the Baganda !

The School system is, I believe, the one adopted by
the Americans in their board schools, where boys and girls
learn together, and no social distinctions are recognized,
but in Uganda, besides non-differentiation of sex and
caste, there are also no age limitation — children, parents,
and grandparents all attend the reading schools.

On reaching Toro, Miss Pike immediately took over
this department of the work, and within a few months
the School had outgrown two different buildings, and an
extension had to be contemplated in order to make room
for the 300 average daily attendances. As soon as this
was made known, a willing band of workers was collected
together under the Katikiro, and started throwing out the
end of the mud building. I am quite sure no Member of
Parliament ever laboured more strenuously than this one
did ! Whether it was levelling the soil, demolishing the
old wall, erecting the new, or roofing it in, he was
always in the thick of it. But his dignity would not

211

On the Borders of Pigmy Land

permit him to throw aside any of his superfluous
garments ! And the coarse, Jaeger-coloured vest, tweed
coat and waistcoat, and top layers of draperies proved
very oppressive. Every now and again he sank back in
his chair quite exhausted, gorgeous coloured handker-
chiefs were applied as mops to his steaming brow, and
two attendants stood round with an umbrella and fan.

A mistress in these reading schools must be free from
any neuralgic or nervous tendencies. I was simply over-
come with admiration at the spirit of fortitude and calm
endurance that my colleague was displaying when I paid
my first visit to the Toro seminary. Morning prayers
had been concluded, and the School had sorted itself out
into about twenty classes, which represented various
grades, from the alphabet to St. Matthew's Gospel stage,
and each was presided over by a native teacher. The
scholars were a queer medley; chiefs clothed in their
white linen gowns sat on tiny round stools, which they
brought tucked under their arm, and in the same class,
struggling over the same letters, were seated on the
ground serving boys, probably their own, and raw peasants.
Women who had just left their cultivation and, strapping
the baby to their shoulders, hurried off to school, were
sitting with quite small infants, perhaps being taught
their syllables by their own little daughters.

Excepting in the alphabet classes, the scholars sat in a
circle round their teacher who, with a strand of grass,
pointed to the letters which all the pupils were expected
to shout out together. The one little reading sheet only
allowed those directly in front to read the letters right
way up; the others, who were careful to take up the
same position each day, learnt at all angles. Quite a
large proportion of the Batoro are able to read their
books upside down in consequence. When all the classes
were fairly started and each of the three hundred pupils
was trying his best to drown his neighbour's voice, the

212

V

Scholastic Work

noise was indescribable. Each class had its own formula
which was recited metrically. Take for instance, the
one dealing with syllables of three letters — all the pupils
sang out " b — w — a, we call it bwa," then the teacher
intoning, asked " how many letters and what are they
called," and the answer was shouted back " letters three,
b — w — a, and they are always bwa." Then they tackled
b — w— e, b — w — i, b — w — o, in the same way and so on
all down the alphabet. While this pandemonium is
going on, one after another is sent up by his teacher to
be examined by the European. The pupil who answers
satisfactorily is then given a pass to a higher form ; he
returns to his old class to receive the profuse congratula-
tions of his contemporaries, and then marches off to his
new quarters full of pride and elation.

One would wonder how it is possible to ever learn
to read in such a hubbub, but the Batoro have a
remarkable power of insulating themselves from their
environment, and some have been known to pass right
through the school, from the alphabet to the highest
reading class in four months.

Until 1902 no other secular subjects were taught
excepting writing, but at that time it was thought advis-
able to increase the educational work amongst the
Christian men and women, consequently two separate
schools were arranged for them in which they could be
taught writing, arithmetic, geography, and dictation.

Miss Pike, who was then in charge of the women's
work, took over their school, and I was responsible for
the other.

My pupils consisted of members from the Toro Cabinet,
House of Lords and House of Commons ! The Katikiro,
our Lord Chief Justice, was nominated school chastiser.
Corporal punishment was his usual method of dealing
with a noisy scholar ; with a sudden bound off his chair
he made a rush at the culprit, and if he was not quite

213

sure who the offender was he struck a box on the ears at
all in the vicinity of the noise. The King reserved for
himself the office of school inspector, and generally
looked in on his way home from morning service at
the Church.

Arithmetic was not at all an easy subject to start
teaching these people, and they could not for a long time
understand figures in the abstract. Numeration was the
thing they were started on. With a blackboard and
chalk I wrote up the usual i, 10, 100, and then attempted
an explanation. One pupil instantly interrupted with
" But what are the ten ? " " Oh, I said, ten anything,
ten chickens or ten eggs." " But if its a chicken how can
it be an egg," he replied. The Katikiro found arithmetic
very difficult. He stuck at "twice two" for days; he
would insist that it made twenty, and even when he was
convinced otherwise, his memory refused "to agree with
his conviction. But when he at last mastered the " two
times " table and numeration up to a million, he rubbed
his hands with satisfaction, and exclaimed " What
wisdom ! " When Kasagama heard of the different
subjects being taught he evidently thought that tailoring
ought to be included, for, one day he sent down a lad
with a roll of white duck, and an earnest request that I
would teach him how to make coats. The boy was sent
away with an explanation that in our country men did
the tailoring. But His Majesty was not to be put off,
and so the message came back " would ' Bwana Fisher '
teach him ? " Our protestations only called forth more
beseeching requests, so in despair I took a pattern from a
London coat and showed the boy how to put it together.
The result was far from being complimentary to the
original, but Kasagama did not take into consideration
the cut, so much as the fact that it was a coat.

A few of the more promising pupils used to come
together each afternoon for extra instruction, in order

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Scholastic Work

that they might be able to help in the morning school
which was getting beyond the work of one person.
Elementary astronomy was added to their list of subjects,
and was a theme of intense interest and wonderment to
them. One afternoon a very simple explanation had
been given them on how the world was held up in space
by the law of gravitation. After asking a number of
questions they begged me to teach them nothing more
that day, for they wanted to take the words away and
think them out. One man, who was a Muganda, stayed
behind and very apologetically, as if afraid of suggesting
that he doubted the veracity of my words, he asked if the
world is held up by gravitation, how did it manage for
the first three days, for in Genesis we read that the sun,
moon, and stars were created on the fourth !

Uganda to-day presents a land rising from a sleep of
centuries. The outside world in its onward march has
stepped in, and with its Babel of Tongues roused the
people from their long deep slumber. Thus startled out
of lethargy, the surprised nation stands gazing in wonder-
ment at a great world controlled by undreamed-of mental
and moral forces. And a new desire has been born
within them, a desire to bring themselves under the same
irresistible powers. The possibility is there, but the
guiding of the mind and soul of the people cannot be
undertaken by itself. England holds herself responsible
for the protection of its national life, and it is for the
Church of God to-day to stand at the helm, and steer
past the rocks and shoals till the people have learned to
take over the control themselves.

215

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