NDERTHEiLA
' AFRICAN SUN
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THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
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UNDER
THE AFRICAN SUN
A DESCRIPTION OF NATIVE RACES IN
UGANDA, SPORTING ADVENTURES
AND OTHER EXPERIENCES
BY
W. J. ANSORGE
M.A., LL.D., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.
LATE SENIOR PROFESSOR AT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF MAURITIUS
MEDICAL OFFICER TO HER MAJESTy's GOVERNMENT
IN UGANDA
fyiTH 134 ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS BT THE AUTHOR
AND TWO COLOURED PLATES
NEW YORK
LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
1899
This Edition is for sale in the United States
of A merica only, and is not to be imported
into countries signatory to the Berne
Treaty.
^
iPT
AU
AJ^
NOTE.
/;/ the Appendix, Mr. Ernst Hartert, Director of
the Tring Museum, has given an interesting account of
my collection of African birds, and his description of
rarities and novelties forms an important contribution to
science.
The Honourable Walter Rothschild has kindly contributed
to cli. xxii. a description of some new species of African
lepidoptcra. In the same chapter some valuable hints to
collectors ivill be found in an extract from a letter from
Dr. Karl Jordan.
Mr. IV. E. de Winton, F.Z.S., the authority on "Small
Mammals " at the South Kensington Museum, has
courteously added to ch. .vx. a scientific list of those
captured by me.
IV. J. ANSORGE.
London, December, i8g8.
lOQi'rao^
CONTENTS.
CHAl'.
I. IXTKODUCTORY .
II. ZANZIBAR AND MOMBASA •
III. CARAVAN' LIFE .
IV. THE UGANDA PROTECTORATE
V. THE RAVINE DISTRICT
VI. KAVIRONDO
Vll. L'SOGA
VIII. THE WAG AN DA .
IX. AT KAMPALA
X. THE SOUDANESE
XI. UNYORO .
XII. OUR STATIONS OX THE NILE .
XIII. ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ALBERT
XIV. ELEPHAXT-HUNTIXG .
XV. THE " MAN-EATER " .
XVI. RHINOCEROS-SHOOTING .
XVII. HIPPOPOTAMUS-SHOOTING.
XVIII. GAZELLES
XIX. ANTELOPES ....
XX. SMALL MAMMALS
XXI. REPTILES
XXII. BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, AND BEETLES
I
4
IS
41
46
61
79
90
I 20
142
167
181
198
220
227
240
249
257
262
279
2S5
299
APPENDIX
BIRDS
323
LIST OF PLATES.
The •' Man-Eaters ■' Career Ended
His Highness Seyyid Hamud, Sultan of
Zanzibar ......
Frontispiece
To face page i o
{Reproduced, with permission, from a photograph by
CouTiNHO Brothers, of Zanzibar.)
The Euphorbia Tree
Village Headman in Uganda bringing a
SUPPLY OK Food for the Caravan
A Family Group in Kavirondo
Entrance to a Kavirondo Village
A Family Group in Usoga
In the Stocks ....
Wag AN DA Muenge-Sellers
A Lendu Mother with her Baby
Open-Air Doctoring at Fovira
Entrance of Fort Hoi.ma
A Falua Family
A LuR Family at Mahaji
Dug-Out Canoe on Lake Albert
A Crocodile of the Victoria Nile
AN .
„ 32
„ 62
„ „ 66
„ 80
V 92
96
., Uo
V 158
» 176
•, 190
„ 208
„ ,. 220
M 296
COLOURED PLATES.
I. New Species of African Insects
II. New Species of African Birds .
To face page 302
)> )) 344
LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS.
Masai
A Station ox the Suez Canal
Wasin ......
The English Church at Mombasa
Mid-day Halt on the March
Burchell's Zebra
A Spotted Hy.ena
Fan-Palms in Unyoro
A White- Ant Hillock
My Four "'Boys" on the March
Camp-Cookery ....
A Friendly Chief pays a Call
The Church Mission Society's Steel-Boat on Lak
\ictoria Nyanza ....
A KiiiANDA, OR Grass-thatched Reed-Hut
The Traveller's Rest-House at Fajao .
Masai Woman with Gourd-Bottle
Wakikuyu Men .
Wakikuyu Women
At a Masai Kraal .
Guinea-fowl and Ibis
Anderobo Woman
KWAVI
A Kavirondo Minstrel
The Kavirondo Chief Ngira
A Blacksmith's Paraphernalia in Kavirondo
Kavirondo Bellows, Wooden Shield, and War-Helmet
Native Bridge over the Sio River in Kavirondo
A Kavirondo Village-Forge
UsoGA Hubble-bubble
PAGE
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xii LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS
Prime Minister of
UsoGA Boats .....
The New Fort at Luba's in Usoga
Pigmies of the Great African Forest
Usoga Drinking-Cup
Uganda Shield ....
Waganda Peasants
A Waganda Family .
Waganda Mat-Makers
Bark-Cloth Manufacture
Waganda Soap-Sellers
Waganda Potters
Upper-Class Waganda
Mugwanva, the Roman Catholic
Uganda ....
Waganda Musicians .
Uganda Harp ....
Uganda Drums ....
Waganda Labourers .
Mtesa's Tomb ....
In a Wahima Kraal .
Wahima Herdsmen
The Roman Catholic Princes Augustine and J
of Uganda ....
Ex- King Mbogo, Princess Fatima. and Prince Ramazan
OF Uganda ....
Uganda Spears .....
Native Fish-Creel ....
Kampala seen from Nak.\sero Hill
Arab and Swahili Ivory Traders .
Kampala Police ....
A Chain-Gang at Kampala
A Fishmonger .....
Front of Protestant Cathedral on Namirembe Hill
Rubaga Hill seen from Namirembe
An Albino-Negro .......
The E.\st African Rifles
oseph
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no
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^33
135
LIST OK TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS xiii
Fort Kampala seen from the Native Market
Waganda Spearmen .
Main-Entrance of Fort Kampala
Military Watch-Tower at Kibero
Soudanese
In a Soudanese Village .
Soudanese Corporal Spinning Cotton-Thread
The Soudanese Settlement at Kibero .
The Soudanese Captain, Surur Effendi, and his Family
Bekamba, the Wanyoro Chief, in his State-Carriage
The Medical Officer's Residence at Masindi
Three of the Wounded
At the Entrance of Fort Masindi
The Infant Ajaka, the youngest Chief in Unyoro
Wanvoro Women with Native Hoes
A Hospital-Hut at Masindi
Patients at the Hospital Dispensary
A Makraka Family ....
My Hut at Hoima ....
Shuli Natives
River Scenery at Fovira
Drawbridge of Fort Fovira
The Wanyoro Chief Lejumba .
The Lango Chief Amien
Sem-Sem Drying-Stack
A Falua Dwelling .
The Hospital at Fajao
Natives on the March
LuR Children .
In the Native Village at Kibero .
The Salt-Industry at Kibero .
My Quarters at Kibero .
Her Majesty's Steel- Boat "Alexandra" on Lake
Albert Nyanza .....
Afternoon Tea at Mahaji
LuR Woman carrying a Load of Wood .
PAOK
136
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194
196
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200
202
204
206
208
xiv LIST OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS
LuR Corn-Stores ....
My Tent
LuR Playing the Native Game " Soro "
CoLOBUS Monkeys ....
Wanyoro Canoe-men of Lake Albert wearing
Eye-Shades . . . • -
The Daughters of Tukwenda .
A Lucky Shot .....
The Cage for the Lion .
The Lion-Trap Completed
The Lioness at Fajao
A Rhino Head . . . .
Two Rhinos
Soudanese Soldier with the Fajao Paddle
Landing-Place at Fajao .
A Hippopotamus ...
Grant's Gazelle 9 . . . .
The Impalla Antelope^ .
A Pah Antelope (J ....
The Kobus Thomasi Antelope J
The Nswallah Antelope $
Neumann's SteinboK(?
LOPHUROMYS AnSORGEI
[From " Proceedings of Zoological Society of London,"
Reed
19/A May i8g6.)
Crocodile-Pool at F.ajao
PAGE
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295
CH A PTER I.
INTRODUCTORY.
M
Y first journey, March
1894, to Uganda was
made in the days prior
to the proclamation of
a British Protectorate over these
regions. Caravans then had to be
fitted out at Zanzibar, though Mom-
basa, on the mainland, was the
actual starting-point. The trans-
port, whatever the nature of the
goods, depended on the efficiency
of natives drawn from the mixed
coast-races known collectively as
Swahilies.
yi_^^i^i_ The caravan route from Mom-
basa to Port Alice, a distance of
800 miles, was practically a mere footpath. Not a few hardships
and dauLjers had then to be faced, where the journey now
has become comparatively a pleasure-trip. Barely three years
ago two caravan parties were massacred by hostile natives ;
now, a gentleman boasted in my hearing that he could
travel the whole distance of 800 miles in absolute safety armed
with nothing but his walking-stick. Then, it took eighty-three
days from Mombasa to Kampala ; now, barely half that time.
Formerly, the traveller spent eighteen days to cross the Taru
desert and the fever-belt beyond it ; now, he enters the train at
Mombasa one day, and finds himself next day safe beyond this
trying region. From Kikuyu to Kabras then, meant twenty-
one days' journey without the caravan meeting another human
being, except perchance some wandering Masai warrior wearing
2 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
a pigtail wig and armed with a long-bladed spear. Now, three
Government stations at Lake Naivasha, Eldoma Ravine, and
Nandi respectively, complete the chain of forts. Where Bishop
Hannington failed to pass and lost his life, mission ladies
now travel safely and comfortably. At Kikuyu, where we were
warned not to venture out of sight of the fort, and never to
go about unarmed or without an armed escort, three families of
English settlers have built themselves homes, and three chubby
infants, the first Europeans born in this distant region of Africa,
have made their appearance.
Zanzibar too has felt the effect of these changes. It used
to be the great emporium, Mombasa being merely a geogra-
phical name as regards importance ; now, with the railway an
accomplished undertaking for the first 200 miles, Mombasa as
its coast-terminus is every day increasing in importance, and
Zanzibar is gradually but steadily sinking into the shade.
The old caravan route presented to the traveller interest-
ing variations in scenery and surroundings : — Mombasa, with
its cocoa-nut palms and mango-trees ; the waterless Taru
desert, with its clumps of thorn-bush and euphorbia ; the
Maungu, Ndara, and Ndi hills, with giraffes and elands in
the adjoining plains ; Kibwezi, with its huge baobab trees ;
the Makindo and Kiboko river-camps, with rhinos and zebras,
gazelles and antelopes in their neighbourhood ; the shallow
Kilungu river winding through fertile and populated regions ;
the Athi plains, the most magnificent game country in the
whole world, with its lions and ostriches, hartebeests and
wildebeests ; Kikuyu forest, with its glades and clearings ; the
extinct volcano Longonot, with the huge crater on its summit ;
Lake Naivasha, with its myriads of waterfowl of every de-
scription ; Lake Nakuru, with its thousands of flamingoes ; the
virgin forest-belt of Subugo, with its noble timber ; the cold
Mau escarpment, nearly 9000 feet above the sea-level, with
scattered patches of waving bamboos ; the treeless regions of
Kavirondo ; the garden of Usoga, with its grey parrots and vast
banana plantations ; the Nile, where it forms the exit of that
mighty lake the Victoria Nyanza ; finally, Uganda, with its hills
and valleys, its wild date-palms and twenty-feet high elephant-
grass.
It fell to my lot to accomplish this journey six times, be-
sides spending nearly a year in the more remote parts known
INTRODUCTORY 3
as Unyoro and crossing Lake Albert four times. There is an
indescribable fascination in African travel and adventure, which
draws one again and again to the Dark Continent, though not a
few Europeans have found it their grave. Within the last four
years a score have passed off the scene ; those personally known
to me were : — Mr. Purkiss, Dr. Chartres, Mr. Muxworthy, Capt.
Dunning, Mr. West, Mr. Dick, Monseigneur Guillemin, Mr.
Godfrey, Capt. Sclater, Major Thruston, Mr. N. Wilson, Mr. Scott,
Mr. Pilkington, and the Rev. Mr. Hubbard. The majority of
these met with a violent death ; only two or three fell victims
to the climate. British supremacy, called " Protectorate," is
slowly and steadily establishing itself over these vast realms.
It has abolished slavery, compelled native races to live at
peace with each other, and opened up uninhabited regions,
larger than the whole of England, for skilful and willing
settlers to found homesteads and farms.
On my first arrival in Uganda, we were but twelve Euro-
pean officials, including every one from the highest to the
lowest ; and only seven remain of these pioneers, the thin
end of the wedge made use of by the British Government
in the great work of opening up these remote regions to
further British enterprise. Perhaps some of my experiences
" under the African sun " may be of service to others.
CHAPTER II.
ZANZIBAR AND MOMBASA.
THE traveller to Uganda has to reach iirst of all Mom-
basa ; and to do this, he mav go either by French
steamer and change at Zanzibar, or by English steamer
and change at Aden. By the former he misses seeing
Aden, and by the latter seeing Zanzibar. There are no mails at
present running direct from England to Mombasa.^
Those who prefer to embark in London, who object to
second-class passengers sharing the steamer's deck with the first-
class, who dislike French cookery, and who are absolutely
ignorant of the French language, should not go by the French
steamer. Those, however, who wish to save themselves the long
sea-voyage through the Bay of Biscay and round by Gibraltar,
who prefer the passage-money to include a certain free-allow-
ance of wine and beer on board, and who have to cut down
their expenses, may prefer the French line.
If the traveller selects the English line, and money is no con-
sideration, he may save himself the Bay of Biscay by going over-
land and catching up his steamer at Brindisi. If the traveller
chooses the French route, he has to embark at Marseilles - on
one of the Messageries Maritimes Company's steamers bound
for Zanzibar.
From London to Marseilles takes twenty-four hours. Those
who prefer crossing the Channel during the day should leave
London via Dover and Calais in the morning. Those who do
not mind crossing the Channel at night, and would like to see
something of the scenery of France as they travel along, should
leave London in the evening.
In travelling through France, the passenger should bear in
^ Steamers of the German " Ost-Afrika- Linie" run direct from Hamburg to
Mombasa, touching at Naples.
- P. and O. steamers no-.u call also at Marseilles.
ZANZIBAR AND MOMBASA 5
mind that even with a first-class ticket only 56 lbs. of luggage
can be taken free, and that a very exorbitant freight is charged
for every pound over weight. One small trunk for the cabin
usually represents the 56 lbs. allowed free. But there is no
need for any one to burden himself unnecessarily by taking
the whole lot of his belongings across France. The agent
in London of the French Company will take charge of all
the luggage, if delivered to his care a full fortnight before the
date fixed for the departure of the mail from Marseilles. The
I'-^S&'^S^ is then sent on by sea, and the passenger will find it
waiting for him at Marseilles when he arrives there.
The journey from ^Marseilles to Zanzibar takes eighteen days;
this includes the unavoidable loss of time due to coaling at Port
Said and Djibouti. The French steamers are noted for their
remarkable punctuality as regards the advertised dates of depar-
ture and arrival. There have been considerable changes in the
mail-service, since I first journeyed down the Red Sea prior to the
opening of the Suez Canal. In those days we went by steamer
from Marseilles to Alexandria, then by train from Alexandria via
Cairo to Suez, and from there once more by steamer to our
destination. When the Suez Canal was opened, the Messageries
Maritimes boats touched at Aden, Messina, and Naples ; but
they do not do so now.
From Marseilles to Port Said takes five days. Port Said has
become a busy centre ; it has attracted wealth and at the same
time the scum which caters for every evil passion. The steamer
coals here ; and as coaling implies dirt and discomfort, the
passenger takes refuge on shore. Whether one has seen the
place alreadv or not, it is always a pleasant change, and breaks
the monotony of a long sea-voyage, to take a stroll on shore.
The Suez Canal is traversed in fifteen hours. There are pretty
bits of scenery and quaint glimpses of Eastern life revealed, as
the vessel steams slowly past the interminable expanse of sand.
In passing through the canal, notwithstanding the apparent
sameness of the surroundings, the traveller may meet with very
different experiences. On one journey w'e traversed the canal
during the night. There were many English passengers, in-
cluding a good many Australians going to England for a holi-
day. A charming and graceful fancy-dress ball was promptly
organised and enlivened the occasion. On another journey we
steamed down the canal during the day. A fierce sandstorm
6 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
was raging, and all the ports were tightly closed, yet the fine
sand found its way somehow into everything. We were boxed
up in the saloon, and the heat was stifling.
More commonly the apathetic passenger simply " kills
time." To his blase eye the pretty canal stations are unin-
teresting ; to him the Egyptian ragged urchins scrambling
for an orange or a coin are an absolute bore, and the white
cloud of ibis, the single file of camels, the sand dunes, the
salt lakes, are of supreme indifference.
A STATION ON THE SUEZ CANAL.
It is a curious fact that on board a ship every traveller
becomes much more chummy ; and when he does throw off
the crusty shell of prejudice, he is ready to take to anybody.
On board ship one meets, one parts, perhaps never to meet
again ; yet many a kindly word or action lingers in the recesses
of memory, and is treasured for years. It does not take much
to call forth a laugh when everybody is in a mood for it.
At the Suez end of the canal the steamer only stops to land
mails ; there is no time nowadays to go on shore and visit the
Well of Moses and other sights of the neighbourhood. In-
dustrious hawkers, however, come on board the homeward-
ZANZIBAR AND MOMBASA 7
bound ships to have their innings before the passengers reach
Port Said.
From Suez to Djibouti takes six days. The steamer gene-
rally anchors very far from shore, consequently the long journey
in an open boat under the broiling sun is too uninviting to tempt
many passengers to land, and there is very little to see if one
does go. On my last journey most of us remained on board,
and we had some mild excitement in watching a monster ray
disporting itself round the ship, till two of the sailors went off
in a boat and successfully harpooned it. It had a filiform tail
several feet long, and two remarkable blue flappers a foot long
near its monster jaws. It is on occasions like these that one
would like to have a few spare pounds to secure such a curiosity
for a museum. I have not seen anything like it in any museum ;
and, for all I know to the contrary, it may have been an un-
known species. It was soon chopped up, the greater part of
its body being thrown overboard as " waste." The flesh was
considered too coarse for the passengers' table, and was handed
over to the sailors.
At Djibouti the traveller hears the same familiar cry of
" Ever dive ! — Ho ! ho ! — Ever dive ! — Ho ! ho ! " as at Aden. A
number of natives come in their tiny dug-outs to the steamer's
side, jump into the water, and with hoarse cries invite the idle
spectator to chuck them a coin to dive for in the clear trans-
lucent water.
From Djibouti to Zanzibar takes six days. Flying-hsh
occasionally drop on to the deck. It is a pretty sight when a
shoal of flying-fish skims the surface of the water, clipping
through the crests of the waves with the sunbeams glinting
from their silvery sides. Sometimes, but not often, one sees
the outlines, as if sculptured, of the " sleeping lion " presented
by the rock-bound coast of Cape Guardafui.
Seen from the ocean, as the steamer nears the island,
Zanzibar presents a dense growth of cocoa - nut palms
and green verdure ; but the town itself is a mass of
buildings huddled together anyhow. The narrow tortuous
streets, the crowded native bazaar, the Sultan's palace, the
British Consulate, have already been described by different
travellers.
Part of the wealth of Zanzibar is derived from its clove
plantations, and it would be a mistake not to vi^it one of them
8 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
The clove-trees, most of them old, are planted in straight rows
of considerable length, and form picturesque groves.
Passing through the native quarter, I came across an Arab
school. Teacher and pupils were sitting cross-legged on mats ;
each pupil was using, instead of a slate, a scapula or shoulder-
blade of some animal.
By the roadside I saw a native doctor cupping a patient, and
two women were waiting for their turn. He used a goat-horn,
perforated at the top with a small aperture which he blocked
W'ith a piece of wax. Having made two or three tiny incisions
on the skin of the patient, the practitioner passed the mouth of
the horn over a fiame and then clapped it over the wound.
After a few minutes, by removing the plug of wax, the horn
was withdrawn, and in most cases a large clot of blood came
away with it.
Apparently everybody in Zanzibar, who can possibly afford
it, keeps a carriage. Arabs and Indians may be seen taking
daily their afternoon drive along the Xazimoja road in a variety
of elegant vehicles.
On my second visit to Zanzibar the island had just been
visited by a severe epidemic ; the German doctor had suc-
cumbed to it, and the English doctor was ill. I happened to
take my watch to a shop to be repaired. The watchmaker, a
European, was covered with boils from head to foot. He did
not know^ that 1 belonged to the medical profession, when he
explained to me that he was treating himself, having found in
some old obscure pamphlet an excellent prescription for draw-
ing out the bad blood I " What's the good of going to doctors ? "
he said, "they can't even cure themselves; there's the German
doctor dead, and the other doctor very ill ! " He assured me, in
proof of the efficacy of his own treatment, that he had not a
single boil till he began to treat himself; "and now look !" he
exclaimed, pointing triumphantly to his blotched face which
might have done credit to a severe attack of small-pox. He
w^as not satisfied apparently at the success on his own person,
but had tried the treatment also on his unfortunate wife and
child, who were summoned to show' themselves to me. Allow-
ing that he represented the superlative degree of an exodus
of boils, his family represented a very good comparative and
positive stage respectively. The next time I visited Zanzibar
he and his family had disappeared ; possibly he went some-
ZANZIBAR AND MOMBASA 9
where to take out a patent for a pill "wai ranted to draw out
the bad blood."
There are a number of hotels and restaurants at Zanzibar ;
but most of them are simply drinking-saloons. The great
drawback to all lies in their very unpleasant domestic arrange-
ments for meeting certain imperative laws of nature.
In one of these hotels, in 1894, I met some strange cus-
tomers. A troupe of performers, anxious to give an exhibition
of a balloon ascent before the late Sultan, had arrived from
India. The Sultan, however, declined to pay the sum they
asked. Their leader was a powerful young man, but addicted
to drink, and the worse for it every night. As the partitions
separating the bedrooms were only thin planks, I became the
unwilling listener to nightly conjugal altercations between him
and his wife. The partner in this show volunteered to me
the information that the lady was already the fourth wife,
her three predecessors having come to an untimely and un-
fortunate end by dropping from the balloon. The fourth wife
was then training to perform her balloon ascent and, let us
hope, more successful descent. The troupe left Zanzibar within
a few days — destination unknown.
Enjoying Sir Arthur Hardinge's courteous hospitality at the
British Consulate, I had an opportunity of being present at a
very grand Arab dinner given by him, in honour of the Queen's
birthday, to all the Arab nobility and elite. The Sultan was
represented by his brother, the heir-apparent to the throne.
Etiquette forbids his Highness from eating in public with his
subjects. The famous slave-dealer Tippoo-Tib was also present.
Though there were but forty guests, over three hundred dishes
loaded the table in Arab fashion with Arab delicacies. Roasts,
pastry, rice, sweetmeats, fruit, were lavishly jostling each other
for elbow-room. For the Europeans knives and forks were laid ;
but the Arabs used Adam's fork, helping themselves indiscrimi-
nately to anything within reach. They drank sherbet. Arab
etiquette demands that the guest should eat very little ; conse-
quently all this profusion went to their attendants who rushed
in after the guests had left the table, and then the eatables
disappeared in a twinkling.
A very imposing ceremony was the investiture of his High-
ness Sevyid Hamud, Sultan of Zanzibar, with the insignia of
the Order of Grand Commander of the Star of India. The
lo UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
investiture took place in the Victoria Hall, a first-rate building
for public ceremonies of this sort. It is in the Sultan's
gardens, where the slave-market used to exist in days prior to
the British Protectorate. Sir Arthur Hardinge, K.C.M.G., C.B.,
her Britannic Majesty's Consul-General and Diplomatic Agent,
sat at the Sultan's right ; and Brigadier-General A. E. Raikes,
commanding his Highness the Sultan's army, was at the Sultan's
left. The others in sequence were Basil S. Cave, Esq., C.B.,
the Consul ; Henry C. C. Dundas, Esq., the Vice-Consul ; and
next to the latter sat Captain P. F. Tillard, R.X., of H.M.S.
Magicienne. Behind the Captain sat Mrs. Basil Cave.
Sir Arthur is deservedly popular throughout both Protec-
torates. His genial manners and flow of conversation cover
the erudite classical scholar of Oxford and the distinguished
Arabic linguist.
Mr. Basil Cave is well known, owing to the prominent part
he played in the suppression of the usurper who endeavoured
to seize the Sultanate when the late Sultan died.
Zanzibar is one of the bishoprics of the Universities Mission ;
their death-roll is appalling. I was sorry to find that of four of
their number who were fellow-passengers with me in 1896 only
one is left ; one died, two have been permanently invalided :
no comment is needed. In 1893 I visited the island of Likoma
in Lake Nyassa, another of their bishoprics, where the list of
dead and invalided is even heavier ; the Bishop, who showed
us friendly hospitality, was succeeded by his Archdeacon ; when
the latter died, the medical missionary became the bishop.
The English Club in Zanzibar is a very popular institution,
and famous for its " Sabbath-Calms" and other mysteries, which.
however, must not be divulged to the uninitiated ; the stranger-
guest soon learns them.
From Zanzibar to Mombasa means about fifteen hours by
steamer. At present there is rather an uncertainty how long
one may have to wait at Zanzibar for a steamer to cross over
to Mombasa. There is, however, a monthly communication
by means of the German line and the British India. In
addition, the Protectorate steamer the Juba plies between the
two islands. Last time I crossed from Mombasa to Zanzibar
it was in the Jtiba, and we had an Arab dhow in tow as far
as Wasin (written also Wassein).
Wasin is the southern extremity of the coast-line of the
^
::3 V
/5 -1"
ZANZIBAR AND MOMBASA
II
British East African Protectorate. Opposite to it is a large
island, said to be a favourite residence of pious and wealthy
Arabs and a seat of Arab learning.
Mombasa is the capital of British East Africa. The island
is also named Mombasa, and nestles close against the mainland
which throws a protecting arm round it in the shape of a pro-
montory, called " English-Point," on the north-east. The space
between English- Point and the island forms Mombasa harbour.
Coral reefs narrow the mouth of the harbour, and every now
and then some vessel comes to grief. There is another harbour
at Kilindini, which is said to be better. The island is separated
from the mainland by a narrow strip of the sea, which at low
water can be forded by wading across it.
The coral rocks supply excellent building material, and the
Government is raising handsome and imposing structures to
serve as residences for the different Departmental Chiefs. Instead
of using limekilns, the natives burn their lime in the open air.
They construct a circular stack of faggots several feet high,
according to the quantity of coral to be burnt. On and about
it lumps of coral are piled, the stack is then tired, and the
coral calcined.
Dark and grim the old Portuguese fortress frowns at the
water's edge and commands the entrance of Mombasa harbour.
12 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
What sinister scenes these old walls must have witnessed, when
slavery and tyranny were rampant, when it required six months
to circumnavigate Africa via Cape of Good Hope to Lisbon, when
the Portuguese governor held the life, honour, and property of
residents at his mercy, and ruled with more absolute sway than
the Autocrat of all the Russias ! Looking at crumbling portions
of the old defences and at the rusting dismantled cannons
strewn about, some lapped by the restless tides, some resting
in the dismal casemates, Scott's noble lines in "Marmion" are
recalled —
" The ire of a wrathful king
Comes riding on destruction's wing ! "
The littleness of human greatness is emphasised ! The petty
tyrant, raised by the inscrutable decree of Providence to rule a
province in these distan^ regions, forgets that he is as insig-
nificant as a bubble of sprav on the mighty crest of storm-
tossed ocean waves; his name and word supreme to-day,
to-morrow are forgotten, as the ceaseless ages roll along with
their thousand years counting but as a day in the eternal
history of time !
The narrow winding streets of the older portion of Mombasa
town are not very inviting. With regard to the newer portion,
where the Wali (the Arab governor or magistrate of the town)
is erecting rows of native buildings to accommodate the rapidly-
increasing native population, a wide straight road is left open for
traffic, and leads to cocoa-nut plantations and copses of magni-
ficent old mango-trees.
Swahili ladies delight in having the tiny amount of wool
on their heads elaborately plaited by a professional hair-
dresser. The height of fashion wath them is to have the wool
parted in longitudinal streaks from the forehead to the occiput,
so as to give the skull the resemblance to a ribbed melon.
Instead of being satisfied with one hole through the lobe of
the ear, they punch a series of holes, arranged in a semicircle
along the whole of the outer rim of the ear. Ear-rings in
the shape of small buttons are then inserted, and a similar
button worn as a nose-ring in the cartilage of the right or left
nostril completes the head-toilet. As regards dress, the louder
the pattern and the more glaring the colours of the cotton cloth
which forms her one garment, the more is the Swahili pleased.
ZANZIBAR AND MOMBASA 13
The traveller may see one wearing a brilliant yellow cloth
with a flaring red sun radiating from the centre, or another
lady sporting a huge geometrical pattern visible a couple of
miles off.
The Mombasa Club deserves every success ; it has supplied
a great want in offering bedroom accommodation to travellers
to or from Uganda. For though there are a number of second
or third rate hotels, kept chiefly by Greeks, the tendency of all
is to degenerate into drinking-saloons for the shady class of
men met with in all seaports. Until quite recently the Uganda
Government official arriving at Mombasa had to depend on
the kindness of a personal friend to put him up for the night.
I had a room at the hospital, owing to the courtesy of Dr.
Macdonald, the chief medical officer. "A friend in need is
a friend indeed," all the world over ; and if it had not been
for him, I would have had to pitch nny tent, like a gipsy, on
a piece of waste land, when I ?rrived at Mombasa, in the
spring of 1895, from Uganda with a patient who had been
invalided home. This happened in the days of the ephemeral
Imperial British East Africa Company. Now a Sub-Commis-
sioner, Mr. Craufurd, is permanently settled here ; and it was
owing to his kindly assistance, when last I went up-country,
that the Government was saved the expense of any consider-
able delay at Mombasa.
A conspicuous feature of the island is the baobab tree with
its aldermanic girth among trees. When it has shed its leaves,
it stands bare and gaunt, and looks as if stretching out gouty
fingers in apoplectic uncertainty. It has a curious hard-shelled
fruit which, when cut through and emptied of contents,
furnishes bowls for drawing water, much in the same way that
the coco-de-mer supplies dispensing-scoops to some of the Arab
retail dealers.
A very tiny species of dwarf antelope is still occasionally
met with on the island ; but this pretty and graceful little
creature is dangerously near extermination. Birds and insects
are well represented ; but it is obviously difficult to get any-
thing new, where every collector starts his collection from, and
where he finally ends it.
A good deal of mission activity prevails in Mombasa, and
there are several mission societies. It is a pity that the native
convert so often brings disgrace on the religion he professes
14 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
to have embraced. In many cases he learns to read, write,
and speak English more or less fluently, but becomes on
the strength of it insuff"erably conceited. Bishop Tucker, the
esteemed and conscientious Bishop of both Protectorates, has
indeed a hard task to prevent these human canker-worms from
destroying the fruit of his mission-fields.
The new little English church at Mombasa looks prim and
primitive.
On my last journey to the coast I had, for the first time,
the benefit of travelling by the Uganda Railway. The line was
completed as far as Kinani, 170 miles from the coast ; but onlv
open for traffic as far as Voi, 100 miles from the coast, and
then only on certain days of the week. To avoid delay, I
accepted accommodation offered in a goods-van. We left
Kinani at 9.30 p.m. and arrived at Voi at 3.30 A.M.; here we had
to wait till 8.30 A.M., arriving at Kilindini Station, in the island
of Mombasa, at 4.30 P.M.
This lift saved us the wearisome march through the Tarn
desert ; but travellers to Uganda, though saved a most
unpleasant part of the caravan route, have still to experience
more or less of caravan life before thev reach their destination.
THE ENGLISH CHURCH AT MOMBASA.
CHAPTER III.
CARAVAN LIFE.
CARAVAN life in Africa is a healthy Hfe, owing to the
constant outdoor exercise and the necessarily frugal
fare. It is an ideal life for a man able to rough it,
satisfied with leading a more or less solitary existence,
fond of sport, and capable of culling pleasure from the gifts of
Nature which a bountiful Providence strews along his path. If,
in addition, the traveller has a good outfit and a well-arranged
transport service, he will find the few troubles he is likely to
encounter reduced to a minimum. With each journey one
gains some new experience, and in proportion learns to adapt
oneself better to the altered circumstances of such a life. Of
course, what suits one man does not suit everybody. As a
simple illustration take the routine of meals. Some travellers
can stow away a very hearty breakfast in the earlv morning just
before they march. I, for one, am unable to partake of a heavy
meal at a very early hour ; a plate of porridge is all I require,
and it suits me best. I do not hold that a caravan should be
driven, as if it were an express train or a slave gang, with
scarcely a pause on to the next camping-ground. I prefer to
treat them as human beings carrying heavy loads and doing
hard work ; I therefore always give them half-an-hour's rest
during the march, if possible near some running water where
they can refresh themselves. The break in the march I utilise
by having a sort of breakfast and lunch combined. This mid-
day meal consists of the cold remains of last night's dinner, a
saving of labour to the cook who has to march along with the
caravan like the rest of us.
Sometimes the halt occurs at a spot like a shady bower in
a leafy avenue. Then, again, there are some men who cannot
stand either sun or heat, and who require a mid-dav siesta on
i6
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
arrival at camp. For them it is important to get the march over
as early as possible, and they do not mind marching when the
dew lies heavy on the grass, and perhaps is still falling. 1, for
my part, can stand dry heat a great deal better than the chill-
ing dew ; and those who have had fever, know how easily a
chill may bring on an attack. It is, therefore, impossible to
lav down hard and fast rules applicable to everybody under all
circumstances.
With perfect weather, running streamlets at intervals along
the march,
^-{^•^nwE . h ,<^|^KJ^HKI '^ good road,
no illness in
the caravan,
and a good
supply of pro-
visions, the
march is the
very opposite
of a hardship;
it is purely
and simply a
pleasure -trip.
And there are
many such
days on the
journey.
Shooting
"for the pot"
adds addi-
tional zest to
the day's en-
joyment. Partridges and guinea-fowls are pretty frequently
met with, and are a very delicious and acceptable addition to
one's fare. The very last I shot — and meat or no meat for
dinner depended on it — were a partridge and a brace of guinea-
fowls. I got them on the wing with No. 5 shot, which is a
good all-round article, when one has not the means of carrying
a variety of cartridges like No. 4 for guinea-fowls or No. 8 for
snipe. The different species of partridges are very interesting.
It is worth while to skin the bird and to preserve the skin ; one
may thus collect some very rare specimens. The bird certainlv
MID-DAY HALT ON THE MARCH.
CARAVAN LIFE 17
tastes better with the skin on ; but it is a mistake to imagine that
the bird is not fit for food because it has been skinned. On
Christmas Eve, 1896, I shot a partridge at " Mondo " in Uganda.
The bird I had for my Christmas dinner. The skin I sent home
to England ; it turned out to be a very rare species and only
the second specimen of the sort ever sent home. A similar
thing happened with a very handsome partridge I shot one
day near the Samia Hills in Kavirondo. The skin is now at
the South Kensington Museum, and the second one there of
another rare species, the first of which was shot near Mount
Elgon. At Campi-ya-Simba I shot sand-grouse, and at Kikuyu
spur-fowl.
But the wild guinea-fowl is the bird for the traveller's table.
It IS surprising what varieties of wild guinea-fowl are met with
along the caravan route, to mention but three: the "horned,"
the " crested," and the " vulturine." This bird gives the best
return for the shot expended on it ; there is a good deal of meat
on it, and what there is is good. Snipe and quail are very tasty,
but yield so little that very few travellers can afford to waste
a shot on them. Egyptian goose falls a big dish, but, as a rule,
it is tough and therefore not a favourite.
The " horned " guinea-fowl is perhaps the variety best known
in England, as it is the only one which has been domesticated
and reared for the market. But there are a great many different
species even amongst these ; some, like the " Hildebrandti," have
enormous horns ; others, like the Uganda species, have a very
tiny horn and a tuft of bristles in front of it ; those at the Kiboko
river are comparatively small birds; those near Lake Xakuru are
exceptionally large.
But a far handsomer bird is the " crested " guinea-fowl, having
instead of the horn a tuft of feathers like a crest. Its call is not
the noisy " takak-takak-takak " of the horned bird. Swahilies
call it the " kororo," in imitation of its cry.
The "vulturine" has neither a horn nor a crest; it has a
bald pate like a vulture, with a semi-ring of soft feathers like a
bald man's occipital patch of hair.
The guinea-fowl has a noisy and heavy flight. With a broken
wing the bird may yet escape by running, but with a broken
leg it cannot escape as easily by flying. It is almost sure
to betray its presence by the noisy call in the early morning
or towards dusk, when it roosts on some high leafy tree and
B
i8 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
falls an easy prey to the pot-hunter. Partridges roost by
preference in the branches of some moderate -sized bush ;
they too betray their presence at dawn and sunset with their
"ka! kaka!" scream. I have seen guinea-fowls clustering
together by the hundred ; for instance at Kariandus and on the
north-west shore of Lake Naivasha, where 1 bagged three with
one shot.
At Kariandus the guinea-fowl— it was on my third journey —
gave us once a useful warning of the approach of a man-eating lion
which infested the neighbourhood at the time and had carried
off more than one porter from some of the other caravans.
The scream of the frightened birds attracted our attention to
the spot, some four hundred yards off, on the slope of the hill.
I only caught a glimpse of a huge tawny animal disappearing
with a bound behind some bushes, whilst a few more of the
frightened birds flew up out of the grass into the trees. All my
men declared it was a lion. We did not stop to investigate ;
as it was getting dusk, we hurried off to get within the protecting
circle of the camp-fires.
Swahili porters are very fond of zebra meat. Some travellers
have a natural prejudice to eating an animal belonging to the
equine species ; but the first zebra-steak I tasted I thought
rather nice ; perhaps the animal I had shot was not a parti-
cularly old one. A tough old stallion is certainly not a very
inviting dish.
I once saw on the Athi plains a herd of zebras, which must
have numbered over a hundred thousand ; for, as far as the eye
could reach, they presented a dense unbroken phalanx, with
young ones by the hundred amongst them. I have never come
across any other species but the one known as Burchell's zebra.
There is no greater risk of exterminating the zebra by shooting
one now and again for caravan or personal need, than there
is of wiping off the hartebeest antelope by occasionally bagging
one. But I once came across a Eurasian on his way to the
coast, who shot a zebra apparently for no other purpose but
to brag that he had shot one. I asked him whether he re-
quired the meat for food for himself or his caravan. He
answered, " No " ; and when I said, " Perhaps you wanted it for
its hide ? " he again replied, ** No." Such men must have a
very callous conscience. The zebra has a peculiar cry which
sounds like " Yap, yap, yap " ; it has neither the horse's neigh
CARAVAN LIFE
19
^^^r!*^^
1
^
-^^
m
1!^^.
• . -g
nor the donkey's bray. The hide makes a handsome mat ; but
I found in London that, next to the giraffe hide, it is the most
expensive to dress and mount. One moonhght night at Campi-
ya-Simba it was almost impossible to get any sleep, owing to
the incessant call of the zebras, broken every now and then by
the muffled growl of some lion; the lions were evidently chasing
them. Once on
the Athi plains
I came upon a
dead zebra with
two hyaenas
devouring it.
The "hoo-
yee-yooh" of
the hyjena
every traveller
is sure to hear
along the burchell's zebra.
greater part of
the caravan route. 1 heard it already on Mombasa island
close to the hospital. Swahili porters hate the brute, and
not infrequently they dread it quite as much as a lion. The
hya'na has very powerful jaws and can inflict a most severe
wound. Occasionally it is bold enough to venture within the
caravan lines and to seize one of the sleeping porters. More
than one of my men has thus been dragged along, but owing
to his screams and the general hubbub, has been relinquished
by the brute. It seems more than a coincidence, that the
men thus seized have invariably been the most infirm and
emaciated in the caravan. I have a personal grievance against
hy:^enas, besides the one of wounding some of my porters.
Three and a half years ago I shot at Gilgil a magnificent
bustard, quite dift'erent to the common great bustard so
constantly met with between Machakos and Muani. I might
mention here that the great bustard as a culinary delicacv
has been greatly overrated, nor is it such a very difficult bird
to shoot. Of course a rifle has to be used. The lesser
bustard or pao is a somewhat better bird to eat ; it is much
smaller, and a shot-gun is preferably used for it. The huge
bustard I shot at Gilgil must have been a rare bird, as I
have never met with another specimen like it. It had an
20 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
enormous reddish ruff round the neck, and, next to the
ostrich, it was the hirgest bird I have seen. I got it with a
Martini bullet by a lucky shot through the neck, at 200 yards.
The skin from tip of beak to tip of toe was nearly twice the
length of any chop-box in my possession. It was left, therefore,
for the night on the top of the boxes under the awning of my
tent. I woke up in the night, hearing a scrambling noise close
to me, but too late ; some hyaena had carried off my bird,
although a night-watchman was on duty a few yards off. It
was no comfort to know that the hyaena must have made its last
meal, as I had freely used arsenical soap in preparing the skin.
Since then I have never left anything within reach of a
hungry hyaena ; and care has to be taken not to expose either
saddle or harness to tempt these voracious brutes, I have seen
but two species of hyaena, the spotted and the brown. The one
shown in the illustration I got by setting a trap-gun. The trap
is easily set. Tie the bait over the muzzle of the rifle. Use in
preference a piece of offal, for instance a bit of highly odoriferous
goatskin. Suspend or fasten the rifle horizontally at such a
height from the ground, that the hyaena can conveniently grab
the bait. Attention must be paid to expose the bait in such a
way, that the hyaena cannot seize it from the side, but has to
approach the front of the muzzle. Place the trigger at full cock
and tie it by a bit of string to the tree or bush behind it ; now
pull the muzzle forward, and, if the trap is in good working-
order, the trigger will at once respond and strike. If the trap
works satisfactorily, the rifle may now be loaded and left in situ.
Any prowling hyaena is sure to be attracted and to immolate
itself ; the bullet is almost certain to blow its brains out. In
a wilderness the only precaution necessary is to warn every
one in the caravan, and to see that the gun points away from
the camp. Hyaenas seem to be attacked by the same sort of
tick which is a parasite of rhinos.
At Sakwa's village in Kavirondo a donkey was so badly
mauled by a hyaena that it died. Most travellers take some goats
or sheep along with their caravan in the event of failing to shoot
game or to buy meat from the natives. The animals should
be carefully penned up at night and surrounded with a strong
protecting thorn-fence, called " boma " by the Swahilies. On
my second journey, we had bought some sheep and goats at
Kikuyu, in anticipation of continuing our march next morning.
CARAVAN LIFE
21
The animals were placed for the night in the customary penfold,
outside the fort. Next morning we found that hyaenas had
carried off two of the sheep, badly lacerated a third which
we had to kill on the spot, and wounded a fourth. One such
lesson serves a lifetime not to trust to any enclosure offering
a single weak point to a possible nocturnal visit from these
marauders.
One of the pleasures held out by caravan life consists in
culling rare flowers and collecting plants new to science.
Some men, as the explorer Teleki expressed it to me, have a
A SPOTTED HY/ENA.
lucky hand. He gathered, more or less accidentally, one day
on the march a handful of plants most of which were un-
known. But it is not necessary to be a botanist to admire
the trees and flowers of Tropical Africa.
Take, for instance, the euphorbia-tree, sure to be met with
pretty often along the caravan route. The specimen shown in
the illustration grew by the roadside between Kitanwa and
Kibero. Its majestic dimensions can be estimated by a glance
at the group sheltering underneath it. The whole of my
caravan were gathered under it, though they are hidden by
the patch of grass which was six to eight feet high. In some
parts of the Protectorate the euphorbia furnishes the only
firewood procurable, as every traveller through the western
parts of Kavirondo soon finds out. It is a poor sort of fuel,
22 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
and where it is offered for sale, owing to the scarcity of any
other firewood, it is not very cheap.
On the whole there is a good supply of firewood along the
caravan route, except at the Government stations, where it has
to be bought from the natives who bring it to the camp or to
the appointed market. Everywhere else the traveller, on pitch-
ing camp, sends a certain number of his porters to bring in fire-
wood. The men naturally gather only dry wood, fallen or dead
branches, and thus no harm is done to the bush or forest which
provides the caravan. The protecting fence for the cattle is
supplied by the thorn-bushes. Sometimes, as for instance near
the Kedong escarpment, one comes upon a dead forest. The
gaunt dead trees on the wind-swept height might form a fitting
background for one of Dore's illustrations of Dante's Inferno.
No doubt the constant grass-fires must do considerable injury
to bush and forest-belt, besides destroying all the young trees
endeavouring to struggle for their existence on the grass plains.
Grass-fires are not necessarily unmitigated evils, a good many
poisonous snakes and other vermin probably perish in the
flames.
The general absence of palms, oi" somewhat rare occurrence
of them, along the caravan route is rather noticeable. The
cocoa-nut palms of Zanzibar and Mombasa, and along the
coast-line at Dar-es-Salaam, Kilwa, and Mozambique, form a
picturesque feature of the tropical landscape.
When the traveller has left Mombasa and the coast, he will
not see another cocoa-nut palm for the next thousand miles
up-country ; but there are certain other kinds he is sure to
meet with. Some beautiful fan-palms can be seen at Fovira
in Unyoro.
This stately tree grows to a considerable height. In some
parts of the world cheap fans are manufactured from its plaited
leaves ; but here, perhaps because of its rarity, it is not put
to any use. Every European with a love for the beauties
of Nature endeavours to protect such handsome trees from
wanton destruction at the hands of savages. The group de-
picted is near the fort, and on the road from Fovira to Fajao.
There is a sinister tragedy connected with it. I was told,
one of the Soudanese soldiers was censured by his superior
officer and took it so much to heart, that he shot himself at
the foot of these palms.
'.*:*i
y^'
CARAVAN LIFE
23
Some travellers have described the danger of being attacked
by bees, when the caravan route happens to pass near a tree
sheltering a swarm. I have never experienced such a misfortune,
though I have had a sting or two trying to hive a young swarm
at a station. But I doubt if there is a traveller who has been to
Uganda without having been annoyed some time or other by
ants. There are tiny yellowish ants of almost microscopic size,
veritable dwarfs in the ant world. There are huge black ones, an
FAN-PALMS IN UNYORO.
inch long, real giants compared to the general size of ants.
There is the friendly variety which runs over one's hand or
face and does not attempt to bite or hurt, and is only in search
of scavengering dead insects and refuse. There is the bellicose
kind which attacks if one inadvertently invades its domain ; and
there is the murderous, bloodthirsty species, bent on hurting
as long as a spark of life remains in its body. There is also the
white-ant, so destructive to a traveller's kit.
The tiniest ants usually commit suicide by the hundred in the
traveller's food. The bellicose variety is of a light red colour,
and is called " maji-moto " by the Swahilies, which means
24 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
" boiling-water." Their nests consist of a lot of leaves fastened
together with a sort of spider's web. These nests festoon shrubs
overhanging some shallow streamlet or marshy spot. The
incautious may shake such a branch as he passes under it.
Immediately he receives a shower of these warlike insects.
Their bite feels like a sharp burn, and whoever is attacked
beats a hasty retreat. As a rule, these ants leave the enemy as
soon as the enemy retreats and leaves them. But the one called
" siafu " by the Swahilies is not to be shaken off ; it never
lets go until it is killed. The " siafu " march along in their
millions. Fire alone will deter their army from proceeding
in the appointed direction ; and 1 know of more than one
case, where a man has burnt down his hut by accident whilst
attempting to repel an attack of " siafu." I have had to
run away from this tiny pest. One particular night on mv
hrst journey is impressed on my memory. I had stepped
beyond the camp-tires, when I thought, for the first moment,
that mosquitoes were bothering me ; but the next second I
rushed in a hurry back to my tent, stripped myself in a
twinkling, and called lustily for my servants to help me to
pick oft' these ants from all over my body. Their jaws still
clung with a death-grip, even when the bodies had been
wrenched oft'.
The giant ants are usually seen in small colonies, diving in
and out of their subterranean tunnels. They never attempt to
molest the passer-by.
The well known white-ant raises huge hillocks. The Egyp-
tian pyramids, compared with a man's stature, dwindle into
insignificance, if we compare the size of this insect with the
structure which it laboriously builds for itself ; the proportion
is simply stupendous. The white-ant hillock is a common
feature in an African landscape. The one represented lay along
the caravan route through Singo.
Like bees, the termites have a queen, on whose welfare
the prosperity of the community depends. Hence it is a good
plan, when clearing oft' white-ants near a wooden building,
to endeavour if possible to find the queen and to destroy
her. She is quite helpless, with her fat body nearly two inches
long. Her attentive subjects usually keep her boxed up in a
sort of dome-shaped chamber, the entrance to which they block
up and hide at any approach of danger. The really destructive
CARAVAN LIFE
25
creature is the tiny little "worker." Among the "workers" may
be seen a somewhat larger variety armed with a pair of pincers.
These are the " warriors," which come rushing to a breach and
will fiercely attack any piece of wood held out for them to bite at.
But a curious member of this strange community is the large,
black-bodied, and winged white-ant, about an inch long, which
issues at certain seasons from vent-holes of the white-ant hillock
by the million. The winged termite forms part of the native
A WHITE-ANT HILLOCK.
food. In Kavirondo I have seen natives cluster round such
an issuing swarm, catch them by the handful and eat them up
alive. In Uganda the natives place a sort of reed frame over the
hillock and cover it up with bark-cloth, leaving the vent-hole
open, and digging near it a pit into which the ants tumble by the
hundred. It is curious to see how these winged ants tear off
their own wings as soon as they touch the ground. White-ants
are dried by the bushel, and form an article of commerce. On
the march through Bulamwezi I had a chance of trying a dish of
them fried. They are not at all bad, and supply nitrogenous
food where the meat-supply falls short. The chief objection to
26 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
these fried ants is their greasy taste, though this is the very
thing which causes them to be appreciated as a dehcacy by
the native palate. The crisp bodies have a remote resemblance
to shrimps.
The colour of the ant-hill depends on the soil of the locality.
I have seen greyish-white hillocks where white clay was in the
soil, but more commonly the hill is formed of red earth. The
portion most recently built up is usually of a darker colour,
and is moist and soft ; but it hardens very e]uickly, and then a
heavy hartebeest antelope can stand on it without doing more
damage than if standing on an ordinary mound of earth. Old
or perished ant-hills are soon overgrown with grass, and very
frequently a tree or bush grows on the summit. The curious
shape of these hillocks shows that they are built very irre-
gularly, and not with the mathematical precision which is so
characteristic of bees. The white-ants met with in Uganda are
very different to those I saw in Mauritius. The ^Mauritian species
did not build lofty ant-hills, but usually a black ball-shaped mass
round some tree. The winged Mauritian insect which swarmed
at certain seasons was small, white, and soft-bodied, instead of
being large, black, and crisp-shelled, like the African. Birds used
TO gobble up the small Mauritian winged insect just as greedily,
as the natives do the black African variety. Snakes and other
creatures find at times a shelter in the air-passages which
traverse the ant-hill ; a squirrel I was chasing near Kinani
escaped me by diving into one of these tunnels.
It is absolutely necessary for the traveller to have good
servants. In the most quiet home-life in England the servant
question crops up. But the traveller's welfare depends still
more on the sort of servants he engages ; they must be honest,
willing, sober, and healthy. If, some 800 or 1000 miles from
the coast, a servant is dismissed, it is next to impossible to
replace him.
The illustration shows my last batch of servants or "boys,"
as they are generally called ; and though, on the whole, 1 have
been unusually fortunate with my "boys," these four were the
best I ever had.
They belonged to four ditierent nationalities : Mnyamwezi,
Arab, Wahima, and Swahili. As I had two rifles and two
guns, each boy had to carry one on the march. The Arab head-
boy had charge of my lield-glasses, revolver, and a handbag
CARAVAN LIFE
27
which held :i number of small miscellaneous articles, such as
cartridge-extractor, matches, cigarettes, tin-opener, twine, scissors,
knife, &c. The ]\Invamwezi usually carried my waterproof on
his head and the tin helmet-box slung from the rifle. The pith-
helmet which I ordinarily wear, becomes as heavy as a lump of
lead if exposed to a good shower ; it is, therefore, placed inside
the shelter of the helmet-box at the first warning of a downpour,
and exchanged for an oil-skin sou'wester. With servants on the
march, it becomes necessary to treat certain duties, such as
the carrying of the waterproof, field-glasses, camera, &c., as
MY FOUR "boys" ON THE MARCH.
matters of routine, or else, when the occasion for their use
presents itself, the traveller finds that they have been packed
away into some load or other, and that they cannot be got at !
Unless the traveller is very strong and robust, he cannot possibly
march with all he may want at a moment's notice slung on to
his own person.
The short Wahima boy had charge of my buttertiy-net and
specimen-box ; he and the Mnyamwezi carried also an alu-
minium water-bottle each. It was the head-boy's routine-duty
to see that one of these bottles was filled with fresh-made tea
before the march began. I became quite a Chinaman in my
appreciation of cold tea, without milk or sugar, as a beverage on
the march. If I am fortunate enough to get some milk, I take
it with me in the other bottle. The great drawback to carrying
milk is, that unless the boys have been well-trained to keep
the bottle perfectly clean and sweet, the milk at once turns
28 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
sour and is spoiled ; and unless the quantity of milk fills the
bottle completely, the shaking for some hours along the march
churns the milk into butter. Only a confirmed drunkard
would be so rash as to keep pegging at whisky when marching
along.
Caravans follow in single file the " kiangozi " or " guide."
Now that there is an open road from Mombasa to Kampala,
the guide is no longer required ; but on my first and second
journeys the ** kiangozi " was an important personage. Every-
thing, however, depends on the caravan-leader. While there is
danger ahead, he should be the foremost, and where a treacherous
foe lies in ambush to cut off stragglers, he should be the last
man in the caravan and prevent loiterers from separating from
the main body.
On my fourth journey we had a narrow escape from falling
into the hands of Mbaruk, the rebel Arab, who for a time
rendered the road between Ndi and IMazera's unsafe. An armed
escort was sent by Government at stated times to meet caravans,
and we had just missed by a day such escort. We marched day
and night till the porters were walking along half-asleep, and
at last I had to let them lie down for a while. They dropped in-
stantly asleep in the middle of the road by the side of their loads.
But being the caravan-leader, the responsibility for the general
safety enabled me to remain awake, with loaded rifle and finger
on trigger, taking upon myself the anxious watch, as I could not
have trusted any of my men to keep awake. It was only for a
couple of hours, but each minute seemed to drag into an eter-
nity. Then I roused the men, and we hurried on. Half-an-hour
later Mbaruk's bands crossed the very spot, where I had been
compelled to let the cam van rest and snatch their short sleep.
The caravan-porter is a careless being, and even the know-
ledge that a treacherous enemy may be hiding in the bush close
by does not keep him awake. One of the mission-caravans
thus exposed itself to massacre. It was in 1895, and I was then
at Mumia's in Kavirondo. The men who had been told ofif
as night-watchmen fell asleep. The hostile savages suddenly
rushed with their spears upon the sleepers and killed most
of them on the spot. A few survivors escaped and reached
Mumia's. I had to dress their wounds. One man had his scalp
slashed open and a flap of it hanging down, he had also a deep
punctured wound in the nape of the neck, his thigh was pierced
CARAVAN LIFE
29
through, and his arm was gashed in several places. Others
had spear-thrusts and cuts on their bodies. I believe some
twenty porters lost their lives, owing to their recklessness in
not keeping some trustworthy men to watch over the common
safety.
Camp-cookery is primitive in the extreme, and takes place
in the open air ; in rainy weather a rough grass-hut is
run up to serve as a kitchen. It is very difficult to upset
what is called " dusturi," or caravan custom, according
to which the cook is exempted from carrying anything but
the camp-kettle. The porter who has to carry the pots
a n d p a n s i s
styled "cook's
mate," acts as
scullery drudge,
and acquires a
sort of prescrip-
tive right of suc-
cession to the
cook's position.
The cook sits
by and directs.
However little
CAMP-COOKERY.
he may have
to do, he always expects to be supplied with one or more
assistants. The photo shows the cook comfortably settled
in the shadiest spot, and leisurely awaiting the boiling up of
something or other in the pot in front of him ; the cook's mate
is busy peeling green bananas, the only vegetable procurable at
the time, and one of the boys is assisting in plucking a bird 1
had shot for dinner ; the big earthen pot behind him shows that
it was he too, probably, who had to fetch the water.
If the cook's mate is intelligent, he soon knows as much
as the cook, since the latter makes him do all the work ; and
if he has any aptitude for it, he in time learns something addi-
tional from other cooks, when, as now and then happens,
travellers meet and share a meal. The judge at Kampala dis-
covered one day that his cook never by any chance prepared
a meal ; everything was done by the cook's mate, the cook
reserving as his part of work the duty of marketing, which led
to " perquisites," or, according to Shakespeare, " convey the
30 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
wise it call." Having done the marketing, the cook not only
enjoyed otinm cum dignitatc for the rest of the day, but varied
the monotony of his existence by getting drunk. It is needless
to say that the usual evolution of cook's mate into cook fol-
lowed the discovery.
There does not seem to be any privia facie reason why
cooks should be drunkards, but it is unfortunately the rule and
not the exception that they take a little more than is good for
them. My cook succeeded his predecessor in office very much
in the same way, as had happened in the judge's household ;
for the expensive one I had brought with me from Mombasa
turned out to be a drunkard, and as the Soudanese whisky
at Kampala proved too great a temptation to him, it led to his
absenting himself without leave for three days on a drinking
bout. When " Musa" reappeared, he found " Hamadi Marzuk,"
the cook's mate, installed permanently as cook.
This brings to my mind a similar episode which happened
to two ladies on a visit to the Seychelles Islands. Their cook,
a liberated slave, delivered originally from a slave-dhow by a
British man-of-war, used to absent himself frequently for a
day or so without leave. The kind-hearted ladies, disposed to
be doubly kind to one formerly a slave, gently remonstrated,
whereupon the man indignantly asked them whether they
thought they had to deal with a slave, and promptly took an
extra long French leave. When at last he thought fit to re-
appear, he found some one else installed as cook. A prompt
but unsuccessful appeal by him to the magistrate for restoration
of what he considered acquired rights failed. The magisterial
decision still further embittered his feelings against everything
British, — a nation which, according to his view, professes to pity
and liberate the poor slaves, and then actually refuses to let
them leave off work when and where they like, or take a holi-
day or two just when the fancy seizes them to enjoy one.
The deeply grafted slave-nature of the negro cannot be
straight off eradicated and altered, any more than a cart-horse
can be made into a racehorse by simply taking it out of the
shafts and putting a light saddle on its back.
Native cooks, unless prohibited to do so, find it most con-
venient to light their fire at the foot of the finest tree available,
as a shelter against the wind. The result is that in course of
time a big hole is burnt into the tree itself, and the tree is
CARAVAN LIFE
31
killed. I have come across some very fine trees destroyed in
this way. To the native it is incomprehensible that the European
traveller, who may never pass there again, should be solicitous
for the welfare of a mere tree, though it be a forest-king some
hundreds of years old.
A common incident of caravan life is the friendly chief's
visit. H,e is usually accompanied by a crowd of followers.
Conversation is naturally rather limited ; but now and then it
may prove very interesting, as on the occasion depicted. This
f-
:MM0^/"^^
.»v.r**T^'i(?''
^
A FRIENDLY CHIEF PAYS A CALL.
chief, dwelling on the west shore of Lake Albert, had met
Casati, Emin Pasha, and other distinguished travellers ; and
he remembered when Emin Pasha's steamers plied on the lake.
Unless a native has had some intercourse with Europeans, and
has picked up Swahili which serves in Africa very much the
same purpose that French does in Europe, as an international
means of communication, interpreters are necessary ; some-
times several different interpreters are required. I remember,
at Hoima, using Swahili which had to be translated into Arabic
and re-translated into Wanyoro ; how much of the original idea
was correctly reproduced I should be afraid to say. On one
occasion I told mv boy to ask the village headman to sell me
32 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
two or three eggs. I fortunately happened to overhear how
my message was deHvered : " You are to bring at once three
eggs, two chickens, some ripe bananas, and a lot of native
beer, or master will have you tied up to a tree, and order you
to receive a flogging of twenty-live lashes with the hippo-thong.
Now look sharp." I hastened out of the tent, and I called
for some one else to assure the village headman that I had
only asked to buy a few good eggs, and that the threat of
flogging was an utter untruth. Then I had an explanation
with my boy ! He seemed surprised that I should find fault
with him for the interest he had taken in anticipating my
wants by asking for the other items ; as for the twenty-five
lashes with the hippo-thong, this, the boy declared, was merely
a very necessary figure of speech for impressing the "washenzi"
(that is, " savages ") with becoming respect towards a " white
man ! "
In Kavirondo the food for the caravan has to be bought ;
but in Usoga and Uganda the chief or village headman nearest
to the camp brings in a supply of provisions gratis, owing
to some arrangements made by the Government. Usually it
consists of bunches of green bananas, or rather plantains. As
a rule, the headman also brings a chicken, some ripe bananas,
and a gourd of native brew. The illustration represents a
typical scene in Uganda. The headman leading his file of
men, women, and children, and hugging in his arms the
chicken he intends to offer to the caravan leader. Behind
him comes a woman with a gourdful of native beer. Some
of the bunches of bananas are carefully wrapped up in banana
leaves.
It is only in disturbed districts, either hostile or recently
raided by enemies, that the food question may verge on starva-
tion-point. I remem.ber once at Kasokwa in Unyoro, the supply
ran so short that we had but three green bananas per man
for the day's ration. Another day in Unyoro it was still worse,
on the short journey between Masindi and Fovira. My com-
panion had left the selection of camp to one of his Soudanese
sergeants, with the result that we had a very long march, and
at the end of it no food whatever for our porters. Next day
these unfortunate porters had to do another terribly long
march of nearly twelve hours to reach Fovira, where sweet-
potatoes were distributed to them. We arrived after sunset,
CARAVAN LIFE
33
when darkness had already set in, and these sweet-potatoes
were the first food the porters had received for two days.
The journey to Uganda can be shortened by crossing
Lake Victoria Nyanza from Kavirondo to Port AUce. I once
crossed in the Church Mission Society's steel-boat. It is a
sailing-boat. We took three days from Sio Bay (Kavirondo) to
Port Alice (Uganda). We only sailed as long as we had day-
THE CHURCH MISSION SOCIETY S STEEL-BOAT ON LAKE VICTORIA NYANZA.
light ; then we landed, pitched tents, and passed tiie night on
shore. Made entirely of steel, the little cabin on the boat
became unbearable with the heat, as there was not a cloud to
take off some of the sun's rays. The boat is hired periodically
by the Government. My loads, men, donkey, and sheep, all
found room aboard. It was on this trip, that I had an accident
to my right hand, which produced blood-poisoning and neces-
sitated several operations, two of them under chloroform, per-
formed by the Church Mission Society's temporary doctor ;
but in the end 1 lost the use of the metacarpo-phalangeal joint
and was left with a stiff joint for the rest of my life.
Caravan life when it rains incessantly day and night becomes
c
34 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
decidedly trying, and one longs for a drought ; but when one has
to suffer from a continued drought, and wearily plods along day
after day with the ever-present anxiety whether there will be any
water at the next camp, or men and beasts are to die of thirst,
then the cry is for rain, rain ! I had on my fifth journey a
curious experience of a continued drought followed immediately
by incessant rain.
News of the drought had reached me at Mombasa ; and in
anticipation of having to carry water for the caravan, I provided
myself with a number of empty kerosin tins. At Maji Chumvi
there is a pool of brackish water. It was simply poisonous
owing to the drought, to porters of passing caravans washing
their ulcers and sores in it, and to an accumulation of filth in
general. I had filled my water-bottles at the previous camp.
Next day we reached Samburu. Here we found the water-holes
absolutely drv. We rested during the heat of the day, parched
with thirst, and at 2 P.M., though it was still very hot, we started
once more to reach the next camp, Taru. Whilst we were wait-
ing at Samburu, some native women with gourds of water
crossed the caravan road ; they were returning from fetching
some nasty brackish water a long way off, and had a long way to
go to their village. It was therefore no easy matter to persuade
them to sell us the water at an enormous figure. They knew
the value of silver rupees and would take nothing else. I had
not enough silver witii me, but fortunately my headman was
able to lend me some ; I bought the precious water and dis-
tributed it by tiny cupfuls to my caravan, men and beasts.
Some of my men began fighting furiously, accusing each other of
having taken more than their share of this foul and nauseating
stuff. I had to take a stick and lay about indiscriminately
amongst the combatants, some of whom had drawn knives, in
order to prevent bloodshed and murder.
Caravans march at the rate of 2h miles per hour ; we did
the 10^ miles to Taru in four hours, and arrived at sunset. A
large caravan in connection with the new railway was encamped
there ; and what with their men and sixty donkeys, the famous
water-holes of Taru were nearly dry. I had to hurry to fill our
kerosin tins with what we could scoop up — fluid-mud it was. I
had to drink it too, or die of thirst. My men were too exhausted
to do any more marching that night, and the heat was too great
to risk a day-march ; but about 2 p.m. next day I sent some of
CARAVAN LIFE 2S
the men with the tins of this so-called water on to the next
camp, where there was again no water. Three men armed with
rifles were left to guard the precious store, upon which the life
of the caravan depended. The following night we marched
about twenty miles, and found our supplv of water safely guarded.
Each man and beast got a pint. I could only let them rest
from 9 A.M. to 2 P.M. through the heat of the day, and then we
went on again. Before we started, I distributed the rest of
the water. We reached Maungu, a march of about ten miles,
and rested two or three hours. I would not allow the tent
-•♦li 'itjck.^'
kmm^'
t
A KIBANDA, OR GRASS-THATCHED REED-HUT.
to be put up, to save the men time and trouble ; I threw
myself dressed on my camp-bed and slept like a log. One
of the men slept so soundly near the hre, that he burnt a big
hole into the canvas covering of the rifle he was carrying.
Roused by the man on "zam," that is, on night-guard, loads
were once more shouldered ; and a twenty-miles march took
us at last to the river Voi and saved us from further danger
from the drought. I feel thankful that we did not lose a
single life ; but the evil effects of the filthy water were felt by
me ; my kidneys must have been affected, as I suft'ered for
several days afterwards from severe pain in the kidney-region.
The natives and the animals only showed signs of exhaustion,
but not of pain. The drought accompanied us without inter-
mission as far as the Tsavo river, but without any further risk
to life.
36 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
At Tsavo it rained, and from here as far as the Athi river we
had day and night incessant rain. The porters got soaked to
the skin on the march, and in spite of mackintosh and sou'-
wester, I got pretty wet too. Arrived in camp, the tent had to
be opened on the muddy ground, and pitched in pelting rain.
Everything was damp and sticky and musty. It rained all
night. Next morning the tent was folded up, with the rain
pouring steadily down. We marched ankle-deep in mud in a
continued downpour, as if a second deluge had set in. With
cold feet, sopping-wet socks, and squashy boots, we trudged
along, bespattered with mud, half-blinded by the rain, and
shivering with cold, to reach a sodden camp and repeat
the experiences of the preceding days. Fever, diarrhoea, and
dysentery broke out in the caravan. At Mto-ya-Mawe I just
managed to reach camp, but with a raging attack of fever
on me. Next day we got to Aluani, and half my caravan being
ill, I stopped a full day to rest my men ; but the food question
was so serious that we had to push on again. We reached the
Athi river, where we hailed the cessation of the rain and the
reappearance of the sunshine with joyful hearts. From here
to the end of the journey we had beautiful weather and only
occasionally a rainy day. I was glad, when I handed over my
men at headquarters, that I could add that we had not lost a
single life on the journey.
In Uganda the traveller sometimes comes across a " kibanda,"
or grass-thatched reed-hut, which proves a very acceptable shelter
to him during the rainy weather, because he can light a fire
inside and dry his clothes. The " kibanda " has a door, but no
windows ; there may or may not be a reed-screen to close the
door. The objection to rest-houses of this description is, that
they are verv short-lived, and soon tumble to wreck and ruin,
as there is usually nobody to look after them. The vermin of
the neighbourhood take possession of an uninhabited hut. It
becomes the haunt of cockroaches, the trysting-place for rats,
and the home of bats. It harbours mosquitoes by the thousand,
and supplies food for the white-ants. There was a sort of half-
way house between Kampala and Port Alice, which provided all
these different attractions.
I lived for three months in a ''kibanda" at Kampala. The
white-ants nearly destroyed the canvas bag of my camp-bed,
and I had to keep such goods raised above the ground on
CARAVAN LIFE
37
sun-dried bricks to prevent the white-ants from getting at
them. As for rats, my servant once killed three with one
blow from his stick ; and the rat-trap I had brought from
England I considered one of my most useful investments.
After 1 had killed about a score of rats, I gave up keeping
count of them.
The late Major Thruston, when in command in Unyoro, put
THE TRAVEI.I.ER's REST-HOUSE AT FAJAO.
up at Fajao a grass-thatched traveller's rest-house of Soudanese
pattern, and he very kindly placed it at the disposal of all who
had to visit the station. As he had given orders that the hut
should be looked after and kept clean and tidy, it was a wel-
come boon to every visitor. The hut was surrounded by a
reed-fence which secured privacy. A hut for servants, and
other sanitarv necessaries, had not been neglected. The spot
was well chosen, and tall forest trees overshadowed it. On
fine days 1 used to take my meals invariably out of doors,
under the pleasant shade of the trees, and watch the green
squirrels frolicking among the branches, and listen to the
yellow weaver-birds holding their noisy palaver.
38 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Every caravan should be provided with a thoroughly good
native headman. Headmen now get as much as 40 to 60 rupees
per month, i.e. £2, los. to £^. They are allowed at least one and
very often two porters to carry their tent and private effects,
and they receive double the daily ration measured out to a
porter. The headman's duties are important and manifold.
He looks after the men, that they do not desert or shirk
their work, that they keep together, that they do not plunder or
rob friendly natives, that firewood is provided and camp-fires
are maintained at night, that night-watchmen are appointed
and do their work, that the cattle is protected against wild
beasts, that the men get their rations, and that, where necessary,
a sufficient supply of food for the caravan is obtained from the
natives.
The headman has usually one or more **askaries" to help
him. The askari is a sort of assistant-headman, but he has two
specially important duties. He has to defend the caravan in
case of attack, and for this reason he is supplied with a rifle and
twenty rounds of ammunition. He also acts as porter in case
of emergency, and, as such, he has to shoulder the load of any
one taken suddenly ill. Askaries are paid £1 a month and
their rations, but thev have to carry their own kit ; a porter
is not allowed for their special use.
The healthiest style of travelling is on foot. My very first
caravan journey, from Lake Nyassa to Kilwa, was on foot from
the day of departure to the day of arrival. But on the first
journey from Mombasa to Uganda, I rode nearly the whole
distance on a donkey. Those who can afford it ride a horse.
Some are very lucky in bringing their horses safely through the
tsetse region ; others are particularly unlucky. One man lost
his third and last horse in Kavirondo. The horse requires a
good groom, and constant care and protection against chills.
The donkey is simply let loose, and has to find its own food.
It is a very hardy animal, and wants next to no attention. The
white Muscat donkeys at Mombasa are rather expensive ; not
unfrequently they are dearer than horses. The donkey that
has suited my purse and requirements best, has been the
ordinary grey Masai donkey. The very first I had, fell one
day near Kilungu and sprained its leg which became so swollen
that the poor beast could not walk any further. It had to be
left behind, and was handed over to some friendly Wakamba. On
CARAVAN LIFE 39
another journey I lost a very fine donkey in crossing the Xzoia
river. It was allowed to swim across, by the side of the native
dug-out, its head being supported and held up by some of the
men. When near the other bank they cast the poor brute off,
and the stupid native struck and pushed it with a long bamboo.
The current was very swift, and the bank too steep for landing.
The donkey was carried away by the current and sank ; we
never saw it again. Only once have I lost a donkey from the
tsetse-fly.
But my best donkey was "Jack," my last purchase. I bought
him at Mombasa for 75 rupees = ;^5 ; he accompanied me to
Lake Albert, and returned with me to Mombasa, serving me
for fully two thousand miles. He never had a day's illness
or a sore back ; and when I left for England, I sold him
for the sum I originally paid for him. He was a young grey
donkey and very shy at first, as he had never been ridden.
He suspected everybody, and for a long time would not make
friends with anybody. The slightest noise behind him or at
his side would make him perform sudden gymnastic exercises
in which I, on his back, failed to accompany him, with the
result that I was landed over his head or thrown sideways.
I had one or two rather hard spills. On one occasion I was
so badly hurt that, to proceed on the journey, I had to be
lifted into the saddle. My Arab head-boy then had the bril-
liant idea of placing one of my thick bright-coloured blankets
under me. I got so accustomed to the soothing influence
of a folded blanket between me and the saddle, especially on
long journeys, that even when I was well again, I continued
the use of the blanket ; I can recommend its use, especially
for lean individuals like myself. The blanket has certainly
proved a great protection to my saddle Iwhich arrived in
good condition at Mombasa, notwithstanding exposure on the
donkey's back for 2000 miles in all weathers.
"Jack" became extremely tame and docile; he always kept
close to the camp, and at once stopped if we called for him.
None of my former donkeys would stir a yard without a com-
panion preceding it, thus necessitating my keeping two animals.
But "Jack" has always been satisfied to do the journey without
donkey-companionship. Only once did he stray from camp.
When we left Masindi, we passed through the Swahili settle-
ment, and "Jack" came suddenly upon his lady-love. Both
40 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
seemed heart-broken at parting from each other, and brayed
most lustily together. During the march every now and again
his grief found vent in a prolonged and mournful bray. Arrived
in camp, he was set free and left to himself. Soon there was
a general commotion. " Jack " had disappeared ! It turned
out, that his love for '* the girl he left behind him " over-
came a loyalty of two years' duration to his master, and he
had trotted back. My boys had the bother of returning to
Masindi to fetch him, and for the next two or three days
"Jack" marched along in very low spirits.
CHAPTER IV.
THE UGANDA PROTECTORATE.
THE Uganda Protectorate does not mean simply
Uganda— the kingdom which the famous autocrat King
Mtesa ruled over once upon a time — but it in-
cludes also the vast realms around it, territories where
no white man has ever passed, lakes only recently dis-
covered by hardy explorers and travellers, and races of men
differing from each other in language, in manners, and
in customs. Those who read stirring records of explorations
and discoveries associated with names like Livingstone, Speke,
Grant, and Mungo Park, are very much mistaken, if they
imagine that similar achievements are out of their reach because
all that can be discovered has been discovered. Within the last
few years Count Teleki has added to the map two new lakes,
lying close together, and named by him Lake Rudolph and
Lake Stephanie. Rebmann, incited by stories, by many believed
to be mythical, that a huge mountain, the summit covered
with eternal snow, lay in Africa, endeavoured to find it ; and
the famous snow-clad Kilimanjaro was added to general geo-
graphical knowledge, though for some time the discovery was
disbelieved in Europe. It seemed impossible to give credence
to a story of "eternal snow" under the scorching rays of an
African sun.
Kilimanjaro lies comparatively near the coast, and every
traveller to Uganda who cares to look out for it can see the
white glistening summit ; for the caravan route passes within
sight of the majestic snow-king. Sitting by the camp-fire, I
have listened to Arab and Swahili stories, asserted of course
to be absolutely true, though sounding to my sceptical ear even
more mythical than Rebmann's story of the snow mountain can
ever have sounded in his day. One of the stories asserts as a
42 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
fact, that far beyond the present limits of the white man in these
regions, there hes a land, where gold is plentiful, and where the
natives are ignorant of its value or its use, except that the
humblest can and does use it as the cheapest ornament where-
with to deck himself. Hardy Arab traders, it is said, have
now and again managed to penetrate to these auriferous realms
which are difficult to reach owing to enormous foodless tracts
which the traveller has first to cross. The knowledge of the
road to this land of gold, and everything that might betray its
whereabouts, is kept, so they say, a secret by the Arabs. On
my last journey I met an Arab caravan proceeding up country,
ostensibly to trade for ivory and to shoot elephants if necessary.
My Arab servant was an old friend of the Arab in command of
the caravan ; this led to my having a long chat with them about
those gold countries. The Arab told me that if his provisions
held out, he had made up his mind to attempt the journey.
He was going to buy up provisions in the market at Fort
Smith. He professed to know a good deal about the subject,
and according to him this gold country lies far beyond Lake
Rudolph, a lake which other travellers have visited since Teleki's
discovery. The Arab had apparently as firm a faith in the
existence of such a gold countrv as Columbus had in the New
World he discovered.
I can quite understand the food difficulty to be an almost
impassable barrier. There was a food difficulty on my first
journey to Uganda, owing to the caravan route passing for
some twenty days through an uninhabited country ; but the
difficulty is minimised by knowing exactlv the number of days
it takes a caravan to traverse the distance. A better insight
into the risks of travelling through a foodless region, without
knowing exactly how long the journey may last, I experienced
when I travelled through the Magwangwara country in German
East Africa to the coast. The Magwangwara kings had delibe-
rately surrounded their country with an enormous starvation
area, by ruthlessly destroying villages and whole races around
them. The foodless belt was a greater protection to them than
the Great Wall of China has been to the Chinese emperors.
This wilderness my nephew and I determined to penetrate.
We provided ourselves as best we could for the journey.
Before we reached the end of our expedition, we were driven
to subsist on starvation allowance, a handful of rice in the
THE UGANDA PROTECTORATE 43
morning and in the evening, and one small tin of sardines
per day shared with scrupulous fairness. We soon knew by
heart how many sardines a small tin usually contains. On
this meagre allowance we marched on foot twenty, some-
times thirty, miles per day. From the day we left Lake Nyassa
to the day w^e reached Kilwa took us exactly two months.
Sometimes, but very rarely indeed, did an antelope as a wind-
fall hnd its way to our table.
Count Teleki describes in his book, how he had to shoot
game for his caravan ; yet more than one of his porters suc-
cumbed to want of food, according to what I was told by
some of my men who had accompanied Teleki. I have since
heard, how other travellers, after crossing such foodless tracts,
have found themselves suddenly amongst strange races of men
living in comparative affluence, owning flocks and herds, and
possessing an abundant store of corn.
The gold-fields that have been found in South Africa make
it probable that eastward there are other gold-fields not yet dis-
covered.
We all know how valuable ivory is ; in fact, the British
Government, to protect the elephant from extermination, has
already defined a large area as a sanctuary for it. By recent
game laws in British East Africa, the hunter has to pay ^^25 to
start with, and this license permits the holder to shoot not
more than two elephants. Yet Count Teleki told me himself
of regions he has visited during his explorations, where natives
were ignorant of the value of ivory, and where consequently it
lay on the ground where the elephant had died. Many a tusk was
simply picked up by Teleki. It almost sounds a fable, but 1
had it from his own mouth, that he returned to the coast with
ivory which realised straight off something like;^20oo. He did
not go as a trader, but as an explorer, never expecting to get
any pecuniary returns from his journey, still less such a sum.
It is therefore not impossible, that unknown races in some
of these unknown regions have a superabundance of gold
which, like the ivory just mentioned, is spurned by the foot of
the savage who is unconscious of its value.
Hitherto neither gold nor coal, nor any other mineral
resources, have been discovered either in Uganda or in the
East African Protectorate ; some silver was found near the
coast, but not worth the expense of working it.
44 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
The Uganda Protectorate lies at the Equator ; the Equator
passes through it. By rights it should be called Equatorial
Africa, but this name has already been appropriated by Gordon
Pasha, Emin Pasha, Casati, and others to territories lying far
north of Uganda and of the Equator. A glance at the map
shows that Uganda is nearer to the centre of Africa than the
territories, known as the British Central Africa Protectorate,
which lie around the Shire river and Lakes Nyassa and Tan-
ganyika.
The Uganda Protectorate stretches around the Lakes Victoria
Nyanza, Albert Nyanza, and Albert Edward Nyanza ; it therefore
contains the principal sources of the White Nile. The districts
into which the Protectorate has been divided are the Eldoma
Ravine, Kavirondo, Usoga, Uganda Proper, Unyoro, and Toru.
Further subdivision may be expected with every increase in the
number of officials.
It is a little misleading to say that the climate of Uganda is
a sort of unbroken English summer, because there is a con-
siderable difference between the cold of Mau and the heat of
parts of Unyoro. There are areas where white clothing is the
most comfortable to wear all the year round, and there are
other areas where white clothing is never worn. The heat is
never anywhere excessive, nor is the cold. On the whole the
climate is suitable for Europeans.
Local labour is che:ip, about threepence a day, but the diffi-
culty has been, and still is, to get the native to work for hire ;
gradually, however, natives are coming forward of their own
accord as labourers. The principal export is ivory, on which a
duty of 15 per cent, is levied, whether it be elephant-ivory or
hippo-ivory. An import tax of 5 per cent, is levied on all im-
ports of whatever nature. Trade in gunpowder and in arms,
except under conditions as laid down by the Brussels Act of
International Law, is prohibited, and so is the sale to natives of
alcoholic beverages. Bv recent regulations neither are stills
permitted, except under certain restraints. Smaller taxes, under
various names, such as a road-tax of half a rupee per load, and
an annual compulsory registration-fee of two rupees and a half
on every British subject, are also enforced.
At present the expenditure, not counting the millions spent
on the Uganda Railway, is greatly in excess of revenue. The
reasons which influenced the British Government to proclaim a
THE UGANDA PROTECTORATE 45
Protectorate over Uganda, when access to it was difficult and
expensive, have naturally become stronger, as regards continued
occupation, in presence of the Uganda Railway in construction
from south to north, and of the success of the Soudan campaign
working from north to south. If England were to withdraw
from Uganda, some other European Power would at once step
in and take possession, in spite of there being no immediate
pecuniary return for the heavy expense incurred by occupation.
It follows that an empire like Great Britain, in vigorous growth
and expansion, had to take over Uganda.
But to realise Lugard's hope of an East African Empire
something further is wanted besides the missionary and the
ofttcial. European settlers may perhaps be encouraged to join
us, by liberal concessions of substantial grants of land with as
few restrictions as possible to their earning a livelihood as
traders or planters, farmers or stock-breeders, artisans or manu-
facturers. Coffee, cotton, sugar-cane, and rice, can be grown
in some districts, European cereals in others.
No doubt, as soon as a fair start in this direction has been
made, European pluck and enterprise will tap other resources
not even thought of at present.
CHAPTER V.
THE RAVINE DISTRICT.
T
MASAI WOMAN WITH
GOURD-BOTTLE.
HE Ravine district includes the terri-
tory between Kikuyu and Kavirondo.
Nearlv half-way between the two
lies the Eldoma Ravine, where a
station has been built, called the Ravine
Station, which is now the headquarters of
the district. Between Kikuyu and the Eldoma
Ravine only wandering nomadic tribes are
met with. I have passed along this road
more than once without meeting a single
human being far or near, and at other
times 1 have found here crowds of natives
temporarily settled, scattered kraals, and vast
herds.
Before the cart-road was laid down by
the late Captain Sclater, the transport of
goods from Fort Smith to the Ravine was no easy matter.
With perseverance the officer in charge of Kikuyu established
a regular service by means of Wakikuyu, more and more
of whom offered themselves as porters, till at last caravans
several hundred strong were constantly on the move along
the road.
Prior to the days of the Protectorate, the Wakikuyu were
hostile and treacherous. It is only gradually that they have sub-
mitted to the inevitable, and have acknowledged the supremacy of
British rule. The Wakamba who fight with bows and arrows,
are on one side of them, and on the other are the Masai who
use spears and swords. The Wakikuyu have adopted both
methods of fighting. A group who visited my camp on my last
journey afford a good illustration. The Wakikuyu spear-head
THE RAVINE DISTRICT
47
is broad and leaf-shaped. The sword is of the Masai pattern,
heavier towards the pointed end than at the hilt. The arrows are
carried in a leathern quiver which has an ornamental tuft of
ostrich feathers and is slung from the back. One of the men
wore a short grass-apron, but the majority had adopted the
Masai style of wrapping a piece of cotton cloth round the body,
passing it over one shoulder, and letting it reach half-way down
the thighs. The Wakikuyu are extremely fond of ornaments,
WAKIKUYU MEN.
and deck themselves out with beads, iron-wire, and brass, in the
shape of ear-rings, necklaces, bracelets, and anklets. Their huts
are hidden away in the woods, as a protection against enemies ;
and for a similar reason they do not keep poultry, as they are
afraid that the crowing of the cocks might betray the where-
abouts of their dwellings.
They are always cutting down parts of the forest in order
to plant the clearings with various sorts of native corn, sweet-
potatoes, yams, and casava ; but such constant and ruthless
destruction of the forests must bring its own punishment some
day. It is not as if there were no other land for them to till,
48 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
for they abandon the last clearing in order to extract the
goodness from the virgin soil of an adjoining area.
On my last journey, I travelled to the coast with a companion
who had only been one year up-country ; he told me he too
had noticed a great destruction of forest even in this short space
of time. Forest-laws have been recently passed. They weigh
heavy on the white man who is to plant ten young trees for
every piece of timber he fells, but are a dead letter as regards
the wholesale and wanton felling practised by the natives.
A well-organised Forest Department, embracing both Protec-
torates and placed under an experienced and energetic traveller
acquainted with these regions, would certainly add another item
to the expenditure, but would as certainly produce incalculable
benefits in the future.
The Wakikuyu women carry their burdens slung from a
leather strap which passes across the head. They, too, help in
the transport service, and carry European loads and boxes,
weighing 40 lbs. and more, exactly in the same way. They dress
like the Masai and load themselves with ornaments ; to see
twenty to thirty huge rings of beads stuck through one ear is
not at all an uncommon sight. They never go uncovered, and
appear to be modest and gentle.
In the latter part of 1895 a large caravan of Wakikuyu and
Swahilies was returning from the Ravine to Fort Smith ; it
reached the Kedong Valley and came across some Masai
kraals. How the subsequent bloodshed arose is not exactly
known, as only a few survivors managed to escape. Accord-
ing to one story, the Swahilies behaved aggressively towards
the IMasai and, relying on their superior numbers, tried to
levy blackmail. The Masai resented it, and in a moment a
fierce carnage was going on. Over 400 of the unfortunate
Wakikuyu and Swahilies were slaughtered ; for the lust of blood
once roused, innocent and guilty were indiscriminately butchered.
The news of the disaster was brought to Fort Smith, and was
immediately followed by another tragedy ; for a trader, Mr.
Dick, was on his way up-country. A French scientific mission,
also on its way to Uganda, arriving at the Fort, two of their
number, military men, volunteered to recall Dick. They found
him ; but instead of persuading him to return with them to
the security of the Fort, he persuaded them to accompany him
across the Kedong. What were the motives which prompted
THE RAVINE DISTRICT
49
the trader, no one will ever know. According to some, he wanted
to pay out the Masai for the horrible and wholesale butchery
they had just perpetrated ; according to others, he thought it a
good pretext for capturing their valuable herds. He did seize a
lot of cattle ; for several hundred head were brought in by the
Frenchmen to the Fort. I met these gentlemen a few weeks
later in Uganda and, as I knew Dick personally, gathered from
them some particulars of the fight. They told me that Dick
fought most fearlessly and bravely and, being an excellent shot,
dropped one Masai after another. He went to pick up the
WAKIKUYU WOMEN.
shield and spear of a Masai he had just slain, when the enemy
made a desperate rush, and at a critical moment Dick's rifle
jammed. He turned round to his men to get another, when
a Masai rushed forward and speared him through the back,
killing him on the spot. The Frenchmen killed Dick's assailant,
but fighting against overwhelming odds, they were compelled
to retreat to the Fort. In a couple of days they returned to
the scene of the fight in order to bury Dick. They found the
body stripped naked, and buried it on the Kedong escarpment.
They erected a plain wooden cross over the grave, which I
saw still standing w'hen I last journeyed that way. The inscrip-
tion simply states, that the cross was erected by his comrades
in arms to the memory of the deceased, slain by the Masai.
One of these two Frenchmen has died since ; he suffered
D
so UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
from fever on his way down the Congo ; broken in heahh he
reached Paris, and died.
Poor Dick ! I felt sorry for him. He was a most energetic
and resolute man, so that the Swahilies had dubbed him " Simba
uleia," which means " the lion of Europe." He was too inde-
pendent a man to get on well with everybody. I was able to
render him a slight service, when he was down with fever ;
and as I declined to accept payment, he sent all his men,
two hundred of them, to work for a couple of days at the
place which I was then having cleared for the erection of
some Government buildings. I little thought, when he said
good-bye to me at Kavirondo, that he was about to join the
number of those who have found their grave in Africa.
For months the Kedong valley bore witness to the dreadful
slaughter. When I passed that way some months later, the road-
side for miles was strewn with blood-soaked scraps of clothing
and with skeletons. These belonged to mortally wounded
men who had tried to escape from the massacre, but had
succumbed to their wounds. On reaching the scene of carnage,
the skeletons, no longer single as alreadv met with by the way-
side, lay in some places by the dozen, where frightened and
wounded men had huddled together in the vain hope of finding
mercy or safety. Last time I passed I shot a zebra here ; and
not far from the animal, there lay a human skull, though only
a few now remain scattered about.
At Campi Mbaruk I came upon one of the temporary
settlements of these nomadic Masai. The huts, seen from a
distance, resemble the baker's familiar tinloaf of bread. They
are well plastered over with cow-dung, almost touch each other,
and are arranged in circular kraals with an inner free space
for penning the young calves. The vast herds these humble
nomads own are a sight ! One is reminded of the possessions
of Job, of Abraham, and of Israel. The plain was dotted with
black patches indicating densely packed herds of thousands of
head of cattle, sheep, and goats, and hundreds and hundreds
of donkeys. When the tribe shifts its habitation, the donkeys
carry the household goods, especially heavy articles such as
long poles and bullock-hides. The women carry the more
fragile possessions, such as earthenware cooking -pots. One
of the men I saw, was evidently an elder and a man of
wealth and authority ; he was wrapped in a thick fur-coat
THE RAVINE DISTRICT
51
made of monkey -skins. His wives were loaded with orna-
ments of brass, beads, and iron -wire. The Masai women
disfigure themselves by hanging heavy chains of iron-wire from
the upper portion of the ear, so that it is pulled over the
lower. In this way they alter for the worse, what might other-
wise have passed as a pleasing oval face.
The Masai have a horrid liking for drinking the warm
blood, as it gushes out of a slaughtered animal, and for eating
the congealed lumps. If I happened to slaughter a sheep or
AT A MASAI KRAAL.
goat, and any Masai were near, boys and girls would come
with bowls to catch the blood and carry it away to their
kraal ; their blood-smeared mouths and hands were a loath-
some sight.
Mohammedans in this respect are the very opposite, and
follow the teaching of the Koran, founded on the Jewish law,
which ordains that the blood shall be shed on the earth, and
shall not be used in any form. It was one of the dit^culties
I had with my Mohammedan boys to get them to serve me
with an underdone steak. Their hidden contempt for it w^as
indicated in their very question whether I wanted "bifstek-ya-
dam " — the steak with blood ; and most probably they would
52 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
then serve up the meat practically raw with the blood still
oozing out. If I sent it back to the kitchen, it would re-
appear overdone.
The cultivation of the gourd into every conceivable shape,
according to the needs or the fancy of the community, is well
known ; and, as might be expected, the gourds which find
greatest favour with the Masai resemble long- necked bottles.
Some of these are curiously shaped like champagne bottles.
Gourds are often ornamented with rows of cowrie shells
or beads ; others have a pattern burnt on them in the style
of poker-work.
The Masai woman is an expert milkmaid, but she never uses
both hands to milk ; she usually holds the gourd-bottle, which
is extremely light, in her left hand and milks with the right.
Veterinary surgery, as practised by them, consists in bleeding.
I witnessed the operation one day, when a gentleman, afraid that
his donkey was ill beyond all recovery, called in a Masai vet., who
came provided with a toy bow and what looked like a toy
arrow but that it had a very sharp pointed arrow-head. Having
felt the animal, the Masai from a distance of about eight or
ten inches shot the arrow into its neck, and a stream of dark
venous blood at once flowed out. He allowed about three to
four ounces to escape, and then, extracting the arrow, the
bleeding stopped almost immediately. The operation certainly
relieved the donkey at the time ; 1 cannot say if it proved of
any lasting benefit, as I had to continue my march next day.
Along the line of the lakes Naivasha, Elmenteita, and Nakuru,
the cows which accompany a caravan produce at certain seasons
of the year a milk with a most peculiar smell and taste — in fact,
"fishy" is the nearest resemblance. Swahilies do not mind this
nasty flavour ; but I have not yet met the European who likes it.
I have been told that it is due to some plant which the cows
eat without any injurious effect on their health, though it im-
parts this very peculiar vile aroma to their milk.
The first Government station the traveller arrives at in the
Uganda Protectorate is Naivasha Station. It is built on a
plateau which overlooks the lake. The locality provides flat
slabs of stone ; this made it comparatively easy to build up a
stone wall round the fort. Trench and drawbridge afford
additional security. Good building timber can also be had,
though it is not felled in the very immediate neighbourhood.
THE RAVINE DISTRICT
S3
Most travellers who have been for some years up-country,
declare that Lake Naivasha is on the increase ; I am of the
same opinion. I am under the impression, that a certain copse
of thorn-trees which is now standing in the water marks the
very spot, where our caravan camped four years ago. This,
to geographical science, interesting information could be easily
verified by fixing a few poles at the edge of the water, record-
ing the date, and from time to time, say every six months,
observing by their position if the lake has increased, decreased,
or remained the same. Lake Naivasha has no visible exit,
and yet some fairly large rivers, such as the Morendat and the
Gilgil, empty themselves into it.
It is a sight to see the waterfowl which frequent the lake.
On my first journey, though we arrived here one day and left
next morning, I had time to secure an interesting mixed bag
of snipe, coot, grebe, wild goose, and a variety of different
species of duck. The most delicate for the table were teal and
snipe. Flamingo, ibis, and a vast number of other aquatic
birds thickly cover the shores. On one journey I saw wild-geese
feeding on the adjoining grassy plains by the thousand ; but
when they are present in such numbers, I found them most
difficult to shoot. They were as vigilant as the historic geese
which saved the Roman Capitol. They
seemed to know exactly how far the shot
could carry, and they gauged accurately
the distance I might be allowed to draw
near, before they flew off with a harsh
noisy scream which startled and frightened
all the other birds near them.
At the south-east end of Lake Naivasha
is the extinct volcano Longonot, with a
huge crater on its summit.
Lake Elmenteita and Lake Nakuru are
both brackish ; and though a good many
waterfowl are found on them, the number
is insignificant compared to what is seen
on Lake Naivasha. At Lake Nakuru I
shot a guinea-fowl and an ibis. The guinea-fowl is interesting ;
for it has been described by the learned ornithologist, Mr. E.
Hartert, director of the Tring Museum, as a new species. For
a scientific description of the bird vide Appendix.
GUINEA-FOWL AND IBIS.
54 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Lake Nakuru is apparently the home of the flamingoes ; they
seem to be always present in numbers. I was much surprised
when I compared some which I shot on my last journey and
brought home with me, with others which I had shot on the
previous journey. The birds belonged to two totally different
species. The one sort is a small, rare bird, with quite a different
form of beak to the other which is the large, common flamingo.
Amongst my specimens there were some young and some old.
In the young the iris is grey, in the old it is bright yellow.
Though the water of Lake Nakuru is brackish, a fair-sized
stream flow's into it. A number of fresh water springs bubble
out of the soil within a few yards of the lake. There are a
good many hippos, but they are difficult to shoot. They are
shy, and have probably been shot at by passing caravans.
A two-days' march from Lake Nakuru takes the traveller
to the Ravine Station. About twelve miles from the station he
crosses the Equator. Some facetious individual, signing himself
" Snooks," has put up a board calling the attention of tiie pass-
ing caravan to the fact that they are crossing " the line." But
though the Ravine Station is practically on the
Equator, it is out and out the coldest station in
the whole of the Uganda Protectorate.
I have met Wanderobo men near Naivasha, but
the first Anderobo woman I saw at the Ravine ; she
was dressed in monkey-skins. The Wanderobo are
a race of elephant-hunters. Those I saw resembled
the Masai in dress and ornaments. The Eldoma
mountain range is inhabited by a race called the
Kamasia.
Where caravans used to cross formerly, the
Ravine has steep sides, and deep down at the
bottom of it there is a mountain stream which,
when swollen by heavy rains, may become a
ANDEROBO WOMAN, fiercc torrcut but in the dry season is only ankle-
deep. Formerly caravans lost a day in crossing
the Ravine. By the present caravan route, a few hundred
yards higher up the river, caravans can pass without any
difficulty w^hatever. The former Ravine crossing is, however,
worth a visit. Pretty ferns, amongst them maiden-hair, grow
here in wild profusion,
Mr. James ]\Lartin, the officer in charge of the Ravine Station,
THE RAVINE DISTRICT SS
is a veteran traveller, having done a score of journeys, though
not always right up to Kampala. He was the first of the
bachelor officials who got married, and his example has been
followed by others, from storekeeper to Commissioner. Since
English Mission ladies by their presence demonstrated that
Uganda suited European ladies, there has been quite a matri-
monial epidemic.
From the Ravine the traveller next passes on to the cold
and wind-swept Mau escarpment, over 9000 feet above sea-level.
Sometimes it is very cold here. I have seen hoar-frost on the
ground and a thin coating of ice on the edge of shallow
springs. On my fourth journey it was so cold during the night,
that my boy in the early morning found, to his astonishment,
the water in the pail frozen into a solid lump. He had seen
sleet, but never anything like this. When he came to tell
me that my matutinal tub was not ready, I was only too glad
of a legitimate excuse to snuggle down in the warm blankets
for a little longer ; so I told him to put the pail near, but
not too near the fire, and to call me again when the bath was
ready.
It was on the Mau that I captured a new species of butter-
fly, a green swallow-tail. At the Ravine the orange-yellow
swallow-tail of Captain Pringle is quite common in March, and
others, equally valuable, are at certain seasons met with here by
the dozen.
The caravan-road across Mau was recently littered with dead
and dying bullocks belonging to the Government bullock-trans-
port which consequently broke down. The mission doctor at
Kibwezi called this form of cattle disease pleuro-pneumonia, but
the Government veterinary surgeon, whom I met at Machakos,
said there could be no doubt but that it was rinderpest.
Leaving bleak Mau, the traveller descends to the Nandi
country, only opened to traffic since the last three years.
Formerly the inhabitants were fierce and treacherous. A con-
firmation of this was the sad tragedy which befell Mr. West,
an English trader, at the hands of the Wanandi.
The last time I saw Mr. West alive was at Mumia's. He
was then on the point of going to the Nandi country to buy
ivory in exchange for cows. I asked him whether he was
not afraid to venture with such a small number of men,
barely twenty porters, among a race not yet brought under
56 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
subjection and reported to be hostile. He replied that it
might be dangerous for any other white man to try, but not
for him, as he had already once visited the country, and
although it was only at a frontier village, that he had made
blood-brotherhood with a chief. The porters he selected were
picked men, some of the best of the porters with whom I had,
only a short while previously, arrived from the coast. Little
did I reckon, when we shook hands and said good-bye, that
it was the last I should see of him, and that he was another
about to meet with a violent death.
He was very proud of his little garden at Mumia's. More
than once he had generously supplied my table with a dish of
green vegetables, and his last words to me were that he had left
instructions with his gardener to supply me out of his garden
until he returned. He told me that he hoped to be back in
a fortnight.
The next news we heard was brought by a few survivors
of his caravan, covered with ghastly wounds which I had to
treat. According to them. West was received with apparent
friendship by his so-called blood-brother. He then sent off
some of his men to the surrounding villages to purchase various
tusks of ivory said to be for sale. West felt so secure, that he
tied up all his rifles inside his tent. Without any provocation
on his part, and simply prompted by lust of blood and plunder,
the treacherous natives one night fell upon him and his caravan,
and massacred all but a very (e\v. Poor West ! He was down
with illness at the time, and they thrust their spears through
the tent and speared him where he lay on his bed. The black
woman who had been West's faithful and intelligent helpmate
for many a long year was speared by his side. The savages
carried off everything, but the naked bodies of the slaughtered
were left to be devoured by hyaenas.
A curious sequel to this story I heard many months after-
wards. It was on my return journey to the coast. I was
asked, by one of the officials I met, to take along with me to
the coast a man who professed to have belonged to the late
Mr. West's caravan and who said he had only now succeeded
in making his escape from the hands of the Wanandi.
Wlien I saw the man, I at once recognised him as " Bom-
bom," one of my Wanyamwezi porters who had accompanied
West's ill-starred caravan. The man, of course, knew me too,
THE RAVINE DISTRICT 57
and was delighted to see me again. He accompanied me to
the coast, and, as he was in rags, for the sake of auld-lang-
syne I rigged him out in a new cotton cloth.
He related to me some curious experiences. West had sent
him and two others to a certain village to fetch a tusk of ivory.
Arrived at the village, one of the three remained in the hut
assigned to them by the natives, whilst the other two were told
to accompany two old men to the river. There the two natives
looked for an insignificant dry twig washed hither and thither by
the current. This twig was a buoy, and by pulling at it they
drew two magnificent tusks of ivory, each over live feet in length,
out of the river. Bom-bom and his companion were asked to
carry the tusks to the village. Encumbered with the heavy
load of ivory, they were suddenly set upon by young Wanandi
warriors in full war-paint of red earth and grease, who de-
prived them at once of their rifies and then threatened them
with death. Bom-bom tells me that if it had not been for the
two old men interceding with the young warriors, he and his
Swahili companion would have been massacred on the spot.
But one of the old men claimed him as a slave, and the other
claimed the Swahili.
They now returned to the village. Here a pool of blood
was pointed out, as the spot where the third man they had
left at the village was killed during their absence. Near it
there were a few other drops of blood, said to be from a
chicken their companion was just killing for dinner, when the
treacherous murderers stabbed him to death from behind.
Bom-bom thought he had a chance of escaping, when no one
was watching ; but the young warriors were on the look-out,
and Bom-bom fied back to the old man's hut, where the mur-
derers were kept with difficulty from following and spearing
him.
Bom-bom and the Swahili now resigned themselves to their
condition of slavery. They lived separated, as their owners
did not belong to the same household. The old man who
owned the Swahili decided one day to sell him, and for this
purpose took him to another village ; but such a wretched sum
was offered for the slave, that no sale was effected. The
Swahili was a very merry fellow who submitted to his slavery
with the greatest equanimity. The old man's daughter hap-
pened to be a widow with some children, and the Swahili slave
58 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
so gained her affections that she married him. He was now-
regarded no longer as a slave, but as an honoured son-
in-law.
Bom-bom was not as lucky as his companion. He was of a
different temperament, and submitted with a bad grace to his
captivity and slavery. Nor did he at all take kindly to being sent
to cultivate the fields in company with women. Nor did any
native lady fall in love with him and desire him for a husband.
In desperation he determined to escape, and his master appar-
ently helped him off ; but not knowing the way out of the
country, he nearly died of hunger, and, after wandering for
days, he was compelled to return to the village. Here he was
at once seized by the natives and tied hand and foot preparatory
to being butchered. His Swahili friend arrived opportunely on
the scene, and told the Wanandi that he knew an infallible
charm for preventing a recaptured slave from ever succeeding
in escaping. He professed to be willing to divulge the secret
on solemn promise that Bom-bom's life should be spared, in
order to test the efficacy of the charm. The natives are very
superstitious and equallv curious to hear about something
supernatural. The promise was therefore readily given. Bom-
bom was set free, and a cupful of water was poured over his
feet by the Swahili who declared this to be the magic charm.
Of course it was only a trick ; for if Bom-bom escaped again
and was recaptured, his capture would be attributed to the
efficacy of the charm. If, however. Bom-bom made a suc-
cessful escape, he would obviously be out of danger, charm or
no charm ; and the Swahili was meditating to effect his own
escape shortly.
In his heart, the Sw-ahili yearned for freedom, and his wife
determined to help him and to accompany him, leaving her
children in the meantime in the care of the old grandfather.
Owing to her knowledge of the country, this devoted wife
got the Swahili safely out of it. Both lived afterwards for a
while in a Kavirondo village, and then the wife decided to
return to her father's village to fetch her children to the new
home and probably to bring her old father as well.
Bom-bom, finding that the Swahili had managed to escape,
decided to make another eff'ort. He succeeded ; and this is how
he came to accompany me to the coast.
Subsequently the Nandi country was reduced to submission
THE RAVINE DISTRICT
59
by a successful campaign under Major Cunningham, though
not till some stubborn fights had been won by the discipline
and bravery of the Soudanese troops. In one of these en-
gagements, 200 of the Wanandi were killed. The natives sued
for peace, Nandi Station was built, and the caravan route
was carried through their country.
When I passed that way, I captured a number of new species
of butterflies and moths at Patsho and at Rau.
Nandi is a delightful country, with densely wooded hills and
with open valleys suitable for pasturage and tillage. It is not
unpleasantly cold, though it is so many thousand feet above
the sea-level.
The Wanandi warriors carry bows and arrows, or else a broad-
bladed spear, knobkerry, and Masai sword. They usually offered
to us, for sale, pots of honey or skins of the black and white
Colobus monkey. The monstrous big lump of wood, which they
carry as ear-ring through the lower lobe of the ear, shows that
the tyranny of fashion exists also
amongst savages.
The Wanandi women resem-
ble the Masai in dress, but they
wear different ear-rings. Each
ear-ring is a flat spiral, about the
size of the palm of the hand, and
consists of solid brass wire. It
is suspended from the ear by a
leather loop. The two heavy ear-
rings usually rest on the chest,
and are fastened together by
a connecting strip of leather.
The lower lobe of the ear is
dragged down by the weight
of brass, till in course of time
it nearly touches the shoulder.
From Kavirondo as far as Nandi Station I was accompanied
by Wakwavi, placed in charge of some heads of Government
cattle. These Wakwavi belong to a branch of the great Masai
race, and resemble them in dress, weapons, and ornaments.
They live scattered among the Wakavirondo. We had some
heavy showers of rain, and these men came and crouched under
the awnin<^ of my tent. My boys wanted to drive them off, but
KWAVI.
KWAVI.
6o UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
I could not find it in my heart to refuse them shelter, as long as
it rained. I was glad, however, to get rid of them as soon as the
rain stopped ; the natural scent of their own skin, blended with
the odour of rancid grease and the fragrance of unwashed
clothes, combined to form a bouquet which no European nostril
could endure for any length of time.
CHAPTER VI.
S
A KAVIRONDO MINSTREL.
KAVIRONDO.
CANTY dress may naturally be expected
amongst savages of a low type and living
in a tropical climate, but to find one-
self among a race absolutely naked is a
strange experience ; and yet within a few weeks
or months the novelty wears off, and one fails
to notice anything extraordinary in such a mode
of life. The inhabitants of Kavirondo recall the
state of mankind in the Garden of Eden before
the Fall. Banana-trees and other tropical vege-
tation around the huts, at least in some parts
of their country, would strengthen this impres-
sion of being in a garden, were it not for the
treeless grass-plains outside the village. Young
and old go about in the same primeval garb. Women often
wear a curious ornament, in the shape of a tail, which consists
of a number of plaited strings manufactured out of some sort
of vegetable fibre. A tiny apron of the same material is worn
by a few of the women. As it is never worn by the un-
married, I was told that its presence was the equivalent for the
European wedding-ring ; but I am sure this is incorrect, as I
have come across numbers of young mothers and wives without
this apron, and have seen widows with and without it. I believe
it is simply a fashion, like the tail, without any other object.
The race is well formed and healthy. They are agricultur-
ists; wherever they settle, the jungle around them is soon con-
verted into fruitful fields, yielding sweet-potatoes or various
forms of corn. Those who can afford it keep goats and sheep,
and the wealthy have herds of cattle. One of the chiefs, I was
assured, owned several thousand cows. The native weapon is
62 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
the spear, a short iron blade on a long wooden staff, usually
tipped with iron at the other end to stick into the ground,
when at rest. The shields are very curious. The leaf-shaped
wicker-shield is evidently old-fashioned. The more common
form is the small oval leathern shield of bullock-hide ; it has
a raised bump or boss punched in the centre.
The women wear a few strings of beads, but the men are
inordinately fond of ornaments, especially the young warrior
dandies. Iron-wire twisted into a spiral coil round the neck
as a sort of collar, or round the leg as an anklet, is the
height of fashion. Those who are lucky enough to secure a
piece of ivory wear it, if from the tusk of a hippo, as a crescent-
shaped ornament fastened to the forehead, but if of elephant
ivory, then either as a bracelet or an anklet. In the last few
years cowrie shells have come into favour, and are worn strapped
round the chest or dangling from the shoulders.
Pink beads are the accepted currency, but even this de-
pends on fashion. With the smaller pink beads we used to
be able, on my first journey, to buy food for the caravan.
These beads are everywhere refused nowadays, and the tra-
veller would not be able to buy a stick of firewood or a single
sweet-potato with them. The beads now in vogue are about
four times as large as the former sort.
The Kavirondo hut consists of a circular mud wall of wattle
and daub, with a conical grass-thatched roof; and a narrow outer
verandah encircles the dwelling. The entrance is very low, and
is closed at night by a reed-screen, movable between vertical
posts, and securely fastened by a horizontal bar. The interior
of the hut is very dark. The hut not only shelters the whole
family, but the poultry, goats, and sheep, and occasionally a cow
as well. There is no ventilation of any sort. One would imagine
a dreadful state of ill-health from these, to Europeans, insanitary
conditions ; as a fact, the natives are most healthy, except for
such diseases as have been imported by passing caravans.
Owing to the destruction caused by annually recurring grass-
fires for generations past, the want of wood is becoming yearly
more acutely felt by the traveller. The natives can manage to
cook their food by using the dried stems of Kaffre-corn or
maize or elephant-grass, but the firewood for a camp has to be
fetched from a considerable distance, and the traveller has to
pay accordingly.
1
^-
KAVIRONDO Gi,
The natives are remarkably stingy and inhospitable, and in
this respect contrast unfavourably with other native races.
Even though their village food-stores may contain more than
the population can possibly require, and their fields may be
covered with luxuriant crops, they will refuse food to a starv-
ing caravan, and severely punish, and probably kill, any one
driven by hunger to help himself to a little from the vast wealth
of their fields. They not only insist on payment for everything,
but will refuse to sell anything e.xcept for the sort of bead that
happens to be in fashion with them at the moment. I was
stationed at Mumia's, the first Government station in Kavirondo,
for some months, and I had an opportunity of witnessing the
grasping greed of the natives. It happened that the only beads
the Government possessed were white, red, or blue ; the pink
ones were exhausted. The Soudanese garrison and the Svva-
hili porters were paid their food-ration with these beads ; and
yet the villagers not only refused to accept the Government
currency, but endeavoured to extort famine prices from the
unfortunate Government servants. More than once a native
would appear at the station and complain, that a Soudanese
soldier had snatched a basket of potatoes or flour and had
chucked him some strings of white beads, the owner having
refused to accept any but pink. As the Kavirondo have not
been conquered, but have come peacefully under British sway,
they consequently look upon the Government stations as tole-
rated, and not as the strongholds of the new and powerful
masters of their country. Hence difficulties may sometimes
cause strained relations. In most cases a judicious treatment
of the native chief or chiefs settles the hitch amicably.
The chiefs are generally friendly disposed, will call on the
traveller, and bring him a present. The Kavirondo chief
Ngira presented me with a black fat-tailed sheep, when I passed
through his country on my last journey. Neither he nor his
chief attendants were naked, owing to the influence of Euro-
peans having passed frequently with their caravans of clothed
porters. In fact, all along the caravan route I noticed, especially
among the male population, that a good many were adopting
some form of covering, apparently in deference to the clothed
strangers that visit them. This covering consists of a piece of
goatskin or cotton cloth. Formerly, every man one met carried
a spear, but the peaceful British rule has had the visible eftect
64
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
of causing villagers to attend markets without a spear. Very
often they are armed simply with a small club which, if long
enough, serves also as a walking-stick.
The native bill-hook is quite different in shape to the one used
in Uganda. It is used to cut down jungle, rank weeds, and
shrubs, as a preliminary clearing of the field ; the women
afterwards turn over the soil with native hoes of the usual
pointed heart-shape. I have seen men working in the fields
as diligently as women. Small boys usually serve as goatherds.
THE KAVIRONUO CHIEF NGIRA.
shepherds, and cowherds. Small girls, even from the earliest
years, assist their mothers, fetch water, look after the fire, pre-
pare the food, grind corn, and help in the fields.
The Kavirondo natives have no supreme king over them, but
are under small independent chiefs. Very often the village
elders manage their own affairs without rendering obedience to
any one. According to different districts, the natives, though of
one race and one language, call themselves by different names,
such as Wakitosh and Wakilelowa.
In 1894 a sad reverse attended British influence among the
neighbouring Wakitosh. Some Swahilies had deserted to a
certain Wakitosh village, and the force sent to demand their
KAVIRONDO 65
surrender proved inadequate. It is difficult to know for certain
the details of the disaster, or who were the parties really respon-
sible for the bloodshed, whether the fault lay with our men or
with the natives. Most of the men that were sent never returned ;
they were massacred by the Wakitosh, and the whole of Kitosh
became insecure.
A number of new ol^cials just then arrived opportunely from
the coast ; and one of these, a first-class transport officer, was
placed in charge of the district. He had to wait some time
before the Government was able to send a sufficiently strong
force to assert British authority effectively over the Wakitosh.
The expedition was commanded by Mr. W. Grant, and accom-
panied by a military officer, the civil officer of the district, and
myself as the medical officer. It consisted of only a few hun-
dred Soudanese soldiers, but there were several thousand armed
native allies, consisting of Waganda, Wasoga, Masai, and friendly
Wakavirondo, quite willing, in anticipation of loot, to join in
arms against their own kindred.
The Kavirondo live in villages most of which are fortified.
The village is circular, and defended by a high wall of earth ;
a deep trench surrounds the wall. There are at least two
entrances, and if the village is large there may be five or six.
When the village owns a considerable number of cattle, an open
space is left in the centre with sheds for housing it. The huts
are arranged close along the wall, with their doors opening
towards the central space of the village. Where the popula-
tion is particularly dense, there are a great many other huts
crowding the inner space. These are fenced off from each
other in such an intricate manner, that a stranger would not
find it easy to pass from one hut to another. Every hut has
one or more outdoor corn-stores of the usual pattern, viz., a
bi<£ basket on trestles with a conical grass-thatched cover.
The massacre by the Wakitosh, followed by the disaster which
overtook Mr. West in Nandi, had also rendered the natives of
Kabras hostile. A message reached us at Mumia's that the
natives, having found out that white men were mortal (Mr.
West was speared and killed in a treacherous night-attack), had
determined to prevent in future any white man from passing
throu<7h their countrv. It shows what curious notions some of
these savages had hitherto held with regard to white men.
The whole district now became insecure, and the Europeans
E
66 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
up-country were threatened with being cut off from all com-
munication with the coast. This sufficiently explains the abso-
lute necessity of the punitive expedition, unless the Government
were prepared to abandon all the Europeans up-country and
to surrender the country to the tender mercies of bloodthirsty
savages.
The entrance to a fortified village is by means of a narrow
bank of earth across the trench, and a low archway in the
earth-wall. One has to stoop to pass through such a gate.
This entrance can be easily barricaded with heavy logs of
wood, and rendered practically impregnable against all native
attack. A very common sight on approaching a Kavirondo
village is the appearance of a number of inquisitive natives
popping their heads above the wall or squatting on it. The
rank weeds often hide the trench, and the incautious visitor
may fall headlong into a treacherous pit.
When the expedition approached the first hostile village,
we saw numbers of armed natives waiting outside their gates
as if to give us battle ; but as we drew nearer, they retired
within their walls and barricaded the gates. The enemy had
a few men armed with muzzle-loaders. When the fight began,
one of our W^aganda friendlies near me had his arm shattered
by a bullet. I amputated it there and then on the open field.
But when the bullets continued whizzing and singing un-
pleasantly near me, I removed the wounded behind the shelter
of a white-ant hillock and there attended to them. Then I
was called in a hurry to see a Swahili shot down a little dis-
tance off ; on examining him, I found he was dead. A bullet
had struck him full in the chest, and must have passed through
the heart.
The reason why the Kavirondo have several entrances to
their villages, appears to be to enable them to escape by one
if overpowered at any of the others. This happened in the
present case. Several natives burst out from a gate the exis-
tence of which was unsuspected. They escaped, though, of
course, there was an immediate rush by our men towards the
spot. Strict orders had been given to spare women and
children ; a few of the women and children however perished.
This might happen, and probably does happen, at the siege
and capture of every fortified place. There were a great
many wounded, and I had a busy time of it. The village
-j"H,vf,.-'ai
KAVIRONDO 67
was plundered and burnt. There was very little for our
savage allies to loot — a few shields and spears, and some
Kavirondo drums, harps, and stools.
The Kavirondo minstrel with his harp and stool may be met
with in almost every village. The stool is carved out of a solid
block of wood; it has four legs and a cup-shaped seat. It is
very strong, and can stand a deal of hard wear and tear. It
is whittled smooth with a knife, and then polished with the
rough leaves of a certain plant used instead of sand-paper.
The Kavirondo harp consists of an oblong wooden bowl
covered with a piece of leather. Two pieces of wood, slightly
diverging from each other, are fixed inside the bowl ; a hori-
zontal piece fastens them to each other, and serves as a support
for the eight coils of string which converge and meet, w'here
they pass through a hole in the leather covering of the bowl.
The sound-aperture is placed somewhat to the right. The
minstrel holds the harp to his chest with one hand, and plays
with the other. The strings are not made of gut, but of some
vegetable fibre.
In the pillaging which followed the capture of a village
some accidents happened on our side. One poor boy was
brought to me cut all over. The gashes were inflicted with a
spear. One of our savage allies had mistaken him for an
enemy and had tried to kill him. The boy had one of his
thumbs nearly cut ofl", a spear thrust through the leg, the cheek
laid open, gashes on the scalp, and cuts on the arm. He sur-
vived these dreadful injuries, but was horribly disfigured and
maimed for life.
At the next village stormed, a desperate resistance was
offered by the enemy. I wore a conspicuous solar-helmet, and
from a loophole in the wall one of the enemy took me as a
target for pot-shots. A bullet at last whipped past unpleasantly
near my face. It missed ; and although a miss is as good as
a mile, 1 raised my rifle in self-defence and gave a return-
greeting. Whether I hit or missed I do not know, nor did I
care to investigate subsequently, but I was not molested anv
further from that quarter. Finding the rifles did not inflict any
material damage on an enemy crouching behind the protection
of the earth-wall, our leader tried the Hotchkiss gun ; but the
missiles simply passed clean through without shattering the
earthen rampart. He then brought the Maxim gun into posi-
68
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
tion. Handling the weapon himself, he cut down the upper
half of the wall near one entrance. Then the signal was given
to storm the place, I was close to the gate ; a number of our
men had already entered and scattered to the right and left
along the inner wall, when suddenly the enemy made a desperate
but vain attempt at a sortie. A Soudanese officer standing by
my side was struck by a spear, and fell headlong into the trench.
A BLACKSMITHS PARAPHERNALIA IN KAVl RONDO.
I saw the blood gushing from his back and staining his tunic.
I thought he must be dead, but the wounded man turned over
and rested his head on his right hand. He never uttered a
groan. With the assistance of two of our men, 1 had him
hoisted out and carried to a place 200 yards off. But as the
vertebral column and the intestines were cut through, he died
within a few minutes. In the meantime some other wounded
were brought to me, and I was kept pretty busy. The village
was captured, pillaged, and burnt. The most important booty
was cattle, but there were other valuables in the shape of iron-
wire ornaments and native hoes.
KAVIRONDO 69
The most important manufacture in Kavirondo is the smelt-
ing of iron ore and the fashioning of hoes. The iUustration
shows a native blacksmith's extremely simple paraphernalia. In
a large basket he has charcoal, and in a smaller basket the red
iron ore broken into very tiny pieces. His hammer is simply
a heavy stone, the tongs a green twig split half way down.
The bellows is double-muzzled and covered with two goat-
skins which have each a long stick attached. The man who
works the bellows stands, and holding these two sticks, he
works them up and down. The two hands by thus working
alternately produce a continuous draught. The bellows is of
wood, and the draught is driven into a roughly fashioned clay
pipe, and thus conveyed to the fire. The clay pipe is in
sections, roughly held together with wet clay. The construc-
tion of the bellows is somewhat peculiar. It is carved out of a
solid block of wood, and consists of two separate basin-shaped
depressions, each having its own passage tunnelled to the other
end of the block. The piece of goatskin which covers each
basin must be sufttciently large to be pulled up and pushed
down ; this movement draws in and expels the air. Wooden
shields are old-fashioned and so heavy that the man who carries
one has not much chance of using a spear or any other offensive
weapon, his whole strength being required to support the shield.
Several of the war-helmets I saw, were really wicker-baskets,
kept on the head by a leather strap which passes under the
chin. They are often ornamented with circles, painted on with
red and white clay.
Our leader kept a sharp look-out that the captured women
and children were not carried off as slaves, but were handed
over to his care. Amongst primitive tribes, war is simply a
repetition of what one reads of in the Old Testament — every
adult male is put to death, the women and children are captured
and become slaves. Native women are often very callous, and
readily accept as husband the murderer of their male relatives.
Centuries of bloodshed, indiscriminate slaughter, and slave-
raiding amongst themselves, have gradually blunted nobler
feelings, and reduced these human beings to the level of
beasts. The children, having lost their father, and being sepa-
rated probably also from their mother, soon forget their
origin, and grow up as the children of the tribe into which they
have been adopted. No doubt a good many of the captured
JO
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
women and children went off with their captors, in spite of
the strict watch kept by our leader. I liberated myself not a
few, which I happened to see as they were being carried off.
It was not always easy to persuade the captive woman to leave
her native captor ; she naturally imagined that the white man
wanted to seize her as his slave. She evidently thought, that
under the circumstances the black warrior who had captured
her had a better right to possess her.
KAVIRONDO HELLOWS, WOODEN SHIELD, AND WAR-HELMET.
It was at the capture of a village that I witnessed the
cruel lust of blood, which is said to exist in every Masai. Two
little urchins, four or live years old, attempted to escape from
one of the gates ; but finding the enemy present everywhere,
they ran round the village along by the trench, trying to find
a means of re-entry. In the meanwhile, two of our Masai allies
had rushed forward from the besieging hordes.
A Masai on the war-path is a horrid object. He is usually
naked. Round his waist he wears a broad leather belt carrying
a long sword in a leather scabbard. Very often he has also a
knobkerry, usually of some hard wood, but I have one in my
KAVIRONDO 71
possession carved out of a rhino-horn. In his left hand he
carries a large oval shield, and in his right hand a spear. To
one or both of his ankles he ties a peculiar ornament made of
feathers, and on his head he wears a similar arrangement of
black ostrich feathers fastened to a leathern band which passes
round the forehead and occiput. The Masai sword has a
straight leather-covered hilt. The blade is narrow, but gradu-
ally gets broader towards the end, where it suddenly terminates
in a point. The weapon answers its purpose of slashing rather
than of piercing an enemy. The shields are made of bullock-
hide, and are ornamented with various patterns in white, red,
and black. The spear is very handsome, though somewhat
peculiar. The long double-edged blade is rather narrow, and
tapers to a point. To poise this unwieldy mass of metal, the
wooden shaft is almost entirely covered with iron ; only a few
inches of the wood are left uncovered about the middle, where
the hand grasps the spear.
Two of these fierce warriors had darted in pursuit of the
two naked urchins who, turning round and finding them-
selves hard pressed, stopped running and held out entreating
hands to their pursuers. The Masai were jerking their spears
horizontally, with the peculiar thrusting movement used in
striking a victim Friends and foes stopped fighting to watch
this sudden side-act, as Trojans and Greeks may have paused
to watch Achilles pursuing Hector round the walls of Troy.
One of the Masai did not strike his captive, but, passing shield
and spear to one hand, he grasped the little boy with the
other, hoisted him on to his shoulder, and darted back to cur
ranks amidst the loud laughter of our savage allies. But the
other villain poised his spear and struck the poor trembling
child full in the chest. As the boy fell backwards in the grass,
the Masai gave one more lunge with his spear and then darted
back to where our friendlies stood ; and the battle instantly
raged with greater fury than before. It all happened within
a few seconds, and so quickly, that I had no time to put a bullet
through the murderer, though an intense desire to do so now
possessed me.
I had already noticed some barbarities perpetrated on dead
bodies at the first village we captured, for the human wolves
which accompany every army had cut off a hand here and
there, in order more quickly to possess themselves of the
72 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
coveted iron bracelets. It was a barefaced murder this slaying
of the little urchin in the sight of friend and foe. Of course it
was impossible to discover afterwards the villain among the
many thousands who flocked like vultures to the slaughter.
In the relentless pursuit of the enemy, these savage allies
rendered considerable assistance to the Government. Among
the slain in the stronghold were found the principal hostile
leaders ; and the enemy thereafter no longer made a stand.
As we advanced, they evacuated their villages and fled
before us.
The Kavirondo are very clever at trapping quails ; and as
they are also skilful in basket-work, each quail is housed in a
tiny basket-cage. A number of these baskets are suspended
from a strong pole firmly planted in the ground, and the call
of the captured birds lures others to the traps set for them. In
some of the more remote villages the natives are quite proud
of their captured quails and will not sell even a single one at
anv price ; but nearer the caravan route quails can be bought,
though usually rather dear.
In the Wakitosh expedition the Government captured many
hundred head of cattle. Half of what our allies laid hands
on they were allowed to retain, but the other half they had,
according to agreement, to hand over to the Government.
Though the enemy had comparatively few killed, the loss
they suffered was a severe punishment to them ; villages were
burnt to the ground, a serious matter in a district where wood
for rebuilding the huts had to be fetched from a considerable
distance ; standing crops were destroyed ; vast stores of corn
found in the villages were used up by the invading army ; and
cattle, their most valuable possession, were captured by the
hundred.
I was present when a tusk of ivory was picked up with a
bunch of leaves attached to it. It was the equivalent of the
white flag amongst European combatants, a signal of submis-
sion ; and our victorious leader now withdrew the invading
forces from the district. Some of the captured women were
then liberated, provided with food, and sent back to their homes.
They were to convey, on behalf of the Government, assurances
to the enemy that all the captives, women and children, would
be liberated as soon as peace was established, and that the
Government had no intention of keeping slaves. This must
KAVIRONDO
73
have appeared an astounding generosity to natives accustomed
to consider captives as slaves.
Shortly afterwards the hostile chief arrived in person at
Mumia's and offered, in sign of submission, to settle with
his tribe in the immediate neighbourhood of the Government
station. This of course could not be granted, and he returned
to his own home, but with all the liberated captives, women
NATIVE BRIDGE OVER THE SIO RIVER IN KAVIRONDO.
and children. Some months later the civil officer in charge of
the district made an inspection tour in Kitosh. It was a royal
tour, for the conquered natives saw in him the autocrat wielding
supreme authority in the country. It will take a long while
before they come to know that there is a higher authoritv in the
Protectorate, viz., the Commissioner, who, in his turn, is but
the servant of the sovereign authority in the distant land which
is the home of the white man.
Pursuit becomes extremely difficult, if the enemy crosses
rivers and destroys the native bridges. The difference in depth
of some rivers in the dry season and in a state of fiood, owing to
74 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
incessant rains, may be gauged by the huge and lieavy scaffold-
ing of the native bridge over the Sio river in Kavirondo. In
the dry season it was possible to cross this river by wadin<^
through it.
The Wakitosh expedition was followed by one against the
Wakilelowa. In discussing the plans with chief Mumia, our
friendly Kavirondo ally, Mr. Grant made some allusion to
probable difficulties if the recent heavy rains were to continue.
Mumia pointed to me and said : ** You have got the white
medicine-man ; why don't you ask him to give you fine
weather?" We explamed that this sort of thing was beyond
the province of all white men, whether medicine-man or not.
Whereupon Mumia quietly remarked to him, that if we could
not do it, his own medicine-man could and would do it at
once, provided he were paid. On being asked how much, he
said : "one cow." Half in fun he was told that white men do
not pay, till they have had proof of such pretensions ; but he
accepted this as a verbal agreement, and said: "All right I
my medicine-man shall see that you have fine weather."
Next morning our expedition started, and by an absurd coinci-
dence we did not have a drop of rain, though it had been
raining almost daily up till then. We had some lovelv days.
Of course Mumia was satisfied that his wizard had performed
the trifling feat of securing for us fine weather ; and our
leader had naturally to hand over the cow, as non-payment
would have been considered as breaking a white man's word.
Where the European villain with his lies and frauds has not
yet made his appearance, the white man's simple word is equal
to a solemn and binding oath.
It must not be thought, that the native medicine-man has
always a pleasant time of it. I inquired of Mumia, how long
his medicine-man had been with him, and was told that not
many years ago this medicine-man's predecessor was put to
death on account of his obstinacy in refusing to provide rain,
when the whole nation was suffering from a severe drought.
The position of the African medicine -man, though highly
honourable and lucrative, is. therefore somewhat precarious.
The Wakilelowa were, speedily defeated, and the inhabitants
of Kabras sued for peace and entered into blood-brotherhood
with the civilian in charge of the district. This rite consisted
in cutting the throat of a dog, the two contracting parties
KAVIRONDO 75
promising over the immolated dog to be true friends in future,
and declaring that they deserved to be treated as the dead
dog if false to each other. Such faith these natives had in the
efficacy of this rite, that they at once flocked in trustingly from
every quarter to our camp, and a brisk market was opened as if
such a thing as war had never existed.
Both in the Wakitosh and in the Wakilelowa expedition I
saw a good many cases of wounds inflicted by arrows. The
bow was a rather poor weapon, the arrows were of every
description. I have in my collection some specimens, brought
from the scenes of the earlier tights. A few of these arrows
are mere pointed pieces of wood without any feathers, others
are feathered; some carry a strong sharp thorn, others are
tipped with iron. The iron arrow-heads are of every description ;
some resemble a nail, others have the ordinary triangular shape
and sometimes carry one or more barbs. Some of the arrows
were poisoned, but the majority were not. The poison used
w^as old and practically harmless ; only a slight irritation re-
sulted, which yielded to antiseptic treatment.
Mumia's station takes its name from having been built next
to the village of the chief Mumia, but he has since removed his
own village somewhat farther off.
One day, close to Mumia's, I came upon a group of grotesquely
attired mummers, and was told that it was in honour of a Kavi-
rondo wedding. The young men had smeared themselves all
over with red or white clay. They sported a curious head-gear.
Two pieces of wood, with long white feathers fastened to them
so as to look somewhat like small wings, were attached to a
circle of leather which could be passed round the forehead, thus
giving the appearance of winged heads. A boy blew a long
antelope horn, producing most dismal sounds which were
accepted as sweet music by the others. The performers were
leaping, jumping, and running races, but stopped to have a look
at me as I passed them on the road. Marriage here, as every-
where amongst savages, means purchase. A few native hoes and
some goats and sheep will buy almost any girl except a chief's
daughter, for he expects to be paid one or more cows. To the
native mind this purchase constitutes a legal marriage. The
girls pride themselves on the amount which has to be paid for
them to their parents, and consider it a public acknowledgment
of their worth. They appear to be faithful wives, but the
76 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
curious fact remains that if their husbands were to part with
them to some one else, they would passively accept the chan^^e.
^lumia dresses in European fashion, and shrewd traders
have got a good deal of valuable ivory out of this vain but
stingy chief, by offering him cheap and showy articles of dress.
On one of my journeys he paid me a visit in his state robes,
his latest brand-new purchase. It was a long bright-coloured
dressing-gown ! Probably he thought such gorgeous apparel
must be something particularly grand and imposing, perhaps
the very latest fashion from Europe.
Mumia is a tall lean man ; he and many of his subjects have
rather long and prominent front teeth. Though he himself
wears European clothing, his subjects all go more or less naked.
I witnessed a native dance held in his village in honour of twins
having been born. Females of every age, from the old grey-
haired great-grandmother down to the tiny mite of three years
old, joined in this dance which, from a European point of view,
was anything but decent. Two tall women, clothed in coloured
cotton cloth, on joining in the dance threw off their garments
and danced vigorously in the same primitive condition as the
other nude dancers. 1 was told these two were sisters of
Mumia.
Among the Kavirondo the women are even greater smokers
than the men. The national pipe has a black clumsy clay bowl
and a long reed stem. Aged couples seem to require the
soothing solace of a quiet smoke more frequently than younger
folks.
One day I was called by Mumia to attend his favourite wife.
Mumia was then building a new village, consisting of a number
of huts surrounding a large inner circular space. I wanted to
know in which hut the patient lay, and asked Mumia which was
his hut ; he replied all of them were his, as all contained his
wives and attendants. The village was his dwelling, the wealthy
African's many-roomed palace. When he brought me to where
the sufferer lay ill, it was so dark inside the hut that I had to
light a lantern. The woman lay absolutely nude on the bare
mud floor. When I had attended to the patient, ]\Iumia pro-
vided me with a gourd-bowl of water, a towel, and some soap.
The savage and the civilised were thus strangely combined.
What little value Mumia sets on a wife or two, more or less,
would appear from what a civilian at the station told me.
KAVIRONDO
77
Mumia came one day crying and lamenting that lightning had
struck one of his huts and had burnt a quantity of his valued
European clothing. Some time after, rumour reached the
otttcial that a woman had been burnt to death in the same
tire. To make sure, he inquired of Mumia. With a gesture
expressive of the unimportance he attached to such a question,
Mumia answered : " Yes, yes ! But think of the clothes I
lost — my clothes, my clothes I "
Mumia, though wealthy, belongs to the type of men, met
A KAVIRONDO VILLAGE-FORGE.
with also amongst Europeans, who endeavour to get without
payment professional advice and assistance from a medical
man ; and when they have received it, they are more ungrateful
than ever to their benefactor, on the principle, probably, that
"the cheaper the article the less its value" applies also to
surgical help when rendered without exacting a heavy fee.
On my last journey, in passing through Igaga's country,
I had an opportunity of seeing a Kavirondo village-forge in
active work. It looked a very tumbledown place, merely
screening off the sun from striking direct on the fire. The
smith and his three assistants w^re hard at work ; some idlers
from the village had dropped in for a chat round the liomely
" foo-foo-foo-foo-foo " sound of the bellows. I too should
78 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
have enjoyed to loiter for a while with them ; but I had a
ten-hours' march to accomplish, past friendly Ngira's district
and on to Ndui.
Next day I reached the Nzoia river and crossed it for
the first time in the Government ferry. It is a wide and flat-
bottomed boat. A strong wire rope spans the river, and by
turning a wheel another wire rope is wound up and draws
the ferry to the other bank. This is one of the road-improve-
ments introduced by the late Captain Sclater whom the
Government had entrusted with the construction of a cart-
road to Uganda. He had but just accomplished his task,
when he was carried off by an attack of black-water fever
and found his grave in Africa.
CHAPTER VII.
USOGA.
ON the overland journey to
Uganda, the traveller on
leaving Kavirondo enters
Usoga, and he notices a
complete and remarkable change in
every respect. From the absolutely
nude savages in Kavirondo he passes
to a race where not even the youngest
walk about uncovered ; from a stingy
and inhospitable tribe he joins one
which greets him with a hearty wel-
come and extends to him a lavish
hospitality ; from treeless grass-lands
he finds himself in a well wooded
country and under the refreshing
shade of magnificent trees ; from
circular villages fortified with earth-wall and trench he is
among unprotected dwellings, of which a few of the better
class have a fragile reed-fence put up for privacy and orna-
ment. The two races differ also in language and in form of
government ; the Wasoga acknowledge the authority of the
king of Uganda, the Wakavirondo do not.
Placed between Uganda and Kavirondo, Usoga, as might
be expected, admits the currency of both realms, though
naturally the cloth and shells of Uganda are more acceptable
than the beads of Kavirondo. The Wasoga prefer red beads,
in payment for small purchases. The women wear bark-cloth
wrapped round the waist and reaching to the knees ; the
upper half of their body remains uncovered. The men dress
like the Waganda, in bark-cloth or cotton garments.
USOGA
HUBBLE-BUBBLE
USOGA
HUBBLE-BUBBLE.
8o UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
A family group in Usoga includes a goodly number. The
bountiful food supply bestowed by Nature's inexhaustible
wealth banishes want and all its attendant miseries, and en-
ables man to provide liberally for his numerous offspring.
They appear to be a happy and contented race, judging
from the festive tom-tom and the shrill reed-pipe, which pro-
claim that a merry-making is taking place in the straggling
hamlet. In one of their villages I came upon a huge drum.
It reached to the shoulders of a tall woman standing by it
with a baby in her arms. It was carved out of a solid block
of wood from some gigantic tree. It narrowed towards the
base, the diameter of which was less than half that of the
upper surface. It was covered with cow-hide, and held to-
gether by twisted strips of leather. The Soudanese mutineers
had passed this way, and finding the drum too unwieldy to
carry off, they had driven their knives through the top leather
and had ripped the upper covering open.
The Usoga hut has neither the mud wall nor the verandah of
the Kavirondo hut. It is bee-hive in form, and the grass thatch
reaches right down to the ground. It is usually very lofty, but
the available space inside is considerably diminished by the many
props and poles for supporting the roof.
As soon as a caravan has camped, the chief or headman will
call on the caravan leader to ascertain how many loads of food
are wanted. The food is supplied gratis ; a small present in
cloth is handed to the chief, not in payment, but in recognition
of the courtesy ; it is the African mode of showing friendship.
The food of the Wasoga consists almost exclusively of green
bananas, either roasted in the fire or boiled with the peel left
on, or lirst peeled and then boiled and mashed. The Usoga
banana plantations are very extensive, and nestle among the
tall trees.
There is scarcely anv other fruit to be had in the country
except ripe bananas. But for this exception, Usoga is the
nearest approach to what the imagination pictures the Garden
of Eden to have been. The great tropical heat is mellowed by
the leafy shade of the trees into a luxurious comfort. The
dead branches supply more firewood than necessary. The
banana plantation provides food throughout all the seasons ;
and thus it is harvest-time all the year round. The banana-
tree yields its fruit only once, and then dies ; but it provides
USOGA 8i
for the future by sprouting six to ten young trees from the soil
in a narrow circle around it. The shade of the bananas helps
to keep down the rank weeds. A little labour keeps the planta-
tion clean and sweet ; and the soft, juicy stem of the banana-
tree can be felled by a single blow from a bill-hook, wherever a
superabundance of young trees necessitates their being thinned,
or an old tree which has yielded its bunch of fruit requires to be
removed.
The well-known grey parrot with the red tail was originally
found on the west coast of Africa ; but when caravans brought
these birds to the east coast, it was discovered that Usoga was
also their habitat. Thev can be seen by the score flying from
tree to tree, or screaming overhead as they wing their noisy
flight in search of change of scene.
Resting on soft grass-mats under the fitful play of the trem-
bling shadows on the clean-swept ground ; catching the soft breeze
gently whispering amongst the rustling leaves of the bananas ;
listening to the distant sough of the mighty forest giants which
stretch a hundred leafy arms towards heaven ; comfortably and
cleanly dressed in simple white clothing ; with a mind at rest
from worldly cares, owing to the simple wants of this primitive
existence being abundantly provided for by Nature ; with flower-
ing shrubs perfuming the air, inquisitive monkeys peeping
among the foliage, lovely butterflies floating silently from flower
to flower, pretty birds skimming past, is like having a passing
glimpse of Paradise on earth.
Even under the prosaic verandah of the unromantic station
at Luba's, the companion of my first journey was so impressed
by the balmy air, the peaceful stillness, the lovely view, that he
said to me : " What a place to dream away a year or two of one's
existence ! " He was a brave major, and had many a sanguinary
fight to go through later on, but, like myself, he was enjoying the
momentary rest and peace before the busy days of a stirring life
hustled us again hither and thither.
Usoga is separated from Uganda by the Victoria Nile.
Luba's is situated on the lake, and the traveller here has the
first view of Uganda in the distance. The name Luba is familiar
to all who have read of Bishop Hannington's murder. It is a
pity that the unfortunate bishop made the great mistake of
insisting on entering Uganda via Usoga, in direct opposition to
a popular superstition, according to which the future conquerors
F
82
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
of Uganda would endeavour to pass that way. The noble mis-
sionary Mackay wisely went to Uganda by the usual southern
route, and thus avoided incurring the displeasure of a timid but
autocrat ruler. Luba acted under direct orders received from
King Mwanga, when he arrested the Bishop and ordered his
execution. Luba is a tall elderly man, lean and spare, with a
large heavy face. He wields considerable influence over the
lake-shore dwellers ; but he is a weak character, easily moulded
and directed by a stronger mind. He controls scores of boats
USOGA BOATS,
and hundreds of boatmen, and as long as caravans have to cross
into Uganda via Luba's, he will remain a chief whose influence
has to be reckoned with in all transport arrangements across
the Nile.
The Usoga boats remind one of New Zealand war-canoes.
The boat is long and narrow and has usually a dozen seats ; one
man sits at the stern and guides the boat with his paddle
which is used instead of a rudder ; another man sits at the bow
and is ready with a long pole to do the necessary punting
where the water is shallow ; the remaining ten seats are occupied
by twenty boatmen. The boats are formed of long planks,
slowly and laboriously chipped from a tree-trunk of suitable
USOGA 83
size. The planks are stitched together with some vegetable
fibre and caulked with water-weeds. The result is that all
the boats leak more or less freely ; and one man, placed in
the middle of the boat, is employed the whole time in baling
out the water with a gourd-bowl. From the lower anterior
part of the boat protrudes a long pointed nose like a ram,
and the stern terminates somewhat similarly. From the anterior
part there curves upwards a pole which becomes vertical, is
about five or six feet high, and is surmounted by an ornament.
The ornament usually consists of a pair of antelope horns,
between which a huge bunch of gay feathers is tied. A fluttering
festoon of shredded palm-leaves stretches from the base of the
antelope horns to the boat. Similar festoons deck both sides of
the boat near the stern. In spite of its size the boat can take
but five to seven porters with their loads. A large caravan
therefore requires quite a fleet of boats to cross Napoleon's
Gulf, as this strip of the lake is sometimes called. The bright-
coloured bunches of feathers, the picturesque boats, the noisy
crowd, make a pleasing and animated scene. The boatmen
use paddles made of a remarkably light but tough wood.
The paddles are usually flat and spear-shaped ; some have a
slightly broader blade than others, but all terminate in a sharp
point. The men paddle almost incessantly for the hour and
a half it takes to cross the Nile. They sing merrily and keep
time with the splashing paddles, and the boat seems literally
to shoot through the water. Almost invariably a good-natured
but vigorous race takes place, which lightens labour and turns
toil into pleasure. The victorious crew then give a shout of
triumph and wave their paddles aloft. The men usually strip
to the waist whilst rowing, but at once don their bark-cloth on
landing.
I had a rather curious experience on my first journey. I
was asked to accompany a fleet of about twenty of these boats
from Sio Bay (in Kavirondo) to Luba's (in Usoga); my com-
panion was to join me later on. We rowed almost without
a break from early dawn to 4 p.m. ; then the Wasoga boatmen
gave me to understand by signs, for there was not a soul
present who could speak to them, that they had done enouc^h
work for the day and would like to land; they pointed to a
spot where smoke indicated the presence of huts. Believin"
that they must know their own business best, I nodded assent.
84 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
At once the boats placed themselves in a sort of line-of-battle
array, and with incredible speed, the boatmen shoutin^^ and
yelling like mad, we dashed towards one of the numerous inlets.
Instead of the expected peaceful landing, I witnessed with
surprise what looked for all the world like a bold attack on an
enemy's country. Most of my crews rushed ashore armed with
shields and spears. Some terrified inhabitants ran awav into
the woods, while my lawless mob of boatmen pounced on
fowls and chickens, tore up vegetable marrows and pumpkins,
seized all the fish they found in the dug-outs, and recklessly
cut down banana-trees right and left to get at the fruit.
Screams made me hurry unarmed ashore, just in time to save
a poor old woman from having three young goats snatched
from her. As soon as I had enabled her to retreat to the safe
shelter of the woods, I had to save a man whom the boatmen
had seized and, for all I knew, were going to spear. The
wretches bolted off when they saw me, and the man I had
saved ran for his life and escaped.
Then some armed natives deployed out of the banana
groves. At the sight of this score of armed men, my 400
cowardly Wasoga robbers fled to the boats. A shower of
stones was flung at us and wounded a few. A stone about
the size of my fist struck me in the pit of the stomach. For-
tunately it was a spent stone, or I should have been doubled
up on the spot and would then most probably have been
speared. It served as a hint that unarmed I should only be
throwing away my life by remaining. Under cover of this
shower of stones, some tried to rush us with spears, when " bang !
bang ! " went off some muzzle-loaders, proving that the natives
could also muster a few guns.
When I turned round, I found my men had got into their
boats and were vigorously paddling off. I was left quite
alone. I reached the lake, threw myself in, and struck out
for the boats, I am a very indifferent swimmer, as I get too
quickly exhausted. I would not have ventured upon such a
performance in time of peace on any inducement. It is
astonishing what undreamt-of feats the pressure of circum-
stances may get the most reluctant of us to attempt! It was
my first swim with all mv clothes on. I did not relish it,
and I have no desire to repeat it. Not one of the boats came
to my help. I only wonder I did not get drowned before I
USOGA
'S
reached a boat. The crocodiles had probably been scared. off
by the awful din. Many of the nearer boats paddled away the
quicker when I approached them, in their terror taking me
for a desperate enemy wishing to board them. My boy had
remained in the boat ; but when he drew my rifle out of its
canvas covering, my boatmen paused, allowed me to reach
them, and drew" me into the boat.
With the boat at a pretty safe distance, and with me aboard
and now armed with a rifle, my boatmen became quite plucky
THE NEW FORT AT I.UBA S IN USOGA.
again. Pointing to a solitary sentinel posted on a conspicuous
rock, they begged me to shoot him. I felt more inclined to
shoot them for having been the aggressors. I was told after-
wards, that we had landed on one of the Uvuma islands,
inhabited by a plucky but treacherous race which hates the
Wasoga. The Uvuma islanders fall, for administrative pur-
poses, under the jurisdiction of the official in charge of Usoga.
The Usoga pipe differs from those in use in Uganda and in
Kavirondo. The Wasoga use a hubble-bubble ; it consists of a
small gourd, with a reed mouth-piece at the side and a small
red clay bowl stuck on the top. The wooden drinking-cup
reminds one of a communion chalice ; it is carved out of a
solid piece of wood.
86 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
It was at Luba's, where the Soudanese mutineers made their
first stand and where they murdered three Europeans. Poor
Major Thruston had lately succeeded to the highest military
post, viz., that of Commandant of the Uganda Rifles, a force
composed at that time entirely of Soudanese. He spoke Arabic
fluently, and, as I thought, knew the Soudanese thoroucrhly.
But his openly expressed affection for them led him to trust
these blacks too much. He w^as in hopes that his mere un-
armed presence would restore confidence, whereas the mutineers
immediately placed hands on him and on Mr. N. Wilson, the
civilian in charge of Luba's. I can only speak of this from
hearsay, as I was stationed at the time in Unyoro.
The mutineers had already placed Major Thruston and
Mr. Wilson in irons, when Mr. Scott, in charge of a Govern-
ment dhow, put in at Luba's. If what I heard is true, Mr.
Scott was warned by his own men not to land, but he either
could not understand them or refused to be guided. The
moment he landed, he was seized by the mutineers and led
to the fort. According to one story, he tore himself free and
made a rush for his dhow, but, though a burly and strong
man, he was caught, overpowered, and placed in irons ; and
the villains, it is said, threw him on the ground and inflicted a
number of lashes with a hippo-thong.
Next day the mutineers made their unsuccessful assault on
the small party of Europeans stationed on the adjoining hill.
Exasperated by their defeat and in revenge, they, on returning
to the fort, murdered the three unfortunate captive Europeans
in cold blood. According to some, ghastly suffering was in-
flicted ; according to others, Bilal Effendi, the ringleader,
murdered all three by blowing out their brains.
In the subsequent severe fighting around Luba's, hundieds
of our Waganda and Swahili allies were killed, but comparatively
few of the mutineers who had the advantage of being trained
and disciplined soldiers, armed with excellent rifles and with any
amount of captured ammunition. Hearing of the approach of
Indian troops, the mutineers thought it advisable to move oft' ;
they proceeded up the Nile, and finally met with a crushing
defeat on their wav to Unyoro.
The old fort at Luba's was found to be full of graves of
Soudanese mutineers, and it was undermined with holes to
shelter those in the fort from the hostile fire. It was there-
USOGA
87
fore destroyed and levelled with the ground, when it came once
more into the hands of Government. A new fort was speedily
erected. It is close to the old fort, but nearer to the lake.
It has been said that the bodies of the murdered Europeans
were thrown by the mutineers to the hyaenas. A search,
however, resulted in the discovery of the remains of one, the
skull being recognised by the stopping in some of the teeth.
These remains were reverently buried. A wooden cross and
a simple railing mark the spot. I was told, that the skull showed
a bullet mark through the forehead ; this would refute the
story of a lin-
gering death
having been
inflicted.
During
these troubles
Chief Luba
had prudently
shifted his
quarters to a
distance, but
he had the
good sense
not to throw
in his lot with
the mutineers.
Luba's, a quiet
haven of rest,
and Luba's turned into a pandemonium with the slaughtered
lying about unburied and by the score, was indeed a fearful
contrast. Suleiman Effendi — I remember him well, for he was
sent to me in 1894 to be captain of the Soudanese troops at
Kampala when I was in command there — was one of the first
mutineers who fell. That he was brave is proved by his being
shot close to the British lines. He was buried, but the hyaenas
dug him out again. Once more he was buried, and again ex-
humed by the hyaenas which, scenting the dead, had suddenly
appeared on the scene by the dozen, though previously not at
all very common in the neighbourhood.
On my last journey through Luba's 1 saw two pigmies of the
Great African Forest, a man and a woman. In size they seemed
PIGMIES OF THE GREAT AFRICAN FOREST.
88 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
children of nine to ten years old. They were originally captured
by some other African race and carried off into slavery ; in
course of time they came into the hands of Mr. W. Grant the
officer in command of Usoga. The male pigmy has a con-
siderable assortment of vices : he is drunken and dissolute to
a degree, easily roused to fury, and very vindictive ; but he
appears to be attached to his master, and accompanies him on
every campaign.
From one of my journeys through Usoga I brought a
Mozambique monkey and a pair of grey parrots to England.
All three did very well in London. " Jim," the monkey, occa-
sionally got loose ; but though he could not be caught as he
jumped from house to house and tree to tree, he invariably
returned at night-time to his cage and slept soundly, thoroughly
tired out with his day's romp. To avoid his becoming a
nuisance to our neighbours, he was ultimately sent to the Zoo,
after having been for over two years the pet of the family. He
knew me at once, though he had not seen me for two years.
The parrots have stood two London winters already and are
flourishing. It is curious that the colour of their eyes, which
was originally grey, has changed to bright yellow. They are
very good talkers. I bought these birds young. There is a
considerable trade carried on in grey parrots, and as there is
a good demand for them, they are not cheap even in Usoga.
At the coast they fetch as much as £2 to ;^3 each. I tried at
first to get a bird by slightly maiming it with a shot, but the
bird I aimed at tumbled down dead ; it was a big handsome
old bird. I skinned it, and to my surprise I found that the
South Kensington Museum was pleased to get the skin. These
birds are so very common in Usoga, that no one ever dreams
of shooting one for a collection. Museums, however, do not
care for cage-birds, but prefer to get a wild specimen ; con-
sequently the bird I had unintentionally killed proved an
acceptable acquisition to the Museum.
Visiting the ruins of the old fort at Luba's, I came upon a
porter playing the "zeze," a Swahili musical instrument. It
consists of a flat piece of carved wood, having a gourd-bowl
attached to one end. It is three-stringed ; one string runs
along the flat upper surface, and the other two strings pass
USOGA
89
along the sides. It is held with both arms hanging down in a
most lazy attitude, and it utters a monotonous ting-a-ling sound
which is highly appreciated by Swahilies.
The presence of the minstrel twanging his "zeze" was an
outward visible sign that peace and tranquillity once more held
sway over dreamy, delightful Usoga.
USOGA DRINKING-CUP.
CHAPTER VIIL
THE WAGANDA.
U
^*?:'^
GANDA (or Buganda) denotes the
country, Waganda the race, Lug-
anda their language.
The native constitution acknow-
ledges three estates : the king, the lords, and
the commons, known as Kabaka, Siol, and
]\Iakope respectively.
Travellers to Uganda, before the British
occupation of the country, were astonished to
find the inhabitants so highly advanced in
civilisation and form of government, when
compared with the condition of the savages
surrounding them on every side.
The form of government is strikingly
analogous to the feudal system. The sove-
reign is lord paramount ; the land belongs
to him ; he is the fountain of justice and of
honour, and his consent is necessary to every decision arrived
at by the Great Council of the State.
The lords are subdivided into thirty dififerent degrees of rank.
Of the great chiefs there are about ten. They hold certain high
offices which carry with them the revenue and administration
of some province. For instance, the ruler of the province of
Chagwe is called the Sekibobo, and the chief of the province
of Singo is known as the Makwenda ; the Kangao rules Bulam-
wezi (written also Bulemezi), and the Pokino has Budu. The
great chiefs hold their land direct from the crown, and in return
have certain feudal obligations to fulfil ; in case of war they
have to provide an army ; they have to keep the public roads
and bridges in repair, and they have to furnish the king with
^■^'53=it;^^
UGANDA SHIELD.
THE WAGANDA
91
labourers whenever he requires any. The smaller chiefs hold
from the greater chiefs on similar terms, and this system is
carried down to the smallest and humblest rank of chiefs.
The Makope are the peasant and labouring class. They
used to be, to all intents and purposes, the serfs or slaves attached
to the land. In return for being allowed to cultivate their fields,
they had to work without payment for their chief.
The king, when he wanted money, would claim it from the
great chiefs ; these, in their turn, would demand it from the sub-
chiefs, and so on ; the Makope at the bottom of the ladder being
ultimately the one who had to bear the burden and who was,
not unfrequently, mercilessly squeezed.
The Makope or Waganda peasants dress in bark-cloth in
Roman toga fashion. The garment is knotted over one shoulder,
leaving the arms bare.
The men generally go
about barefoot and bare-
headed, though some are
adopting a head-covering
which is either a white
cotton skull-cap, a red
fez, or a small turban.
The system of extorting
unpaid labour out of
the Makope was formerly
universal. It was carried
so far that chiefs would
even order their men
to work without pay for
strangers. A chief, for
instance, would figure as
the generous supporter of
building a house for him
WAGANDA PEASANTS.
some particular missionary by
as a present, and would reap
thanks and praise for his liberality. In plain language, this
donation meant that the chief had compelled some unfor-
tunate peasants, under threat of punishment, to provide,
without any payment whatever, the necessary material and
labour ; the work to be done was divided amongst the men,
and each one had to do a certain portion. It has happened,
therefore, that the missionary has been left for a shorter or
longer period with part of some building unfinished, because
92 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
the man who had been ordered to construct it tried to evade
the hateful exaction.
The system of paid labour came only gradually into force,
owing to the passive hostility of the chiefs who declined to
send labourers ; in other words, they prevented their peasants
from accepting the paid-labour offered by the Government.
In 1894 a few natives applied voluntarily for work, and when
they found that it paid them to work for the Government,
and that they were allowed to keep what they had earned, more
and more came forward ; and now, scores waiting for employ-
ment may be seen at Kampala every morning.
One of the important duties of a peasant is to keep in
order the reed-fences which enclose dwellings and planta-
tions. These reed-fences, when new, look very elegant ; but
they are most fragile and do not last long. Hence it is a
never-ending labour to keep them in order. They are con-
structed of the stems of the elephant-grass, either in the shape
of interlacing trellis-work or as vertical rods bound together
by horizontal bundles. A reed-fence consists of a reed-screen
suported by poles which are cut from green straight branches,
and are driven into the ground at distances of ten feet from
each other. The poles frequently strike root and flourish into
trees, hence the pleasant leafy appearance of most of these
fences.
Calling one day on the Kangao, one of the great Waganda
chiefs, I saw a good illustration of the two styles of reed-
fences side by side ; and in the centre of the enclosure sat a
prisoner "in the stocks," shredding with a knife strips of palm
leaves into narrower strips preparatory to mat-making.
The punishment of being " in the stocks " consists in passing
the foot through a hole bored through some heavy log of
wood ; a wooden peg is then hammered through, to narrow
the aperture and to prevent the foot from being withdrawn.
A pad of banana leaves is placed between the log and the
ankle to prevent the cruel chafing which would otherwise
result ; and if the log is very heavy there is a rope attached
to one end to enable the prisoner to support some of the
weight with his hand.
A peculiarity of Waganda dwellings is the number of outer
courts one has to pass through to arrive at the house itself. I
once counted twelve of these outer courts. With the wealthier
THE WAGANDA
93
classes each court has a hut which serves as a waiting-room
for visitors. The number of the courts is more or less indi-
cative of the rank of the individual.
The native hut in Uganda is a cone-shaped building, the
grass-thatched roof of which reaches right down to the ground,
except at the entrance where it is cut so as to leave a low
narrow verandah. Very often the reed-fence of the enclosure
meets the hut at the two sides, so that the front half of the
A WAGANDA FAMILY.
hut lies in one court and the second half in another. The
heavy roof requires a strong support, and the many poles and
pillars used for this object greatly diminish the available space
inside the hut which is dark and smoke-stained.
The Waganda style of thatching is the best I have yet seen.
The grass seems to lie so perfectly smooth ; no rope is required
to tie down the thatch which is a good protection against the
rain, and only a strong gale could cause perceptible damage.
The lower circle of thatch is first attached, then another
over it but higher up, and so on to the top. The grass to be
used for this purpose is tied first of all into small bundles
94 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
about 4 or 5 inches thick. The thick end is cut straight ; the
bundle is held vertically, with the thick end uppermost and is
thumped three or four times against the ground. One would
imagine this treatment would smash the thin ends of the (^rass
but it gives to the bundle the requisite flexibility to lie smoothly.
A wisp of the grass in each bundle is twisted, and used as
the rope by which the bundle is attached to the framework
of the roof. With his stick the thatcher thumps the thatch
into a smooth shape and sweeps off the loose grass. Wher-
ever he detects a hollow he lifts the thatch with his stick, and
inserts an additional bundle or two, which he does not even
take the trouble to tie down, and yet they last perfectly well
and do not slip out again.
The women wear the bark-cloth wrapped round the body ;
they pass it under the armpits, and not over the shoulder.
Small children of both sexes go uncovered. Girls wear a
curious grass-ring round the waist. If the ring is too loose
and likely to slip off, it is upheld behind by a string from
the neck.
The native chair or stool is cut out of a solid block of wood.
It consists of a basin-shaped seat, a wide base, and a short stem
connecting seat and base. In many huts a cradle-shaped trough
is seen, cut out of a solid block of wood ; this is used for
squashing up bananas in the preparation of the native brew.
I have often heard it asserted that formerly a cow, a muzzle-
loader, and a woman, were considered equal in value, and could
be easily bartered or exchanged the one for the other. This
of course has been put a stop to. Polygamy was the rule in
Uganda, but when the Waganda became Christians, the men
put aside their plurality of wives and retained but one each.
The Protestant Prime Minister has only one wife now ; I was
told he had a couple of hundred before his conversion. I do
not know what became of the discarded wives, whether they
live as lonely widows, or whether they have in their turn
consoled themselves by taking some one else as husband.
One of the useful local industries is mat-making, generally
done by women or girls, Thev use the leaves of the makindo
or wild date-palm. The mats are whitish-yellow, soft, clean, and
cool. Narrow strips, li to 2 inches broad, are first of all plaited ;
and the length and breadth of the mat depends on the length
and number of the plaited strips sewn together. The illus-
THE WAGANDA
95
tration shows two girls sitting on a finished mat, busily plaiting
long rolls of these strips. How fine and close the work is,
can be gathered from the number of separate shreds in their
hands in process of being plaited together. Each girl has
by her side a bundle of the material wrapped up in a banana
leaf.
Neither men nor women in Uganda wear ornaments ; in this
respect they present a striking contrast to their savage neigh-
WAGANDA MAT-MAKERS.
bours. Their wants are very simple, and the food supply is
abundant, consequently they lead a very easy, comfortable,
contented life. The food consists almost exclusively of " ma-
toke," the name given to the national dish of green bananas,
or rather plantains. These are peeled, placed in a pot with a
small quantity of water, and covered over with folded green
banana leaves, tightly packed over the mouth of the pot. When
boiled through, the bananas are mashed up, wrapped in clean
green banana leaves and are ready to be served. The women
do the cooking ; and as the English missionaries rather pride
themselves on living on native food, most of them employ
S6 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Waganda women. The true banana is called "memvu," and
is eaten ripe, as fruit. There is another sort of banana called
"gonjia" by the Swahilies. It is twice the length of the ordi-
nary banana, and is used when ripe. It is somewhat reddish
inside, and is rather coarse when eaten raw ; it is therefore
usually served either plain-boiled, or else roasted in hot ashes ;
it has a sweet agreeable flavour, and is a favourite dish.
The bark-cloth tree is of national importance, as it supplies
the material out of which native cloth is manufactured. More
and more of the population are, however, adopting cotton cloth,
hence the manufacture of bark-cloth is diminishing every year.
The tree grows to a stately height, with a straight stem and a
mass of waving branches. The small green leaves give a re-
freshing shade and are pleasant to the eye. The finest trees I
I saw in the province of Singo, where a good deal of the
bark-cloth is manufactured. The bark is removed by two
circular cuts round the stem of the tree and a vertical cut
joining these two. The denuded surface is then carefully
covered up, by wrapping dry banana-leaves round the stem.
Unless this is done, a lot of rootlets grow from the upper
circular cut ; and whatever bark is ultimately grown is warped
and useless. It takes a year or two for the tree to renovate
the bark over the exposed surface ; it is then stripped ofif
again. The tree is very hardy, and almost any branch, cut
off and planted, will spread and grow up into a tree. It
is therefore most useful for producing a living stockade or
fence.
If the piece of bark does not produce a cloth of the length
required for the market, one or more strips are sewn together ;
and this is sometimes done so skilfully, that it is not easy to
detect the portion added, unless the cloth is inspected very
closely. In the same way, holes or rents are skilfully patched.
The colour is usually a red-brow^n. Some bark-cloths have
a geometrical pattern, but black-patterned bark-cloth w^ent
out of fashion before King Mtesa's days. It is now prepared
principally to serve as an article of decoration.
The manufacture of bark-cloth is extremely simple. The
bark is slightly moistened, placed over a smooth wooden log
which serves as an anvil, and is then hammered and flattened
out by means of a w^ooden mallet. The head of the mallet
resembles a small solid wheel, and is ribbed horizontally along
I'HE WAGANDA
97
BARK-CLOTH MANUFACTURE.
the outer circumference as seen in coins. This allows the
hammered portion of the bark to expand laterally along the
interstices between the ribbing. As the fibres of the bark
intersect in every imaginable direction, it is comparatively
easy for the
operator to
reduce it to a
very soft and
delicate tex-
ture. Skill is
required to
prevent holes
being punched
through. A
good bark-
cloth in 1894
used to cost
250 shells, that
is, about 2s.,
but the value
now is over 4s.
A black-patterned one was recently sold at Kampala for £1.
The Waganda ladies rather like the noisy rustle which heralds
their approach when the bark-cloth is new and stiff ; in this
they resemble their European sisters who appreciate the "frou-
frou " of silk clothing.
" Muenge " is the native fermented drink, made from the
juice of the banana. It is brought to the market in large gourds,
suggestive of the public appreciation of it. The gourds rest on
the ground on a pad of dry banana-leaves, and often have a
wreath of leaves round the neck to keep the fermenting liquor
cool. The sellers squat by the side of their gourds, hold up small
drinking bowls, and invite the thirsty passer-by to have a " nip "
at a ha'penny or farthing per bowl.
Some of these small drmking bowls, made out of a tiny
species of gourd, look uncommonly like tumblers or cups. As
they are not flat-bottomed, they stand insecurely, and con-
sequently if used for drinking out of, they have to be emptied.
On the eve of my departure from Kampala, the Kangao made
me a present of a pair of gourd-bowls of exquisitely delicate
manufacture, which would rival the finest china. On arrival in
G
98
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
England my wife saw, admired, and annexed them • and now
they are enthroned amongst her sacred knick-knacks !
Personally 1 do not care for " muenge." I dislike its sour
taste and smell, though some Europeans rather like it.
" Mbisi " is the fresh unfermented banana juice. My Wahima
boy frequently prepared this beverage for me. It resembles
w'ater with a flavour of bananas and sweetened, and yet no
water has been added. He prepared it very easily. Soft ripe
bananas were peeled and placed in an earthen bowl together
with a handful of the long, lance-shaped, and sharp-edged leaves
WAGANDA SO.\r-SELLERS.
of a very common kind of grass. The mass was crushed and
kneaded with the fingers, till the banana pulp was reduced to a
sort of water. The grass was then removed, the juice strained
off, and the " mbisi " was ready for use. It is a pleasant, refresh-
ing drink. If allowed to stand for a couple of days, it ferments
and becomes the intoxicating " muenge." I met some mission-
aries in Nyassa-land, who made a drink like champagne from
the juice of the banana. The trouble was to keep this banana
champagne from bursting the bottles. The Waganda often
add a handful of "matama" (Kaffre-corn) to their "mbisi" to
accelerate the process of fermentation.
Native soap can be bought at Kampala on every market-day.
It is very coarse, and in size resembles somewhat a cricket-ball,
THE WAGANDA
99
but it is lumpy. It is not suitable for toilet use, but does very
well for laundry-work, though some say that it wears out the
clothes more rapidly than English soap. That it can wash beau-
tifully clean, is proved by the spotless white clothes worn by all
the higher class of natives. It is fairly cheap, 25 shells per ball,
that is, about twopence. The natives are aware of the superiority
WAGANDA POTTERS.
of the imported English soap, and would prefer to buy it, but that
it is so very dear. The difficulty in the way of local soap-boiling
is the scarcity of obtainable tallow or fat of any description.
Pottery in Uganda is still in its infancy. The three articles
most commonly manufactured are the large open-mouthed bowls,
used for cooking the native dish " matoke," the bomb-shaped
pots for fetching water, and the black pipe-bowls. The vessel
used for water is round like an ancient cannon-ball ; it has a small
aperture and a very short neck. The large semicircular bowl
has a thick everted rim. In addition to the common clay which
yields the ordinary brick-red pottery, black clay and white clay
are found. From these the finest china could be manufactured,
if some one who knows the process would start a local china-
factory. The Waganda are clever at imitating any cup or saucer.
lOO UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
candlestick or flower-vase, which a European chooses to submit
to them as a model. These imitations are curious ; but it would
be a mistake to imagine that they are in common use in Uganda
either among natives or among Europeans. There is a potters'
settlement about half-an-hour's distance from Fort Kampala.
Here I have watched the men at work. They did not use a
potter's wheel. The vessel, resting on a soft pad of dry banana-
leaves, was turned and shaped by hand. A sharp sherd was used
to scrape ofT any superfluous clay. The rim of the large bowls
was added separately in the shape of a long clay sausage. I saw
only men employed as potters. They must have a deft hand, a
quick eye, and considerable practice to turn out such good
results without the assistance of even a potter's wheel. The
bomb-shaped water-vessel costs about two or three pence ; the
large bowls are somewhat dearer. The pots are dried in the
shade, and then burnt in a huge fire of elephant-grass and
reeds. Very often this burning takes place right in the middle
of the wide public road. The Waganda, like other African
races, have their own special national variety of pipe. Men
and women smoke. The Uganda clay-pipe has a long reed-
stem and a short black triangular clay bowl running into a
point downwards. It costs about a farthing. Occasionally pipes
with coloured geometrical patterns in white and red are brought
as curios for sale to Europeans ; but I have never seen a
native smoke one of these coloured fancy pipes. " Gabunga,"
the admiral in command of the king's fleet of war-canoes,
came to me one day with two of these fancy-pipes which he
wished to exchange for a short English pipe. Having effected
the exchange, he went on his way rejoicing. The chiefs eagerly
copy many of the little differences in habits which they notice
between themselves and the English. In their heart, however,
not a few of them resent having lost, owing to the presence of
the British Government, their former uncontrolled authority.
One of the great chiefs, the Mulondo, told me that he had
lost all control over his peasants, because he could no longer
inflict punishments on them just as he pleased ; and if he tried
to insist on their doing a certain work for him, they simply
left and migrated in a body to the plantations of some other
chief. The Mulondo was not averse to doing a little " busi-
ness" now and then, and selling to me, with protestations of
friendship, some antelope skin at exactly double the price 1 would
THE WAGANDA
lOI
have had to pay for it elsewhere. He is dead now — died two years
ago. A tall, handsome man he was, cunning, plausible, but in
his heart against British rule in Uganda. One day he visited me
accompanied by the usual crowd of sub-chiefs and followers.
He sat on an English camp-chair, pufhng at an English pipe, and
he wore an English jacket ; and it seemed odd to hear him
glorifving those days of King Mtesa, when the European was still
an unknown stranger in Uganda. It would certainly have been
better for him to have treated Europeans, or at least European
inventions, with greater circumspection. One day he wanted to
UPPER-CLASS WAGANDA.
shoot a big elephant. Powder is cheap, ivory dear. He jammed
an elephant-gun half full of powder, rammed down a big bullet,
and blazed off. I did not hear w^hat fraction exactly of his arm
was left. A missionary in Usoga sent an urgent message to
Luba's for some one to come and tie up the artery, but in the
meantime the Mulondo bled to death.
The king, chiefs, and upper-class Waganda have long ago
discarded bark-cloth. They prefer to wear white or coloured
cotton-cloth, either wrapped round the body in the same
fashion that bark-cloth is worn, or else as a kanzu, the long
white garment worn by Swahilies in Zanzibar and at Mombasa.
When clean and white the kanzu is most becoming in a native.
I02 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Mohammedans like to superadd an unbuttoned waistcoat with
crescent-shaped pockets and richly embroidered with silk silver,
or gold. Christians eschew the crescent-emblem of Islam faith,
but are keen competitors for any old English waistcoat. Those
who can afford it, add to their costume an English jacket, worn
unbuttoned ; in preference they select one of a plain dark
material or of a light neat summer pattern. The Waganda have
remarkably good taste, and wear nothing which the most fasti-
dious European could call vulgar, either in colour or design.
Another common form of dress is a short-sleeved, open-necked,
thin white vest, and a coloured cloth wrapped round the waist
and reaching below the knees.
The Waganda have not yet disfigured themselves by putting
on European unmentionables, but I am afraid this is merely a
matter of time. I have seen on certain grand occasions the
Protestant Prime Minister sport a jacket which no doubt was
meant to be very effective, swagger, and military, but goodness
knows what " blend" of regiments it was supposed to represent.
Mohammedans wear a red fez-cap or a strip of cloth twisted
round the head like a turban. The higher classes of every creed
have adopted this fashion. Some show themselves already in
English travelling-caps. Apollo Katikiro, the Protestant Prime
Minister, wanting no doubt to " go one better," has appeared in
public in a soft felt hat or an imitation straw hat, the latter of
native manufacture. He has not yet made the acquaintance of the
refined and aristocratic silk hat. But hatters need not despair ;
there is no saying what may happen in Uganda in the future.
Uganda enjoys the unique blessing of having two Prime
Ministers. Formerly there used to be only one ; but as he was
converted to Protestantism, the opposite faction clamoured to
have also a Prime Minister, and have got him now, and he ranks
next to the Protestant one. Mugwanya, the Roman Catholic
Prime Minister of Uganda, is a fine-looking man, tall and pro-
portionately broad. He usually dresses in white. He and all
the great chiefs wear the sandals distinctive of their rank.
These sandals are of bullock-hide and somewhat of an oblong
saucer-shape. A strip of otter skin passes across the sandal
and keeps it to the foot ; a further support is gained by a strip
of otter skin which forms a loop through which the great toe
is passed.
When King Mwanga rebelled against the Government, his
THE WAGANDA
103
infant son Chua, about two years old, was proclaimed king of
Uganda and a council of regency was formed consisting of
Apollo Katikiro, Mugwanya, and Zacharias Kangao. For though
some of the Roman Catholic chiefs joined King Mwanga,
Mugwanya remained loyal to the British rule. All the great
chiefs live in houses which have an upper story, because King
Mw^anga one day issued a royal decree, that they were in
MUGWANYA, THE ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIME MINISTER OF UGANDA.
future to dwell in such houses and forthwith were to build
them. Those who did not have the house ready by a certain
date were heavily fined, the king of course pocketing the fine.
The " Kimbugwe," or "keeper of the royal umbilical cord,"
was one of the great chiefs, but the ridiculous title has for-
tunately been suppressed, in the same way that, instead of
acknowledging thirty degrees of nobility, the Government have
simplified the matter by acknowledging only the first four
degrees as having a right to seats in the Great Council or legisla-
tive assembly of the nation. The Kimbugwe became the Kakun-
guru. He aspired to intermarry with royalty and married the
sister of King Mw^anga, for which the king made him pay extra
I04
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
heavy. The lady was under a cloud. It appears that some time
previously she had taken a great fancy to some one, and that
she employed a comely young handmaid to carry her amatory
messages. What Shakespeare described hundreds of years a^^o
in "Twelfth Night" as happening when Viola was sent to
Olivia, happened in this case. The infuriated Princess wreaked
a cruel vengeance on her handmaid.
I w^as invited to the Kakunguru's wedding. Both he and the
Princess are stately figures of noble bearing. There was great
feasting and
merry-mak-
ing. Drums
and pipes
were playing,
oxen, sheep,
and goats had
been slaugh-
tered to pro-
vide for the
multitude of
guests. The
expense must
have been en-
ormous. Some
of the mis-
sionaries were
present, and
in accordance
with native
courtesy their
plates were
loaded to an
extent that a score of hungry men could not have devoured.
Native etiquette makes it obligatory to eat the whole of the
enormous helping ; but it fortunately provides also for over-
coming the difticulty by permitting mouthfuls being distributed
to followers. One missionary silently but rapidly emptied his
plate by feeding loyal but hungry converts.
The most common musical instruments are the drum and
the pipe. The pipe is cut either from a reed or from the slender
stem of a bamboo. The upper end is notched, and becomes the
WACANDA MUSICIANS.
THE WAGANDA 105
mouthpiece. There are four circular holes placed in a row
along the lower half of the pipe. The tune is an endless repe-
tition of the same few notes. The drum is carved out of a
hollow cylinder of wood ; both ends are covered with leather
fastened together with twisted strips of hide. It is carried slung
from the neck by means of a leather strap. It is most commonly
beaten with the fingers, but if the drum is very large, drum-
sticks are used.
There is another musical instrument, the Uganda harp ; but
I have only once seen it played in public. It was at the Christ-
mas festivities last year at Masindi in Unyoro, when one of our
Waganda allies produced it and played on it. It was a very
poor performance, the fault of the player I should say, and not
of the instrument. A good many of these harps are sold to
the ever eager curio-collector. The wooden bowl is somewhat
similar to the Kavirondo harp, but the sound-aperture is nearer
the middle. There is only one wooden stick fastened to the
bowl, instead of two as in the Kavirondo harp. This stick
curves upward, and carries eight pegs, to which the eight strings
are fastened. By screwing up the peg, the cord can be tightened
as required.
In the punitive expedition against the Wakitosh, the Kakun-
guru was the general of the Waganda army which numbered
over 6000. His wife, the princess, accompanied him to the war,
and marched along on foot through fair weather and foul ; she
was accompanied by a large following of female servants.
There used to be at Kampala a " jinrikshaw," sent up on
spec, by some English firm at the Coast. No one wanted to
buy it, so it lay for a long time in the Government store. One
day the Kakunguru and the Katikiro came to enquire about it. I
happened to be in charge of the Fort, and I referred the matter
to the Acting Commissioner who sent back word respecting the
minimum price that the firm had fixed for the sale of the vehicle.
Day after day these two chiefs came and examined the jinrik-
shaw, pulling it about the courtyard of the Fort. One day the
Kakunguru decided finally to buy it and accepted the price
mentioned by the Acting Commissioner. He and the Katikiro,
both of them heavy men, thereupon got into the jinrikshaw,
some scores of men pulled in front and pushed behind, and on
throwing the gates of the Fort open for them to pass, they
dashed away down Kampala hill full tilt. I said to myself, I
[o6
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
wonder how long any vehicle would stand such treatment
but I did not expect the catastrophe to come so soon. Within
half -an -hour one man came to the Fort carrying the shafts
of the jinrikshaw, another the wheels, and so on, a mass of
splintered wood. Then the Kakunguru arrived and solemnly
informed me that he had decided not to buy the jinrikshaw. I
told him the matter rested with the Commissioner and not with
me, but I refused to allow him to leave the broken rubbish at
the Fort. At the same time I told him, that as he had examined
it day after day, had agreed to buy it, and had taken it away,
I felt pretty certain he
would have to pay for
it, especially as it was
now smashed to pieces.
When I had received
instructions to insist
on the payment, I
found the Kakunguru,
although a wealthy
man, very slippery to
deal with. First he
professed he had no
ivory, and requested
time to send men to
shoot an elephant ;
this being refused, he
pleaded for time, two
to three months, to
send round to all his
friends to beg them
to lend him some
UGANDA HARP.
ivory. All this time
he had it ready, and was only " trying it on." Finally he paid
up, but the trouble he gave me has served me for a lesson.
At that time Government courteously permitted chiefs to pur-
chase various articles out of the Government store. All this
was, of course, stopped as soon as European firms sent up their
representatives to Kampala and opened stores.
On the march through Singo I came upon another form of
drum besides the one already described. It consisted of a sort
of pedestal, or cylinder of wood, with a piece of lizard-skin
THE WAGANDA
107
stretched over the top of it. A small boy carried it under his
left arm, but it was supported by a strap of leather passed over
the shoulders.
The Waganda like to do their work to the sound of drums
and in company with others. In this way they work ever so
much better and quicker. On the march through Singo we had
an illustration of it. The courteous sub-chief, where we had
camped, sent word over-night to all the villages around, that
men were wanted to construct a bridge next morning across a
very long and dangerous
swamp which we had
to pass over. Crowds
of villagers came, and I
learned something new,
when I saw how they
proceeded to form a
bridge. They cut a
wide path right through
the papyrus which was
standing 6 to 10 feet
high above the surface
of the water. The stems
of the papyrus were cut
off close to the water,
and thrown in inter-
lacing masses upon the
stumps of the papyrus
plants. The advantage
of selecting the thickest
and densest papyrus growth was obvious, since the papyrus
plants had there the strongest hold on the bottom of the
swamp and thus offered a firmer support to the superimposed
weight. Another reason was that a greater quantity of papyrus
stems could be cut for constructing the foot-bridge, and there
was less chance of coming upon open patches of water too wide
to be spanned. Across this novel form of bridge the whole of
my caravan passed, practically dry-foot ; and there I came
upon the drummers, two little lads, banging away without
intermission on their small drums. A man was sitting by and
preparing out of split papyrus reeds a tiny fish-basket for
capturing the small fish found in these swamps.
UGANDA DRUMS.
io8
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Waganda labourers are frequently ^een carrying some chopper
or axe. The native chopper is a broad-bladed knife, stuck into
the thick end of a club-shaped handle. It is an excellent instru-
ment for clearing fields of reeds, shrubs, and bushes. It is not
as useful for chopping hard wood as the native axe which is
fixed to a similar club-shaped handle, but at right angles to
the handle. The blade of the native axe is very small, and yet
WAGANDA LABOURERS.
it can fell the strongest and thickest trees. Another common
instrument is a small spear-shaped iron jammed on to a stick ;
it is used for digging holes for the poles of fences and stockades.
A favourite way with the native labourers of carrying their
pipe is to pass it through the shoulder-knot of their bark-cloth
garment.
The Uganda shield is cut out of a solid block of wood,
though its appearance conveys the impression that it consists
of two halves formed by two symmetrical segments of, circles,
meeting at an angle of 120°, and joined together along their arc.
The central conical boss of wood is left uncovered, but the rest
of the shield is covered by coloured strips of twisted hide.
THE WAGANDA 109
These shields appear to be exclusively manufactured for the
European curio-hunter, for I have never seen a single one used
in warfare, though we had thousands of armed Waganda in the
Wakitosh and Wakilelowa expeditions. Such of our allies as
did carry shields preferred to use either the Usoga wicker-shield
or the Kavirondo one of bullock-hide. There can be little
doubt that the Uganda shield, from an artistic point of view, is
superior; and when new it makes a handsome wall-ornament.
The kingdom of Uganda had already in King Mtesa's days
some form of constitutional government ; but as there was no
written language in existence to record legislative enactments, it
is obvious that an autocratic tyrant could easily over-ride any
restrictions placed on his authority. Death and mutilation were
punishments the king could inflict at pleasure. Human life
was of little account.
When I was in charge of Kampala, Mwanga was king of
Uganda. One of the missionaries told me, that before the
British occupation of Uganda King Mwanga one day put to
death over twenty of his gate-keepers under the following
circumstances. A guest, leaving the royal enclosure on Mengo
hill, was pushed by one of the gate-keepers, and at once
returned and complained of it to the king who thereupon
ordered not only the particular gate-keeper, but all the gate-
keepers to be put to death. Mwanga had learnt his despotic
creed from his father. King Mtesa.
Reading the story of Speke in my younger days, where he
intercedes with the king for the life of a woman, the picture
which represented the scene made a lasting impression on
me. King Mtesa gave a sort of picnic to Speke, and when his
favourite wife plucked some fruit and presumed to offer it to
her lord and master, the king ordered her to be put to death.
The king's executioners were a number of small boys who
wore a rope twisted round the head. At a sign from the
king they used this rope to strangle their victim. The unfor-
tunate woman called out for help, and Speke, horror-struck,
pleaded for her life. The king, amused that a white man should
care for a black woman's life, gave her on the spot a present
to him.
Since then Mtesa has passed away, and all his blood-
thirsty brood of sons are gone ; but Mtesa's tomb still stands.
It is on the top of a hill about twenty minutes from Fort
no
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Kampala. The tomb, a cone-shaped building, is of considerable
height. The grass-thatched roof nearly touches the ground,
except at the entrance, where a narrow verandah is formed. A
large number of props and pillars support the roof. From the
entrance a colonnade, about six feet wide, leads to Mtesa's
grave at the farther end. The pillars which support the lofty
roof are the straight stems of the makindo or wild date-palm.
All the pillars near the grave are covered with bark-cloth. The
MTESA S TOM]!.
interior of the hut is strewn with soft grass laid down parallel
with almost mathematical precision. It gives one the idea of
walking on a thick carpet instead of simply on loose grass.
The grass is piled so thick that every footfall is deadened.
Gloom and silence guard the grave of the blood-stained tyrant.
Brass spears rail it off in front, a chequered cloth with alternate
blue and white squares screens it behind, and on each side
hangs a brass shield, of which the left-hand one has a lot of
tiny brass-bells along the lower edge. In the centre of the row
of spears is a curious piece of brass of fantastic native design.
A square mound of hard dry clay a foot high is raised over the
spot where Mtesa lies buried. In walking up to the railing my
foot naturally displaced a few blades of the dry grass. At once
THE WAGANDA
I II
an attendant hurriedly restored them to mathematical order.
The tomb is surrounded in a wide semicircle by a number of
huts, erected for the use of Mtesa's widows who were constituted
keepers of the tomb. Some royal estates were set aside to supply
them with the necessaries of life. There cannot be many of
them living at the present day. I was introduced to one ; she
had a pleasant face, and the wool on her head was quite white.
Now and then one is reminded of something analogous in
the Uganda of the present day and England in an early stage of
its development. The peasants were serfs, practically slaves ;
Colonel Colville, by the simple declaration that the status of
slavery is not acknowledged in Uganda, abolished slavery and all
its evils. Of course one knows that every Soudanese household
has a number of slaves, and should any of these complain of ill-
treatment or express a desire to leave their master or mistress,
practical effect
is given to the
Colonel's, now '
historic, decla-
ration. On the
other hand,
there is no un-
called for in-
terference with
any man's
household.
The royal
family of
Uganda is ot
Wahima blood.
According to
tradition, the
Wahima are
the aborigines
of Uganda ; but when they were conquered and deprived
of their wealth which consisted of vast herds of cattle, they
voluntarily offered to serve their new masters as herdsmen.
The Wahima are a fine race, what I saw of them ; above
the average height, with an intelligent oval face and only
slightly flattened nose. To see them at their best the traveller
should see them at work on their pasture -lands. I came
WAHIMA KKAAL.
112 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
across them in Singo. None of them wore the bark-cloth
garment of the Waganda. Some had on a cotton cloth
thrown like a mantle over the upper part of the body. It
left the arms free and reached as far as the knees. But more
often the covering was a cow-hide knotted over one shoulder.
The men carried spears, apparently their only weapon. This
spear differs from the Uganda spear in having a shorter
blade and a shorter shaft. The married women looked ghastly
scarecrows, the way they had got themselves up. They wore a
good many bead, iron, and brass ornaments. Into their short
woolly hair they had plaited all sorts of trinkets, coloured beads,
shells, seeds, and bits of wood. The head and body were
dripping with rancid butter, and the cloth or skin they wore was
one mass of dirt and grease. They were so completely covered
up, that only the head was left visible. Most of the girls in
the kraal were naked, but not the least bit shy of the white
stranger. They seemed a merry, healthy, well-formed lot ;
but there was not one amongst them that could have been
called good-looking. They crowded round me to have a
good look at me ; perhaps I was the first white man they
had ever seen.
As the Wahima are herdsmen, they are nomadic. This pro-
bably accounts for the miserable structures they had erected
to serve as temporary huts. Out and out it was the humblest
attempt at a dwelling I have yet seen, differing as much from a
European's conception of a home as the eagle's nest of a few
sticks from the weaver-bird's elaborate structure. The hut con-
sisted of a few bent twigs covered over with rubbish, sticks, rank
weeds, grass, and perhaps a bullock-hide spread out over the top.
The entrance was so low, that even the little girls had to crawl
to get in or out ; to see a tall man crawling in was a ludicrous
sight, reminding one of a long-legged spider. I did not inspect
the interior, for though I was travel-stained, there are degrees
and limits also to the soiling of one's clothes. The village was
more or less circular, but quite unprotected ; a proof that the
Wahima were not living in fear of either man or wild beast.
Outside the kraal there were two huge mounds of cow-dung,
dried and caked by the sun ; these seemed to be favourite places
of meeting of the male population.
The cattle these men were pasturing were magnificent ani-
mals, the largest I have seen. Almost every animal might have
THE WAGANDA
113
figured among prize-cattle at an English cattle-show. A pecu-
liarity was the enormous length and width of the horns.
Cattle-farming in Uganda, whether for meat extract, horn,
bone-ash, or leather, should hold out lucrative prospects to
European intelligence and enterprise.
The calves were not allowed to accompany the herds when
they went out grazing, but were looked after by the boys and
kept near the village. Wherever it was difficult for the herd to
get to the water, the streamlet running perhaps in a steep ravine,
the herdsmen had erected clay troughs and filled these with
water by means of their milking pails. At other spots there
weregreen-
wood fires
burning
feebly and
slowly, but
emitting
dense vol-
umes of
smoke. The
cattle knew
what this
was meant
for. They
hustled
each other
to get into
the stream
of the smoke, where it rolled slowly and heavily over the
plain, in order to escape the persecution of the innumerable
swarms of flies and stinging insects.
There are several species of these flies ; they also attacked
the natives. I saw one of the little girls slap her thigh, and,
where a fly had just stung her, a big drop of blood oozed
out ; these troublesome flies can therefore give a very nasty
prick, but the child did not seem to mind the pain. I was
not stung on this occasion, but some of my caravan were,
and they certainly did not bear the infliction with the same
equanimity. Sometimes on the march, especially in showery
weather, the flies become a great nuisance. I have killed
them, almost as soon as they had settled on my neck or
H
WAHIMA HERDSMEN.
114 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
hands, and yet the smarting sensation which accompanied the
sting would be followed by a blain or a boil. Another sort of
fly used to attack my donkey and made it so restless, that I had
to stop and search for the tormentor.
The large herds of cattle I saw in Singo belonged originally
to King I\Uvanga, but were seized by the Government, when the
king rebelled. They are now being taken care of by Wahima
herdsmen for the Government.
In certain parts of Uganda a good deal of sugar-cane is
grown, but the natives do not seem to know how to utilise it
except for chewing. Some of the Arab traders now and then
crush a small amount of cane and boil down the juice to a
treacle, but nobody has ever attempted the manufacture of
sugar in Uganda. I have lived for many years in the sugar-
growing colony of Mauritius ; I know, therefore, that mere size
does not prove the superiority of one species of cane over
another. To judge, however, by the size of the Uganda
sugar-cane which was offered for sale to my porters almost in
every village in Singo along the caravan route, the production
must be very cheap. Canes over ten feet long were sold for a
halfpenny, shorter ones for a farthing ; and, as far as I could
judge, the juice was extremely rich in sugar. I saw thousands
of acres of virgin soil, suitable for sugar plantations and lying
unclaimed.
When Mtesa died, there was a struggle among his sons
for the throne of Uganda. They appear to have had about
as much affection for each other as the sons of William the
Conqueror. Kiwewa was king of Uganda for a few weeks,
w^hen his brother Karema managed to seize him and, tying
him to one of the pillars inside one of the Waganda huts
of reeds and grass, put fire to the structure. There was not
much left of Kiwewa at the end of this brotherly bonfire.
But Karema thought he might as well clear off all his
brothers whilst he was about it. All fell into his hands
except Mwanga, his youngest brother, who escaped from
Uganda and found a refuge at the south end of Lake Vic-
toria Nyanza. Karema dug a deep pit, tied his brothers to
stakes in it, starved them to death, and then filled up the
pit. He did not however reign very long ; he was carried
off by small-pox on his way to wage war against Unyoro.
King Kiwewa left a son, the young Roman Catholic Prince
THE WAGANDA
115
Augustine of Uganda. King Karema left two sons, half-brothers
to each other ; one fell into the hands of the Mohammedans
and is the young Mohammedan Prince Ramazan of Uganda,
the other was brought up by the French missionaries and is the
young Roman Catholic Prince Joseph of Uganda. These two,
Princes Augustine and Joseph, are very simply dressed in a long
white garment, known as a "kanzu," and a red fez-cap. They
wear a small silver cross hanging from a silver chain. When I
saw them, Prince Augustine happened to fold his hands, and
the silver cross
accidentally fell
across them.
Under this em-
blem of the
Christian faith,
in distant Ugan-
da, the young
Princes have
buried the
family blood-
feud. Though
cousins, they
are more like
brothers to
each other ;
and no one can
foretell what
day the one or
the other may
be called upon to ascend the throne of his ancestors. The
royal family of Uganda consists at present of ex-King Mwanga,
ex-King Mbogo, the baby-King Chua, and the Princes Ramazan,
Augustine, and Joseph. Mbogo has a child, the Princess Fatima,
but as Salic law governs the succession, neither she nor various
other princesses of the older line have any claim whatever to the
throne.
On my third journey to Uganda I was requested by the
Government to take ex-King Mbogo with his family and
followers along with me from Mombasa. Lugard in his
historical book relates how the Mohammedan party in Uganda
had proclaimed Mbogo king, and how he managed to end
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC PRINCES AUGUSTINE AND JOSEPH
OF UGANDA.
ii6 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
the civil war by getting Mbogo to abdicate in favour of
Mwanga. To prevent a fresh outbreak of hostilities, the
Government had removed Mbogo to the coast. Here he
became homesick, and petitioned to be sent back to Uganda.
As there appeared to be no reason to fear any further trouble
his request was granted.
To take ex-King Mbogo along with me was easier said than
done, and I had a pretty lively time of it from start to finish.
He had a dozen wives, and with his followers he numbered
sixty souls. The wants of all had to be anticipated and provided
for. Then one hitch after another arose and had to be over-
come. The Government had fixed the number of porters he
was to be allowed ; thereupon he informed me that his followers
one and all had refused to carry any sort of load on the journey.
It was no use to try and reason with him, that Government had
fixed the number and was not likely to treble it in order to
gratify the laziness of his followers. Mbogo was obstinate ; his
men were servants, he declared, not slaves. For a while 1 did
not know how to get on, then an inspiration came. I told
Mbogo that there was no help for it, but we would have to
dismiss all his servants who refused to work, and that not one
of them would be allowed to accompany my caravan. I asked
for a list of the names, in order that I might stop at once the
daily allowance of food issued to them bv the Government, and
compel them to earn their food where and how they liked. In
less than half-an-hour Mbogo professed to have ascertained that
every one of his followers was most willing to carry a light
load, rather than be left at Mombasa or have his food allow-
ance stopped. Fortunately Mbogo did not know that the
Government did not want any of his followers on any account
to be left behind at Mombasa.
Other similar trivial matters, and yet sufficient to prevent
the caravan from moving, were of constant occurrence, but
by good luck I managed to get over them. The following
may serve as an illustration. As we were about to start from
Mombasa, I saw that a poor little boy had been given a weight
of over 70 lbs. to carry, and some of Mbogo's favourites, big
strapping fellows, had already passed with trifling bundles of
10 lbs. weight. Every caravan leader knows what it means
when porters break down on the march, and here was a boy
given by Mbogo to carry 70 lbs. for the next 800 miles. I at
THE WAGANDA
117
once stopped the caravan, and made each of Mbogo's men
bring his load to be weighed at the Government store, and I
increased or decreased it as experience dictated. I had no
further trouble on this score, though it delayed the caravan
at the time for a few hours.
Even with trained porters it is not always easy to keep the
men from straggling, but the first few days of the march
Mbogo's women made precious hard work for me. On some
EX-KING MBOGO, PRINCESS FATIMA, AND PRINCE RAMAZAN OF UGANDA.
excuse or other they would drop out of the ranks ; and they
never cared how far it might be to the next camp, but would
lie down under the first convenient shady tree and fall fast
asleep. By the time I had reached camp, I would find some
of these ladies missing, and I had the pleasure of going back
for them.
The day I camped at Maji Chumvi, I had a curious experience.
I passed Count Teleki's camp on the road, and stopped to have
a chat, while waiting for stragglers. When I did reach my
camp, I found two of Mbogo's wives missing. 1 went back
ii8 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
to look for them, and had to walk some miles beyond Teleki's
camp before I found them comfortably asleep under a tree.
They declared they were unable to move owing to stomach-
ache. Two of my men supported the one, myself and another
Askari supported the other woman. On passing Teleki's camp
for the third time, I stopped and asked him for some brandy
to administer to these women. I then sent some men on to
fetch my own riding-donkeys to carry these women to my camp.
Teleki, seeing how tired I was, brought his camp bedstead out,
and most kindly insisted on my lying down. The moment I
did so, I fell sound asleep. The arrival of the donkeys woke
me. 1 tried to help the two ladies to get on the donkeys, when
to my surprise I found that both were helplessly drunk.
I naturally attributed the effect to the brandy, though it
seemed unaccountable it should have had such an effect. 1
felt sorry that Teleki witnessed their condition. One of these
ladies we tied on to the donkey to prevent her rolling off, and
sent her thus to Mbogo, accompanied by some of his men ; but
the second one was too far gone. Two men had to carry her,
whilst I walked by their side. Teleki tried hard to keep me
at his camp for the night, and very kindly offered to put me
up ; but the unfortunate condition of these women made it
doubly necessary to see them safe to their husband's tent.
Next day Count Teleki and I camped together at Samburu,
and the mystery of the drunken condition of the two women was
explained. It appears that whilst I slept, the two went to Teleki
and intimated that the brandy had almost stopped their suffering
but not quite. He thought he might as well repeat the dose ;
but every few minutes they applied for another dose, till they
were too drunk to come for more. Both of them had a splitting
headache next day, but — niit-abile dictu—ihey never suffered again
from stomach-ache on the journey.
It w^as on this journey that I found one of the Uganda
wooden spears very helpful in marching along, a sort of pilgrim's
staff. The Waganda double-edged hghting spear has a rather
long blade, longitudinally grooved on each side. The wooden
spear is usually over six feet long and terminates in a very sharp
point ; its other end is tipped with iron, to stick the spear into
the ground when not required. The wood made use of for the
manufacture of these spears is remarkaby tough and strong, and
yet extremely light.
THE WAGANDA
119
Ex-King Mbogo and I became fast friends, long before the
journey had ended ; and though some years have passed, he
generally honours me with a visit when I go to Kampala, where
he is now settled on Nakasero hill. He behaved sensibly and
well during the Soudanese mutiny ; for the mutineers wrote to
him and offered to make him king of Uganda. Mbogo not only
promptly declined the offer, but advised them in the strongest
terms to return at once to their allegiance to the British Govern-
UGANDA SPEARS.
ment. Had he accepted, the whole of the Mohammedan faction
in Uganda would have gone over to the mutineers. His stay
at Zanzibar has no doubt considerably enlarged his views
regarding the might of the British Empire. He is a strict
Mohammedan ; and every Friday (the Mohammedan equivalent
of the Christian's Sunday) a Mohammedan service is held at his
residence, and Swahilies, Arabs, and other Mohammedans flock
to it in large numbers. He affects Mohammedan dress. To his
native royal bearing he has added some of the Arab polish
from Zanzibar. He presents a striking contrast in every respect
to the vile and shifty ex-King Mwanga.
CHAPTER IX.
T
A NATIVE FISH-CREEL.
AT KAMPALA.
H E king of Uganda resides on a hill
called " Mengo," and for this reason
some call the capital of Uganda Mengo.
Kampala hill was obtained by Lugard
as a concession from King Mwanga, and upon
it he built his famous fort, thereby laying
the foundation-stone of British supremacy in
Uganda. The increased and increasing staff
of Government officials, the large building
in which the legislative native council hold
their " baraza " or parliamentary proceed-
ings, the Soudanese market, the busy Svvahili
settlement, show that Kampala has now ac-
quired a wider sense. In the same way that
London has gradually absorbed adjoining districts, Kampala has
absorbed Nakasero and other hills.
Kampala, used in the wider sense, is the capital of Uganda
and the heart of the Uganda Protectorate, causing its adminis-
trative influence to be felt far and near.
In 1894 the officer in command at Kampala had to be in-
valided to the coast, and Her Majesty's Acting Commissioner
selected me as the temporary successor, pending the arrival of
some newly-appointed administrative officers. During the four
and a half months I held the appointment I was absolutely
single-handed, and had to perform all the duties which now are
subdivided amongst quite a number of officers and clerks. I
had to combine administrative, military, and medical duties ; I
had to act as magistrate and as commandant ; I had charge of
the prison and of the police ; I was paymaster and postmaster ;
I was collector and registrar; I was store-keeper and book-
AT KAMPALA 121
keeper ; in fact, I had to carry on by myself the whole of the
Government machinery at Kampala, and I had not a single
clerk, black or white, to assist me. For a fortnight I was under
my predecessor, in order to get an insight into local affairs and
" to learn the ropes." The day before I left Port Alice to enter
upon my new duties at Kampala, I received my final instruc-
tions from Her Majesty's Acting Commissioner. My endeavour
whilst temporarily in office, I might sum up : as upholding
British prestige and authority, and maintaining friendly relations
with King Mwanga and all the great Waganda chiefs, Protestant
and Roman Catholic. Lugard and my other predecessors at
KAMPALA SEEN FROM NAKASERO HILL.
Kampala have proved that King Mwanga and his chiefs were a
handful to manage, and since I handed over these administrative
duties to my successor, King Mwanga and some of the great
chiefs have rebelled and caused bloodshed.
The view from Nakasero hill shows Kampala hill in the
foreground and beyond it the saddle-shaped hill of Namirembe.
The village on Kampala hill is the Swahili settlement, which,
with the Acting Commissioner's permission, I laid out. The
road, seen in the illustration to lead up to Fort Kampala, I
made, superintending its construction in person. It has evi-
dently supplied a want, for it has since been continued over
Nakasero hill, and right on to meet the great caravan road
from Kampala to the Nile, known as the Usoga Road. Till the
122 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Swahili settlement was laid out, with roads intersecting each
other at right angles, it was a horribly filthy place, rendered
dangerously insanitary by Swahili caravans camping there
temporarily with their Manyema and Wanyamwezi porters who
defiled every foot of ground around the camp. The place was a
standing menace to the community, and it was with a medical
officer's eye that I saw the urgent need of reform.
Her Majesty's Acting Commissioner for Uganda at the time
was Colonel Colville, now Sir Henry Colville, K.C.M.G., C.B.
Holding the supreme authority in the land, upon his yes or no
depended the carrying into effect of every measure. He approved
of my plans, allowed me full scope to work them out, and
strengthened my hands by the weight of his supreme authority.
With his consent I laid out the village, cutting straight wide
roads, pulling down trumpery grass-huts and tumble-down
shanties wherever their presence interfered with the road-
making, subdividing the land into small holdings, and allotting
these to respectable applicants at a nominal rent on condition
of observing certain sanitary rules, viz., erecting suitable con-
structions for the sanitary requirements of their household, and
keeping the public road, as far as their particular holding was
concerned, clean and free of weeds.
The village community, consisting principally of Arab and
Swahili ivory traders, thoroughly approved of these various mea-
sures. The last time 1 arrived at Kampala from the coast, quite a
number of these traders came to greet me and to shake hands.
It was pleasant to find I was still kindly remembered by them,
though some years had elapsed since the Colonel's temporary
successor relegated me to my original medical appointment.
The ivory exported from Uganda is either elephant ivory or
hippo ivory, but the latter is considerablv cheaper because all
the tusks are comparatively small, and the finest and heaviest
tusks of the hippopotamus lose in value because they are curved
into a semicircle. Even elephant ivory to be valuable must be
of a size sufficiently large to allow^ of the manufacture of biUiard
balls. As might be imagined, America is the best market for
ivory. The traders have several names to designate the different
qualities ; the very best is known as " baboo-uleia," and the
next quality is " baboo-ketsh " ; anything inferior is scarcely
worth exporting, as the expense of transport over 800 to 1000
miles instead of leaving a profit would probably entail a loss.
AT KAMPALA
123
It requires considerable experience to be a good ivory buyer ;
I have known what appeared to me a fine and valuable tusk to
be pronounced worthless owing to an almost imperceptible
notch at the very tip. This, I was told, was a sure sign that a
split existed right through the very centre of the tusk. A
purchaser expending Xioo on such a tusk might not be able to
sell it again for 100 shillings.
Kampala is essentially a city built on hills : Kampala hill,
with Fort Kampala on its summit, with the various Government
offices, and
with the
Swahili set-
tlement on
one side ;
Mengo hill,
with the re-
sidences of
the king of
Uganda and
of several of
the great
chiefs ; Na-
m i r e m b e
hill, with
the Protes-
tant Cathe-
dral and
the Church
Mission Society's Station ; Rubaga hill, with the Roman
Catholic Cathedral, and a settlement of the French Algerian
Mission ; Nakasero hill, with the European traders and the
Soudanese village ; and on another hill Bishop Hanlon has
erected an English Roman Catholic establishment.
Between Namirembe hill and Kampala hill there lies a
small plain. It is one of the concessions secured by Lugard.
There was no direct road leading from Fort Kampala to
Namirembe hill. I decided to construct one. It has proved
useful ; my road only led across the plain to the foot of the
hill, but my successor has continued it right up as far as the
shoulder. The open space between the two hills I proposed
to utilise as a pubhc recreation ground ; one of the four roads
ARAB AND SWAHILI IVORY TRADERS.
124 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
which dehmit it exists from Lugard's day, the other three I
made. When the arrangements for holding on it the first sports
were nearly complete, the Acting Commissioner was taken
seriously ill and had to be invalided to the coast. I was ordered
to accompany him, and my administrative duties at Kampala
ended.
The recreation ground, however, still exists; and the last
time I arrived at Kampala a vigorous game of football was
going on, white men and niggers taking part in it. I have
always understood football to be a game for the younger
generation. Cricket we know can be played up to mature
age, as proved by the present cricket-king in England. It
was, therefore, highly interesting and amusing to watch the
Namirembe Archdeacon footing it with the youngest. While
the Acting Commissioner, the Judge, and myself, were looking
on and watching the game with interest, one of the younger
officials got a bad kick and sprawled on the ground. Fortu-
nately no bones were broken. He was carried by sympathising
friends to his house, and for a while he had to give up football
and also Government duty. A few days later, 1 had to attend
another who had ricked his knee at football ; he too went off
Government duty for some days. But these little mishaps did
not deter the Namirembe Venerable !
To the right of the recreation ground, and separated from it
by one of the roads which I constructed in 1894, lies the native
market with its half-dozen huts.
Another market, known as the Soudanese market, is just at
the foot of Kampala hill. The white flour offered for sale in
baskets or open grass-platters looks very tempting, but when
used for baking produces a dark-brown crumbly bread. This
white flour is not wheat-flour, but either mohindi (maize), or
matama (Kaff re-corn), or mohogo (casava), or disi (banana).
Banana-flour is made by peeling green plantains, cutting them
lengthways down the middle, drying them in the sun, and
then pounding them into flour. There does not seem to be
very much nourishment in it.
The police force at Kampala originated in 1894 during
my short tenure of administrative duty. A trivial incident, a
Soudanese soldier arresting a Wahima herdsman for causing
disturbance in the native market, drew attention to the fact of
there being no special department of pohce. I submitted to
AT KAMPALA
125
the Acting Commissioner the advisabihty of estabhshing such
a staff as a distinct and separate body. The scheme was
sanctioned, and as a preHminary experiment the Colonel
approved of twenty men being appointed. Some simple rules
were drawn up, the men selected, and the police force came
into existence. At first Soudanese soldiers were chosen ; but
now Waganda are employed, probably owing to the mutiny
and the disarming of the
Soudanese at Kampala.
The present uniform is
white, with dark blue
putties, and a red cloth
turban, one end of which
is allowed to hang down
the back. The men are
armed with the Govern-
ment rifle, and wear a
light brown leather cart-
ridge-belt. They also act
as prison-warders.
The administration of
justice in Uganda is based
on the treaty with King
Mwanga, under which the
British Government as-
sumed the responsibility of a Protectorate over the kingdom.
The African Order in Council and the Brussels Act of Interna-
tional Law regarding sale of spirits or rifles to natives guide the
judicial decision in other matters.
One of the latest improvements in administrative expan-
sion was the appointment of a barrister-at-law, Mr. Collinson,
as legal adviser to the Government. All judicial decisions
above a certain penalty have to be submitted to the High
Court of Bombay ; and a fortiori no sentence of death can
be carried out by the Government without the sanction of the
High Court.
The king of Uganda has his own native court of justice ; he
has no right to try any but his own subjects ; consequently
matters in connection with aliens of every description, whether
European, Swahili, Soudanese, Lendu, Indian, or Armenian,
cannot be tried in the king's native court. The king's court
KAMPALA POLICE.
26
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
may, however, pass a sentence of death upon Waganda, and may
order such sentence to be carried out without reference to the
court at Bombay. Accordingly, three Waganda murderers were
hanged not very long ago. I was not called upon to be present
at the execution to pronounce whether life was extinct. One
of the young officials was entrusted with seeing that the
arrangements at the gallows were in order. He came to me
and w-anted me to tell him where the knot should be applied.
A CHAIN-GANG AT KAMPALA.
and what distance should be allowed for the drop. As
I have never been a hangman, and do not aspire to such
an office, I declined to discuss the subject ; but when I
was urged on the plea of humanity, I reluctantly told my
interrogator, to enable him to perform his unenviable work
expeditiously, what I had read or heard about this gruesome
subject.
One of the forms of punishment made use of by the Govern-
ment is the " chain-gang," which means hard labour.
AT KAMPALA 127
The number of convicts in a chain-gang depends on the
length of the chain. An iron ring is placed round the neck
of each, and the chain is then passed through the two
eyelets of the ring. One end of the chain is secured by a
large iron ring, the other end by a padlock. The neck-ring
consists of two separate halves which move on a fixed pivot at
the back and carry each an eyelet in front.
On my first journey to Uganda we had a strange incident at
Kabras in connection with a chain-gang. The Swahili in charge
of it hit upon the plan of doing wholesale robbery by utilising
his own gang of prisoners for the job. Apparently he foraged
pretty successfully, judging by a couple of fowls, a lot of sweet-
potatoes, some ground-nuts, and other items produced. Our
caravan leader heard of it, stretched out the culprit, gave him
some lashes, and then added him to the chain-gang. The stolen
goods were confiscated, and a new warder was appointed to take
charge of the prisoners, now increased in number by the addition
of the former warder.
One of the cases I had to try at Kampala in 1894 was a
curious repetition of Potiphar's wife versus Joseph. The lady in
question was a princess, save the mark ! of the royal family of
Uganda. Joseph was represented by a headman named Musa.
The lady in this instance also produced a garment, belonging
to Musa, and she very nearly landed her Joseph in prison.
Musa gave a straightforward account, and said that a fishmonger
was present at the scene, of whom he bought some fish which
he gave to the princess. Questioned about the fish, the prin-
cess declared she herself had bought it and had handed it to
her handmaid, a slave-attendant, who was prepared to swear to
anything her mistress had stated. Luckily for Musa the fish-
monger was found, brought to the court, identified all the parties
concerned, and proved Joseph's — I mean Musa's — story to be
true. As this case involved a princess, the Prime Minister and
a number of the great Waganda chiefs were present at the
trial and concurred in the decision. I heard afterwards that
the princess was a woman of extremely shady morals.
A native fishmonger is a singular sight ; as a rule, the fish he
offers for sale are about the size of small sardines, dried in the
sun and strung in rows. One row costs a penny and contains
about a dozen fish.
In another case I had to try, one of King Mwanga's wives
I2l
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
was the accused. This good lady coveted some trumpery iron
ornaments worn by a Lendu woman, and deeming herself safe
in her exalted position, she assaulted and robbed the Lendu
woman on the high-road. Tw^o Lendu men hearing the screams
came to the assistance of the maltreated woman, but were
set upon by a number of Waganda and badly handled. The
three Lendu came to the Fort to report the matter and to be
treated. One of the men had one of his thumbs split open
A FISHMONGER.
and so injured that 1 had to amputate a portion. The woman's
back was streaming with blood. The charming creature who
had thus enforced her royal washes was summoned to the
Fort ; naturally she refused to come, and took refuge in King
Mwanga's so-called palace. I informed the king that his royal
spouse was "wanted" on a serious charge of highway robbery with
violence. He replied that he was most anxious to assist the
Government, but unfortunately he was unable to find the lady in
his enclosure. Thanking him for the assistance he had offered,
I intimated, that if within half-an-hour the accused did not arrive
AT KAMPALA 129
at the Fort, I should send a strong body of armed Soudanese
to assist his majesty in a thorough search.
The lady was sent immediately, but accompanied by a mighty
following of all the great chiefs, from the Protestant Prime
Minister downwards. When the charge was thoroughly proved
and the great chiefs had concurred that the accused was guilty,
I asked the Prime Minister what sentence in his opinion should
be passed on the woman. To this he gave the evasive answer,
" She is a queen ; she is King Mwanga's wife." Those who
know what is meant by " shauries " with Waganda, can picture
the wearisome discussion which followed for hours, the chiefs
admitting that the woman was guilty, but declining to pass
a sentence on her because she was a queen and King
Mwanga's wife ; ultimately a sentence of three months impri-
sonment was passed, and confirmed by Her Majesty's Acting
Commissioner.
The Lendu women at Kampala in 1894 went practically naked
but for a covering of leaves in the Makraka fashion. They too
are benefitting by the British occupation of the country. This
can be seen in the illustration of a Lendu mother with her baby.
She and her husband accompanied my caravan from Kampala to
Luba's on my last journey. Every Lendu woman in my caravan
was respectably attired in a white cotton petticoat reaching from
the waist to the ankles. Ear-rings, necklaces, bracelets, further
testified that they were comfortably well-off. The baby was
carried in a peculiar sort of sling plaited out of strips of palm
leaves. It supported the baby pick-a-back fashion with one leg
dangling free on each side. Fastened by leather straps to the
mother's waist and shoulders, the sling left the arms of the
mother free. But a queer covering, shaped like a candle-
extinguisher, was shoved over the baby's head to shield it from sun
and rain. This cone-shaped cover was also made out of plaited
strips of palm leaves. Finding that I had photographed her,
the woman was not very pleased, and expressed her doubts
whether such magic arts of the white man were likely to be
productive of a blessing either on her or her baby ; but she
promptly changed her mind on the subject, when I gave
her a present of a pat of butter which I had watched her
haggling for.
The Lendu at Kampala came originally as slaves and fol-
lowers of the Soudanese. The Lendu country lies beyond Lake
I
I30
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Albert, on the other side of the Lur country. It is said that the
Soudanese in passing through enslaved a good many, and that
other Lendu followed voluntarily owing to famine. Many of the
Lendu are now paid Government labourers and are earning a
comfortable wage. That they are of a low type is shown by a
case I had to try at Kampala. A Soudanese soldier complained
that he had paid a large sum to a Lendu to get a Lendu
woman ; she had remained with him as wife and cook for a
few months and had then returned to her Lendu husband. It
must be remembered that to obtain a wife by purchase is the
FRONT OF PROTESTANT CATHEDRAL ON NAMIREMBE HILL.
universal rule, and not the exception in these countries ; it is
not slave-dealing in the accepted sense of the word, though it
is open to question whether it does not fall under the same
heading. A proof that it is not slave-buying is that the woman
knew she was still a free woman and had acted accordingly.
The Soudanese soldier was naturally very much disappointed
that his payment of purchase-money could not be accepted by
me as constituting any right whatever over the woman.
The day of rest the Lendu community spend almost invari-
ably in dancing and jollification. A Lendu dance consists in
hopping more or less slowly in single file around the musicians.
The dancers free|uently daub and smear themselves wdth white
clay. Only small children don the national dress of leaves ;
AT KAMPALA 131
women often stick a bunch of leaves outside their petticoat
in memory of bygone days. The dancers usually carry a stick
or leafy branch ; a good many have a tiny reed whistle to add
to the musical din. One dancer, I noticed, was very proud of
a head-dress he had invented for the occasion ; it was a small
reed-bowl worn as a cap, with a tuft of feathers stuck on top of
it. The band consisted of drums, horns, gourd-rattles, and almost
anything that would swell the noise, and yet they managed some-
how to maintain a monotonous tune, somewhat mournful and
wailing, but of assistance to the dancers in keeping time.
The wonderful conversion of the Waganda to Christianity is
a striking illustration how easily vast multitudes may be influ-
enced by a few men, just as the Ephesian throng was ready to
shout that their Diana was great. That there are a number
of sincere and real conversions among the Waganda may be
granted, but it is rather dilftcult to believe that so many thousand
men, women, boys, and girls should all have realised at the
same moment and suddenly, not only the inestimable superiority
of Christianity over Mohammedanism and heathenism, but should
have grasped the relative merits between Protestantism and
Roman Catholicism, so as to enable them to choose either in pre-
ference to the other. It seems sad that a fratricidal war should
have broken out between the two factions, as related by Lugard ;
but intolerance and bigotry are dangerously near to every sudden
conversion, and Uganda was not to be the exception.
I happened to be at Kampala when the Protestant cathe-
dral on Namirembe hill was blown down by a violent gust of
wind. A new cathedral was speedily erected. The huge grass-
thatched roof requires some hundreds of tall palm-stem pillars
to support it. The cathedral carries a plain cross. The elegant
reed-work of the walls is neatly finished off, but otherwise it
is simple in the extreme. It is an impressive sight to see the
thousands of worshippers flocking to it on a Sunday morning.
To a certain extent this universal conversion by the thou-
sand is an outcome of the deeply-grafted feudal system. The
great chief becomes a Protestant or a Roman Catholic, as
the case may be, and at once most of his sub-chiefs adopt
the same form of worship ; peasants, as a matter of course,
follow their sub-chiefs. It becomes a mark of superiority to
be able to read and write, and immediately every one tries to
attain to this level. A good bell-wether is of inestimable value
132
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
to a shepherd, and the bell-cow that acts as leader to a herd
on giddy mountain heights in Switzerland has been known to
tight desperately with others for her distinguished but perilous
position. If proverbially dull-brained animals can exercise this
influence over a herd, it does not seem improbable that the
animal on the top rung of creation's ladder, and known as
homo sapiens, should on occasion similarly sway a multitude of
his own species.
During my stay at Kampala I gathered, that chiefs, great and
small, considered it their most important daily duty to attend
RUBAGA HILL SEEN FROM NAMIREMBE.
from nine to twelve biblical instruction. As they are intelligent
pupils, there is nothing surprising in the remark once made to
me by a missionary, that he could not find questions hard enough
to " stump " the adult scholars who had been attending this
course for a number of years.
The French Algerian Mission, known as the " White Fathers,"
have settled on Rubaga hill. These hardy missionaries devote
their life to the cause ; as a rule, they die out here, unless some
one completely broken down is invalided by a medical man
before it is too late. The Church Mission Society grant a full
year's leave to their missionaries after every five years of work.
AT KAMPALA
133
but these White Fathers have no restful leave of absence to look
forward to. I had the privilege, although myself a Protestant,
of enjoying the friendship of more than one of this heroic band.
I knew the Venerable Pere.Guillemin when he was simply Father
Superior ; he became Bishop, and shortly afterwards he died.
Sir Gerald Portal in his book mentions the hospitality of these
White Fathers. I, too, have had the honour of being invited
to their table. One evening Judge Collinson and I were their
guests, and I tasted for the first time a ripe mango in Uganda.
Last time I visited them they told me they now formed the
"quadruple alliance," because one of their number happened
to be a Frenchman, the other a Belgian, IMonseigneur the
Bishop an Alsatian, and the fourth man, if I remember rightly,
an Austrian.
These White Fathers have a rule, which the Church Mission
Society has also adopted, of never having a missionary living
lonely and solitary
by himself. There
are always two at
least together in every
mission station, and
if death removes one,
another is sent to
make up the number.
They devote some of
their leisure to gar-
dening, and to be
able to enjoy a ripe
mango from a mango-
tree raised by them
from seed is sufficient
proof that merited
success has rewarded
their efforts. The
courteous greeting
extended by their
converts to passing strangers is noticed at once by all accus-
tomed to the surly indifference of Protestant native converts
towards any white man they do not happen to know.
A white negro belongs to the same class of curiosities of
Nature as a white blackbird. There is at Kampala a boy who
AN ALBINO-NEGRO.
134 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
is an albino-negro. He is a perfect negro as shown by his
features, his woolly hair, and by the formation of his skull ; but
his skin is white. This w^hite colour is unlike a European's,
because all Europeans, men and women, are bound to tan more
or less in Africa. This poor albino presents a pitiable object of
neglect. As dirt shows more readily on his white skin, he always
looks dirty compared to his black playfellows. The glare of the
sun hurts his sensitive albino-eyes, and has caused his keeping
the right eye habitually closed and his blinking with the left eye.
This photophobia has produced the habitual effort of twisting
the face, so as to mitigate the pain which the rays of light cause,
when they strike his unprotected iris ; and in this way his mouth
has been pulled awTy, and his features have assumed an un-
pleasant and unhappy expression. When I examined his eyes
the last time I was at Kampala, they looked decidedly more grey
to what I noticed four years ago.
Kampala has two Christian Prime ]\Iinisters (the one a Pro-
testant, the other a Roman Catholic) and three Christian Bishops
(the one a Protestant, the two others Roman Catholics). With
this storage of power and of evangelising force, one would imagine
that Kampala must be a sort of " New Jerusalem," a city of
saints. But there is not another place I know, either in Uganda
or in the East African Protectorate, where " so many thieves
break through and steal." On my very first arrival at Kampala
I had an illustration of this fact. The captain, then in command
of the fort, on ushering us into the mess-room, wanted to refer
to the clock. " Well, I'm blest," he exclaimed, *' they've stolen
the clock ! " The clock, it appears, usually stood on the side-
board. As he went on chatting with the greatest equanimity
about other matters, and took the theft with such perfect com-
posure, 1 thought it was simply a joke, especially as my com-
panion, the major, laughed very heartily. When our host had
left the room, I found that it was not a joke, but real earnest. I
thereupon expressed to my companion my admiration for a man
who could take loss and annoyance with such gentlemanly forti-
tude, as it was impossible to replace the clock without writing to
England for another to be sent out, and this could not possibly
reach Kampala under eight months. My companion explained
how it was, that the captain took it so coolly. "One usually
takes another man's misfortunes with heroic indifference," he
said ; " the clock does not belong to the captain at all, but to the
AT KAMPALA
135
other man who is away, and who will probably not take it quite
so calmly when he hears of the theft." This happened in June
1894. Since then there has been further phenomenal missionary
activity at Kampala and in Uganda. The number of missionaries,
white and black, I mean European and native, at the same rate
of increase, must become legion in the future. They are com-
posed of priests and laymen, males and females, Protestants and
Roman Catholics, married and single. I should not venture to
compute the thousands of natives that have been baptized and
the number of benighted souls that have been saved. But the
devil seems to have become aware, that he must bestir himself,
hurry up and strengthen his forces, if he does not want to see
the Millennium arriving at Kampala earlier than elsewhere.
This may account, why the thieves have grown infinitely bolder
at Kampala at the present day, and they do not spare mission-
aries either. One day one of the Mission ladies was terrified
by a thief in her room. This emissary of Satan snatched up
some of her property
and escaped.
The last time I was
at Kampala, I saw a
mixture of troops drawn
together from various
sources, owing to the
Soudanese mutiny.
Amongst these were a
number of East African
Rifles hurriedly sent
up from Mombasa.
Dressed in brown kake,
with red fez and dark
blue putties, and wear-
ing boots, the soldiers
looked very smart.
Those I saw were all
rather short ; this fact
and their smooth African faces gave one the impression of
their belonging to a corps of boys.
When I passed through Mombasa, men were being recruited
for the Uganda Rifles. The scarcity of men available to enlist
became apparent, when one gentleman recognised his former
THE EAST AFRICAN RIFLES.
136
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
cook, and another his former boy, amongst these new levies who
have been dubbed by some facetious joker the " Knick-knacks/'
under which sobriquet I heard of them already some hundreds
of miles up-country. In future, Indian troops will also be
stationed in Uganda.
When the British Protectorate was declared over Uganda, I
FORT KAMPALA SEEN FROM THE NATIVE MARKET.
happened to be in charge of Fort Kampala, where the historic
document ratifying the treaty was =.igned by Colonel Colville
and King Mwanga who, instead of writing his name, always
used as his signature the word " Kabaka," which means king,
for every ofticial document. The signatures of these august
personages had to be witnessed, and for this the two Prime
Ministers and mvself were selected. On this occasion one of
the great chiefs w'as so impressed by the splendour of an English
colonel's full ceremonial uniform, that he lost no time in
approaching on the subject the representative of an English
firm, and offered a great quantity of ivory for "a suit exactly
like the Colonel's," cocked hat and spurs included.
Another minor episode which happened about that time and
which now appears almost comic, looking back at it through the
vista of several years, was far from comic to me then. A seething
unrest seemed to pervade the Waganda. It led to sanguinary
fights under Lugard, and taxed his skill and patience to the
utmost. It burst out in fresh vigour in the last rebellion of
Waganda, when King Mwanga and some of his great chiefs took
up arms against the British Government. Though hundreds
AT KAMPALA 137
have been slaughtered, and the king has been dechired deposed,
he still defies the Government, and holds his own in some parts
of the Protectorate ; it is said he has some hundreds, according
to others some thousands, of adherents armed with guns. I
became aware of this turbulent native spirit during my period
of authority at Kampala. I had reliable information that plots
against the Government were brewing. There were at least half
a dozen different plots. King Mwanga wanted to get rid of
Apollo Katikiro, some of the ambitious chiefs wished to turn out
Mwanga, others longed to oust the British Government. One of
the leading chiefs concerned in these matters was Mwanika. It
was an anxious time for me, a civilian temporarily in command
of a fort and of Soudanese troops, and responsible for the main-
tenance of peace. I kept myself thoroughly informed of every
movement of the conspirators and, drawing my lines closer
and closer, waited for one to commit himself sufficiently to
seize him. The disturbing news reached also the late Captain
Dunning in distant Unyoro, and he wrote to me about it, as he
was unaware that I was alive to the danger menacing the
Government. Under pretext of collecting men to rebuild the
Protestant cathedral, noisv demagogues were beating drums and
parading the outskirts of Kampala with armed men. Mwanika,
I heard, was laying in arms and ammunition.
In the night I received an urgent message to see the Acting
Commissioner who lay ill at Port Alice. Port Alice is some
twenty miles off. I took every precaution with my Soudanese
officers, in case an outbreak should happen whilst I was away,
and then I hurried off to Port Alice in the darkness of the
night. I found the Colonel asleep, and not wishing to wake
him, I went round to the tent of the gentleman who subse-
quently became temporarily the Acting Commissioner. Here
I was given a blanket, and invited to make myself comfort-
able on the floor until daybreak, when I should be able to see
my patient.
Those who have been to Port Alice know something about the
mosquitoes there. The late Captain Raymond Portal describes
them humorously as of the size of elephants. I have met
with a good many varieties of mosquitoes, the grey, the zebra-
striped, and so on ; but Port Alice has its own special breed
of a reddish-brown colour, twice the usual size, and armed with
weapons twice as powerful. It is a well-known fact, that the
138
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
male mosquito is not bloodthirsty ; it lives a vegetarian life
and, though "bearded like a pard," is harmless. It is the female
mosquito which is the hateful blood-sucker. When I lived at
Port Alice, on the top of the hill, in one of the primitive
structures called officers' residences which we pioneers of the
Government had to put up with in those bygone days, I used
to light a fire of green-wood every night to smoke these
pests out.
The few hours I spent that night on the floor of the tent,
after a ride of twenty miles, I am not likely to forget, eaten up
alive in the
meanwh ile
by the mos-
quitoes. The
tent was
pitched in a
grassy open-
i n g s u r-
rounded by
a mass of
shrubs and
forest trees.
With early
dawn I at-
tendedonmy
patient, pre-
scribed for
h i m, had
a hurried
breakfast,
and then
started on my twenty miles' ride back to Kampala. I reached
Kampala very late in the afternoon, as the forty miles in less
than twelve hours began to tell also on the horse.
On the outskirts of Kampala I came suddenly upon a noisy
crowd of natives beating a war-drum. Inquiring who they
were, I heard they belonged to Mwanika, and that it was his
drum. They i^ed in every direction, but after a smart chase we
captured the drum and drummer. Not far from the king's
palace we came upon a second huge crowd ; a large number of
the men were armed with spears and some with guns. A man
WAGANDA SPEARMEN.
AT KAMPALA 139
dressed in spotless white was haranguing the crowd, and when-
ever the speaker paused, the crowd shouted, and a drummer
standing by hammered away lustily on a drum. 1 had pre-
arranged with two of my Soudanese that, if we should by any
chance meet a similar turbulent crowd, one should approach the
drummer without attracting attention if possible, and the other
should similarly make sure of capturing the ringleader, while the
attention of the crowd would probably be fixed on me.
We came round the corner so suddenly upon the orator
who had .his back to us, that I was at once at his side. He
became aware of my presence by the consternation of his
audience. I inquired who he was and to whom the drum
belonged. I was told he was Mwanika's headman, and that
this drum too belonged to the same chief. The crowd fled in
a moment, but drum, drummer, and orator were secured.
We arrived at the Fort ; and, in presence of these alarming
events, I decided to capture Mwanika himself that night. Not
to rouse the suspicion of any Waganda watching us, we col-
lected Soudanese soldiers at intervals by twos and threes
from their settlement. Having armed about forty of them,
and also some of our reliable Swahilies, I told them my plan :
to go to Mwanika's house, surround it, demand entrance, and
arrest Mwanika. I pressed upon my men that I wished to avoid
bloodshed, and that if any one fired his rifle without permission,
I should punish him most severely. I told them that I myself
should knock at the door of Mwanika's house : if I was fired at
and fell, then, and then only, should they have the right to use
their rifles and capture Mwanika at all costs. I fully expected
armed resistance, and I did not relish the prospect of being shot
down ; but having accepted the command of the Fort, I felt I
must bear the risks as well as the honours of the position. To
find the house, I used Mwanika's captured headman as a guide,
and to prevent treachery, I handcuffed his right wrist to the left
wrist of one of my most trustworthy men ; an armed Soudanese
soldier was told off in addition, in case the headman should
attempt to betray us. We found the house, surrounded it, and
I demanded to see Mwanika. Whilst I stood at one door, a
naked man, brandishing a long knife, dashed out by another.
One of my men attempted to seize the fugitive, but failed. It
was Mwanika who thus escaped and took refuge with the
Protestant Prime Minister. I searched the house, and carried
I40 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
war-drums, rifles, gunpowder, and cartridges to the Fort. It
was a hard day's work, and I was dead tired when I went
to bed.
Next day all the great chiefs, with the exception of Mwanika,
assembled at the Fort. I demanded the surrender of Mwanika
to stand his trial on a charge of trying to foment and raise a
rebellion against the British Government. I hinted that all
present would have to remain and wait till Mwanika appeared.
Thereupon urgent messengers were despatched by the chiefs
ordering Mwanika to appear at once. He came, and was
J
r
;,.---;^-
MAIN-ENTRAN'CE OF FORT KAMPALA.
allowed to depart again, as both the Protestant Prime Minister
and the Sekibobo went surety for ]\Iwanika's future behaviour.
The Sekibobo was a man I greatly esteemed. He was a loyal
supporter of English rule in Uganda. His word could be
safely relied on ; and his word being pledged that Mwanika's
future behaviour should be above suspicion, was, in my
opinion, the best security that Mwanika would now be ren-
dered absolutely harmless. The Sekibobo has died since,
and the Government has lost in him a strong support. The
assembled chiefs then agreed that Mw^anika's confiscated war
material should remain in the Fort for four months, and
should then be restored, if not another rumour as to his dis-
loyalty w^as heard; but that it should be permanently seized
AT KAMPALA 141
by the Government, if directly or indirectly he caused the
spread of disloyal sentiments.
In this way all smouldering disloyalty was extinguished, and
the rebellion was nipped in the bud without bloodshed. In
fact, such absolute security now followed, that when I handed
over Kampala to my successor, he subsequently decided to
pull down the stockade which protected the P'ort and to fill
up the trench around it.
Since then three years have passed, and a Waganda rebel-
lion and a Soudanese mutiny have occurred, and it has been
found necessary to build up a new Fort as speedily as possible.
This new Fort is larger in area than the old one which was
still the one originally built by Lugard ; but instead of a
wooden stockade there are now high strong ramparts of
earthwork surmounted by some brickwork. The new trench is
also deeper and wider than the old one.
The main-entrance of Fort Kampala is a massive structure,
with a field-gun mounted on the top of it. A draw-bridge
gives admission to the Fort during the day and, by revolving
round an axis, acts as a barred gate at night. This ingenious
piece of mechanism is the work of Mr. Pordage, whose engi-
neering skill was requisitioned in constructing the new Fort.
When last I saw Fort Kampala, the mutiny scare had not
yet subsided, though no mutineer has approached its walls.
The outcome of the mutiny is, that a more liberal allowance
has been granted to meet Government expenditure, and that
the British nation has a firmer hold than ever of the Uganda
Protectorate.
CHAPTER X.
THE SOUDANESE.
THE British Empire is, too vast, for every ratepayer to
know exactly what is happening in every one of its
distant outposts, or how the monev is spent which
his representative in Parhament has voted. He is
satisfied, and rightly, that " no news generally means good
news," and that the wisest policy is to "leave well alone." He
is confident, and with justice, that anything wrong or unusual,
should it happen, would soon be brought to his notice by the
Press, the trusted and trustworthy guardians of public interests.
Thus it came about that attention was directed in 1897 to
the Soudanese in Uganda, and then only because they had
mutinied. The mutiny, though absolutely insignificant when
compared with the momentous Indian Mutiny with its gigantic
interests at stake, had some resemblance to its prototype : in
arising from general discontent due to some apparently trivial
causes ; in black troops, armed and drilled by Europeans,
turning their weapons and their knowledge against their bene-
factors ; in brutal murders perpetrated with relentless and
undiscriminating ferocity against defenceless white men who
had fallen into the power of the mutineers ; finally, by the
prompt assistance rendered by the Home Government to sup-
press the mutiny and to remove its alleged causes.
The Soudanese have proved that they are made of the right
fighting stuft", that they possess the two indispensable qualities
of obedience and courage, and that they are eminently suited
for the purpose for which Lugard selected them. No German
military officer can hold a more exalted opinion than a Sou-
danese, as to the immeasurable superiority of the military career
as a profession. His one ambition is to be a soldier.
A Government Medical Officer in Uganda sees a good deal
THE SOUDANESE i43
of the Soudanese. He not only attends the European officials,
Goanese and Armenian clerks, Indian artisans, Swahili porters,
local labourers and prisoners, but also the Soudanese soldiers,
and accompanies the troops on military campaigns and puni-
tive expeditions.
It is already a matter of history how the Soudanese came to
Uganda, where they are aliens quite as much as any European.
The Dervish success in the Soudan, culminating in the fall of
Khartoum, when Gordon Pasha lost his life, drove out of the
country what remained of the troops wearing the Egyptian
uniform. These fugitives carried their arms and ammunition
with them. Having knowledge of the advantage of military
disciphne, they followed with implicit obedience their leaders,
and, owing to the superiority of their arms, they found them-
selves masters of the territories which they had been compelled
to invade. Left to forage for themselves, they became raiding
bands ; but they knew that unity meant strength, and they
held together to resist the common enemy.
According to Mohammedan notions, slaves are lawful spoil ;
and captives, boys as well as girls, would thus be added to
the household. These children of different races, speaking
different languages, unknown to each other and to their cap-
tors, soon forgot their own language and learnt to speak the
tongue of the Soudanese. Many — I believe I may venture to
say most — of our so-called Soudanese soldiers are not true
Soudanese, nor even their descendants, but purely and simply
their slave children grown up. Some soldiers could tell me
that they were Bari, Makraka, Lendu, or Lur, words familiar
to my ear ; others again would mention some unfamiliar name,
or not know themselves what country they came from.
Lugard, hearing of these dangerous hordes on the borders of
Uganda, by a master-stroke converted them into useful allies.
Others who succeeded him in authority followed his example,
for shortly after my arrival in Uganda another company of these
wanderers was enlisted. 1 remember the curious spectacle they
presented at Port Alice, when they were told to fall in for the
preliminary inspection-parade. Some still wore portions of a
former uniform, others had practically nothing on but a loin-
cloth. Their weapons were equally incongruous. Many of the
men were sound and healthy, others were feeble and infirm ;
some were greybeards, others mere boys. Yet amongst the
144 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
worthless husks was found good and valuable grain, well worth
the sifting and looking for.
The Soudanese having found themselves superior to the
different races they met with in their southward progress,
acquired a very considerable amount of self-confidence, and,
as a matter of course, they looked down on the Waganda.
They now formed the standing army in Uganda, and were
bound to support the white man, from whom they were
receiving pay, rations, and clothing. Frugal and thrifty, and
THE MILITARY WATCH-TOWER AT KIBERO.
accustomed to manage on very little, they gladly accepted to
be provided with daily rations and clothing, and four rupees,
that is five shillings, per month as pay. The presence of this
standing army strengthened British influence and authority in
Uganda itself, and their successful punitive expeditions against
the Wakitosh, Wakilelowa, and Wanandi extended British supre-
macy over adjacent regions.
The Soudanese have also rendered excellent service in guard-
ing the frontiers of the Protectorate. The military watch-tower
at Kibero, on the east shore of Lake Albert, is simply a mud-
structure, but will serve as an illustration of the rough and
ready, though useful, methods employed in the country.
THE SOUDANESE 145
Polygamy is the rule with the Soudanese. Imam Abdulla
Effendi, the Soudanese officer in command at Kibero, had seven
wives and five children. On my first visit to Kibero I was the
bearer of a judicial decision against him. He had just divorced
a wife, and she had appealed at headquarters. I had been in-
structed to see that the sentence of the court, ordering Imam
Effendi to refund her dowry to the wife he had just divorced,
was carried out in my presence. Thereupon he regaled me
with the whole story ; how his undutiful wife, instead of serving
him with his dinner, chose to throw it at his head ; how he
had then ordered one of his subordinates to seize and im-
prison the woman for the night ; and how next morning he
had divorced her. I assured Imam Effendi that the case had
not been heard by me, and that I w^as merely instructed to
see that the wife, having been divorced, received back her
dowry in accordance with established local Mohammedan
custom. As a specimen of what one has to put up with, in
dealing with natives, I give a few sentences of what took
place.
/. "You are to refund to this w^oman her dowry."
He. " God knows, I have already refunded it."
She. " It's a lie ; he has only given me eight yards of cloth."
I had now to examine numerous witnesses, some swearing
that only four yards of cloth were paid, others swearing equally
hard that eight yards were paid. Finally I ascertained that
forty rupees, about £2, los., was still due to the woman. This
I ordered Imam Effendi to refund.
/. " You are now to refund to the woman forty rupees.
Have you got the money ?"
He, " God is witness, I have nothing."
S/ie. " It's a lie ; he has cow^s, and goats, and sheep."
And so it went on. Having ascertained that he had some
cows, goats, and sheep, and the respective local value of each, I
knew that he would rather part with goats and sheep than a
cow. As the value of a cow had been stated to be equal to forty
rupees, I pointed out to Imam the simplicity of his settling the
whole matter by handing over one cow to the woman.
Imam trembled for his cow, and urged me to let him pay up
in goats and sheep. As the woman agreed to accept three sheep
and two goats as the equivalent of forty rupees, I consented to
the arrangement. The goats and sheep were sent for. I had
K
146
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
threatened, that if he picked out the worst in his flock, I should
certainly decide on the simpler settlement of payment by one
cow which his divorced lady should have the right to select.
Imam brought five beautiful animals ; and wiping the per-
spiration off his face, he eagerly entreated the woman to accept
them and to depart. With natives, when once the parties to a
purchase or contract have accepted and separated, the trans-
action is supposed to be binding and it cannot be annulled.
Hence his hurry to get her to
accept and go. On my second
visit to Kibero, Imam had
already filled the vacancy in
his household by marrying
another. In the meantime his
divorced lady, the wealthy
possessor of three sheep and
two goats, notwithstanding her
having flung the dinner at
her previous husband's head,
had also had offers, and having
decided which to accept, she
too felt consoled.
The humbler class of Souda-
nese women and girls still wear
the " raha," or petticoat of
plaited strings. It is really
their national costume. This
"raha" consists of a number
of plaited strings falling in a
SOUDANESE. double or treble row from
the encircling waist-belt. At
first sight this dress would scarcely seem as good a clothing as
leaves, but in realitv it is one of the most effectual coverings I
have yet met with amongst African races. For whether they
stand, walk, run, sit, kneel, or stoop, the strings will always fall
around them gracefully.
All the hard work in connection with the food question is
performed by women. They clear the patch of jungle which
is to be the field, they till the soil, they plant, they weed,
and they gather in the harvest. They prepare the native brew,
they distil the native whisky, they look a,fter the poultry, and
THE SOUDANESE 147
they fetch the firewood. In addition to this, if they can possibly
manage it, they will try a little retail business, and endeavour to
sell something or other to the passer-by at double the price they
paid themselves, Of course, the more w'omen there are in a
family, the easier it is for them to get through this amount of
work ; hence the females of the household thoroughly approve,
if the head of the family adds extra assistance in the shape of
additional wives. Marriage of course means purchase. The
father expects to receive for his daughter a certain sum which
varies according to his own position. Some of these sums are
enormous, and remind one of Jacob forfeiting seven years' wages
as a payment for Rachel.
A Soudanese wedding is an expensive affair for the bride-
groom, notwithstanding the pecuniary contributions of the
wedding-guests. The style of the entertainment depends on
the rank of the bride. If she is simply a slave girl added to
the harem, her arrival does not cause any greater excitement
than the purchase of an additional sheep or goat. The girl
is in reality a servant, but she is a wnfe at the same time
and her children rank equally with the legitimate offspring,
in accordance with a deeply rooted custom of great antiquity.
It has its advantages and disadvantages. The childless wife
is not likely to look with favour on the child of the handmaid,
and the Soudanese Abraham may be driven by his Sarah to
expel the Hagar and Ishmael of his household. On the other
hand, even a Khedive of Egypt, though the son of his father's
slave, has succeeded to his father's rank and wealth by natural
right, indisputable according to Eastern customs and Moham-
medan teaching. When the bride is a girl of rank, the
bridegroom has sometimes to provide her with handmaids for
her own private use, in the shape of a slave girl or two ; to
buy her silver or even gold ornaments ; to equip her with
suitable clothing and the necessary household-kit, besides the
heavy sum which he has to pay, cash down, to the father.
Then comes the wedding-feast. Booths are constructed
of palm-leaves and branches ; fowls, sheep, and goats are
slaughtered ; and if the bridegroom is of high rank and posi-
tion, he is expected to kill also a bullock or two for the feast ;
native beer is provided in huge gourds by the score ; drums
are beaten without intermission day and night, unless the
long-suffering European official is driven to insist that from
148 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
10 P.M. to 6 A.M. there shall be a cessation of drum-beating and
turmoil, in order to enable the non-participators in the revelry
to sleep ; other musical attractions are provided, such as
horns, gourds, rattles, castanets, and triangles, and girls and
women singing. Then there are the open-air dances, circling
around the musicians, until the clouds of dust cause the choking
and perspiring dancers to rest for a while and to refresh them-
selves at the gourds of native beer. Custom has fixed what the
wedding-guest, according to his rank, has to contribute in cash
towards the expenses of the wedding entertainment ; the private
soldier pays about a tenth or a twentieth of what the officer
has to pay.
The Soudanese ladies plait their woolly curls into short,
close-lying tresses reaching to the nape of the neck. They
wear very few ornaments ; this one a bracelet, that one a
necklace. Some wear ear-rings, others a sort of button in the
outer cartilage of one of the nostrils. Their dress is very
simple, consisting of a single piece of cotton cloth of sufficient
length, deftly thrown around the body. Some, in accord-
ance with Mohammedan precepts, will cover also head and
face. A graceful and common squatting posture is to drop
on the knees and sit on the heels.
The Soudanese hut consists of a circular low wall of reeds
and grass, with a conical grass-thatched roof. The same open-
ing serves as door, window, and exit for the smoke. The whole
family lives in one and the same hut with all its possessions,
including poultry, sheep, and goats. The opening into the hut
is so low that one has to stoop to enter, and the hut itself is
so dark, that even in day-time I have had to strike a light to
see the patient I was called to visit. Sometimes the smoke
from the wood-fire which is usually in the centre of the hut,
has been so unbearable, that I have had from time to time to
get into the outer air to rest my aching eyes and throat. The
household effects are but few : a light wooden couch, a low
wooden settle, a small wooden mortar, a long pole serving as
a pestle to pound dried casava-root into mohogo flour, grind-
stones to grind Kaftre-corn into matama flour, some earthen
vessels, a gourd or two as water-jugs, and a few grass-mats
and grass-platters.
In a typical scene in a Soudanese village, the lady will be
seen sitting on a low settle at the door of her hut and super-
THE SOUDANESE
149
intending the domestic work; there will be the boy sent
to fetch water ; there will be women either pounding or
grinding corn, and there will be poultry about. Castor-oil
plants are usually found in the village, stretching out their
broad green leaves.
One day at Hoima I came upon a group of Soudanese
children gambling for locusts. The gambling instinct seems
to be widely disseminated. The stakes were not " high " ; the
locusts were fresh caught. Countless millions of locusts had
passed over
Hoima for ^_
the last few '
days. Octo-
ber seems to
be their
breeding sea-
son in this
part of Africa.
The male in-
sect has a
yellow head ;
the female is
generally
somewhat
larger in size,
and her head
is more of an
orange - red.
All native
races eat lo-
custs ; with many it takes, and has to take, the place of the
British workman's beef and mutton. In a good many villages
sun-dried locusts are an article of commerce. The Soudanese
are particularly fond of them. As soon as a swarm of locusts
has settled, every woman and child in the village turns out to
catch them.
My men were all very busy catching locusts by the hand-
ful, toasting them on the fire, and eating them with evident
relish. My Arab servant was munching som.e when I drew
near. With true Arab politeness he at once invited me to
share in the feast. I always like to try a native dish, and I
IN A SOUDANESE VILLAGE.
ISO UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
accepted. Wings and legs are apparently removed before the
toasting begins ; the long soft body and the crisp head form
the delicacy. I determined not to let my European prejudices
influence me, but to give the dish of grilled locusts a fair
trial. I thought how, nearly 1900 years ago, John the Baptist
had enjoyed them plus wild honey. The one I was eating
was rather nice. I agreed with my Arab servant that, should
the meat supply fall short, a dish of locusts would be a very
enjoyable substitute. By the time I was eating the second
locust, it seemed to me absurd why one should have a sort of
lurking pity for John the Baptist's daily menu, unless it be for
its monotony ; and I felt convinced that I should get tired of
honey sooner than I should of locusts. I could think of no
other objection against a daily dish of locusts but the one
which caused the Scotchman to resent the daily serving out
to him of fresh salmon as rations. I was getting on splen-
didly, and enjoying myself, philosophising the while, when
my Arab boy, smacking his lips, said, " Delicious ! Full of
eggs!" Now, a shrimp or bloater "full of eggs" is not half
bad, but a locust full of eggs ! Phew ! My appetite was
gone, and 1 did not feel inclined for more locusts, at any rate
that day.
At Kitanwa, in Unyoro, the locusts arrived in their count-
less millions, and I noticed that the Soudanese soldiers worked
hard to scare these devourers off their potato-patches and corn-
fields, by waving branches and by moving about among their
crops. They showed in this respect a superior intelligence to
the apathetic Lur and Wanyoro, who remain sitting and look-
ing on indolently, whilst their crops are being ruined before their
very eyes — not an effort being made by them to scare off even a
small swarm of locusts. The Soudanese could only make the
locusts " move on," so to speak ; when a large swarm has once
settled, it will scarcely stir, and all that can be done is to drive
it on to the adjoining jungle. One has to witness the destruc-
tion caused by a large swarm in order to get even a faint
conception of the appearance of the ruined fields and planta-
tions. A field of green tender corn is left bleak and bare, the
corn being eaten up to the very roots. A flourishing banana
plantation looks as if a sudden blight had struck it; the
gaunt stems remain, with the bare mid-ribs of the leaves
sticking out.
THE SOUDANESE
151
More than once have I had to act as paymaster to
the troops ; and at Kitanwa I had the duty of deahng out
a treble payment to the garrison : first, to serve out the
monthly rations : then, to issue the monthly pay ; lastly,
to measure out the half-yearly allowance of clothing, which
consisted of five yards of " americani " and four yards of
"bombay" to the non-commissioned officers and men, and
six yards of American drill to the offtcers. For measur-
ing out, the "yard-stick" was used; but for the first two
payments I had to use the "rupee-stick," so called because
it measured off a quantity of cloth representing one rupee
in value.
The men have to be their own tailors, and it is aston-
ishing what neat white uniforms they can produce. The
thread they obtain by unravelling a long narrow strip
of " americani " cotton - cloth, or, more economically, by
spinning it for themselves out of cotton from the nearest
cotton-plant.
At Fajao I came upon a Soudanese corporal solemnly
spinning cotton-thread for his tailoring work. He was much
too engrossed to no-
tice anybody or any-
thing. Remembering
the unflinching brav-
ery with which these
Soudanese meet death
on the battle-field,
this scene recalls the
veteran greybeards of
Napoleon I.'s army,
knitting stockings with
the musket by their
side. The corporal
was holding in his
left hand a small
amount of raw cotton-
wool. The spinner, shaped like a top, has a slender quill-like
prolongation which points downwards, and which has to be
twirled from time to time. What looks like the body of
the top is really a certain quantity of white cotton-thread
already spun and wound up. The last bit of the spun-
SOUDANESE CORPORAL SPINNIiNG COTTON-THREAD.
152 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
thread is hitched into a tiny notch on the upper rim of the
spinner ; and the terminal end, thus secured, passes upwards
on to the loose cotton-fibres which are yet to be spun. When
about a foot of thread has been spun, it is liberated from the
notch and wound up on the body of the spinner. The terminal
end of the thread is then replaced in the notch. The spinning
may thus be discontinued at a moment's notice, or it mav be
continued as long as the supply of cotton-wool holds out.
Wherever a Soudanese settlement is formed, within a short
time cotton-plants will be found growing wild in the fields or in
the neighbourhood, owing to scattered seeds. Cotton thrives in
the Uganda Protectorate. When the Uganda railway is com-
pleted, provided the transport rates on raw cotton from Uganda
to the coast are made so as to encourage enterprise in the direc-
tion of cotton production, the cotton-planter may probably find
it worth his while to direct his attention to the capabilities of
Uganda.
Until I saw lofty cotton-trees, with tall straight stems, at
Parumbira, a place on the north-east end of Lake Nyassa, I
was unaware that cotton-trees and cotton-plants are two dif-
ferent things. The cotton-tree has no value whatever, whereas
without the cotton-plant the human race would suffer. The
reason is obvious : the tree requires years to become a fruit-
bearing tree ; the cotton-plant is a shrub, which in favour-
able localities grows up in a few months and then flourishes
like a weed. I collected from the fallen pods at the foot of
the cotton-trees at Parumbira, with the assistance of a few
natives and on payment of a few strings of beads, sufficient
cotton-wool to make myself a mattrass and two pillows. The
pillows served me through the whole of my overland journey
from Lake Nyassa to Kilwa.
A large cotton-shrub covered with ripe cotton gleams as if
covered with snow-flakes. As the green pods ripen, they split
into three and gape. As the peel dries up, three flufty snow-
white masses of cotton-wool like silk- cocoons protrude and
invite the passer-by to gather them. A number of seeds are
wrapped up inside each cocoon.
Soudanese settlements are everywhere laid out on the same
general lines, and the one at Kibero may serve as an illustra-
tion. From a distance the settlement looks like a square en-
closure. On drawing nearer to it, one sees that this enclosure
THE SOUDANESE
153
is cut up into a number of smaller squares by straight narrow
roads which intersect each other at right angles. If one of these
smaller squares is still too large for one family, further sub-
division takes place by means of reed-fences. Thus every
household has its owai enclosure, in which to erect the hut or
huts necessary for its comfort, and it has also its own private
open-air sanitary convenience dug and fenced off. The en-
closure is kept clean, ashes and rubbish being swept up and
carried outside the settlement, where in course of time they form
THE SOUDANESE SETTLEMENT AT KIBERO.
rubbish-heaps of considerable size. Reed-fences are usually
constructed of the stems of elephant-grass ; but they require
constant renewing, unless the stems are planted for a few inches
into the ground, when very often they strike root and sprout up
into a living fence. The roads which intersect the settlement are
sometimes rather narrow, but on the whole are kept fairly clean.
The Soudanese do not seem to care to become domestic
servants ; when they are young their parents have need of their
services, and when they are adults they prefer to be independent.
Two young lads accompanied my caravan to the coast in 1895.
One of these lads I recognised in my caravan in 1898. I
enquired what had become of his companion " Haggenas,"
154 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
and I was told, that Haggenas deserted to join the mutineers.
The desertion cost his Hfe ; for the mutineers mistook his in-
tention, and shot him dead, before he had time to explain.
I have only once had a Soudanese as a " boy " ; he was taken
on as an extra hand, as I had four servants already. A
native officer at ]\Iasindi brought him to me with the words,
that this was the best lad in the settlement. I know I am rather
liable to be influenced by first impressions, and this lad's
appearance was certainly not prepossessing. He appeared
before me naked, with the exception of the tiniest imaginable
loin-cloth, he also habitually screwed up his eyes, imparting to
his face a most sinister expression.
Mentally I put him down as a first-rate rogue ; but in
presence of the native ofhcer's eulogies, and unwilling to con-
demn a lad in destitute circumstances merely upon personal
prejudice at first sight, I admitted, though with considerable
hesitation, this treasure to my household. Of course I had to
issue to him at once a sufficient amount of cloth to dress
himself properly. Scarcely had he entered my service, when
I missed my penknife, and as I had never lost anything with
the other servants, I could not help suspecting the new-comer.
Living in bachelor style, one is necessarily entirely at the mercy
of one's servants in these distant regions. I may have been
hitherto particularly fortunate ; but 1 have scarcely ever lost
anything through the dishonesty of a " boy," though I have
lost more than one load owing to a dishonest porter absconding
with it on the journey.
j\Iy companion at Masindi had a Soudanese servant whom
he had to send to prison for selling his socks. Stolen socks
are difficult to dispose of, because natives go barefoot ; but
knives of every description are in great demand. What more I
might have lost I do not know, if just then I had not had to go
to Fovira, where my new acquisition was recognised by some
Swahili traders. I now found out, that this broth of a boy had
just completed a term of imprisonment for malicious arson, by
which these very traders had lost heavily. Whether it was this
discovery, or the strict watch I kept upon his movements, but
my Soudanese lad suddenly requested to join his father who, it
appears, was one of the Fovira garrison. I promptly gratified
the filial request by parting with the boy on the spot, although
he had got a new suit of clothing out of me but a couple of days
THE SOUDANESE
155
ago. A month or so later, he turned up again at Masindi in his
former naked condition, with a story of cruelty against his
father whom he accused of stripping him of his new suit of
clothes. He begged me to take him on again as a servant. This
being refused, he tried unsuccessfully to get my Arab servant
to take him on for daily rations without wages. Since then
I have not been very keen to try another Soudanese lad as a
domestic servant.
We were at Ufumb in Unyoro when my companion, the
military officer in command of the district, received news that
^ feV ->•-
THE SOUDANESE CAPTAIN, SLRUR EFFENDI, AND HIS FAMILY.
ex-king Mwanga of Uganda had escaped from German con-
trol, had re-entered British territory, and was supposed to be
working his w-ay towards Unyoro. Consequently, on reach-
ing Fovira, my companion remained but one day to pay the
troops, and then left for Mruli, the frontier station of Unyoro.
That same night some alarming symptoms showed them-
selves, of the effect the mutiny in Uganda was having on our
Soudanese soldiers in Unyoro. My companion, before he left
me, had mentioned to me that Surur Effendi, the Soudanese
captain, had reported Farijalla Dongolawi Effendi, his first lieu-
tenant, as being disloyal. My companion had thereupon re-
quested that witnesses should be brought forward to substantiate
156 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
the charge ; but Surur Effendi would not venture on such a
step in presence of the mutinous spirit which he knew per-
vaded his troop.
Scarcely had my companion left, when the Soudanese called
a mass-meeting for the night, being summoned together with
the call, " Number one fall in." I remember I was roused
out of my sleep and heard the words ; but I thought I must
be dreaming, and I fell asleep again. When my Arab boy
repeated the words to me next morning, I at once remembered
that I too had heard the call in the night. At this mass-meet-
ing they publicly discussed putting my companion to death
and seizing me. I was not to be put to death, either because
they did not hate me, or because they wished to secure my
medical services. At any rate, my lot was to have been cap-
tivity in their midst. My captivity would no doubt sooner or
later have ended in my being murdered ; for Major Thruston
and his two unfortunate companions at Luba's were not mas-
sacred straight off, but were first made prisoners and subse-
quently murdered.
The Unyoro Soudanese were fully aware of all that was
happening in Uganda. They had just heard that the muti-
neers, originally hemmed in at Luba's, had broken through,
had crossed the Nile, had landed in Uganda Proper, and
were making their way towards Unyoro, where the great
bulk of the Soudanese happened to be stationed. The Fovira
garrison apparently felt inclined to throw in their lot with
the mutineers, their own kindred and relatives. The dis-
loyal officer was said to be the first lieutenant, Farijalla
Dongolawi Effendi. But Surur Effendi, the captain, refused
to give his consent to the soldiers making me a prisoner there
and then. He warned them, that if they attempted to lay their
hands on me, he would get me into a boat and accompany me
down the Nile, leaving his wives and children to follow overland
or in other boats as best they could. This determined attitude
of the captain saved my companion from death, me from
captivity, and in all probability saved the various Soudanese
garrisons in Unyoro from irretrievably linking their fate with
the mutineers.
How serious and critical the situation was on this night,
may be gathered from the fact, that all my porters, Lendus
and Swahilies, fled for safety to the woods and passed the
THE SOUDANESE 157
night in the trees. They cautiously returned next morning
on finding that I was still alive and at liberty. Some of my
Lendu porters had overheard the talk of putting the white men
to death ; their terror had communicated itself to my Swahili
porters, and so they all had fled. None of them could have
assisted me, or even warned me ; for I slept inside the fort
which was guarded, as usual, by Soudanese sentinels on duty
at the gates. Neither had I a single one of my servants with
me ; they, too, retired at night to a hut which was outside
the fort.
Next morning I saw these two officers walking together
down the broad avenue which leads to the fort, and I had my
chance of taking a snap-shot photo. Surur Effendi, however,
did not like having been photographed in every-day working
costume. I had to promise to take him in his best uniform,
surrounded by his wives and children, and in front of his own
house. I made him doubly happy by giving him a copy of
the latter photo. Of course I reported the news of these alarm-
ing events at once, that very morning, to the officer at Mruli.
In the letter I mentioned, that as I was still at liberty, I
would endeavour to escape to Masindi and await his further
instructions there. But thinking the matter over, I came to the
conclusion, that I might do more good by remaining on the
spot, and thereby supporting by my presence Surur Effendi's
noble effort to suppress the mutinous spirit among the soldiers.
I therefore remained, and attended to my medical duties, as if
no disloyal meeting had taken place the previous night.
At Fovira it has to be open-air doctoring, as there is no
hospital. Should it rain, I see the patients in the small ad-
joining hut, where I also inquire into such cases as have to be
seen in private. The gathering shown in the illustration is a fair
sample of an ordinary morning's work among the Soudanese,
their women, and children. This lot done with, I attended
Swahilies and Lendus, and wound up by treating such of the
native Wanyoro population as chose to apply. Urgent cases,
of course, are treated at once, and take precedence. I have
to act on the principle of "no admittance except on busi-
ness," in order to prevent gaping crowds of the curious from
gathering around us.
The following day I called Surur EfTendi and Farijalla
Effendi to my room, and I then told Farijalla Effendi what I
158 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
had heard of his disloyal doings. Of course he denied every-
thing, and professed to be ready to swear on the Koran that
he was loyal. I said I would accept his assurance, but that I
had spoken thus openly to him on the subject, in order that
he might judge by the fact of my having remained at Fovira,
that I was not afraid of him or of any disloyal act he might
be meditating. I asked both officers to call the soldiers together,
and to ascertain openly whether they were prepared to remain
loyal, and to warn all the men not to follow the bad example
set by the mutineers in Uganda, as the miutineers were bound
to be crushed before long by the overwhelming power of the
white man. This was done, and I believe it had a very good
effect.
In a day or two the disloyal Elfendi was summoned to
proceed under escort to headquarters ; and when I arrived
at Misindi, I found he had been promptly imprisoned. That
the disloyal spirit had not disappeared, I found out by a con-
versation of the Soudanese soldiers forming my escort on the
return journey to Masindi. My companion, when he left me
at Fovira, had taken the Maxim gun away with him. The
soldiers, talking this over by the camp-fire, declared that any
attempt made by the white man to take away the only other
gun remaining at the fort would be resisted bv them openly
and by force.
The road from Fovira to Masindi was rather dangerous at
this time, being raided by hostile hordes, led by the son of
ex-king Kabarega. At " Kaligire " we heard that the enemy
had raided a village only three hours off, and had killed twelve
of our friendlies. Next day at " Kiorbezi " we heard that the
enemy had passed the previous night, and had killed the chief
of the village. The following day, the 17th of January 1898,
I arrived at Masindi ; and what happened there the same
evening, I am not likely to forget very soon.
I found a letter for me from the commanding military
officer, away at the time at Mruli, requesting me to take charge
of the fort. The Armenian clerk informed me in the afternoon
that a letter had to be sent to Fovira, and accordingly three
armed friendlies were sent off with it. I may say at once that
next day two only of these men returned alive ; they had been
met and attacked by the enemy who killed one, but the two
others made good their escape back to our fort. I have there-
wjf^
tii^s: •...
T
THE SOUDANESE
159
fore reason to feel thankful, that when I travelled the very same
road on the preceding day I met with no mishap.
On this evening the Wanyoro chief Bekamba was murdered
by the Soudanese. He was one of the six great chiefs of
Unyoro, and he ruled over the district around Masindi. His
kraal was only a few minutes' walk from the fort. I often saw
him, when he paid a state visit to the officer in command. He
was an old man with a small curly grey beard. As he was
infirm on one leg, the British Government had made him a
present of the two-wheeled hand-cart shown in the illustration.
He was very proud of this vehicle, his state-carriage, and
always rode in
it. He would
call at the
otttce, leaning
on his long
staff. When
seated in his
state - carriage,
he always car-
ried a fly-whip
in his right
hand and a
long pipe in
his left. I made
his acquaint-
ance in rather a curious way, and our first meeting greatly
impressed me in his favour. I was out for a walk, and
passing near a kraal I inquired of the door-keeper the way
to the nearest spot for water and whether it was a river
or a swamp. The man hurriedly went in and, to my sur-
prise, an old gentlemanly negro, dressed in white, came
limping out on his staff, carrying a bowl of water in his hand.
I could see at a glance that he was some great man, but I had
no idea it was Bekamba himself, the supreme chief of the
district. He had misunderstood his servant ; he thought I had
asked for some water to drink, and so he had brought it in his
own hand, though surrounded by a crowd of servants and of
smaller chiefs.
The circumstance brings forcibly to one's mind the Patriarchs
who, wath true Eastern courtesy, personally waited on the
BEKAMBA, THE WANYORO CHIEF, IX HIS STATE-CARRIAGE.
i6o UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
stranger wayfaring past their dwelling I I can never think of
Bekamba without recalling his noble and courteous bearing on
that first occasion, and I was sorry when I heard subsequently
that grave doubts were entertained as to his loyalty to our
Government. But we must remember, that he was an old
man, and that he could scarcely be expected to love the
conquering white man who had reduced his country from an
independent kingdom to a mere province of the Uganda Pro-
tectorate. Much of his own authority had necessarily vanished
by these changes, and his king, Kabarega, was a fugitive and
an exile. Furthermore, his own children were in Kabarega's
power, and held by that ruthless savage as hostages for their
father's good behaviour; Kabarega keeping the threat hanging
over poor Bekamba's head, that his children might any day be
mutilated or killed.
When 1 arrived on the 17th of January at Masindi, 1 noticed
premonitory signs that some terrible events were about to
happen. We had at Masindi a number of armed Waganda
soldiers, our friendly allies. They had been sent by the Pro-
testant Prime Minister of Uganda with the consent of the
British Government. The W^aganda soldiers took duty in turns
with the Soudanese. As long as one of us wihte men was at
Masindi, the Waganda felt supported and remained with us ;
but what made them decamp in a hurry during our absence
from Masindi, I do not know, unless they had some inkling of
the bloodshed about to happen. The fact remains, that when
I arrived at Masindi, all our armed W^aganda had secretly fled ;
and some of the Lendus too had run away, taking their families
and belongings with them.
At this time the fate of us two white men — we were but two
in Unyoro — was trembling in the balance. That others in the
Uganda Protectorate thought so too, would appear from the
English missionaries at Kampala assuring me that we were
especially remembered by them in their daily prayers. 1 am
convinced, that if a single mutineer had succeeded in personally
appearing in Unyoro, this province would have been lost, for a
time at least, to the British Government, and it would have
entailed hard fighting to reconquer it. We did not know
what moment one or all of the Unyoro garrisons might declare
openly in favour of their brothers and relatives who were in
open mutiny in Uganda, and who had murdered three white
THE SOUDANESE
i6i
men and had killed three more in the subsequent sanguinary
tights. That the Soudanese in Unyoro were in heart with the
mutineers, we had many instances to convince us of — the disloyal
meeting at Fovira, discussing murdering one of us and imprison-
ing the other ; the difficulty that the commanding officer had
experienced in getting a Fajao contingent to bring one of their
guns into the fort at Masindi ; the flat refusal of the Soudanese
officer in command at Hoima to obey the order of the com-
manding officer to guard the western crossing of the Kafu river
against the approach of the mutineers ; the complaint of Waganda
friendlies that one of the Soudanese officers at Mruli had taunted
them, and had told them that the Waganda were a bad lot for
helping the white man against the Soudanese, and that they
ought to let the white man and the mutineers fight it out by
themselves.
The feeling of insecurity and impending disaster seemed
present with every one ; for my four servants, who sleep in
huts outside
the fort at
Masindi, came
to me in a
body and asked
permission to
sleep this night
inside the fort
and near me. 1
gave, of course,
a ready assent.
Darkness had
set in, and I
was in my hut
— the medical
officer's resi-
dence— in the
fort at Masindi,
entering in a diary by candlelight, the events of the day. This hut
consists of mud-walls, a grass-thatched roof, a mud-fioor, two
apertures serving as wmdows and closed by wooden shutters, and
a wooden door. It was overrun by white-ants, spiders, and rats.
It leaked so badly, that whenever a good heavy rain came down,
1 had to place a pail on each side of my camp-bed to catch the
L
THE MEDICAL OFFICER'S RESIDENCE AT MASINDI.
i62 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
descending trickle ; and though by good luck it did not come
down on the top of my bed, it did on the top of my camp-
table which I had to move to prevent the raindrops from splash-
ing all over the room.
Suddenly at 8.30 p.m. two men came running into my room
— Fadlemula Effendi, the Soudanese officer in command, and
the headman of Kajanga, our Wanyoro ally. Both men were
armed. The Effendi hurriedly told me that the Soudanese
sergeant-major, when doing his round of patrol inspection,
had been set upon by hostile Wanyoro and had been killed by
a spear-thrust in the back. As I turned to get my Martini rifle
and a lantern, the Effendi rushed away, and I did not see him
again till after the occurrence of the subsequent sad events. As I
hurried towards the entrance of the fort I was accompanied by the
Armenian clerk and by my servants, my plucky little Wahima
boy keeping close to my side and carrying my rifle for me ; my
Arab servant had armed himself with my second rifle. Before
I could reach the entrance, I was met by a rush of armed
Soudanese soldiers and completely surrounded by them near
the corn-stores inside the fort.
These corn-stores consist of huge wicker baskets, plastered
on the inside and on the outside with mud ; they are raised above
the ground on wooden trestles about two feet high ; and they are
protected against sun and rain by a grass-thatched cover re-
sembling a candle-extinguisher. Dry food, such as Indian-
corn, is stored up in this manner in anticipation of unforeseen
occurrences.
Nearly all the Soudanese soldiers at the time at Masindi were
raw recruits. When they surrounded me, they were mad with
excitement. They had refused to listen to their officer's voice,
and had rushed into the fort against his direct orders. All their
rifles were loaded and were pointed at me. They were shouting
angrily, but as I did not understand one word, I was fortunately
able to remain unmoved. My Arab, however, understood, and
he said to me in Swahili : " Master, get back to the house ; they
mean to do you some harm." Even if I had wanted to retreat, I
could not have done so, as I was hemmed in on all sides. It is
surprising, that one of the rifles in all this pushing and surging
crowd did not go off by accident and stretch me dead. A
merciful Providence saved my life, and saved thereby the whole
of Unyoro ; for my death would have committed the men, once
THE SOUDANESE 163
for all, to throw in their lot with the mutineers and to fight
to the bitter end against the avenging hand of England's might,
which was already overtaking the other murderers. I felt that I
was appreciably near death, for the bearing of the soldiers was
most menacing.
Fortunately, the Effendi's voice was heard shouting over and
over again : " It is not war against the fort." This no doubt
helped to save us and the fort. None of the soldiers seemed to
know exactly what was to be the next step, and whether or not it
was to be open mutiny against the Government. They had not
yet quite made up their minds whether I was to be killed. Pre-
sumably no one had a private grudge to avenge on my person,
and not a few of them may have been at one time or another
under my hands for medical treatment. I endeavoured to get
them under control by pointing out that the fort had to be
defended against the supposed common enemy. Gradually I
regained some authority over them, and they obeyed me so far,
that they went to guard various positions which I indicated, such
as the bastions, the powder magazine, and the ammunition store.
But when I wanted to leave the fort, to attend to what was
happening outside, they firmly but politely refused to let me
out, on pretext that my life would be in danger. For a short
time -I was practically a prisoner inside the fort in the hands of
the Soudanese soldiers.
In the meanwhile a number of shots were being fired outside
the fort, and the sky had become lurid with burning huts. The
first rumour, as brought to me by Fadlemula Effendi, that the
sergeant-major had been killed by Wanyoro at Bekamba's kraal,
no doubt led to the insubordinate soldiers attacking Bekamba.
The unfortunate chief requested to be taken to the fort, and had
reached in his cart the open space in front of the fort, when
some of the soldiers ordered the man who pulled Bekamba's cart
to lie down and submit to a flogging. Knowing that resistance
was vain, the poor fellow lay down, and then some one shot
him through the back, dead on the spot. Thereupon another
soldier blew out Bekamba's brains. The dead bodies were
plundered and stripped.
When the Effendi joined me, I managed with him to leave
the fort, in order to put a stop to the disturbances going on out-
side. The burning kraals had made the night as light as day. A
dreadful sight met my eyes. There, near the fort, lay the naked
164
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
bodies of chief Bekamba and of one of his men. Some wretches
had set fire to Bekamba's body, and the flesh was burning. As
the crackhng flames flickered round the abdomen, the frizzling
of the flesh was horrible and sickening. It recalled to my mind
stories, read in my boyhood, of Red Indians torturing a white
man to death by stretching him out on the ground and heaping
fire on to his abdomen. With the assistance of my servants I
pulled Bekamba's body from the burning brands and ex-
tinguished the flames. I looked at his wounds. Death must
have been instantaneous, and therefore he was spared the
torture of being roasted.
The kraal of Kajanga, our friendly ally, had also been set on
fire and had been looted. There were a number of cartridges
in his hut, and as these took fire, their cracker-like popping off
rendered it dangerous to approach too near his kraal. Some
of the bullets fell close to my feet.
I now asked to see the dead body of the sergeant-major,
stated to have been killed at the outbreak of these disturbances.
1 found him
;■ 1
^^'^S^TT'?
lying on a
couch in his
o w n h u t,
encircled by
a sympathis-
ing crowd
of women
and friends,
all waiting
for him to
breathe his
last. Not
one had at-
tempted to
staunch the flow of blood from his wound. 1 had him quickly
removed to the fort, and converted one of the buildings into a
temporary hospital. Though he had a dangerous spear-wound in
his back below the right shoulder, his life was ultimately saved.
Two other wounded were then brought in. One man had
received a bullet in his right arm, and another was shot through
the foot. Later on came a woman who had her cheek laid open
bv a bullet, and I had to dress her wound and stitch up her cheek.
THREE OF THE WOUNDED.
THE SOUDANESE 165
Having attended to the wounded, and more or less restored
order, I was informed by the Armenian clerk that he had over-
heard some of the soldiers belonging to other stations talking
amongst themselves of leaving us in the morning. I at once
went out to these men, and impressed them with the folly and
danger of such an act. I pointed out to them that it was their
duty to remain ; and I am glad to say they listened to me and
did not leave us.
Next morning w^e buried the dead — Bekamba, one of his
wives, and two Wanyoro. But some fugitives carried the
news of these occurrences to Hoima, two days' march from
us, where a Soudanese captain was in charge of the fort.
Yabuswezi, the great Wanyoro chief, has his kraal about a
mile from Fort Hoima. Some fugitives reported to him that
I too had been killed. He thereupon put himself on the
defensive. This led to the Soudanese captain ordering him to
come to the fort, and, on his refusal to do so, attacking his kraal.
Thus the mere rumour of my death led to further bloodshed ;
for the Soudanese soldiers killed about fifty of the Wanyoro
under Yabuswezi, captured some fifty-four of his women, and
looted and burned his kraal. Yabuswezi himself fled over the
border, with the intention of proceeding to Kampala.
The military officer in command of Unyoro, having received
my letter, speedily joined me. Orders were also received from
headquarters that, in view of the advance of the mutineers
towards Unyoro, it was necessary to prevent the Government
ammunition from falling into their hands. I was ordered
thereupon to march, with half a company of the Soudanese
soldiers then at Masindi, to a place called Ntuti, in Singo.
I was to take charge of twenty-one loads of ammunition, a
IMaxim gun, and tools and belts for the gun. The two locks
of the Maxim gun I hid away amongst my private clothing ;
my instructions being to destroy the locks, should we fall into
the hands of the mutineers, or should my own men throw^ off
their allegiance to the British Government,
On the march to Ntuti I passed through Hoima, and found
seven of the Wanyoro women still retained as captives by
Soudanese soldiers, although orders had been sent by the com-
manding officer that all were to be liberated. I therefore
had these seven women set free.
I met Yabuswezi, and persuaded him to return to his
province.
i66 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
The ostensible reason of my departure from Masindi with
the half company of Soudanese, the Maxim gun, and the ammu-
nition, was supposed to be the necessity of holding Ntuti, in
Singo, against the rebel king IMwanga. We arrived at Ntuti.
In a couple of days orders from headquarters reached me to
march on to Kampala, where the soldiers were promptly dis-
armed, and the Maxim gun and ammunition safely lodged in
the fort. I had an anxious time of it from Masindi to Kampala.
First of all, because the soldiers over which I had temporary
command were some of the men who a few days previously
had murdered Bekamba and had endangered my own life ; they
were at heart disloyal, and they had very nearly openly mutinied.
Secondly, the Maxim gun and the twenty-one loads of ammuni-
tion would have strengthened the mutineers enormously, if they
could have managed to intercept me on the march.
It was a great relief to me when, on arrival at Kampala, my
militarv command ended. A few days later Captain Harrison
gained a final success over the mutineers, which practically
ended the mutiny, though it cost the life of one more Euro-
pean, Captain Moloney who was dangerously wounded in the
attack and succumbed to his injuries. Captain Fielding and
Captain Macdonald fell in the earlier engagements.
Of course everybody must regret the occurrence of the
mutiny, with its accompaniment of bloodshed and destruction,
but it is doubly to be regretted as the Soudanese seemed ideal
troops for a country like Uganda. Being Africans, the Protec-
torate was a natural home to them ; being aliens in the country,
they had no sympathy with King Mwanga or any of the indigenous
races ; being Mohammedans, their creed of " Kismet" or "fate"
made them dangerous enemies on the battlefield ; being inured
to hardships, they could live on native produce and did not
require, like Indian troops, to be provided with special articles
of diet ; and last, but not least, owing to their many wives
and followers, they looked after their own transport, and were
ready to start for an expedition at a moment's notice, without
requiring any special preliminary transport arrangements.
Rumours of the narrow escape I had in Unyoro, preceded
me to the coast ; for when I met the colonel in command of the
Indian troops, then on their way to our assistance in Uganda, he
expressed surprise at seeing me alive, having heard that I had
been carried off into the interior and then murdered. But
" all's well that ends well."
CHAPTER XI.
UNYORO.
UNYORO used to be a separate kingdom under King
Kabarega. Casati and Baker Pasha speak of him as
King Chua. In the heyday of his power the king
held annually a great assembly of all his chiefs, at
which he chose haphazard one to be beheaded there and
then. He stood by with a bowl to catch the blood and to
sprinkle it around ; the corpse was ignominiously thrown to
the vultures and the hyjenas. Casati was persuaded to give up
his rifles, and when disarmed, was ordered off to execution ;
but though he escaped with his life, it was as a hunted fugitive,
and with the loss of all his possessions, including his valuable
diary and collection. Baker Pasha was received by the king
with professions of friendship, and then treacherously attacked
at night, so that he had to light his way step by step out of the
country, incessantly harassed on the march, and losing many
of his followers in killed and wounded.
When the British Government expelled King Kabarega and
drove him into exile, Unyoro ceased to be a kingdom and was
annexed as a province to the Uganda Protectorate. This pro-
vince is bounded on the south by the Kafu River, on the east
and on the north by the Xile, and on the west by Lake Albert.
Ex-kmg Kabarega took refuge on the right bank of the Nile.
His presence there became a standing menace, and therefore
most of the Protectorate troops were stationed in Unyoro. Fort
Masindi was built, and it became, owing to its central position,
the headquarters of the province. The other stations are : Mruli
on the Kafu River, Kibero and Mahaji on the east and west
shore respectively of Lake Albert, Fovira and Fajao on the
Nile, Hoima and Kitanwa inland. Fort Masindi is built on the
usual lines, with a wooden stockade and a deep trench.
i68 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
From Kampala to Masindi takes twelve days' easy marching.
The first part of the journey through Bulamwezi is very pleasant,
but the last bit of the road before reaching Mruli is rather
hot and trying, over an uninteresting plain, with rank grass,
and scarcely any trees. The caravan route about midway
cuts through a forest belt. Here I saw some native elephant-
hunters in pursuit of an elephant.
Mruli is the southern frontier station. Its position is assigned
wrongly in maps. It lies on the north or left bank of the Kafu
River, and not on the south or right bank. The river is almost
choked with papyrus opposite the station. The native popula-
tion consists of a few villages thinly populated. A few fields
are cultivated, but the river yields the principal supply of food.
Any amount of fish is caught by means of cleverly constructed
creels. The most common fish is a small species of perch ;
it has a delicate flavour, but is terribly packed with scores of
slender harpoon-shaped bones. A large herd of Government
cattle are kept at Mruli, because there are salt-licks close by the
river, and the cattle thrive remarkably well here. In the centre
of the small fort there is a large tree, under which the Effendi
had directed my tent to be pitched. Towards dusk all the
vultures in the neighbourhood came to this tree to roost, and
their unpleasant presence soon was made known by the drop,
drop, drop, on my fly-tent. We managed, with shouting and
throwing stones and sticks, to persuade the birds to select
another tree for the night. Not only are powder and shot too
valuable to be wasted on carrion birds, but the birds themselves
are most useful as Nature's scavengers.
On a subsequent visit something else kept dropping from the
tree, — large prickly caterpillars. I collected some, but all except
two died. The two which underwent the chrysalis change I
took with me to Masindi. Six months later I was delighted one
day by the appearance of two magnificent large yellow moths
of the Saturniidae family, my Mruli caterpillar having dropped
its pupa sac and entered the imago stage of its existence.
The distance from ]\Iruli to Masindi is usually done in two
marches, but it can be done in one day if the caravan does not
stop at the Katagrukwa River or " river-camp."
A common sight at the entrance of F'ort Masindi, whenever
one of the chiefs comes on a visit to the officer in command, is
a crowd of Wanyoro. Most of them use a cow-hide as a cover-
UNYORO
169
ing, wrapped round the body and fastened across one shoulder.
Some of the men, however, have adopted the Waganda bark-
cloth, and a few, principally sub-chiefs, are dressed in coloured
cotton cloth. None of them wear ornaments of any sort.
AT THE ENTRANCE OF FORT MASINDI.
A curious fact has been pointed out, that now and then a
native declares he is bewitched, and that, sure enough, he dies
soon after. One gentleman told me, that a Soudanese soldier in
perfect health came to him one day and demanded that another
Soudanese should be put to death for having bewitched him.
Of course the absurdity of the request was pointed out to the
applicant, but it did not convince him ; and a couple of days
later he was found dead in his hut, without any clue as to the
cause of his death. In all my African experiences I have come
across only one similar case ; but I have not the slightest hesita-
tion in saying that the man was poisoned. Chief Amara was the
most influential and powerful chief in Unyoro, and as he had
joined the English cause from the outset, he was bitterly hated
by ex-king Kabarega.
One day last year, Amara informed Major Thruston that
some one had bewitched him, and that he was about to die.
The Major sent Amara on to me ; I found nothing whatever
to warrant Amara's gloomy forebodings. He said, that occa-
sionally after taking food he had felt inclined to vomit, and
lyo UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
that food seemed to make his stomach swell. I treated him for
the indigestion and flatulence, and after a few days he declared
he was cured, and he ceased to come to me. Suddenly one
night I was called out of bed to see him, as he was said to be
dying. I did not stop to dress, but on reaching his hut found
life already extinct. A post-mortem examination would have
been considered desecration bv his subjects. I told the Major,
however, that I felt convinced that chief Amara was poisoned.
This made Major Thurston watch for a clue, and he found
out that one of the disloyal sub-chiefs had received a present
of three cows from ex-king Kabarega as payment for having
brought about the death of chief Amara. A punitive expedi-
tion followed, in which the sub-chief was killed and his village
destroyed. In the meanwhile Major Thruston proclaimed
Ajaka, the infant son of Amara, to be chief in succession to his
THE INFANT AJAKA, THE YOUNGEST CHIEF IN UNYORO.
father. Chief Amara left two sons, both of them little boys,
who are half-brothers ; of these Ajaka is the eldest. Major
Thruston appointed Msoga, a nephew of Amara, to be regent
during Ajaka's minority ; but as Msoga is only a lad, the autho-
rity of Kiza, who was Amara's most trusted and confidential
adviser, has been considerablv increased.
UNYORO
171
Msoga is a weak character. Chief Yabiiswezi, whose pro-
vince adjoins Ajaka's, had told Msoga that he would have to die.
Terrified by this prediction, Msoga determined to spend what
was left of life in drink and debauchery. The acting officer in
command of Unyoro thereupon ordered him to Masindi, in
order to have him more under control.
Kiza, on the other hand, is a shrewd old man. When the
Soudanese troubles in Unyoro led to Yabuswezi's kraal being
looted and burnt, Kiza managed to prevent any harm happening
to Ajaka's kraal.
African mothers are often extremely indifferent about their
offspring. Ajaka's mother is such a one. She is a Lendu
woman, and since Amara's death she has neglected and deserted
her son. Major Thruston found her at Masindi and sent her
back to Hoima. She again deserted her child, and this time she
persuaded the woman who acted as Ajaka's nurse to accompany
her. Another woman made a request to leave her present
husband who,
though he had
bought her
originally as
a slave, had
af te rwards
married her.
She now
asked for
permission
to live with
another man
she had taken
a fancy to.
She brought
her child, a
nice little
girl between
three and four
years old, and she declared with great indifference that her
husband might have it, as she did not want it. Some of these
women have less affection for their offspring than is found
among the lower animals.
Wanyoro women wear a short petticoat of bark-cloth, but
WANYORO WOMEN WITH NATIVE HOES.
172 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
leave the upper part of the body uncovered. Girls as a rule
go uncovered ; they never wear the curious grass-ring seen in
Uganda. The native hoe is the ordinary pointed heart-shaped
piece of iron, tied on to a wooden handle which looks bent, but
is cut out of a solid block of wood. The women do nearly all
the field labour. A few of them occasionally wear ornaments of
beads.
During my stay in Unyoro I never once suffered from "jiggers,"
and the number of cases I had to treat among the natives was
comparatively small. But when I first arrived at Kampala in
1894 the jiggers were at their worst. The jigger is a tiny para-
site which burrows in preference under the toe-nails. It may
attack the finger-nails, and sometimes it may be found on other
parts of the body. In Nyassa-land one was removed from the
neck of a European, and in Kavirondo I saw a Swahili whose
body was covered all over with them. The missionaries in
Uganda told me, that many of the Waganda had succumbed to
this parasite, and that one chief lost eighty of his men. One of
the cases I was asked to see at Kampala was so bad that I offered
to amputate the foot, as the greater part of the ankle was rotten,
blood-vessels, nerves, muscle, bone, all one mass of corruption.
The patient refused amputation and died a week or two later
from exhaustion, owing to the incessant drain on the system.
Since then cleanliness and early medical treatment have
effected a great change. I have removed as many as four
jiggers in one day from my feet, when I first lived at Port Alice.
Since I discontinued wearing slippers in Uganda, and paid
attention to using sound socks and sound boots, besides scrub-
bing my feet every morning and evening with soap and warm
water, I have enjoyed considerable immunity. During the last
thirty months I have been troubled only once by a jigger. It
was at Port Alice. I woke up in the night with a throbbing
sensation under a toe-nail, lit a candle, extracted the parasite,
and have been free ever since. That night I had neglected to
give the feet their usual evening scrub with soap and water.
Cleanliness I believe goes a long way toward securing ex-
emption. Europeans are made aware of the presence of the
parasite by the throbbing sensation which it sets up locally, and a
tiny black spot on the white skin indicates its position, whence it
may be dislodged with the point of a needle. It lies between
the epidermis and the cutis vera, and when it has been removed
UNYORO
173
with its bag of eggs, the air comes m contact with the exposed
surface and causes a smarting sensation. A httle unguentum acidi
borici, iodoform, or any other antiseptic, effects a speedy cure.
With very foul ulcers on natives, I have found direct applica-
tion of pure carbolic acid to answer best, followed by ordinary
antiseptic dressings.
I found the hospital arrangements at Alasindi thoroughly
suitable for native requirements, but the grass-thatched fence
which enclosed the hospital grounds was very short-lived and
.-Ji
A HOSPITAL-HUT AT MASIxNDI.
required constant repair. Major Thruston, with his usual
courtesy, at once placed a number of labourers on daily duty
at the hospital and thus kept the place in good condition. He
added a new wing for all the contagious cases, besides putting
up a separate enclosure and hut, some distance off, for small-pox
patients.
Small-pox is endemic in Uganda, and every now and again
becomes epidemic. I lost one patient, a Soudanese soldier,
during the epidemic of 1894 at Kampala ; his was confluent
variola. I had several cases in Unyoro, but they were all of
a mild type.
174 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
During my stay in Unyoro we had armed friendly Waganda ;
one of them was always on duty at the hospital entrance. The
hospital orderly was a Soudanese sergeant of the name of Fari-
jalla Memvu ; he had already served in this capacity under Emin
Pacha. The name " Memvu " means " Ripe Banana." Other
curious names are found amongst the Soudanese soldiers. One
of my patients at Fajao was named " Timsah Omar," that is,
" Crocodile Donkey."
Speaking of names, there are peculiar ones met with amongst
the Wanyamwezi porters. In one of my caravans I had men
whose names, translated into English, were : Half-Rupee, One-
Rupee, Never-Mind, Hard-Work, Bad-Work, W^ar, Cannon,
Hippopotamus.
With Swahilies the two favourite names are "Juma," which
means "Friday," and " Hamis," "Thursday," and combinations
of these two names, such as " Friday the Son of Thursday,"
"Thursday the Son of Friday." Very often there are so
many who have the same name, that the men themselves
take or are given some sobriquet, such as " Tumbusi "
(vulture), if he had a bald spot on the top of his head, or
"Fundi" (artisan), if he showed aptitude for carpentering or
other work.
The seven hospital huts at Masindi have been gradually
increased in number. They are grass-huts, and are constructed
on the Soudanese pattern. Each has a fireplace in the centre
and holds three native bedsteads.
Last September some very heavy thunder-storms burst over
Masindi. The ammunition store was above-ground and about
fifteen yards from my hut. The knowledge of this fact did not
add to one's equanimity, when blinding flash and crashing
thunderclap, apparently synchronous in time, occurred every
minute. One night I was hurriedly sent for, as the lightning
had struck two huts. One grass-hut it pierced sideways with-
out setting fire to it, and a Soudanese woman who was inside
the hut at the time escaped unhurt. Another grass-hut the light-
ning struck vertically through the top and down the middle, and
neither was this one set on fire. But of the five men who were in
the hut, two were killed on the spot and the three others were
brought to me for treatment. The two dead men showed not
the slightest sign of external injury, but their bodies were icy-
cold, as if just taken out of ice, though the limbs were perfectly
UNYORO
175
supple. Of my three patients, one was more or less dazed, but
not otherwise injured, and he soon recovered ; the two others
were in a bad plight. One of them, moaning incessantly, had
several patches burnt down his left side, though his clothes were
not injured in any way ; he seemed to be in great pain and
to have been rendered silly and stupid. The third man had
no sign of external injury, but was quite demented for the
time. He was a big strong fellow and required five men to hold
him, whilst I administered restoratives. He rolled about on the
ground in a paroxysm of pain, and had to be held to prevent
his hurting himself. He uttered deep groans, whilst blood-
stained froth issued from his mouth and nostrils ; his eyes were
closed and his hands tightly clenched. I feared the worst ; but
the warmth of
the fire, warm
blankets, hot
drinks, and
restoratives
pulled him
through the
night, and in
three weeks
time he
was perfectly
cured. His
throat hurt
him at first
so much, that
I had great
dirhculty m patients at the hospital dispensary.
feeding him.
In the illustration, representing patients at the hospital
dispensary, he is the tall man supported by his fellow-sufferer
from the lightning ; both men were then convalescent.
The herd of Government cattle were also struck. One animal
was transfixed and killed on the spot, two others were injured
and had to be slaughtered. The meat was distributed by the
officer in command, and thus a portion fell to me, the first beef
within the last six months. At Christmas the officer slaughtered
a young bullock and an old cow, and for the second and last
time I had beef in Unvoro.
176 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
One of my duties was to visit the other forts. Fort Hoima
stood first on the Hst. It was the principal station in Unyoro
prior to the transfer of head-quarters to Masindi. It is not
surrounded by a trench, but has simply a stockade. A good
many of the poles have sprouted, and a green leafy belt now
encircles the fort. When I first saw it, it was garrisoned by
friendly Waganda. Subsequently I received instructions to
bring Soudanese from Mahaji, relieve the Waganda, and give
them permission to return to Uganda.
The sub-chief in charge of the Waganda garrison insisted,
however, on my giving him this permission in writing. Many
of the natives have a great faith in anything written. Once in
Usoga a chief visited me ; as a sort of introduction he pulled
out a piece of paper carefully wrapped up in a clean cloth and
presented it. On it was written that the said chief had been
imprisoned for a while, but by the clemency of the Government
had been permitted to return to his chieftainship.
At Hoima there is a Makraka settlement. They belong to
a cannibal tribe. So convinced are the Soudanese that these
settlers still have a predilection for human flesh, especially for
tender children, that they do not allow their offspring to
wander near the village of these supposed ogres. The chief of
the settlement is a handy blacksmith. He wears a lot of iron
ornaments. He is particularly proud of his beard, because the
Soudanese, Lendu, Wanyoro, and Waganda who live around
him never can grow either beard or moustache. He carefully
plaits his beard and lubricates it with grease. He wears a cloth
apron ; but all his wives are very conservative, and still adhere
to Eve's first raiment of leaves. As the hg-tree in this region is
rather difficult to climb, the Makraka ladies find it easier to
clothe themselves with the first handful of grass or leaves they
meet with, as long as the leaves are not prickly and do not sting.
Most of these women WTar ornaments, ear-rings, bracelets, and
necklaces, either of beads or of iron-wire ; they plait their wool,
which is somewhat longer than what the Wanyoro or Waganda
grow. The huts are perfectly defenceless. The community
lives by agriculture, chiefly maize, kaffre-corn, sweet-potatoes,
and beans. The locusts provide their otherwise vegetarian diet
with an occasional change. As soon as ever a swarm visits them,
old and young are busy collecting locusts which can be stored
for a considerable length of time if previously dried in the sun.
UNYORO
177
Kites feed also on these locusts, and may be seen accom-
panying a locust swarm. I have watched them catching a
locust in the air, holding it in their claws, and without stopping
in their flight, feed by taking a bite at it now and again.
These birds become at times very impudent. Twice has a
kite swooped down on me and flown off with my cap. I
recovered the cap by watching where the disillusioned bird
dropped it. I have seen them snatch meat out of the hand
of a native returning from market ; and once a kite flew
A MAKRAKA FAMILY.
off with several bird-skins which I had put out to dry. I
wonder what the carnivorous bird thought of it, when he found
that the birds he had stolen contained cotton-wool instead of
flesh and bone.
Near the Makraka village I saw a native dog catching locusts
and eating them. The dog just gave a snap right and left as the
swarm flew up ; occasionally he caught one, but more often he
missed and had to try again.
Baboons came in foraging-parties to raid and plunder the
fields of the Makraka. I tried to shoot some of these robbers ;
lyS UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
but they distrusted my appearance and scampered off without
my getting within range, though they did not mind the Makraka
in the least.
At Hoima I had a case of sporadic small-pox, and quite a
crowd of itch patients. It is the female itch parasite which
causes all the trouble. She burrows under the skin to deposit
her eggs ; her favourite site is between the fingers, but I have
had patients with the whole of the lower part of their body
one mass of sores. Cleanliness is a great preventive. The eggs
take three days to hatch, consequently a single application of
unguentum sulphuris is not enough to cure ; it is as well to
repeat the treatment to make quite sure of destroying the whole
brood. The male parasite only wanders about the human body
in search of a spouse.
On the 9th of September 1897, at 12.30 noon, at Masindi
Fort, in Unyoro, a very powerful shock of earthquake occurred.
I was sitting in my room, and the officer commanding the
district was at the open door, leaning against one of the door-
posts and chatting with me. My tent-loads, to be out of reach
of white-ants, happened to be slung from a bamboo-pole
stretched across the room. My companion first became aware
of the earthquake. He saw the suspended loads swaying
pendulum-fashion, and the next moment the whole house rocked
and shook. To me, sitting in a chair, the sensation communi-
cated to the feet was exactly the same tremulous movement
which one experiences in an express train going at full speed.
The illusion was the stronger, owing to a rumbling noise very
similar in sound, which accompanied the shock. It lasted
perhaps a minute. The natives in the fort also noticed it. I was
told that in September 1896 a similar shock was experienced in
this very hut.
My hut at Hoima was more picturesque than comfortable.
A number of the props which supported the narrow verandah
had sprouted and formed a living enclosure of young trees.
The reed-work which closed up the verandah breast-high pre-
vented access of air, and the condition of the interior could be
gathered by the many toad-stools which were flourishing in the
room. The hut was rendered still more damp, dark, and dismal
by a reed-screen run across the room to screen off a recess to
serve as a bedroom.
Amongst the prisoners at Hoima there was a man sent
UNYORO
179
by chief Yabuswezi who wished the man to be punished
for having bewitched the village, thereby causing a hyaena to
carry off three of the inhabitants. I hberated the man, and
explained to Yabuswezi that white men do not believe in such
superstitions.
I went to Unyoro by the new caravan road, and I returned
to Uganda by the old route which passes by Hoima, the upper
crossing of the Kafu River, and through Singo. The number
and size of the swamps, through which the old caravan road
MY HUT AT KOIMA.
leads, surprised me. In some parts, attempts had been made
to bridge a swamp, but not being kept in repair, the scaffolding,
had tumbled down. This made it impossible to use the bridge
and, owing to the debris, made it most difficult to pass even
alongside of it.
I had in my caravan several Wanyoro porters wearing a
petticoat made of strips of leaves of the wild date-palm.
A favourite shape of gourd-bottle for a journey consists of
two bulbs with a narrow neck or constriction joining them.
The upper bulb is small and acts as a sort of funnel for filling
the bottle ; the neck serves to hold the gourd or to tie it to the
girdle when marching.
i8o UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
The upper crossing of the Kafu River is shallow compared to
the lower crossing at Mruli ; it is also more open. Hundreds
of wild duck were disturbed at our approach ; some splashed
and fluttered noisily down-stream, others flew up, and, after
circling above our heads, went up-stream. On the opposite
bank friendly Waganda were waiting to ferry us across in dug-
outs ; and when the last of my caravan had crossed the Kafu,
we had left Unyoro.
CHAPTER XII.
OUR STATIONS ON THE NILE.
T
HE Nile ! What a marvellous
panorama the name conjures
up ! A nation arising out of
pre-historic haze, flourishing for
thousands of years, disappearing for
ever ! The vanished splendour of the
Pharaohs, the lost lore of the Egyptians,
the hidden mysteries of the Pyramids !
A babe cradled on its bosom, destined
to become the Lawgiver of the world,
whose divinely-inspired message, "Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God, and thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,"
sounds through all eternity !
sHULi NATIVES. Recalling the stupendous structures
erected by the mighty race which the
hand of Fate has swept away, and glancing at the puny fort
at Fovira, the river might apply to us Byron's lines : —
" Creatures of clay — vain dwellers in the dust !
The moth survives you, and are ye more just ?
Things of a day ! you wither ere the night,
Heedless and blind to Wisdom's wasted light ! "
Seen from the fort at Fovira, the huge expanse of water
might be taken for a tranquil lake, for there is not a sound to
betray the motion. But the resistless current which is ever
sweeping onward becomes apparent by the islands floating past.
Noiselessly and swiftly they glide into view and pass out of
sight. Relentless as Fate, silent as death, ceaseless as time, the
ancient river ptirsues its majestic course.
i8i
l82
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
The river scenery at Fovira is striking. The wild date-pahn
waves a gentle greeting with its graceful many-fingered leaves,
the welcome banana holds out its luscious fruit, and the dark
green of the papyrus contrasts with the lighter green of the
various shrubs and trees around.
Fovira is purely and simply a military frontier station ; it
is quite out of the track of the ivory dealers and consequently
there is practically no business whatever. To be in receipt of
i
w uraH
I^Mjj^^^^^^Blft^H^H
1
H^^HHH
H
RIVER SCENERY AT FOVIRA.
a comfortable salary, and yet have no other European near
to criticise one's shabbiest attire or most frugal meal ; to
have a few humdrum daily routine duties to attend to and yet
abundance of leisure to gratify one's hobbies of gardening or
carpentering ; to live in a perennial warm English summer
with the thermometer on an average at 75' F., and yet have
the nights pleasantly cool to enjoy a crackling wood-fire ; to
have boating and fishing on one side and partridge and guinea-
fowl shooting on the other, with an occasional reed-buck or
water-buck thrown in to enliven the sport ; to enjoy splendid
OUR STATIONS OX THE NILE 183
health year in year out, and yet be accredited with heroism for
continuing to hold the appointment ; to delight neighbouring
chiefs with handsome presents and yet have not a penny of the
expense to bear, as these gifts are provided for in the Budget ; to
have a nominal and minimum share of Government responsi-
bility and yet locally " to boss the show," as the Yankee tersely
expresses the wielding of supreme authority, — to combine all these
at the same time, one has to be appointed officer in charge of
Fovira, and then one has in addition a sabbath stillness throughout
the week, lovely scenery, a timid and peaceful native population,
and last but not least, a regular monthly service with England,
bringing a fresh supply of letters, newspapers, periodicals and
books.
The resident must keep his own garden, his own poultry,
his own sheep and goats ; but the cost of this is practically nil,
and may afford him a pleasant occupation. This dolce far
iiietite and truly rural existence suits best the sort of man who
can find absorbing interest in the progress of his rice crops, the
size of his onions, the goodness of his potatoes, the delicacy of
his peas and beans, the number of his carrots and beet-roots, the
mellowness of his melons, the succulence of his papayes, the
fragrance of his mignonette, and the rich display of colour of
his pansies, pinks, marigolds, zenias, and nasturtiums, and who
is not above taking pleasure in hearing of the last lamb or kid
born to his flock and the last batch of chickens reared. Govern-
ment has gratuitously supplied the station with some forty head
of cattle ; as none are slaughtered and the herd steadily multi-
plies, there need be no lack of milk and cream and butter, to
complete the happiness of this Arcadian life.
The fort stands about 20 feet above the level of the river.
One side slopes down to the water, the other three sides have an
earth wall, a stockade, and a deep trench to protect them. There
are two entrances, one on each side of the fort. Of these, one
is bv means of a narrow drawbridge, looking somewhat like a
ladder when drawn up ; its length gauges the width of the
trench. A good many of the poles which were used for the
stockade belong to a juicy-stemmed plant. These have sprouted,
and with their crowns of tropical leaves they lend a picturesque
charm to the surroundings. Their presence has probably
attracted the scores of brilliantly coloured beetles which on my
tirst visit I saw buzzing about. Most of them were longicorns,
i84 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
some flaunting a conspicuous blue and white dress, others a
sombre red and black. Other species, however, were also re-
presented. I picked up a fine specimen of the rhinoceros-beetle,
and the shining black cetonia burrowed in and out amongst
the thatch.
To prevent the river-side of the fort from gently sliding
one day into the river, a part of it has been banked up. This
spot, with the grateful shade of an adjoining tree, seems indicated
DRAWBRIDGE OF FORT FOVIRA.
by Nature as the very place for the afternoon cup of tea. Here,
in the soft balmy atmosphere, with the silver sheen of the silent
river at one's feet, and the deep blue of heaven's endless space
overhead, with the sleepy drone of beetles humming around,
and the ringdoves cooing from the stately palms, one yields to
the gentle spirit of poetry which breathes around the scene, and
one welcomes : —
This hour of restful pleasure
As a foretaste of pleasures to come,
Which angels of God cannot measure,
Which mind of man cannot sum !
OUR STATIONS ON THE NILE 185^
It was at Fovira that I first saw a small species of crow with
a long, brown, and pointed tail. It was present in large numbers,.
and busy on the newly-tilled fields in search of grubs. At first
1 thought there must be two distinct species, as the beak of some
was black and of others blood-red ; but when I saw the black-
billed feeding the red-billed, I knew that one was but the young
of the other. The red colour was due to the presence of blood
shining through the horny substance, and exactly in the same
way that a finger-nail becomes pale when pressed, the red beak
became colourless under pressure. I saw here, too, the pretty
green pigeon called "ninga" by the Swahilies. Its feet and bill
are orange-red. It lives on berries. When perched in the green
foliage it is most difficult to distinguish from its surroundings.
There are pleasant walks in the neighbourhood, and since the
Government road leading to Masindi has been finished, the
pedestrian can walk for hours without being bothered by the
prickly darts of the rank grass, or the thorns, thistles, and burrs,
which obstructed the path on my first visit to Fovira.
Everybody has not a talent for building a house, but the
officer in charge of Fovira knew what he was about when he
built the neat bungalow inside the fort. It is a combination of
two Soudanese circular huts joined on to a small central Swahili
hut. A narrow verandah runs all round the building. Each of
the three rooms has three small square windows with wooden
shutters. The mud walls, of the usual wattle and daub style,
are washed over with some whitish clay, the nearest approach to
white-washing which can be locally obtained.
My host courteously placed one of the rooms at my disposal.
He was busy superintending the construction of a seine or casting-
net for supplying his table more easily with fish ; in the meantime
he persuaded me to while away an hour on the river with hook
and line. I have never been a devotee of Izaac Walton's "gentle
art," and it is years since I baited a hook and threw a line ; nor
have I gone in for boating since I feathered an oar at college ;.
but I accepted the invitation as offering a better chance of seeing
a species of kingfisher which my host, not knowing its name,,
called the "golden kingfisher," and which, according to him,
did not answer the description of any of the different sorts of
kingfishers one usually meets with in Africa. It was not the
large black and white sort, which hovers with incessant flutter of
wings above one spot, keenly watching for its prey, and then
[86
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
suddenly drops like a stone with a splash into the water and
emerges with a wriggling fish neatly caught ; nor was it the tiny
many-coloured bird, the weight of whose brilliant-hued body
scarcely bends the water-reeds on which it perches ; nor was it
the glorious blue-backed species with the black shoulders ; nor
any other that I could think of. To see the ''golden kingfisher"
I went. The current swept my line into the form of a huge arc,
-the hooks got entangled in the reeds and lost, and it was sweating
hard work to row against the stream for even a short distance
THE WANVORO CHIEF LEJUMBA.
tack to our landing-place. As for the "golden kingfisher" — it
refused to show itself. Another long spell of time will have
to elapse before I am persuaded to try again the enthusiastic
angler's absorbing pursuit.
About a quarter of an hour's walk from the fort, the Wanyoro
chief, Lejumba, has pitched his kraal. It is interesting to know that
he is the son and successor of chief Rionga, with whom Baker
Pasha made blood-brotherhocd. Lejumba allowed me to photo-
graph him with some of his sub-chiefs and leading men, and he
was as pleased as Punch when I presented him with a copy of
iiis likeness on the dav I left. He made recentlv a successful
OUR STATIONS ON THE NILE
187
punitive raid against some tribe living higher up the river and
on the opposite bank, and brought back some hundreds of sheep
and goats. A handsome share of his spoil, I am told, he gave
as a present to the fort. A good many of his patients were
treated by me gratis, and his present to me of a couple of
chickens was not meant as an acknowledgment for the scores
of cases I had attended, but was simply the native style of
greeting which a courteous African chief usually gives to every
THE LANGO CHIEF AMIEN.
European traveller, whether he be clerk or commissioner. I
beheve even missionaries have been driven to the conclusion,
that gratitude is a stage in mental development which the African
savage, whether he be peasant or chief, has not yet attained to.
Lejumba is closely related to the royal house of Unyoro, for his
father was the nephew of the late king, but a bitter blood-feud
existed already then between the two families. He is, therefore,
bound to be a faithful ally of the white man, for if he fell into
the hands of ex-king Kabarega's sons, his doom would be sealed.
He did not strike me as being particularly intelligent, but he
i88 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
is neither better nor worse than the average Wanyoro chief,
though his face expresses cunning and self-indulgence.
On the opposite or northern bank of the Nile dwells the
Lango race. They are not under British rule, but now and then
they come across in dug-outs and barter native produce (sweet-
potatoes and matama flour) in exchange for cloth and beads. I
had an opportunity of seeing them, when their chief Amien came
over with sons and followers to receive a Government present
of cotton cloth, white and coloured. He has a fine and stately
figure, though already "in the sere and yellow leaf" of age. He
wore a serval skin girt round his loins, an amulet or charm
round his neck, some bracelets, and an anklet. In spite of his
wrinkles there was a manly, hardy expression on his face. One
glance, at him and his followers, would suffice to pick him out
as the am| uvSpwu of his tribe, as Kingsley would express it. It
is noteworthy, that he did not affect the curious headgear adopted
by his tribe. Most of his men, including his two sons, had their
wool plaited into a bun-shaped excrescence on the occiput,
ornamented with beads and well-lubricated with grease and
mud. Some of the warrior dandies wore huge wigs of bright-
coloured feathers. Every one, man or boy, was clothed with
a small apron of cloth or goat-skin. The women go about
naked, but are fond of decking themselves with ornaments.
The serval is a carnivorous animal of the cat tribe. Judging
by the skins brought for sale, there must be a great many
different species of it. Some have tiny spots set close together,
and are of a brown colour ; others are bright orange-yellow,
with large handsome black spots. I have seen them sold at
Kampala brand-new at two shillings each.
One day two Lango natives, a boy and a man, evidently
father and son, crossed to our side. The boy wore already the
national ornament, a tiny bun on his occiput ; in his arms he
held a long-legged white chicken which he wanted to barter
for cloth.
Government officials, I have been told, are prohibited from
crossing the Nile at Fovira, but judging from what one can see
of the opposite bank from a distance, the Lango are a thriving
agricultural race, with numerous and well-peopled hamlets. With
the exception of certain landing-places, the dense papyrus growth
draws an impenetrable barrier some hundreds of yards wide
along both sides of the river.
OUR STATIONS ON THE NILE 189
I saw neither crocodiles nor hippos at Fovira, though no
doubt they are present. There are a good many white- ant
hills about, though the fort itself is singularly free from this
nuisance.
About an hour's walk from Fovira I came upon a different
race. They call themselves the " Falua," and dift'er from the
Wanyoro in every respect. Wanyoro women never go naked,
but here I came upon not a few as nude as the Wakavirondo. It
SEM-SEM iJKVING-SrACK.
was the time of the sem-sem crop. The sem-sem plant grows
somewhat like flax, but it bears a number of vertical pods which,
when ripe, burst at the top and form a deep miniature cup
surmounted by a miniature crown. The plants are reaped with
an ordinary knife, tied into small bundles, and then attached to
the sem-sem drying-stack.
The drying-stack consists of a reed-screen resting slantingly
against a horizontal pole supported on two vertical props with
forked ends. The screen is made of interlacing reeds, and is
placed so as to receive as many as possible of the direct rays
of the sun. On this reed-screen the sem-sem crop is allowed
to dry thoroughly, when the plants, held with the open mouth
I90 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
of tlie pods pointing downwards, at the slightest shake will
shower all their tiny seeds on to the cloth or mat spread out
to receive them. The sem-sem is an oil-giving seed, and is of
immense importance to agricultural races living almost exclu-
sively on a vegetable diet. A very simple method of extracting
the oil is to toast the sem-sem slightly and then boil it ; the
oil rises to the surface and can be skimmed off. If properly
prepared, the oil is equal to the finest olive-oil, and very useful
for culinary purposes. A pint of it at Masindi could be bought
for two shillings.
The monkey-nut, which forms such an important trade be-
tween Mozambique and Marseilles, where it is used in the
manufacture of the so-called olive-oil of commerce, thrives at
Fovira ; but the natives find it easier to extract their oil from
the sem-sem grain.
Amongst the Falua neither men nor boys go uncovered.
The Falua spear has a very small but sharp spear-head. The
villages lie quite unprotected ; they seemed to be well stocked
with sheep, goats, and poultry. Spiral coils of brass wire round
the wrists were worn by the wealthier ladies, and ornaments of
beads by the poorer class.
A curious corn-bin is manufactured by the villagers. It
consists of wicker-work, and resembles somewhat a soiled linen-
basket w'ith a thick rim. It is well plastered with red clay
both inside and out, and probably answers its purpose of pro-
tecting the grain from insects and rats.
Wimbi is another grain largely cultivated by the natives.
It is used principally in the preparation of their native brew.
Wimbi is a species of grass, the stalk of which bears several
tufts of seeds. When ripe, the tufts are nipped off by hand
or cropped with a short knife ; they are then thoroughly dried
in the sun, and finally threshed out in a very primitive w'ay
with sticks.
From a shrub which grows six to eight feet high the
natives gather a small kind of bean. This, too, is largely
cultivated here. In the illustration one of the women has a
grass-platter with a lot of these tiny pods collected, preparatory
to shelling them for their frugal meal. Most of the huts
were of the ordinary type, but a few amongst them were of
superior workmanship. The hut resembled in shape half an
orange, with the thatch reaching to the ground, except for a
OUR STATIONS ON THE NILE
191
small space in front, where it was cut to expose the mud-wall
with its neatly finished arched entrance. Like most of the
natives, men and women smoke.
Many of the small children have a very large abdomen,
and remind one of nestlings. In one village over a score of
these children
were marched
up to me for
treatment. It
was a sight! In
not a few cases
the condition
is natural, the
child devouring
whatever it can
lay its hands
on ; in other
cases it is due
to ailments
which readily
yield to treat-
ment.
One of the
difficulties with
which the medi-
cal man has to contend in these regions is the impossibility
of finding out the exact ailment of the patient, owing to the
interpreter's limited knowledge of the language. A ludicrous,
though rather unpleasant, occurrence once happened to me in
this connection. I was attending a number of Wakavirondo
captives, women and children. The patient had some gastric
trouble. I do not know, of course, how the interpreter trans-
lated my question, but the patient, together with eight or ten
other women, proceeded to give me a visible proof of the form
her indisposition took.
Another difficulty is, that natives often come for treatment
for imaginary complaints. One of the great Waganda chiefs,
the Kago, used to come to me regularly with his story of the
"worm." One day the "worm" was in his heart, another day
in the small of his back, another time it had travelled to his
arm, and so on. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and
A FALUA DWELLING.
192 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
treated him for rheumatism, oppression, or anything rational
bearing on his symptoms. In spite of all his ailments he grew
daily more stout and strong. One day I gave him a strong
purgative. He did not reappear for a week; when he came,
he was accompanied by one of his men leading a fat sheep.
He had never given me the slightest acknowledgment for the
scores and scores of times he had come to me for the treat-
ment which he was receiving gratis. This day he solemnly
made me a present of a fat sheep. He assured me that my
last medicine was splendid. The effect was such, he said, that
he really thought that he was about to die, and that it had
utterly prostrated him for days. He felt, however, that he was
■cured, and he came to thank me publicly. It was many months,
before he was troubled again by his old enemy the " worm."
I was interested when one day the Mission doctor, Dr. A. Cook,
incidentally mentioned to me that some natives came to him
with imaginary diseases. They cause a serious loss of time to
him whom I know to be one of the most able and hard-working
men I have had the privilege of meeting either in professional
consultation or in private life.
The Falua not only use the ordinary type of corn-store seen
everywhere, but have a peculiar one of their own. Instead of
the basket being very deep and the cover over it removable, the
basket is wide but shallow, and the cover over it is a fixture with
an opening in front permitting access to the store. The corn is
therefore much more handy to get at, and the opening is readily
closed again with dry banana-leaves or grass.
The Falua have a good many banana plantations, but the
banana does not play here as important a part in every-day life
as in Uganda, though a banana plantation can provide the
native with everything he requires — shelter, clothing, fuel, food.
Returning from the Falua village to the fort, my boy uttered
an exclamation of alarm ; he had seen me pass and almost touch
a deadly puff-adder lying coiled up in the grass. As it had
disappeared, we did not stay to look for it, but left the danger-
ous spot as quickly as possible.
I was shown at Fovira some exquisitely delicate white
feathers obtained from under the tail of a large bird. From
the description of the bird I felt satisfied it belonged to the
stork species — it is, in fact, the well-known marabou. The
feathers are extremely valuable, almost worth their weight in
OUR STATIONS ON THE NILE 193
gold. I saw scores and scores of these birds solemnly sitting
on the trees, when I journeyed from Fovira to Mruli by the
road which gives a view of the Nile almost the whole way. It
was here, that I shot a specimen of the Unyoro guinea-fowl. I
was anxious to secure it; but two of the Soudanese soldiers,
eager to bring me the bird, managed to pull out the whole of
its tail and a handful or two of other feathers. This brings to
my mind, that I once saw a Swahili porter carrying a chicken
ready plucked but left alive, and tied to his belt. I had the
chicken at once killed and the porter punished.
I have noticed at times diametrically opposite qualities in
a Swahili. He will share whatever he is eating with anybody
who holds out his hand for a portion of it, and he will allow his
sick companion to die of hunger and thirst before his very eyes.
He will follow bravely into the very thickest of the fight, with
death staring him in the face, and he will run away and hide
himself when a few shots are lired near him. He will fight and
quarrel to be allowed to carry the heaviest tusk of ivory, and he
will be equally quarrelsome to get the lightest load. And yet,
when I said good-bye to Fort Fovira and returned to Masindi,
I was glad that at least half of my porters were Swahilies, for
they are well-accustomed to caravan work.
Fajao, the other Government station on the Nile, is not a
fort ; it is purely and simply a military settlement. The scenery
at Fajao is the very opposite of what one sees at Fovira. Instead
of having a silent river, one hears the ceaseless roar of the Mur-
chison Falls ; instead of the open fiat country, one sees steep
hills and lofty forest trees ; instead of having the peaceful
Lango as neighbours, the hostile Shuli hold the opposite bank.
Crocs and hippos swarm in the river, and lions infest the neigh-
bourhood. Instead of a healthy station, the climate must try
every white man's constitution, if stationed here for any length
of time ; death and danger surround him by land and by water,
and all his energies are called forth to guard against them.
There was no hospital at Fajao, but Major Thruston most
kindly gave me carte blanche to build one. " Build it where
you like, how you like, what you like, and stay as long as you
like," was his way of summing it up. Thereupon I set to work,
and in twelve days had built the hospital shown in the illus-
tration. A row of patients may be seen calling at the hut which
serves as dispensary ; next to it is an open shed which answers
N
194
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
the purpose of a waiting-room for the patients. Four hospital
huts have been erected, similar to what has answered so well at
Masindi, and the hospital grounds are similarly enclosed by a
grass-fence. On my second visit to Fajao, I was very thankful
to "have a hut ready to receive the poor soldier who was so badly
mauled by the man-eating lioness. It is always well to have a
special place for patients.
A male or female negro in the full bloom of lusty adoles-
THE HOSPITAL AT FAjAO.
cence has a strong peculiar odour which European olfactory
nerves fail to appreciate. When unwashed feet and foul ulcers
are superadded, the effect is overpowering. A whiff from the
bottomless pit with the lid off is what one imagines, if popular
notions respecting that undesirable place are to be relied on,
the only thing that can possibly equal it.
Abura, one of the Shuli chiefs, came to me to be treated.
He was suffering from a complication of diseases. For one
of these I had to perform the operation which Jews and Moham-
medans practise as a religious rite. Amongst Africans some
races perform it also as a national custom, other races abhor
OUR STATIONS ON THE NILE 195
it. To the latter belong the Shuli, and Abura became seriously
alarmed whether his subjects might not depose him on hearing
to what he had submitted. He arranged in that case to return
with all his family and followers, and settle on the British side
of the Nile. However, his fears proved groundless. Another of
his complications was ringworm. Of this disease I saw several
cases at Fajao on our side of the river. Abura had only
brought two of his wives with him ; they were absolutely nude.
He, however, and all his men were covered, wearing an apron
of goat-skin.
The Shuli wear anklets, bracelets, armlets, and necklets of
brass wire or beads; but a remarkable fashion with many of
them is to pierce the under-hp and stick through it a short blunt
pencil of glass one to two inches long. They push it through
from inside, so that the thick end of the pencil touches the teeth.
They are expert fishermen with hook and line and, in spite
of the hundreds of crocodiles, fearlessly paddle in their fragile
dug-outs amid the foaming and whirling backwash of the river,
where it forms the deep bay-like indentations. They have
neither float nor lead to their line, and the hook is only a most
ridiculous bent piece of soft iron-wire, and yet 1 saw them catch
fish after fish, a species of large delicious mullet. Two other
species of fish caught here are a large mud-fish and the small
bony perch one sees at Mruli.
On my second visit to Fajao, Abura sent word that he would
like very much to see me, but that he had received orders from
the supreme chief at Wadelai that neither he nor the other Shuli
chiefs were to be friendly with the EngHsh, but were to support
the cause of ex-king Kabarega.
The Fajao garrison were going through a trying time with
their crops ; drought, locusts, hippos, and baboons uniting to
impoverish the settlement. As might be expected from its being
a settlement in a tropical forest, all sorts of interesting zoolo-
gical specimens frequent these woods. The black and white
Colobus and several other species of monkey, a green squirrel
with three black stripes from head to tail, a red-nosed rat with
a red patch near the tail, and lovely specimens of papilio and
charaxes. A little lower down the river the pepper - plant,
bearing the small red chili pods, grows wild in profusion as
a common shrub eight feet high.
The road from Fajao to Masindi, lying through the late chief
196
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
NATIVES ON THE MARCH.
Amara's country, was in excellent condition, and half-a-dozen
men could have walked abreast. Caravans, however, always
travel in Indian file, one behind the other. With natives on the
march, the head of a family usually walks first, armed with
a spear. The
others follow
more or less
according to the
lightness of Their
burdens ; the
poor drudge of
the family has
the biggest and
heaviest load and
comes last.
On my last
visit to Fajoa a
Shuli spy was
brought to me.
The Effendi thought the man was a friend to the English,
because he came from time to time pretending to bring news
that ex-king Kabarega was about to attack the settlement. Such
attack never happened, and the man only came to collect infor-
mation for Kabarega. I questioned the man closely, and soon
found out what he had really come for. Accordmg to him, the ex-
king was about to attack us with an army of which one thousand
men were armed with guns. He said the king had heard that we
were all terrified by the news, and that the Soudanese captain in
command had run awav to IMasindi and the white medicine-man
had fled down the Nile. I saw at once what this garbled news
evidently referred to, as I had gone one day in a dug-out down-
stream to shoot a hippo, and the captain had left Fajao for
Masindi on business. I told the spy to let Kabarega know we
were ready for him, and that if he did come, in all probability
he would never return again. The Shuli then remarked, that
Kabarega would probably not come on hearing we were ready
for him. In order that the man might not guess what we wished
him to tell his master, I now strongly recommended he should
not let the ex-king know, that we were hoping he would come
and that the white medicine-man was still here.
After the spy had been allowed to re-cross the river, I con-
OUR STATIONS ON THE NILE 197
suited with the three Soudanese officers, and we got everything
ready to give Kabarega a warm reception if he did venture to
attack us. However, he did not come near us ; he sent instead
an armed band to raid our friendhes and to capture slaves. It
happened, that the Shuli had also sent an armed raiding band for
the same purpose. These two bands, having crossed the river
unknown to each other, met, and taking each other for the
enemy, they at once had a hotly contested fight. Under cover
of -darkness each party escaped and re-crossed the river, leaving
their dead on the field. About twenty men were killed on each
side. This extraordinary mistake, that friends should turn their
weapons against each other and slaughter each other, was attri-
buted by the superstitious natives to the magic arts of the white
medicine-man. It had, however, one good result, our friendlies
were left for a while unmolested by ex-king Kabarega and his
Shuli allies.
CHAPTER XIII.
ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ALBERT.
T
LUR CHILDREN.
HERE are two Government stations on
Lake Albert, almost opposite to each
other, — Kibero on the east shore,
Mahaji on the west. The former is
inhabited by Wanyoro, the latter by the Lur.
These are two distinct races, differing in language,
dress, and mode of life. The native village at
Kibero is a thriving place, and it possesses a
paying industry ; but Major Thruston, who saw
it in King Kabarega's days and before it fell into
British hands, told me that formerly it was three
times the size it is now. It has therefore not yet
recovered from the effects of the war waged against King
Kabarega. A few of the men wear bark-cloth, but the
majority are dressed in cowhides thrown like a cloak about the
body. The women have short petticoats of bark-cloth reaching
from the waist to below the knees. The covering of boys is
usually a mantle of goat-skin, but girls up to puberty go un-
covered. Babies are carried on the back in a sort of leathern
sling supported by the mother's shoulders and waist. This leaves
the legs, arms, and head of the baby free. Almost every family
owns a few goats or sheep. The boys work as goatherds or
shepherds, but the girls help their mothers in the great local salt-
industry.
There seems to be an inexhaustible wealth of salt here. Some
day European appliances and European enterprise may turn this
industry into a most valuable and paying concern. In King
Kabarega's reign one of the chiefs secured for himself and his
followers the monopoly of the manufacture, and paid for the
concession a tribute or rent of one thousand loads of salt
ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ALBERT
199
annually. When the British Government, having expelled King
Kabarega, took over Kibero, this tribute or rent was reduced,
owing to the great diminution in the population, to three hundred
%
IN THE NATIVE VILLAGE AT KIBERO.
loads of salt annually, each load to weigh 30 lbs., in other words,
9000 lbs. of salt per annum. The salt-industry is worked exclu-
sively by women and girls. A brisk trade is carried on. At Hoima
one Mganda asked me for a "permit" to send sixty of his men
to buy salt at Kibero. There is no other industry in this locality.
Agriculture proved a failure owing to the excessive amount of
salt in the soil. The salt is bartered in exchange for food sup-
plies, cloth, and shells. Fishing would be sure to pay. I saw
Soudanese boys constantly catching fish, but the natives are
either too lazy or find it easier to purchase canoe-loads of fish
from the lake-dwellers higher up, who bring their catch to the
Kibero market. The Kibero salt is greyish-white, but not at
all unpleasant to eat, though prepared in the crudest possible
manner. The European naturally prefers the white table-salt
from England, if he has any left among his provisions, but
should he have run out of it, there would be no hardship in
using the native salt.
The salt is extracted by a very simple process. The soil is
200
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
first of all scraped together into small mounds about a foot high.
It is then loosely scattered over the surface, apparently to let it
dry in the sun, and all obvious impurities are removed. Two
earthen vessels are required, one large, the other small. A few
stones are arranged so as to support the larger vessel, and the
smaller vessel is then placed underneath it. The larger acts as a
percolator, the smaller as a receiver. There is a hole in the
bottom of the percolator, blocked with tiny pebbles in such a
manner, that the fluid can only pass through in drops. The
scraped-up soil is now placed in the percolator and slightly over-
saturated with water, and the mass is stirred about with the
hands. The slight excess of water trickles past the pebbles
and drips in-
to the lower
vessel, carry-
ing with it a
certain pro-
portion of the
salt which it
has dissolved
out. From
time to time,
knowing by
e xp erience
when to do
so, the wo-
man scoops
f "^^^ ..'., . -./^^^^ ""^ ^^'^ ^°'l
' " " ' which has
yielded up its
share of salt,
and throws it
on the adjoining refuse-heap which in course of time becomes a
regular wall of earth. As a rule, each woman attends to but one
set of earthen vessels. When the day's work is done, the saline
water, earthen vessels, and scoop are carried home in a narrow
wooden trough which no doubt has come into use to prevent
the loss of any of the precious saline fluid, should it happen to
splash out on the way home. This saline water is boiled down
at home and yields up its salt.
It is obvious that the process of manufacture is so crude.
THE SALT-INDUSTRY AT KIBERO.
ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ALBERT 201
that only a small portion of the salt is really extracted, and the
waste is considerable ; but there is such a superabundance of
fresh material to work upon, that it would not pay to waste
more time on each potful of soil subjected to this treatment.
In hot sunny weather the whole female community is as busy
as bees ; but rainy weather puts at once a temporary stop to
the work, because the natives do not even take the trouble to
put up a slight shed to protect from the rain the particular
spot which they happen to be working at. Should the hollow,
where they work, get swamped by the rain, they abandon it
for the time and proceed to tackle a fresh patch. When the
salt is ready, it is made up into small loads weighing from 5
lbs. to 30 lbs., and is then carried by the men to the different
markets. The men have apparently no other work to do, and
in the meanwhile smoke and loaf about all day in an open
shed, evidently their African club-room.
Melindwa, the chief, brought me a present of salt which I
distributed among my Soudanese escort and Swahili porters.
Close to where the salt-industry is carried on. there are a
dozen or more hot sulphur-springs which bubble out of the
ground at the foot of the range of hills east of Kibero. Where
it emerges from the soil, the water is boiling hot, but even a short
run of a hundred yards in the open air cools the water sufficiently
to enable one to enjoy a warm bath. Just for the novelty of the
thing I indulged on the spot in such a bath, a cosy corner
rendering the place absolutely private ; but I found it more
convenient afterwards to have the hot water brought to my
tent. The water forms narrow channels, and has only to flow
a few hundred yards to reach Lake Albert. There is a yellowish
slimy incrustation on the pebbles over which the hot water flows.
I discovered some similar hot springs, six of them, all lying
close together, on the west shore of Lake Albert, about two and
a half hours from Mahaji ; they have only three to five feet to
run to reach the lake. They issue from the grassy foot of the
hills which border the lake. I do not know if Emin Pasha was
aware of their existence. It is rather curious that there should
be hot springs on both sides of the lake. The water of the lake
has a slightly mawkish taste.
During my stay at Kibero I succeeded, but not till I had put
some pressure on chief Melindwa, in getting sanitary require-
ments added to every dwelling, and suitably screened off. The
202 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Soudanese settlement was already provided, but to the native
population it was a novelty. For generations they had used the
adjoining scrub, the condition of which may be imagined. If
plague germs by any chance had been conveyed to this locality,
they would have found the exisiting insanitary condition the
very thing for fostering their dissemination.
The official quarters at Kibero consist of three grass-huts.
The two larger huts are built in the Swahili style ; one for the
European and the other for his servants. On my second visit
I found a third hut erected. It was in the Soudanese pattern,
circular, and sufficiently large to serve as a kitchen. Of all the
methods of thatchinf^, the Swahili is the worst. The roof often
MY QUARTERS AT KIBERO.
leaks when quite new, and after a very short exposure to the
weather it is almost certain to let the rain pass freely. On my
first visit a thunder-storm broke over the place during the night.
1 woke up with the drip-drip-drip of the rain falling on me.
With difficulty I managed to light a candle, as some of the drops
had splashed on the wick, and for some time it only spluttered
in response to the match. My bed was soaked, and a score of
leaks in other parts of the hut did not hold out much chance
of a dry corner to sleep in. My umbrella was not large enough
to crouch under and sleep. Looking around in search of some
sort of shelter, I caught sight of the ground-sheet of my tent.
At once I crept under it. It was rather an undignified position,
but a welcome protection all the same. Though not the most
cheerful way of spending the night, I knew from experience that
it is possible to fare worse.
ON THE SHORES OF I^AKE ALBERT 203
These huts are only 25 yards from the water. Imagination
might draw quite a pleasant picture from certain given facts : —
a private hut close to the sea, the only European within hun-
dreds of miles, summer heat, shallow water, and patches of
sandy beach. But the reality is a climb down from any lofty
flights indulged in bv the imagination : the hut leaks like a sieve,
no European help is near in case of danger or illness, every
precaution is necessary to avoid sun-stroke, the water harbours
crocodiles, and the beach is rendered offensive and injurious by
savages untrammelled by hygienic or any other considerations.
On my third journey across Lake Albert, I was entrusted
with the duty of taking arrears of pay and rations to the Mahaji
garrison, and of installing Nur Abdel Ba'in Effendi as officer in
command. I was also to select a number of men to form the
new garrison under Nur Effendi, and to bring the others back
with me. For this purpose some native dug-outs were to ac-
company me. The v.^eather was unsettled and threatening, and
Imam Effendi advised us to wait for a day or two. Both sides
of the lake are bordered by mountains, and until the weather is
sufficiently clear to see the opposite mountains, it is considered
unsafe to venture across the lake in an open boat. On the first
fine day, we embarked. As the dug-outs take longer to cross,
we gave them a start of four hours. At 5 p.m. I followed in
Her Majesty's steel-boat Alexandra, Sixteen men are required
to row this boat across the lake, eight on, eight off alternately,
four men to each side. A little grass-thatch awning, supported
on four sticks, is put up near the stern, in order to provide the
European with some shelter against the tropical sun. I had
shot that afternoon a young crocodile, and some of the Soudanese
had asked me to let them eat it. This inspired my Swahilies
with an impromptu boat-song, the chorus of which was —
" Wanubi Kula mamba,
Kula mamba, Kula mamba,
Wanubi Kula mamba ! "
The last syllable of each word was yelled out fortissimo, with
the mouth as wide open as possible ; what Milton would call
" linked sweetness long drawn out." The translation is—
" The Soudanese eat crocodiles,
Eat crocodiles, eat crocodiles,
The Soudanese eat crocodiles ! "
204
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
I had eight Swahili porters and eight Soudanese soldiers, each
set taking it in turn to row for an hour. The boat was heavily
laden with the bales of cloth, representing the arrears of pay for
the Mahaji garrison.
All went well until about midnight, and it was nearly full
moon. I was peacefully slumbering, when all of a sudden a
terrific thunder-storm burst over us and covered us with dense
HER majesty's STEEL-BOAT "ALEXANDRA" OX LAKE ALBERT NYANZA.
darkness, illumined by fearfully vivid flashes of lightning, the
glare of which blinded us. It is usually easy to steer the boat
by keeping the opposite mountain-chain in view, but now the
man at the helm could only steer according as the fitful lightning
disclosed the tops of the distant mountain-range. The waves
were tumultuous, and the boat danced like a cork on the top of
the billows. Every now and again a big wave washed over us
and threatened to engulf us. The boat was steadily filling, and
every man toiled for dear life, either rowing, or baling out the
water. I was miserably sea-sick. Most of the men were very
ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ABLERT 205
ill, one of them even bringing up blood. In the morning the
storm abated somewhat. We made for the nearest land and got
ashore, thankful to Providence that the boat had outlived the
storm. We did not quite know where we were, but felt sure
that if we kept straight towards the mountains, we must cut
across some footpath between the mountains and the lake. We
had a nasty scramble through thorny jungle, but luckily found
the footpath and now toiled along it. We were all wet through,
and chilled with the bath in which we had sat for so many
hours with our clothes on. A couple of men hurried ahead to
have a fire ready for us. What was our surprise, when we found
we were nowhere near Mahaji, and that we had returned to
Kibero ! The storm overtook us, when we were about half-way
across the lake ; in the darkness we must have moved round in
a circle and finally steered back towards Kibero.
A grilling hot day succeeded. We were able to dry
our belongings and such of the Government bales, as had
got soaked. Most of my men were ill and exhausted ; but
to my surprise no attack of fever fell on me, though I fully
expected it.
A somewhat similar misadventure once happened to me in
my boyhood, when my brother and I were on a walking tour in
Scotland. We had rested in an inn at the foot of a range
of hills, and we decided to cross to the other side of the hills
before night. The guide led us along a sheep track, but when
it grew dusk he deserted us. We pushed on steadily in the
direction indicated, lost the path, and floundered every now
and again up to our knees in boggy mud-holes. When we
reached the precipitous descent, we saw in the valley below us
an inn, and we thought that it looked very much like the one
we had left in the afternoon ; but we attributed this to fancy,
because we had to be ferried across a small stream which
we had not noticed when we started. It was not till we were
greeted by the same landlord, that we realised we had moved
in a circle back to our starting-point.
It is singular to have had a repetition of such an experience
in the heart of Africa, on one of the great lakes, and with suit-
able accompaniment of tumultuous waves, thunder, lightning,
and rain.
As soon as the weather permitted it, we made another attempt
to cross the lake, but this time during the day. We reached
2o6
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Mahaji safely, and in time for an afternoon cup of tea in front
of the hut built for the use of European officials on the slope of
the hill.
In the steel-boat it took me ten hours, twelve hours, and
eight and a half hours respectively to cross Lake Albert. I
believe the quickest passage recorded has been a few minutes
under eight hours.
Mahaji is perched on the top of a hill ; Kibero is built on a
plain. At Kibero no attempt is made at agriculture. At Mahaji
banana groves and fields of Kaffre-corn supply the natives with
AFTERNOON TEA AT MAHAJI.
food and labour. At Kibero only scrub and undergrowth is
found ; Mahaji is well wooded.
Nur Effendi had safely crossed in the dug-out, but told me
that he and his were very nearly drowned. He must indeed
have had an awful time of it, remembering what we had ex-
perienced in the large steel-boat. Two other dug-outs with
Swahilies had also succeeded in crossing ; but the officer at
Mahaji had promptly placed the men under supervision, in
case they should turn out to be fugitive deserters. The other
canoes had all speedily returned to Kibero, fearing to face
the elements. Therefore no loss of life at sea resulted from
the storm.
ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ALBERT 207
Having selected the twenty-five men to form the new garrison,
I made arrangements to ship the others to Kibero with their
women, children, followers, and belongings.
There was great rejoicing among the garrison on receiving
their arrears of pay. The Effendi had quite a tidy sum owing to
him, represented by a good many bales of cloth.
The native chief brought me a couple of chickens and a few
eggs. I went to visit his village, and at the very entrance 1 came
across a most interesting group. A young man, tall, well-built,
and muscular, stood with a spear in his hand ; by the door of
the hut was his wife in the full bloom of youth ; an urchin
was playing on the ground. The whole scene, full of tranquil
peace, recalled the condition of mankind at the dawn of history.
The sort of leathern sling, in which Lur babies are carried, is a
strong support to the weak spine of babyhood, and at the same
time allows a full and free motion to head, arms, and legs.
The baby partly sits in this leathern support. There are no
crooked or bandy-legged individuals in the whole race. Only
small children go about uncovered.
The spear carried by every adult male, is a business-like
weapon, evidently not meant for show. I saw neither shields,
nor bows, nor swords. The spear-head is somewhat like the
Kavirondo one, small and narrow ; it is continuous with a
tubular iron prolongation one to two feet in length, into which
the wooden shaft of the spear is inserted.
A queer fashion with many of the young warriors was the
chignon-hke bunch of gay feathers attached to the occiput.
The men wore more ornaments than the women. Necklaces
and bracelets of bright-coloured beads were very fashionable
with the men. A few of the elders wore ivory bracelets and
anklets. The men never went uncovered, and in this respect
were much more particular than the women. Many of the
women had their heads clean shaved.
The Lur women occupy, as regards dress, a position mid-
way between the Makraka with their bunches of leaves and the
Kavirondo with their tails of plaited strings. They wear the
Makraka leaves and the Kavirondo tails. In the Lur village I
saw a woman carrying an enormous burden of firewood on her
head. It was a proof of the abundance of firewood in the
neighbourhood. The logs of wood are tied into a long cone-
shaped bundle eight to ten feet long. By this arrangement the
2o8
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
huge load can be raised to the head without requiring any great
muscular exertion of the arms. The load is first of all propped
against the nearest tree, but with the narrow end resting on the
ground. By bending the head, covered with a protective grass-
pad, towards the load, but nearer its top-heavy end, only a slight
efit'ort is necessary to balance the whole mass on the head.
With a little pi actice the women know exactly where the wood
should be bal-
- anced, so as not
to require the
support of a
hand to keep it
on the head,
as she walks
home with it.
The woman car-
ries a staff in
her hand, and
leans against it
when she stops
to have a chat ;
she does not
trouble to un-
burden herself
of her load.
Most of the
women carried a knife without a protective sheath ; it is passed
through the waist-belt, and usually v;orn on the right thigh.
It is curved and fairly sharp, but is not meant for offence or
defence. It is probably next to the cooking-pot the most
necessary household article. With it the woman harvests the
ears of matama-corn, peels sweet-potatoes or green bananas for
dinner, slices the grass-fibres for plaiting the fashionable tail,
and uses it surgically to extract thorns and splinters of wood.
The Lur at Alahaji are a quiet, industrious, and well-to-do
community. Their fields and banana-groves, their fowls, goats,
and sheep, provide them with every necessary and luxury they
can think of ; and hence they pass a happy and peaceful
existence, protected by the Soudanese garrison from being
molested by hostile or envious neighbours.
Whilst I was at Mahaii, another severe thunder-storm occurred.
LUR WOMAN CARRYING A LOAD OF WOOD.
ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ALBERT 209
I passed a very unpleasant night ; for although the hut in this
case was water-tight, I fully expected either that the hut would
be blown down or the tree behind it would be uprooted and fall
on the top of it. More than once I was on the point of leaving
the hut and exposing myself to the fury of the elements outside,
in preference to being squashed inside the hut. In the morning
the news was brought to us that the steel-boat Alexandra was a
wreck. The force of the waves had caused a number of screws
which bound the transverse sections together, to snap off, and
the boat had parted amid-ships. What a blessing my crew and
I were safe ashore ! And what a singular proof how near we
had been to death on that fearful night-storm at sea ! What a
piece of good luck that the boat should have held together long
enough to enable us to reach Mahaji ! Other local disasters
were reported, amongst them the death of one native woman.
The force of the wind must have been very great, to have
overthrown the big tree which I saw lying uprooted in the
village.
Very little damage was done, however, to the dwellings.
Some of the grass-thatch of the Lur corn-stores was blown about
a bit. The Lur dwellings are oval and low, the grass-thatch
reaches right down to the ground, and the entrance projects
slightly forward like a portico.
One of the objects of my visit to Mahaji was the selection of
a site for a leper establishment. I had met with cases of leprosy
in different parts of Unyoro, and my suggestion to collect the
lepers, and to isolate them at Mahaji, was favourably received by
the ofticer in command of Unyoro. The advantages offered by
Mahaji were : removal of the lepers from Unyoro, their isolation,
and an abundant local supply of food for them. A hill near the
Lur village was selected and the ground cleared. Huts were
beincf erected, and two women had already been transferred to
the new leper station, when, owing to the Soudanese mutiny, the
work had to be discontinued and I was recalled in a hurry to
Masindi. But the difficulty was how to get back to Kibero,
as the steel-boat was a wreck, and storms were of daily occur-
rence. Acting on the advice of Kiza, in charge of the Wanyoro
dug-outs, it was decided to proceed in a dug-out to Tuk-
wenda's, and from there to cross the lake at its narrow
northern end. This proved, indeed, a quicker way of reach-
ing Kibero than waiting at Mahaji for the weather to clear
^ o
2IO UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
sufficiently to risk crossing the lake in a dug-out direct from
INIahaji to Kibero. The steel-boat had of course to be aban-
doned at Mahaji. Tukwenda is a friendly Lur chief on the
north-west shore of the lake.
The rapidity with which these thunder-storms appear on
Lake Albert, reminds one of the warning sent by the prophet
to king Ahab, as soon as ever a cloud of the size of a man's
hand appeared on the horizon, lest the rain should stop him.
Experience had taught us to keep close to the shore, to be able
LUR CORN-STORES.
to take refuge on land in case a storm should burst upon us.
However, we reached our camp without a mishap, and the Lur
chief Tukwenda at once paid me a visit.
He is a tall elderly man, of courteous and noble bearing,
simply clad in a cowhide mantle with his muscular arms left
bare. He wore no ornaments, and his example had evidently
influenced his tribe. The men were all more or less well-
covered. Tukwenda brought me a present of a splendid fat-
tailed sheep ; as African etiquette requires a return present of
at least the same value, I delighted Tukwenda and his whole
ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ALBERT 211
tribe by my gift of a bright yellow cotton cloth known locally
as a " kanga." This piece of cloth had cost me originally at
Kampala two and a half rupees, about three shillings, here it
was worth double that amount. I could have bought the
fattest sheep at Tukwenda's for about half-a-crown ; my gift
was therefore appreciated, and Tukwenda became exceedingly
friendly and invited me to visit him at his kraal.
The mountain-chain, which at Mahaji abuts on the lake,
gradually recedes from the shore in a north-westerly direction,
and thus leaves a large and gradually broadening out plain
between it and the lake. This plain is Tukwenda's realm. It
is a most fertile and prosperous country, as the numerous and
thriving kraals testify. Pleasant trees dot the surface, and in
some parts, as at Pongo, where I shot my first elephant, there
are virgin forests, visited by herds of elephants. The lake, one
would imagine, would cause these lake-dwellers to be fishermen ;
but, with the exception of a few fish-baskets sunk to trap the
fish, no attempt is made at fishing, either with a net or with
hook and line. A number of small dug-outs go out daily in
search of dead fish, which are picked up floating on the water.
A huge fish carried on a pole by two men was brought to
me. It was mottled with green and black spots and had a
big head. The jaws displayed a ferocious set of teeth which
could easily snap off a man's foot or arm. My men called
it the Kambari-ya-fisi or hyaena-fish, a suggestive and appro-
priate name. I felt no inclination to taste such a horrid-
looking creature, especially as it was picked up dead ; I
therefore declined the present which Lur taste considered a
delicacy.
On visiting Tukwenda's kraal he introduced to me his three
daughters, fine young girls, wearing the customary tail and
bunch of leaves. The youngest had her upper lip pierced, and
wore in it a small ring of red, blue, and white beads. The
second had pierced her lower lip instead, and wore in it what
looked like a cribbage-peg. The eldest girl had shaved her
head, excepting a patch on the top, which looked as if she
sported a woollen skull-cap ; the second girl had made a clean
shave of it altogether, and the youngest had left a tiny top-
knot of wool. These three girls were apparently his favourite
daughters ; for he had such a vast number of wives, that one
kraal was insufficient to house them all, and he had to build
212
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
several kraals or villages for them. He certainly had a good
number of babies. There was one in particular, which I wanted
to photograph in the sling on its mother's back, because the
mother had decorated the child's leathern receptacle w4th long
streamers which looked very picturesque and reminded me of
young English mothers decking their baby's cot with bright-
coloured ribbons and lace. Photographers in England could
not get on without mothers who want their children to be
photographed. But this African mother was terrified for her
baby's life, in presence of the w^hite medicine-man's mysterious
camera ; she fled, and hid herself and her baby.
Tukwenda, too, made diligent inquiry amongst my men to
know, if my magic was likely to have any injurious effects upon
his own life ; whereupon my boys assured him that it would
produce untold blessings. I sincerely hope he has not been
visited by famine, pestilence, or hostile slave-hunters since I left,
or the next European calling on him with a camera might
receive anything but a friendly welcome.
Both at Kibero and JSIahaji I saw but few water-fowl, but at
Tukwenda's there were a good many. The very day I arrived,
as my boat drew near the landing-place, I bowled over two wild
ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ALBERT 213
geese with one shot. They were exceptionally tender and
unusually good eating.
I have often seen pictures of a bull making a hostile demon-
stration, but my first personal experience, of what the situation
is like, I was to have at Tukwenda's. A magnificent black bull
was returning to his kraal past my camp, and was greatly upset
by the presence of the tent and the strangers. Uttering loud
bellowings he came on in a sharp trot for a visit of inspection.
In a moment the camp was empty. I hurriedly snatched up my
rifle and loaded it ; but what did the bull know about a loaded
rifle or any possible harm from it to himself ! Even Tukwenda's
men had bolted, calling out that it was a most dangerous brute.
Little knots of men stood at respectful distances, all excitement
and curiosity to know what would happen next. It was a strik-
ing picture ; this fine animal, standing there in its glorious
strength, with its powerful neck, fiercely lashing its tail, occasion-
ally pawing the ground with its fore-feet, tossing its proud head
and bellowing ; and there was weak humanity, but armed with
the loaded rifle, a dangerous foe for the strongest of the brute
creation to encounter. I wished myself a few hundred yards
farther off; but as I had to face the situation, I held my rifle
ready to fire the moment the bull should lower its head and
charge. It would never have done to have shot the bull at once,
as it would most certainly have severed all friendly intercourse
with Tukwenda.
Fortunately some one had hurriedly sent for the bull's
keeper, a six-year old, naked little urchin. He came on the
scene, and before the bull was aware — switch ! — gave the brute
a whack across the flank with a long lithe reed wand. The
effect was magical. The bull became most humble, and with
a deprecatory toss of the head in my direction, to draw the
urchin's attention to my uncalled-for intrusion on the plain, and
with a sort of silent request to be allowed to finish the job in
hand, the bull turned away from my camp and slowly and
regretfully walked away. The longing to have one more stare at
me and my tent was too great ; but, switch ! switch ! a double-
hander against each flank drove the last spark of fighting out of
the brute, and it fairly galloped off, amid the jeers and laughter
of the hundreds who a few minutes before had fled helter-
skelter in every direction.
Outside the village, at a little distance from the "madding
214
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
crowd," I came upon two Lur men playing the native game
" soro." This game seems common to a great part of Africa ;
the SwahiHes at the coast call it " bau," the Soudanese call it
"lohe"; but though the name may change, the game remains
the same-. Its nearest relatives in the family of games are chess
and draughts ; it is neither the one nor the other, but maintains a
dignified individuality. The board and stand were carved, in
the present instance, out of a single solid lump of wood. There
were ten rows of circular depressions and four of these de-
pressions in each
row. At either
end was a large
cup -shaped hol-
low to hold each
player's pellets.
If introduced
into Europe, we
should probably
have the game as
a polished piece
of walnut - wood
and pretty glass
marbles to play it
with. But native
ingenuity was at
no loss to supply
LUR PLAYING THE NATIVE GAME " SORO." thc neCCSSarV
counters for the
game. The men were using the dry pellets of goat droppings I
They were deeply absorbed in the game. It consists in placing
a pellet into each depression in turn, first on your own side and
then invading the enemy's rows. When the game is in full
swing, the player takes the pellets out of any one of his spaces,
and distributes them always in the same single fashion. If his
last pellet drops into a space belonging to the enemy, he scoops
up all in the adjoining depression, till the game ends somewhat
in the style of " Beggar my neighbour." That there is a certain
amount of skill necessary is self-evident ; and to judge from its
being a universal favourite amongst totally different races, the
game must have some popular attraction. It was a curious sight
to Vv'atch these two savages, almost naked, and with a curious
ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ALBERT 215
tuft of feathers stuck on the head, interested in a peaceful homely
game. " One touch of Nature makes the world akin ! "
From Tukwenda's we went on to Pongo, where we passed
the night. From Mahaji to Tukwenda's we had high mountains,
densely wooded from summit to base, flanking the lake ; with
mountain streamlets tossing themselves from the heights above
into the lake in sparkling noisy cascades ; with birds singing,
twittering, screaming amid the green foliage ; with monkeys
of different species going through their amusing antics and
gymnastics from branch to branch, and with a wild-cat darting
from boulder to boulder along the rock-bound shore.
From Tukwenda's to Pongo we had sunny plains, with tall
reeds intercepting the view, with startled water-fowl of many a
species noisily rising on the wing, with many a "deep and glassy
bay," with cultivated fields stretching almost to the water's edge,
with nestling hamlets, and with sombre forests.
At Pongo I shot some of the black-and-white Colobus
monkeys ; their skins are much sought after, and form an article
of commerce. I remember, at the north end of Lake Nyassa,
some one buying forty of them. A gentleman at Kampala showed
me a dozen of these skins which the officer at Nandi had bought
for him. These monkeys are found from the Eldoma Ravine
right up to Kavirondo. I have also come across them from
Fajao on the Victoria Nile, across Unyoro, as far as the west
coast of Lake Albert. They are black with the exception of a
white face, a white tuft to the tail, and a fringe of long white
hairs across the lower part of the back and along the flanks up
to the armpits. They have only four fingers to each hand,
with just an indication of the missing thumb, but five toes to
each foot.
The natives of Pongo were harassed by different species of
animal marauders. Elephants would walk across their culti-
vations and leave huge tracks in the soft soil of the fields. Then
baboons would come in troops, not only to plunder the ripe
corn, but to cause mischievous and wanton injury to the young
green plants.
The villagers were afraid to encounter these huge fierce
baboons which were not a bit afraid of them. My appearance
on the scene caused the brutes reluctantly to move off, fiercely
gnashing their teeth, and uttering shrill angry screams mingled
with sounds somewhat like a dog's bark. The ringleader, a mon-
2l6
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
strous big fellow, was the last to leave the field which they were
plundering not a hundred yards from my tent. I aimed at the big
rascal, with his hands full of stolen corn-heads. I gave him a
Martini bullet. He threw up his hands and fell backwards,
exactly as I remember seeing a man do who was shot through
the chest in battle. The baboon picked himself up and crawled
towards the sheltering jungle, again exactly like the wounded
COLOBUS MONKEYS.
man did, who was thus vividly recalled to my mind. 1 had no
chance of firing another shot, as a crowd of natives rushed
towards the wounded animal ; but the moment it had got into
the long grass of the jungle, not a native had the courage to
follow.
The heavy blood-spoor proved that the fierce brute must be
in extremis ; I therefore went in pursuit. My own men accom-
panied me, and thereupon some natives, thus encouraged, joined
us too. The thorny, impenetrable nature of the jungle delayed
ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ALBERT 217
us for a long while, and when we had scrambled through and
reached the forest, the blood-spoor was lost.
Just then my attention was drawn to some beautiful Colobus
monkeys scampering off in the very topmost boughs of the
highest trees. I secured one specimen with my first bullet. My
second shot badly wounded another, which, to my regret,
dropped from her arms her baby, of whose existence I was un-
aware till then. I had to fire once more to put her also out of
pain. I felt very sorry to have cut short the baby-monkey's
life ; it was, however, interesting to see that the fringe of long
white hairs round the back of the adult was only represented
by a patch of grey woolly hair in the baby.
My Soudanese escort begged me to let them have the
monkeys to eat, and they proceeded to have a grand feast.
Monkeys, when skinned, have an unpleasant smell, which has
rather prejudiced me. I have therefore not tasted this dish
which so many natives enjoy with relish. Swahilies, however,
will not eat monkeys, but with them the prejudice is, as they told
me themselves, that they consider it cannibalism to eat either
monkeys or human beings. They hold, untaught by Darwin,
the doctrine that monkeys are but a lower type of human
beings.
The daily thunder-storm at Pongo, for a change, started at
early dawn, and all my men had to hold on to the poles and
ropes of my tent to prevent its being blown to pieces. It was a
short but sharp storm, and the condition of the lake afterwards
was such that no canoe could have lived on it.
As soon as the waves had calmed down, we embarked in the
dug-outs to cross the lake from Pongo in the Lur country to
Rukuya in Unyoro. The Wanyoro canoe-men wore a sort of
eye-shade, made of reeds, to protect their eyes from the fierce
glare of a tropical sun shining on the mirror-like surface of this
treacherous lake which now lay as calm as if it were but a small
sheltered village pool.
I noticed something white floating on the water some
distance off, and suggested it might be a dead fish, which it
turned out to be when we had paddled up to it. It was a big
fish, and my Wanyoro gloated over the feast it would provide
for them on shore. The prize was at once hoisted into the dug-
out; but when the Wanyoro probed its goodness with their
fingers, the squashy sound nearly made me sick. The breeze
2l8
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
fortunately blew the overpowering aroma away from me, or
I should have had to insist on its being consigned back
to the deep. It proved to me that neither Lur nor Wanyoro
are particular, when it comes to feeding on picked-up dead
fish.
The Wanyoro have pleasant-sounding boat-songs ; the tune
WANYORO CANOEMEN OF LAKE ALBERT WEARING REED EYE-SHADES.
remains the same, though the words are generally impromptu,
with the exception of the chorus. A favourite chorus was —
" Nakluvere voia, voia,
Nakluvere, voia, voia ! "
whatever that may mean. In one solo there were constant
allusions to various articles of food ; the song was evidently
depicting a Sybarite native feast, and must have made the
mouths of the men water, knowing that a big dead fish was
lying safely in the dug-out ready to be cooked and eaten.
ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ALBERT 219
We saw a huge pelican on the water, and my Wanyoro
begged me for it. I fired, but missed, and the ungainly-looking
bird flew up and swiftly disappeared in the dim distance.
From Rukuya we hugged the east shore of the lake till we
reached Kibero. Next day 1 said a long good-bye to Kibero
and Lake Albert.
THE DAUGHTERS OF TUKWENDA.
CHAPTER XIV.
ELEPHANT-HUNTING.
THE Uganda Protectorate begins at the Kedong. Ele-
phants are occasionally met with here ; for on one
journey I came upon fresh elephant-spoor, and on a
subsequent visit upon the remains of a recently killed
elephant. Birds and beasts of prey had left little of the huge
carcase besides the skull, the heavier bones, and some lumps
of putrefying hide ; yet my Wanyamwezi porters cooked this
mal-odorous offal over their camp-fires, and gorged themselves
with as much gusto, as any hyaena or vulture might display.
But it was in Unyoro, the northern limit of the Protectorate,
that I saw, for the first time, wild elephants. This happened at
Kibero, on the east shore of Lake Albert. 1 had gone in a dug-
out canoe to look out for hippos, said to be present about here
in large numbers.
A dug-out canoe is simply a hollowed-out tree-trunk. The
natives use rather peculiar paddles which look somewhat like
a huge spade with a slight curve backwards. There are usually
five to six canoe-men. One man sits at the stern and steers
with his paddle.
We pulled along for perhaps an hour, but saw only one
solitary hippo ; and he did not wait for us to get nearer than
a quarter of a mile before he popped his head under water, and
we saw no more of him. We had selected a sandy bit of beach
to land, when a Soudanese was the first to notice the unmis-
takable signs that a herd of elephants had recently visited this
very spot. We decided to follow them up, and we came upon
the herd in about two hours.
But before we started, I sent the dug-out to fetch the cook
and some provisions, and to bring my camp - bedstead and
blankets ; and another of my men I told off, to put up a grass-
ELEPHANT-HUNTING 221
hut on the spot to shelter me for the night. These grass-huts
can be run up in half-an-hour or less, and are very primitive.
About a dozen long, lithe wands are cut from the nearest
shrubs, or from the reed-stalks of the elephant-grass, and are
stuck an inch or two into the ground in a circle. By bending
the reeds towards each other, and fastening the ends together
with wisps of grass, and then piling grass over this beehive
frame, leaving a small hole open to serve as entrance, the hut
is ready.
At first the elephant track through the jungle was easy
enough to follow, but soon we had to keep to the spoor of one
animal only, because the herd had spread itself out, where the
bush grew denser and more difficult to pass. By-and-by we
heard the peculiar rumbling noise made by elephants feeding
in security and unalarmed. We made straight for it, till it
became the clear " hurr-hurr," a sure sign that the elephant is
very comfortable and quite unconscious of danger.
As the bush became so dense that we could barely see
three or four yards ahead of us, we got, quite unintentionally,
right into the very middle of the herd. For we suddenly heard
one of the elephants rumbling behind us, and two others answer-
ing to our right and left. To find one's self unexpectedly sur-
rounded by these dangerous animals is rather unpleasant ; but
having placed ourselves in the dilemma, we had to make the
best of it.
Elephant-hunting is considered out here a much more
dangerous sport than hunting lions. The elephant and the
buffalo are exceedingly vindictive and revengeful, especially
if wounded, and they then offer a more exciting sport to the
hunter, as they usually go for their enemy, if they see him, and
try to kill him. We therefore pushed forward with great caution
towards the elephant we knew to be somewhere in front of us,
when suddenly my Soudanese guide dropped on his knee and
pointed silently ahead. Kneeling down by his side and peering
into the obscurity of the bush, I had just realised that two
elephants were standing motionless within a few yards of us,
when one of the animals swung round. I rapidly aimed half-way
between ear and eye, and gave him a solid bullet from the
Lee-Speed rifle. The shot was instantly followed by the whole
herd, over fifty probably, setting up the most awe-inspiring
screaming, hissing, snorting, and trumpeting imaginable. It
222 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
was something really awful and fearful, and it did shake our
nerves.
The next instant my men and I were running away like mad
for our hves, as branches, and even trees, fell crashing, torn
down by the infuriated, but to us invisible, animals. Somehow
we escaped without encountering any. When we stopped to
recover our breath, our courage returned. We went back, and
found that the wounded elephant must have fallen down and
been trampled on by others, for we picked up a handful of the
long bristles which fringe the tip of the tail.
There was very little blood, but we followed it up for per-
haps a quarter of an hour, when, in the obscurity of the bush,
we almost walked into the finest elephant 1 have ever seen.
His legs 1 had taken for tree-trunks. When they moved, I felt
a thrill like an electric shock ; and the eye involuntarily
travelled upwards to the huge body. It was a splendid chance
to have hamstrung this gigantic tusker and thus made abso-
lutely sure of him. I did not do it, but preferred the shot
at the head, and thus lost tusks worth fully a couple of hundred
pounds. As he turned his head, the intervening branches and
leaves made the aim very difficult. The bullet hit him behind
the eye, and he fell almost on top of us.
This second shot was succeeded by such horrible screams
of rage and fury, that w^e became again utterly demoralised and
unnerved. Once more we stampeded, and such of the Wanyoro
natives as had accompanied me never stopped running till they
had reached our camp. The Soudanese stuck to me. One
vicious brute chased us for some distance, but was baffled by
the trees and the shrubs. As we doubled, he just missed us, and
rushed off at right angles, crashing through the underwood like
a steam-engine. I had to throw myself on the ground, exhausted
by the overpowering emotion, the rifle shaking in my trembling
hands.
When sufficiently recovered, the two or three of us that
remained, once more went in pursuit. The fallen elephant had
not been killed outright, but had got away. Patches of blood
about the size of a plate showed that he was badly wounded.
He had left the herd, and had gone off by himself out of the
bush and towards the hills. The blood-trail was easy to follow,
and his head must have been drooping tow'ards the wounded
side, as the left-hand tusk had occasionally scraped the ground.
ELEPHANT-HUNTING 223
Just then a heavy thunder-storm broke over us, and the torrent
of rain soon obHterated every trace of the trail.
Soaked to the skin, we had to return to the camp dis-
heartened. My camp-bedstead and a blanket had turned up,
but not a change of dry clothing. A glorious camp-fire, in
spite of the rain, awaited us ; and we steamed ourselves at it.
My cook had brought a chicken, but no other provisions, and
he proceeded to roast it over the fire.
It was getting dark, w^hen live hippos were noticed in the
lake, some four or five hundred yards higher up. Being wet
through, it was impossible for me to get more wet. I there-
fore went stalking through the dripping elephant - grass to
within two hundred yards of the hippos. This time I used my
Martini-Henri rifle. I fired but one shot. The wounded hippo-
potamus reared himself half out of the water and then fell
heavily backwards. The Soudanese by my side called out
" Eiva, kalass, mut." I know but a few words of Arabic, but
understood this to mean " Yes, he is done for, he is dead." For
all this, the wounded hippo escaped that day ; about a fortnight
later the natives brought me the four large tusks. They had
found the dying animal, and had despatched it with their spears,
keeping the meat and hide for their own use.
Having divested myself of my wet clothes and rolled myself
up in a blanket, I sought the shelter of the grass-hut. It was
not pleasant to be roused more than once that night by the
lugubrious howling of a hungry hyaena close to me, as I have
had to attend to more than one patient who has been seized
in his sleep by one of these cowardly brutes. This one need
only have poked its nose through my grass shelter to have
grabbed me. Early next morning we returned to Kibero.
My second adventure with elephants was on the west shore
of Lake Albert, in the Lur country. We were about to re-cross
the lake, when a severe storm burst over us and prevented us.
I was sitting in my tent, annoyed at the delay, when natives
brought word that a herd of elephants were browsing in the
adjoining forest. We tracked the animals through the forest to
a grass plain just beyond it. They had evidently been alarmed.
As the wind was in our favour, I got to within sixty yards ; but,
owing to the grass being some ten feet high, I had to climb a
tree to see the animals. My head-servant and another man
climbed up after me, but the others decamped to a little knoll
224 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
farther off. The elephants at once noticed us, but, though
evidently on the alert as to any possible mischief on our part,
they showed no alarm, and probably took us for monkeys.
The tree was not high enough nor strong enough to have
afforded us safety, and, standing by itself, it was much too
isolated and exposed. My head-servant predicted our death if,
conspicuous as we were, the fury of the herd should be drawn
towards us ; he entreated me not to fire. We quickly scrambled
down the tree, and, under the protection of the long grass,
retreated to the knoll. As we retreated in one direction, the
elephants moved off in the opposite direction, suspicious of
our presence. But, as flight of the enemy is a wonderful
factor in rousing courage, we became again most courageous,
and at once followed in pursuit.
This time I got to within what I estimated to be eighty
yards ; measuring it out afterwards, it was found to be exactly
102 yards. From here I took a steady aim at the eye of the
elephant most exposed. I used the Lee-Speed rifle and sohd
bullet, with smokeless powder. The elephant was hit ; he
turned and disappeared among the others. We had now a very
interesting sight. The elephants were evidently puzzled ; their
comrade was attacked apparently from one direction, whereas
the sound of the shot came from another. They now formed
a sort of ring, most of them facing us, but others facing the
flank attacked. I fired one more shot and heard it strike.
Then we witnessed a splendid display of defiance. We
were safely hidden by the protecting screen of leaves. With
screams of rage and fear, the elephants facing us would advance
five or ten yards in our direction in line of battle, waving
their trunks, and then would retrace their steps backwards,
swaying their huge bodies. A similar movement was made
by others towards the flank they imagined to have been also
attacked. Behind these advancing elephants, three stood
sniffing, with their probosces high up in the air, though the
mobile movements of the sensitive, finger-like extremity seemed
more like feeling the air. The wind, such as there was, came
towards us. I had urged the men who were with me not to
stir from the spot as they valued their lives ; fortunately they
saw, that our only safety lay in puzzling the elephants as to our
whereabouts.
In the meanwhile some of the elephants clapped their huge
ELEPHANT-HUNTING 225
ears backwards, so as to meet with a thundering clap behind
their head, scattering a cloud of dust. One elephant in his
baffled rage tore up large lumps of grass and earth, and then
threw them backward over his head in a paroxysm of blind
fury. Others moved about, trampling down the tall grass in
their search for the unseen foe. Curiously enough, whatever
they did, they yet managed to maintain a sort of inner circle,
and my men assured me that elephants often do so, when one
A LUCKY SHOT.
of their number has fallen, only leaving the spot when quite
sure that their companion is dead. We thereupon crept away
in the long grass and gave the herd a wide berth.
By-and-by a man was sent to reconnoitre and to report
on the situation ; and then we found, that the herd had dis-
appeared, but that one elephant lay dead on the ground. A
single shot had killed the animal ; what had become of the
second shot and the second elephant wounded by me we did
not find out. The " kill " took place just half-an-hour's march
from the camp. The illustration shows how the dead elephant
lay, before the natives proceeded to cut him up. I claimed the
P
226 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
head and the feet, and the natives, delighted to have such an
unusual big feast of meat, gladly brought my share of the
spoil into camp. The tusks were disappointing, but all in this
herd had tusks of about the same size.
My men proceeded to roast a piece of the elephant's pro-
boscis for my dinner. Luckily there was something else for
me to eat, as the roasting, done according to native fashion,
took all night. A large hole was dug in the ground, and a
roaring wood-fire maintained in it and over it, till it resembled
in very deed a fiery furnace. When sufficiently heated, and
everything but the red-hot embers had been removed, the
piece of trunk was thrown, with skin and bristles, just as it
was excepting a preliminary wash, into this oven. A few
faggots were now laid over the mouth of the hole, and then
covered over with green leaves, using the leaves of the sweet-
potato plant ; finally, dry earth was placed over it all. The
piece of meat, about a foot and a half of the proboscis, remained
in this furnace all night, and next morning it was pronounced
ready for use.
1 had some of it, when re-crossing Lake Albert in a native
dug-out. The meat was delicious, the best bit I had eaten
for many a long day. It resembled the streaky hump of
the African bullock, but had a peculiar, agreeable flavour
of its own. Whether it was the fault of the second helping,
or my gastric powers resented this new experiment, after the
many severe trials they have been subjected to in Africa,
whatever the cause may have been, the elephant "lay heavy
on my chest," as ladies euphoniously describe dyspeptic suffer-
ing. I gave the elephant-roast one more trial in the evening
at my frugal dinner, and this settled the matter finally. I was
seized with such an irresistible fit of generosity, that I gave
the meat away as a present, and refused to have anything
further to do with it.
CHAPTER XV.
THE "MAN-EATER."
LIONS have occasionally been met with and shot at Mom-
basa, and I shot a lioness at Fajao, a thousand miles
J from the coast. Between these two extreme points there
are, as might be expected, certain localities where the
sportsman anxious to bag a lion has a better chance of finding
one. As a general principle, lions follow the big game, and
wherever zebras, antelopes, and gazelles abound, lions are not
far off.
Some travellers never cross the game-stocked Athi plains
without seeing lions ; the late Mr. Dick once saw fourteen of
them, and it is reported that a score of lions have been seen
together at one and the same time. I have crossed the Athi
plains six times without seeing a live lion ; though once I
picked up the fine skull of an aged lion at the Stony Athi,
hyaenas having just devoured the king of beasts. On another
occasion, when the grass was about three feet high, I was
stalking a waterbuck near the Athi river, when my gun-bearers
declared they had seen a lion switching his tail and disappearing
into the adjoining copse, and they persuaded me to keep from
the gloomy thorn copse at a respectful distance.
On my fourth journey, I was warned by the missionaries
at Kibwezi not to camp at Ngomeni, because a man-eating
lion was haunting the neighbourhood. I had at the time
amongst my porters a man who had camped at Ngomeni a
few weeks before with another caravan. According to his
story, he must have had a wonderful escape, for the lion
pounced on him, and carried off his blanket and the tiny tent
under which he lay sheltered. The porter however escaped un-
hurt. From Kinani to Ngomeni is twelve miles, but my caravan
were in such a dread of spending the night at Ngomeni, that
228 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
they begged me to push on to the next camp on the Tsavo
river, nine miles farther. We therefore marched the twenty-
one miles, crossed the Tsavo river, and camped.
It was a hot still night, and most of the porters slept in
the open air by their camp-fires. No one dreamt there could
be any danger ; we all thought, that the man-eating lion had
been left nine miles behind us at Ngomeni. I felt unaccountably
restless, and kept tossing on my camp-bed. I could not sleep.
I sauntered out of my tent, saw that the night-watchman was
awake, looked at the sleeping figures around the glowing
camp-fires, and then strolled into the silent, darkness beyond
the camp. It was providential that I was not seized by the
man-eater, for he was close at hand at the very moment.
He had followed us from Ngomeni, and had swum across
the Tsavo river. My dog had followed me. He growled
angrily at some bush, so near that I could see some of the
leaves stirring. This was my fourth journey without ever
meeting with a lion, and I was at the moment so completely
unconscious of any danger, that I said to my dog : '* You silly !
to growl when the wind stirs a few leaves." Since this night
I never like to venture outside the circle of camp-fires on a
dark night, however safe others may consider the surrounding
uninhabited country.
Leisurely returning to my tent, I lay down on my camp-
bed, when I heard a horrid growling sound like "woohff"
a few yards from my tent-door. The next moment there
were shrieks and cries. In a second every man was awake,
and shouting, "Simba ! simba!" (lion, lion). Dashing out with
a loaded rifle, I found that the man-eater had carried ofif one
of my porters. Every one seized a firebrand, and we rushed
in pursuit. It surprises me yet, that we rescued the man. About
two hundred yards from the camp we found him lying on the
ground severely lacerated ; the lion had dropped him and tied.
I carefully examined the spot next morning. A strong but
withered branch stretched out horizontally a sharp-pointed
arm ; for some inches from the end, this was covered with the
lion's short hairs. My belief is, that the lion, bounding away
with his prey, accidentally struck his side against this sharp
branch. He may have taken it for a spear-thrust from one
of us pursuing him with shouts and blazing brands.
The wounded man was carried to my tent. He had dreadful
THE "MAN-EATER" 229
wounds in the upper part of the thigh, where the Uon's jaws
had seized him. As I had every surgical requisite at hand,
he was soon bandaged up, and he remained that night under
my tent. No one ventured to go to sleep, as we fully expected
the baffled man-eater would make another attempt before dawn.
The injured man was in great pain, and his moans were dis-
tressing. He told us a remarkable story — that, though the lion
had seized him and was carrying him off, he was still asleep ;
that our shouts woke him up, and to his horror he found that
he himself was the one being carried off by the lion, and then
he clasped his arms round the lion's neck and screamed.
We were all wondering, why the lion did not pay us
another visit ; but it was explained next morning. A number of
Wakamba natives on their way to Mombasa to barter their
sheep and goats for cloth, beads, and brass-wire, had passed
us. They camped for the night about half-an-hour farther on.
The man-eater had visited them instead, and had carried oflf a
native and devoured him. The others had fled. The road next
day bore plain evidence of their headlong flight, being littered
with beans, broken provision bags, and some leather garments.
With early dawn we left Tsavo ; the injured porter we
carried in a hammock. We saw the footprints of the lion
along the dusty road apparently following the Wakamba. Two
of my men declared that they saw the brute about mid-day,
standing panting under a shady bush by the roadside, with
the tongue hanging out of its mouth. I hurried up to them
with a loaded rifle, but saw nothing except the footprints, which
here did turn off the road. We made a double march, and
reached the camp at Ndi in safety, and saw nothing further
of the lion for the rest of the journey. The wounded man
progressed favourably, and on our reaching Mombasa, he in-
sisted on walking in the procession, supporting himself with a
stick. He refused to be carried or to be assisted by others.
The safe home-coming of a caravan to Mombasa is generally
a day of rejoicing with the porters.
On my fifth journey — it was at Lake Nakuru — I had my first
shot at a lion. I was returning to camp, and within sight of it,
when I observed a jackal slinking round the base of a hillock.
Intending to get a shot at him, I hurried up the hillock. As I
reached the top, I heard shouts of *' Simba ! simba ! " (lion,
lion). I naturally turned round to see who were shouting, and
230 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
then I heard some of my men call out, that the lions were in
front of me. In fact, at the critical moment, when I would have
seen them, I had turned round. A lion and a lioness, peacefully
reposing in the grass, had been disturbed by my approach, and
were now trotting off towards some high grass a few hundred
yards away. I had barely time to fire three shots from the
magazine rifle at their receding figures. The first two shots fell
short, but my third shot, put at 300 yards, threw up the dust
close to the left hind-leg of the lion. The shots did not ap-
parently disturb their equanimity. After my third shot they
stopped for a second to look at us. Before 1 could try a fourth
shot, the pair had disappeared in the long grass, where it would
have been foolhardy to follow them. The donkey-boy told me,
that when he was bringing my riding-donkey to meet me, the
d^onkey suddenly broke loose and galloped back to the camp.
He had to return to fetch it, and leading it once more along, he
and the others saw the lions which had terrified the donkey.
That night we heard lions growling round the camp, but no one
was attacked.
On my second visit to Fajao, our farthest military station
towards the north, another lion incident fell to my lot. It was
on the 25th November 1897. I had arrived in the early morn-
ing, and having attended to my medical duties, went in the
afternoon unarmed for a walk to a narrow rocky gully which
winds through the wood. Suddenly I observed the fresh foot-
prints of a lion in the moist sandy patches between the rocks.
The footprints of a young one by its side showed it must be
a lioness with her cub. The tracks were so fresh, that it was
evident the beasts had been disturbed by my approach, and
had just passed ahead. I had never heard of any lions being
in this immediate neighbourhood, and it was not pleasant to
find myself unarmed and in such proximity to them. I retraced
my steps pretty sharp, and beat a hurried retreat, thanking
Providence for bringing me safely back to the station. I told
the men what I had seen, and I inquired if they knew, that
there were lions so near to us. I received the disturbing news,
that a man-eating lion had harassed the neighbouring Wanyoro
village for the past month, and that it had carried oh four
of the villagers. The inhabitants had deserted their homes en
masse, and had fled for safety to another village ; but hitherto
the man-eater had not visited the Soudanese settlement.
THE "MAN-EATER" 231
Darkness sets in about 6 P.M. ; and though I ventured by
myself only sixty yards from my hut, I found next morning,
that for the second time I must have been pretty close to the
man-eater, as his track was but six inches from mine. I real-
ised, how the merciful God had twice that day preserved me
from death. Soon afterwards, news was brought me, that the
man-eater had just attempted to carry off a woman at the nearest
Wanyoro village, but was driven off, presumably with firebrands,
by men who happened to sit near her. This alarming news was
shortly followed by my cow stampeding. She was tied to a peg,
close to the Soudanese watch-fire. Tearing herself loose, she
bolted like mad. She never stopped until she reached a distant
village, whence she was returned to me next day. The Soudanese
on guard declared that he saw the lion crouching and trying to
spring upon the cow, when, fortunately, she just tore herself
loose in time and escaped. It was too dark for him to aim, or
he would have fired his rifle.
The general excitement was increasing, when suddenly
terrific screams of pain arose from the Soudanese village, fol-
lowed by soldiers firing off their rifles in every direction, under
the belief that they had seen the man-eater here, there, and every-
where. The brute certainly seemed ubiquitous. I felt uncom-
fortable at the thought that the bullets might knock some of us
over, but, with the help of the native officers, we put a stop
to this haphazard shooting, which was endangering our lives
more than the man-eater's. On hurrying to the scene of the
screams, I found that the man-eater had entered a hut, the
door having foolishly been left open, and had tried to carry
off one of our Soudanese soldiers. The huts are crowded to-
gether, and have a reed-fence round each, and narrow paths
and winding entrances lead to each separate enclosure. It
was therefore no easy matter, even for a lion, to carry off its
prey. Owing to the general hubbub the lion had dropped the
man. As in the Tsavo case, I was fortunately at hand to dress
the wounds. There were ten of them. A scratch, about two
inches long, had spUntered the heel-bone. I removed a piece of
bone about the size of a shilling. This was one of the minor
wounds, the worst were in the thigh. The man ultimately made
a good recovery, and so did the woman who was injured earlier.
To allay the excitement and to calm the people, I told them
/ would kill the lion next day. The natives were not surprised
232
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
that this came true, for they are very superstitious, and with
them "medicine-man" and wizard are synonymous terms.
The native heutenant reminded me of this fact. "You told
us/' he said, " that you would kill the lion next day, but then—
you are a ' medicine-man.' "
I advised the men to retire to their huts, and to see that
their doors were firmly secured. As regards my own hut,
this was easier said than done, as the door was only a reed-
screen leaning against the aperture, which it failed to close.
But natives usually take the precaution of fixing two vertical
poles inside the hut, so that the reed-screen slides between
them, and is retained in position ; the door is then firmly
closed by some faggots placed transversely. Having dis-
persed the crowd, I determined to put out a bait for the man-
eater, and to sit up and watch for him.
We tied a young goat to a tree a few feet from my door. The
night was very
dark, and I
was obliged to
kindle a lire to
enable me to
see the fore-
sight of my
rifle. Then
the silent and
dreary watch
began. As the
hours crept
on, the stillness
and the dark-
ness told on
me. I had had
a fatiguing day. In the early morning I had marched from
Wakibara to Fajao, afterwards I had attended to patients, and
then came the lively doings of the evening. By -and -by I
caught myself nodding. If the man-eater had chosen to pass
my hut once more, it could have had me, notwithstanding the
loaded rifle on my knees. At 3.30 a.m. I gave up the struggle to
keep awake, and, resolving to set a trap for the lion, 1 went to bed.
At 8 A.M. next morning I began to build the lion-trap.
Everybody helped willingly, although it was Friday, the
THE CAGE FOR THE LION.
THE "MAN-EATER"
233
Sunday equivalent to the Soudanese who are Mohammedans
and who have consequently had this day conceded to them as
their day of rest. First of all we made a firm stockade of stout
perpendicular poles ; to these we lashed tree-stems laid hori-
zontally one on top of the other ; finally we planted an outer
row of poles, perpendicular like the first row, firmly and deeply
into the ground. This gave us the sides of the cage. The top we
closed in with horizontally laid tree-trunks, on to which we piled
large heavy stones, till we felt satisfied that the fiercest lion could
not possibly break out of this cage. The trap-door consisted of
seven heavy blocks of wood fastened together horizontally on
top of each other, and held in position by short perpendicular
pieces on both sides. So far all went smoothly. But never
having constructed a wild-beast trap before, I was seriously
puzzled, how to make the trap-door act.
There is something in this Robinson Crusoe life which
stimulates the most uninventive intellect. It was an unplea-
sant predicament that, unless I found some means, the cage
would very shortly
be ready, and I
placed in the ridi-
culous position of
not knowing, how
to make the trap
work. Inspiration
came at last. I
had asked the
native officers, the
Soudanese soldiers,
the Swahili porters,
my Arab servant,
and the Wanyoro
onlookers, to find
out, if any one
could help me. They
calmly assured me,
that they had never built a trap ; in vain I told them — nor
had I. But I hit on the following plan. I constructed a
sort of picture-frame, the trap-door resting in the forked ends
of the two perpendicular pieces. Attaching a rope to the
middle of the lower horizontal stick, even a slight tug with-
THE LION-TRAP COMPLETED.
234 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
drew the supporting framework, and caused the heavy trap-
door to fall down into the required position, and thereby to
shut the cage most effectively. The rope went to the farthest
end of the cage, and there, passing over a horizontal pole and
returning in the direction of the door, had its end securely tied
to a goat placed as a bait inside the trap.
The goat had previously had its legs tied, so as to render it
quite helpless. Of course the principle I went upon, was, that
the lion would not stop to devour its prey, but would seize it
and try to carry it off, and therefore would pull at the rope to
which the goat was tied, and thus close the trap-door. As the
lion had refused to accept the goat we had placed for it as a
bait out in the open air on the previous night, we built a native
hut over the trap, and the lion-trap w'as completed. Just before
dark we baited the trap, and awaited the result. Everybody in
the village was warned to be inside his own hut before dusk,
and to see that his door was securely fastened. Though a tiger
man-eater, having once tasted human flesh, is said ever after to
prefer it to all other flesh, I do not know if the lion man-eater
resembles it in this predilection ; but it would seem it does, for
this particular lion refused to take the goat twice offered him
as a bait on two successive nights.
The Soudanese lieutenant. Said Jabara, w-as eating his even-
ing meal at the door of his hut, when the man-eater suddenly
entered his enclosure and bounded into the adjoining hut.
With great presence of mind, the lieutenant at once flung burn-
ing brands in front of this hut, and thus promptly made a
prisoner of the man-eater.
Soon a blazing fire was roaring, fed by many willing hands.
Luckily the occupant of the hut was absent. When I arrived on
the scene and heard how matters stood, I climbed on to the
anterior shed, followed by my Arab servant with my rifle and a
lantern. The Soudanese lieutenant also joined me. The lion
had taken refuge in the inner hut. Cautiously the Soudanese
officer removed some of the thatch. I pushed the rifle through
the opening and peered into the dark interior of the hut, whilst
my Arab endeavoured to throw the light of the lantern into
it. It was very doubtful whether the weak framework of the
roof would bear our united weight much longer ; there were
ominous crackings, and we were in danger of being precipitated
into the hut right in front of the man-eater. There was also the
THE "MAN-EATER" 235
possibility, that the hon, in endeavouring to escape by this new-
opening, might spring at us. We had some trouble too in push-
ing aside, with sticks, a mosquito-curtain intercepting our view
of the interior.
It seemed a long while, though probably only a minute or
two, before I succeeded in distinguishing the outline of the
lion. I tired, but as I could not see very clearly the fore-
sight of my rifle, I probably missed. The lion gave an ominous
growl which was heard and received with mad shouts by the
crowd surging around us at a safe distance. The brute bounded
to the other end of the hut, but, as it left the hind part of its
body exposed, I was able this time to take a better aim and to
send the bullet crushing through its body. As it turned to escape
by the door, I had time to re-load— I was using a Martini-Henri
rifle — and to give it a good shoulder-shot. It staggered, and fell
dead in the outer shed.
The men guarding the entrance, of course, did not know-
that it was all over with the man-eater, and they fired off
their rifles. There was not much aiming, for one of these
bad shots passed close to the Soudanese lieutenant and me.
We slid off the roof, and got the men to stop the firing.
The man-eater turned out to be a lioness. It was gaunt
and grim, old and emaciated. It had but five other wounds,
in spite of the subsequent fusillade, besides the two inflicted
by me ; one of these five shots had carried off the little toe
of the right fore-foot, the others were principally flesh-wounds.
It required seven men to carry the lioness to where I camped.
There was a feeling of joy and relief that the man-eater was
slain. I had to remain close to the body to prevent its being
torn to pieces by the frenzied mob. Even then one of the
Wanyamwezi porters managed to dodge me and to deliver with
a club a terrific blow at the dead lioness, smashing in her skull.
The women joined in the uproar with their shrill tremulo-screara
of " he-he-he-he-he " ad infinitum, only stopping when quite out
of breath. This was meant as a sort of triumphal chant.
It was a strange scene: a pitch-dark night in the heart of
Africa, scores of blazing torches lighting up the gloom of the
tall forest trees around us, a surging crowd of black faces, half-
naked women uttering their shrill cry, in the distance the incessant
boom of the Victoria Nile where it foams down the Murchison
Flails, the white race represented by one solitary being in this
236
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
the most distant and remote outpost of civilisation and British
authority, and the dead Honess ! From tip of nose to tip of tail
the lioness measured seven feet six inches, but the skin when
stretched out to dry measured nine feet four inches. With
man-eating tigers in India the skin is said to be mangy, but
this skin was in beautiful condition.
I had left my hut at 7.30 P.M. and at 7.45 P.M. I was back
with the dead man-eater, and yet so much was crowded into
this quarter of an hour. It took a long time, before everybody
THE LIONESS AT FAJAO.
quieted down and went off to sleep. The goat was released
from its unenviable position of serving as live bait for a
lion, and then I too thought it high time to prepare for rest.
Just then terrific screams from the Soudanese village once more
caused me to hurry with loaded rifle to the rescue. Guided by
the shrieks, we — the native lieutenant and others having joined
me promptly on the way — reached a hut with the door fast closed.
We burst the door open and rushed in. The torches lit up the
interior, and showed us two women clinging to each other. One
of them had had the nightmare, and had dreamt the dead lioness
had come to life again and had entered her hut. Her shrieks
THE "MAN-EATER" 237
had caused the other woman to scream in terror-stricken sym-
pathy. This comical incident closed the evening. We calmed
and reassured the women, and then returned to our respective
huts.
On my sixth journey — we had pitched our tents at "Campi-
ya-Simba," i.e. "the camp of lions" — we saw four animals in
the distance, a mile or two off. No one could make out what
they were. I came to the conclusion they must be wart-hogs,
because the body seemed unusually long and the legs compara-
tively short. As far as the hills the treeless ground was covered
with short grass, only here and there a patch of grass three feet
high would dot the undulating surface. Accompanied by my
gun-bearer, I tried to get as near as I could before attempting a
shot. The place was too open to make stalking possible or
practicable. Three of the animals trotted off to the left, one
went off to the right in the direction of our camp. This one I
followed. I felt more than ever convinced it was a wild boar, as
it constantly placed its head near the ground and only occasion-
ally raised it to look at us as we followed it. Our persistent
pursuit seemed to annoy it, and it went to hide in a patch of
high grass.
With my rifie ready, I cautiously approached the patch,
but as I could not make out where the animal might be, I
said to my gun-bearer : " I have lost it." The patch of grass
extended perhaps for a quarter of a mile. Suddenly a long tail
switched upward, and instantly a huge lion raised himself up
and gave a fierce deep growl. Up went my rifle and I fired.
The lion was fully two hundred yards off ; the bullet almost
grazed its head. The act was automatic ; the shock of unex-
pectedly facing a lion must have paralysed volition, or I would
most certainly not have risked at that distance my only shot, on
which the life of the two of us might have depended.
This brings to my mind a passage in a medical lecture I
once attended. The lecturer, to impress the medical students
with the proximity of certain nerve-centres in the brain, used
" Eve and the apple " as an illustration. " This is the centre
for sight," he said, — " Eve saw the apple " — " and this is the
centre for movement of the arms — Eve stretched out her hand
for it." In my case the sight of the lion prompted the de-
fensive motion of my arms. Fortunately for me, the lion
turned and bounded off. I reloaded my rifle, and hurried
238 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
after it, eager to shoot it, and to secure such a splendid brute.
But though it seemed to be merely trotting, and my gun-
bearer and I were running, as if it were a racing match, the lion
got steadily farther away and finally disappeared beyond the
undulating ridges. When we reached camp, I was greeted by
my companion with the remark, that a lion had passed in
sight of the camp and had disappeared in the scrub near us ;
that he had gone to look for it, but had seen no trace of it.
The whole caravan were greatly excited, saying the lion
was crouching in the long grass, and would wait till dusk, and
then pay us an unpleasant visit. Having rested myself, I went
once more after the lion ; but I followed a different plan to
what my companion had tried. As the lion had crossed the
caravan road, I went to track him, instead of looking for him
at haphazard. I found the footprints, and several of my men
now systematically tracked them for me. The trail led down-
wards to a grassy dell. Just then a couple of partridges flew
up and settled in a patch of grass on the higher ground. I
exchanged my rifle for a gun, and thought I might as well
bag a partridge for supper, whilst my men went tracking to-
wards the dell. The boy who had carried the gun accom-
panied me, though the gun was now in my own hands.
As I skirted the edge of the grass-patch, I noticed a peculiar
opening at one spot, as if a longish animal had entered there.
I said to my boy : " I am sure the lion has passed here," but
I never dreamt the lion my men were tracking down-hill could
at that moment be so near to me near the summit of the
hill. I had passed the spot half-a-dozen yards, when curiosity
prompted me to go back and to have another look at it. Balan-
cing myself on my left foot, with my fowling-piece held uncon-
cernedly in my hands, I was leisurely turning the grass this way
and that way with my right foot, when the same huge lion,
just as it did on the former occasion, except that it was now
only a few yards from me, sprang up, lashed its tail furiously,
and growled or rather snarled at me. My boy was paralysed
with fear. I could see how both his hands went up and his
fingers curled inwards, and then he gave a yell of terror. As
on the previous occasion, the sudden shock deprived me of the
sensation of fear, but automatically my hands endeavoured to
shoot back the safety-bolt of my gun and to get it ready for
defence.
THE "MAN-EATER" 239
Before I could act, the lion had ample time to have killed
both of us ; but once more it turned and fled. As the black
tip of the tail disappeared over the next undulation, I got at last
my gun in position and sent some small No. 5 shot at it, though
I might as well have tickled the tip of the tail with a feather-
brush, as regards any harm I could have done with such tiny
shot at that distance. But I was mad with myself at having
lost such a splendid chance ; only gradually better thoughts
entered my head, and I felt thankful, that twice this day Provi-
dence had saved me, in spite of my folly, from painful mutilation
and probable death.
My men, who were tracking down-hill, now hurried up to
me, and we followed the fresh spoor of the lion for over an
hour, but we never saw the brute again. We had at last to
give up the pursuit and to return to the camp ; but my caravan
slept in peace that night, for the lion never ventured to come
back to us.
CHAPTER XVI,
RHINOCEROS-SHOOTING.
THE rhinoceros met with in Uganda and British East
Africa is the common black "rhinoceros bicornis,"
i.e. "the two-horned rhino." I have heard of "freaks"
with three and even five horns, but I have never seen
one of them. The Indian rhino has only one horn ; it also
differs in having huge massive folds of skin, which make it look
as if clad in a coat-of-mail, like a battle-horse of the Middle
Ages. Notwithstanding the absence of these folds, the skin of
the African rhino is more than an inch thick along the back and
sides ; and over the abdomen, where it is comparatively thin, it
is fully half an inch. An extinct two-horned species of rhino,
discovered in the ice-fields of Siberia along with the extinct
mammoth, had a shaggy coat of long wool ; but the present
African representatives of these antediluvian rhinos and ele-
phants have practically a naked skin, with the exception of the
tip of the tail, which is fringed with long bristles.
The Indian rhino is said to live in marshy jungles and to be
fond of wallowing in the mud ; but where I have encountered most
frequently the African rhino, has been on treeless grassy plains,
though sometimes I have met with it in bush-covered tracts.
Whereas hippos and elephants love to congregate together
in herds, the rhinos prefer roaming singly or in pairs. Once
only did I see three rhinos together ; it was quite a model
family, consisting of father, mother, and child. But generally
the bull goes off by himself on his lonely travels, and leaves the
cow to look after her calf. The cow has never more than one
calf at a time. She takes care of her calf till it is almost full-
grown. The cow has the domestic element largely developed,
for I have always met her accompanied either by her young
calf or by an adult bull.
RHINOCEROS-SHOOTING
241
The upper lip of the rhino overlaps the lower, and is pointed
and prehensile. I watched a rhino browsing on the leaves of
shrubs and bushes ; it plucked off the single leaves as deftly as
any experienced tea-gatherer stripping a tea-shrub of its leaves.
It has very small eyes and a short range of vision ; it does not
seem to be able to distinguish a human being at a quarter of a
mile, even when on a perfectly open plain.
Rhinos are greatly troubled by small crab-like ticks ; these
small red-brown parasites cluster under the tail, along the
abdomen and thighs, and around the base of the eye-lashes.
Though sight may be somewhat defective, hearing is fairly
acute, and scent is extremely keen. I had occasion to notice
this at Campi-ya-Simba. Onlv my gun-bearer, as we call the
servant who carries one's gun or rifle, was with me, and I had
but a single solid Lee-Metford bullet left, when we noticed a
pair of rhinos, evidentlv a cow with her calf, on the open plain
about a mile and a quarter from us. The calf was lying down,
and the cow stood by it motion-
less with drooping head.
We had to pass them, as
they were directly in our path ;
but we were not anxious to risk
an encounter, having but one
single solid bullet for our pro-
tection. We decided to give
them a wide birth, and to
outflank them at the same
respectful distance of over a
mile. As long as the wind was
in our favour, the rhinos did
not stir ; but as we were
bound to pass to windward
of them, we kept a wary eye
on their movements. Though '^ khi.so hl.^u.
there was but the faintest
breath of wind, the very instant almost that we got to windward
of them, the cow started and turned round and the young
one jumped up. Both rhinos appeared greatly alarmed ; and
we could see that we were the cause, although invisible to them.
The rhinos I have shot, amongst them two line old bulls, were
all smaller than my hippos. The rhino has three toes, the hippo
Q
242 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
four, and the elephant five. The foot of the elephant is the
largest in size, the rhino foot comes next. The hippo has a
comparatively small foot for so huge a body ; this difference
in size is explained by the fact, that the hippo spends the
greater part of its existence in the water swimming. The
horns of the rhinoceros are part and parcel of the skin, and
merely a modification of it, like a nail. It follows that the
horns can be stripped off the skull without injuring any bone.
The anterior horn is usually longer than the posterior horn,
but sometimes, as seen in the illustration of a rhino-head,
the reverse is the case. The posterior horn rests between the
eyes on the frontal bone, but the anterior horn is supported
on the nose, the nasal bones being raised and strengthened
to form a hard bony bump.
The horns are solid ; the anterior curves backward, the
posterior is straight and pyramidal. The anterior horn of
the female is usually more elegant than the corresponding
horn of the male, which is evidently a very terrible weapon
for fighting with, being short, stumpy, sharply-pointed and
very massive. The longest horn in my possession came from
my first rhino, a female ; it measures 25 inches along the
outer curve from tip to base.
The rhino skull has a curious appearance, owing to the
large nasal lump, and to the cranium curving upwards like
a Pecksniffian tuft and terminating in a long horizontal ridge.
The rhino has no front teeth. In the specimen I sent home for
my collection, there are fourteen teeth in the upper jaw and
twelve in the lower. I have generally found that the rhino, if
left alone, tries to escape from the presence of man ; and clumsy
as its appearance is, it can gallop off at an astonishing rate, and
would out-distance, I should say, even a horse. But if attacked
or wounded, it shows fight and may charge ; and therefore,
according to some men, rhino-shooting is a dangerous sport ;
but till now I have only met with a single instance where the
rhino tossed, gored, and trampled on its aggressor.
If a caravan walking in single file stretches a long threatening
line across the path of the rhino, it probably will charge right
through the line, under the impression that this is a hostile
demonstration meant to encircle it ; but once through the line
it hurries away, only too eager to escape. It was at Nairobe,
the Kikuyu end of the Athi plains, where 1 shot my first and
RHINOCEROS-SHOOTING 243
my second rhino. I was in charge of a big caravan, as I was
taking ex-king Mbogo with his family and followers back to
Uganda. We were delayed at Fort Smith, and the food supply
was running short. I therefore went to shoot game, and I
had shot one hartebeest antelope and two Thomsonii gazelles,
when a pair of rhinos appeared in the distance. The wind
w'as blowing from the rhinos towards us, I was therefore able
to approach to within 200 yards. I used the Lee-Speed rifle
with solid bullet.
At the first shot, at the rhino with the longest horn, it sank
into a sitting posture on its hind-legs, and at the second shot
it rolled over. The other rhino raced furiously round and
round in ever - increasing circles around the fallen one, and
then went off at a tangent. On walking up to the fallen
rhino, it staggered to its feet and attempted to charge, but
it only gored the ground and fell down again. A bullet given
as a cotip-de-grdce in the head extinguished life. It was a huge
old female.
Very few of the caravan porters had accompanied me, thev
could only carry therefore the rhino -head to Fort Smith, in
addition to the game already shot. Early next morning a
numerous crowd left the fort to supply themselves with meat
off the rhino. I followed later on, but not feeling up to doing
the six hours' march, required to get there and back, I decided
to take with me my light network hammock. It is a very
suitable one for travellers. I bought it at Zanzibar to meet
any unforeseen emergency ; it folds up and slips into a tiny
satchel. I little thought how useful I should find it. On reach-
ing Nairobe, I was met by my headman and the others who
had gone with him. He told me that not a scrap of the dead
rhino could be found. Lions and hyaenas had devoured it
during the night. In fact, if I had not brought already the
rhino's head to Fort Smith, my story of having shot a rhino
might have appeared a myth.
Just then a pair of old rhinos appeared in sight ; there
was a good deal of grass about, and I was able to stalk up to
within a hundred yards. They were almost walking side by
side, grazing as they went along. I aimed behind the right
shoulder, using the same Lee-Speed rifle. On receiving the
bullet, the rhino spun round towards me and gave a fierce
snort of rage. I dropped flat on the ground to hide myself,
244 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
fully expecting it would charge, and trusting it might not see
me in the long grass. As it did not charge, I ventured to raise
myself to find out what had become of it. Both rhinos had dis-
appeared over the ridge of the hill. We followed with great
caution, not knowing if the wounded rhino might not be play-
ing a dangerous game of hide-and-seek with us in the long
grass. I could see one rhino racing away in the plain beyond,
already a mile or more beyond our reach. At last we dis-
covered the other rhino ; it was dead ; killed by that one shot.
It was an old bull with a short but very powerful horn. I was
glad that the crowd, having come all this distance to get rhino-
meat, would not be disappointed after all, and I left them
chopping up the huge carcase.
In the meanwhile I tried to stalk an antelope I had seen
about a mile off ; for just beyond this patch of long grass the
plain was covered with short grass barely six inches high. I
had thus the advantage of seeing the game, but the disadvantage
of being seen by it. As I drew nearer, I saw, still farther oft",
again a pair of rhinos. Trusting to their limited range of
vision and to the wind being in my favour, I went straight
towards the pair. At 200 yards they appeared to have noticed
us, for they stood and looked towards us. Kneeling on the
ground, I aimed at the one with the longer horn ; but just
as I pulled the trigger, the smaller rhino veered round and
intercepted my bullet, receiving it somewhere high up in the
back. Unfortunately, the wound was not a mortal one.
With a snort of rage both animals came in a sharp trot
towards us.
My two men would have started up and bolted, but I just
managed to prevent it. All three of us now crawled oft" on our
stomachs, endeavouring to get out of the way of the advancing
rhinos. The two others got ahead of me, when suddenly my
Martini rifle, which I was dragging along with my left hand,
blazed oft". The muzzle was pointing behind me and at the
moment nearly touched my left foot. The bullet went clean
through my foot. The trigger, I suppose, had got caught in
some stubble. What made it worse, was that the loud report
was accompanied by a cloud of smoke, though I am not sure
now whether it was not this very smoke which hid us from
the two approaching rhinos. My men jumped up and ran
away, whereupon I too jumped up and ran ; but within fifty
RHINOCEROS-SHOOTING 245
yards or less I sank on to the ground overpowered by the pain
in my wounded foot.
The rhinos fortunately galloped off without having seen us.
I wore long, heavy leather shooting-boots reaching up to my
knees. With some difficulty I got the boot and the blood-
soaked sock off. The ballet had not smashed up the parts, but
drilled a clean hole where the great toe joins the foot. The toe
itself was cold, blue, and apparently dead. I tore off a long
strip of cloth to serve as a tourniquet and bandage, and twisted it
tightly over the injured part to staunch the flow of blood. My
two men returned to me, with sincere regrets at not having
noticed, in their panic, my accident. The sorrow and univer-
sal sympathy of my black servants and caravan porters was
touching and gratifying, as I am in favour of upholding strict
discipline in a caravan. I am certain, natives appreciate a white
man's rule the more, if he is firm but at same time scrupulously
just in his dealings with them.
My hammock now proved very welcome ; and in it I was
carried back to Fort Smith. What worried me on the way,
was not so much the pain as the thought that, if the great toe
was really done for, I should have to amputate my own toe,
not a very pleasing prospect, or, as an alternative, something
even more disagreeable to contemplate, I should have to ask
one of the officials at the fort to cut the toe off, and not one
of them had the necessary surgical knowledge. This brought
vividly to my mind a scene once witnessed by my father in
an Indian village. A blacksmith happened to be the accredited
village surgeon. A man appeared at the forge with an injured
great toe. The blacksmith requested him to put his foot on
the anvil, and before either patient or onlookers had time to
reaHse what was about to happen, with a stroke of his chisel
and hammer the blacksmith had clean chopped off the toe.
The three-hours' return journey to the fort allowed time
for the collateral circulation to establish itself in my injured
foot, and when I dressed the wound at the fort, I was de-
lighted to find that amputation was not necessary. Within a
month, applying ordinary antiseptic treatment, the wound had
thoroughly healed, leaving a linear scar on the dorsal surface
and a round scar on the sole of the foot where the bullet had
made its exit. Also the long tendon, upon which depends so
much of the movement of the great toe, became reunited.
246 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
though clean severed by the accident. In the course of
months a good deal of the original movement was restored to
the injured part.
My third rhino was again an old bull. I shot it near the
Kiboko river, to the west side of the caravan route. There was
a good deal of bush about, which made it easy to stalk to within
twenty yards of the rhino. I used the Martini rifle. I preferred,
owing to the position of the rhino, to try the shoulder-shot. At
once it turned to charge, but it was evidently mortally wounded,
for it staggered, as it gored at the nearest bush. A second bullet,
fired at the head, entered the brain and rolled it over. One man
went off to carry the welcome news to the caravan and to act as
guide to those who were willing to fetch the meat-supply to the
camp. In the meanwhile another of my men began to cut up
the rhino.
The hide of rhinos and hippos is greatly valued in Africa
because of the durable, one might say imperishable, whips
and thongs which it provides. The hide is cut up into long
narrow strips of suitable length. These are dried in the open
air by being suspended vertically from the branch of a tree.
The lower end of each strip is weighted with a very heavy
stone. I sent some flaps of rhino-hide to London and had
a tea-table made out of them, preserving the natural black
and rough appearance of the skin. But there is a process by
which the skin can be made more or less transparent, and
shaped into bowls and similar fancy articles, which have the
appearance of polished amber. Rhino feet and hippo feet,
when set and mounted with the toe-nails polished, yield other
interesting curios in the shape of door-stops, flower-pots, and
boxes.
Some of my men made a fire and cooked pieces of the rhino-
meat, whilst others were engaged in cutting up the body. My
boy roasted on a green spit some of the liver for me ; it was
beautifully tender and very good indeed. When the heart was
removed, it was found that the bullet had gone right through it,
tearing a hole an inch in diameter. It is astonishing how, with
such a mortal wound, the animal could have had the strength to
gore at the bush. The right ear of this rhino was slit and torn
in two places, but these were old wounds, probably got in some
fight.
The last time I passed by the Kiboko river, I came, to the
RHINOCEROS-SHOOTING 247
east side of the caravan route, upon a fine old rhino bull ; but I
could not get sufficiently near, as a deep and wooded hollow
intervened. I had three of my men with me, but the moment
we sighted the rhino, they left me and swarmed up the nearest
trees. Only some considerable time after the rhino had dis-
appeared, crashing in headlong flight through the bushes, did
my brave boys descend from their perch of safety.
My fourth rhino was a young solitary bull ; I called it " the
baby," though it was considerably larger than a donkey, and
evidently old enough to have started on its solitary journey on
its own responsibility. Owing to the drought, we had camped
TWO RHINOS.
where we could find water ; and the porters called this camp
" Campi-ya-daktari," — "the doctor's camp." It lies between
Campi-ya-simba and Muani. The ground here was literally
covered with large beetles and biggish scorpions.
My last two rhinos, an old female and a young male, I shot
at Lanjora. I had to make a very wide circuit to get round
them, so as to have the wind in my favour. The plain was
perfectly open, and only quite short grass was on it, not a tree
or shrub could be seen for miles around. When 100 yards off,
the rhinos saw me and at once trotted towards us. I knelt
down and fired, using the Lee-Speed rifie. The very first shot
took effect, and caused the old cow to stagger, and rooted her to
the spot. But the young bull was bent on doing mischief, and
248 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
I had to shoot him. I gave him two shots in rapid succession ;
he gave a scream and snort, staggered, and retreated to where
the old one stood. As he got near to her, he rolled over with
his feet in the air ; but somehow he managed to scramble up
once more, staggered a few yards farther, and rolled over finally
on to his side. In the meanwhile I gave several shots to the old
one, to put her out of pain, as blood was streaming from her
nose and mouth. Then she too fell down and rolled over.
Curiously enough, their backs were turned towards each other
and their tails almost touching. The female had a remarkable
pair of horns, the posterior being larger and longer than the
anterior. I returned to our camp, and left the men to cut up
the meat ; but from what I heard afterwards, I was sorry that I
had not remained.
The double supply of meat caused the cutting up to take
the men longer than usual ; and as it grew dark, a vast
number of hyaenas came, from no one knows where, and
formed a sort of circle round the score or more of men who
were busy with the meat. Some of the men told me that the
old hyaenas were patiently waiting till their turn of the feast
should come ; but in the meantime, the younger hyeenas were
frisking and gambolling about. The hyaenas must have been
rather disappointed at the short commons they found, as very
little was left for them except tough hide.
CHAPTER XVII.
HIPPOPOTAMUS-SHOOTING.
T
HE hippo is a gregarious animal. In
its native home, the rivers and lakes
of Africa, the name of hippopotamus,
i.e. " river-horse," given to it by an-
cient naturalists, is eminently suitable, as it
usually shows only a narrow bit of its huge
head. A line, drawn from the ears to the
nostrils, would indicate the portion the hippo
exposes above the surface of the water. In
uninhabited regions the hippo is not only a
perfectly harmless, but, according to science,
a useful animal, designed by Nature to keep
down the over - abundant river - vegetation.
Where, however, the hippo crosses the path
of civilisation, it becomes a nuisance and a
menace, and it is sure to be exterminated.
My first acquaintance with hippos was on
the Zambesi and Shire rivers. As long as
we travelled on the stern-wheel steamer, a sort of large-
sized raft, the hippos caused us no trouble, but wisely
allowed us to pass unmolested. On the Upper Shire river
we had to travel, two and two, in a boat with a sort of
dog-kennel at the stern. In this kennel, the two adventurous
travellers were expected to find during the day shelter from
the broiling sun, and at night the solace of sweet refreshing
sleep, in spite of the miasmatic emanations of the river and
the countless swarms of mosquitoes. When to these attrac-
tions the hippo adds unexpectedly his appearance on the
scene, and, as very nearly happened to one of our boats,
threatens to capsize the boat and to throw the occupants into
SOUDANESE SOLDIER
WITH THE FAJAO
PADDLE.
250 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
a river which simply swarms with crocodiles, the traveller can
scarcely be expected to wish blessings on the head of the in-
truder, though the hippo probably rose in perfect innocence
of heart to the surface of the river, merely to get a whiff of
fresh air.
At Fajao, on the Victoria Nile, and in the Lur country
on the west shore of Lake Albert, the natives complained to
me of the depredations caused by hippos coming to their
fields in the dead of night, devouring the crops of Indian and
Kaffre corn, and trampling sweet-potato and similar crops to
wreck and ruin under their heavy tread. At Fajao it became
so serious, that scarcity of food began to grip the Soudanese
garrison and the Wanyoro natives. The hippos apparently
knew they v/ere thieving, for they never showed themselves on
moonlight nights. But if the night was particularly dark, some
hippo would turn up and take a stroll, destroying the crops of
perhaps two or three fields. The Soudanese captain went him-
self one night with a loaded rifle to watch for these marauders.
According to his own account, it was too dark to aim, with the
result that the hippo chased ///;//, and he had a narrow escape.
In such a struggle for existence, the hippo is locally exterminated,
or the villagers must migrate to a region not favoured by these
animals.
My first hippo I shot in the Athi river, where it forms a series
of deep, broad pools to the east of the caravan route. Swahilies
still call this river the " Mto Kiboko," which means "hippo-
potamus river." To shoot in absolute safety from the river-bank
at a hippo in the water, partakes very much of the nature of
killing pigeons at a shooting-match or bagging pheasants in
well-stocked preserves. If one comes upon an unsuspecting
hippo, one usually gets for the first shot sufficient time for a
steady aim ; afterwards it shows less and less of its head above
water, at longer and longer intervals, and barely allows a second
or two for taking aim. A successful shot is undoubtedly the one
just below the eye, if the animal happens to offer this mark ;
but if it presents the back of its head, then midway between the
ears. I have seen hippos sink dead to the bottom of the river
with one successful shot, to rise only when the gases within the
body produced by commencing decomposition have buoyed up
the carcase and caused it to float. But more frequently death
is not instantaneous, and the hippo rolls over and over in its
HIPPOPOTAMUS-SHOOTING 251
dying convulsions, lashing and churning the water with its feet
before it finally sinks. When the dead body floats, the head
hangs deep under water, and the four feet with part of the light-
coloured abdomen show above the surface. My first specimen
was a bull, with fair-sized tusks.
These tusks are good commercial ivory, but, as a rule, out
of the twelve ivory tusks the hippo carries, only the four large
ones of the lower jaw are considered of sut^cient weight and
size to be purchased by ivory traders ; two of these four tusks
are curved, the two others lie between the curved ones and are
straight. In addition to the twelve ivo-y tusks, the hippo has
twenty-four ordinary teeth.
Hippo-meat is highly prized by every caravan. I gave
my caravan therefore a day's rest to avail themselves of this
fortunate supply of meat. Caravan porters get only vegetable
rations allowed them, in the shape of beans, Indian-corn, rice
or native flour. Meat rations are therefore a windfall to them.
We had marched for the preceding ten days in daily drenching
rains, the rest-day was therefore doubly welcome, and it turned
out a lovely day with a blazing hot sun. An air of festivity and
feasting spread like magic over the camp, and my first hippo
gave a day of rejoicing and happiness to my weary and hungry
caravan. The atmosphere was reeking with hippo-meat ; some
hung in long strips to dry in the scorching sun, some was placed
on gridiron-shaped tressels of greenwood over a slow tire, some
was grilling on spits stuck round the camp-fires, and some was
broiling in cooking-pots. Neighbouring villagers came and
visited us, and a brisk market was soon in full swing all over
the camp. The skull of this hippo is now in my collection in
England ; I took the trouble to send it home, but to get it
properly bleached in London cost alone £2.
My second hippo was a female ; I shot it in the Victoria
Nile at Fajao, where the river forms the northern boundary of
the Uganda Protectorate. I was not very keen to go on the
river which, here and there, is half a mile broad. It teems with
crocodiles. The current, too, is very swift, and a native dug-out
is not the most reassuring canoe to venture in. The Soudanese
garrison, however, begged me to shoot one of the hippos in
order to put a stop to the havoc caused to the fields. When
I consented to try, they brought me the largest dug-out, named
by them " Kabarega," because it was the royal canoe of King
252 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Kabarega of Unyoro, from whom it had been captured in the
last war. This canoe is nearly forty feet long and about three
feet wide ; it is simply the hollowed-out trunk of a good-sized
tree.
The paddle used at Fajao is rather curious. Seen sideways, it
has a slight spoon-shaped curve. The front surface of the paddle
is hollowed so as to leave a strong overlapping lip all round ;
the back is like a broad leaf with a prominent midrib, terminat-
ing in a blunt knob which slightly projects to form the tip of
the blade. The soldiers always embark fully armed, because
the natives on the opposite bank of the river have not yet been
subdued, are hostile, and would gladly seize any favourable
opportunity to massacre a few of the hated Soudanese without
running too great a risk of their own lives.
There was no need for the men with me in the " Kabarega "
to paddle. The current swiftly and noiselessly carried the
huge canoe like a bubble down the stream. We left at 6 a.m.
Soon an inquisitive hippo raised his head out of the water. I
fired and missed. After missing hippos live times in succession,
I suspected there was something wrong with the fore-sight
of my rifle, a sporting Martini-Henri. I borrowed the rifle of
one of the soldiers. The longer and heavier military weapon
felt cumbersome ; but the sighting was excellent, and the very
first bullet dropped into the very centre of the swirl caused by
the head of another hippo disappearing below the surface of the
water. My next bullet caught the hippo just below the eye,
and we heard it crashing into the skull.
When it rose to the surface farther down-stream, it showed
plainly that it was mortally wounded. The men paddled
vigorously ; and as we gained on it, I reserved my shot,
because a severely wounded hippo has to rise very frequently
to the surface to breathe. We manoeuvred to drive it towards
the British side of the Nile, so as to have nothing to do with
the hostile Shuli bank of the river; and I gave the wounded
hippo a second bullet at close quarters through the back
of the head. It sank like a stone. We landed to await
the rising of the body, when the decomposing gases would
buoy it up. The canoe was moored three hundred yards lower
down the stream as a further precaution. The hippo sank at
8.30 A.M. ; exactly at 10 a.m. it rose with an explosive splash ;
but the time the body takes to rise I subsequently found to vary
HIPPOPOTAMUS-SHOOTING
253
considerably. The current carried the body beyond our dug-
out ; but it was ultimately secured and lashed to the side of the
canoe.
Going down-stream with a swift current is one thing, but
working up-stream against it in a heavy dug-out with a hippo
in tow is preciously different. Expecting to be back at Fajao in
a couple of hours, we had brought no food with us, and not even
LANDING-PLACE AT FAJAO.
matches. The hippo was dragged to the nearest papyrus sudd,
and then and there cut up on the squashy surface, our feet sinking
ankle-deep in the water.
The Soudanese have an ingenious method of getting a
fire. Two dry sticks and a bit of tinder, represented by a
scrap of bark-cloth in this instance ; this was all that was
required. It was interesting to watch the process, and one
appreciates it the more, when about to share in the blessing
of having a fire. One of the men selected two dry sticks. About
the middle of one stick, placed horizontally on the ground and
held down by the two feet, a small hole is scratched. The other
254 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
stick is shaped into a long blunt-pointed pencil, held vertically,
and made to fit the hole in the horizontal stick. The vertical
stick is now twirled furiously between the two palms. Two men
sit opposite each other, so that the instant one man stops
exhausted, the other may keep up the twirling. In an incre-
dibly short space of time a slight smoke arose from the stick
on the ground. The bit of bark-cloth serving as tinder was
now placed against the sticks, and the tw^irling continued vigor-
ously. The bark-cloth caught fire. This was leisurely blown,
with dry grass and dry twigs, into a bright flame. Soon a
roaring fire, upheld by papyrus reeds, was crackling merrily on
the surface of the sudd, with the Nile flowing but a few inches
below it.
My boy now prepared some " imshikaki " for me. This is
done by spitting small bits of meat, fat, and liver, the hippo
supplying the ingredients, alternately on a green twig and prop-
ping it near the fire, without however letting it touch the fire.
From time to time the spit has to be turned. I enjoyed my
meal, " hippo a la imshikaki,"' washed down wdth Nile water.
I became quite a connoisseur, and 1 began to pick out bits
of fat in preference to the lean. Unfortunately it was very
tough, and my jaws and teeth got soon tired. The Soudanese
ate heartily and enjoyed this hippo picnic immensely. Not a
scrap of the hippo was wasted. The very intestines, after being
cleaned of contents, were carefully deposited in the canoe.
The dug-out was heavily laden with the cut-up hippo piled
into it.
The return journey to Fajao was decidedly unpleasant, and
as we toiled slowly up-stream darkness overtook us. There was
no moon, only the uncertain glimmer of the water in the star-
light. Every now and then we would pass a spot, where the
sickening odour of crocodiles would be overpoweringly strong
on the sudd. Then again some inquisitive hippo would come
to the surface unpleasantly near our canoe, and would remind
us of the danger of being capsized.
A beacon had been lit to guide us to the landing-place
We all felt thankful and relieved, on reaching our huts in
safety. I was too tired to eat anything, but I had a little milk
and brandy before tumbling into bed. Next day I had a grand
distribution of hippo-meat to the whole of our Soudanese gar-
rison and their families. This female hippo w^as enormously
HIPPOPOTAMUS-SHOOTING 255
fat, a striking contrast to the lean male I had shot in the Athi
river. Hippo-fat is greatly prized by natives, who attribute to it
imaginary medicinal properties. For culinary purposes I can
scarcely recommend it, but I do not wish to prejudice anybody
who is anxious to try it. Unless hunger supplies the sauce and
nature provides jaws and teeth like a negro's, hippo-meat is not
likely to find favour in Europe.
A HIPPOPOTAMUS.
My third hippo was a bull ; I shot it in Lake Albert. On a
subsequent visit to Fajao I got my fourth hippo, a female, and
exceedingly fat. I wasted a number of cartridges, missing time
after time ; but at last, one successful shot below the eye sent the
huge animal splashing and struggling, with its feet in the air.
The hippo sank mid-stream ; after three hours the body rose
from the bottom of the river and floated. The current carried it
more than a mile beyond where we expected it. Owing to the
serpentine curves the river makes at this spot, we should
have lost our prize, had it not been for a friendly native
who happened to be fishing lower down the river at the
time. He saw the body float past and stopped it for us.
There was a convenient inlet at hand, where we succeeded in
256 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
rolling the huge body on to the grassy bank, as seen in the
illustration.
On this occasion, we had a narrow shave of being upset in
our dug-out. One" of the hippos, either frightened by the shots
or enraged, and either accidentally or intentionally, bumped up
under us and partly tilted the canoe over. We could see him
below the water doubling round and coming for us a second
time. The second bump threatened to shatter the canoe. I
fired at haphazard, as I could not possibly have hit, the part
of the body visible to me being below^ the surface. Fortu-
nately the hippo sheered off in one direction, and we hurriedly
left in the opposite.
Some of the hippo-fat, melted down and strained, I filled
into two large gourds, holding a gallon or two. This 1 kept
for my private use. It came very handy later on, when I ran
out of soap for washing my clothes. My little Wahima
servant knew^ how to manufacture native soap ; and as I
promised him for his own private use one cake, or rather ball,
of soap out of every ten he manufactured, he was keen to be
entrusted with my soap-boiling venture. He certainly produced
some excellent hippo-soap, but 1 should be afraid to recommend
it for the complexion ! He refused to try my suggestion of
using wood-ashes, and preferred following his own method.
It consisted in collecting the peelings of green bananas from
all the refuse heaps in the village. He burnt these peelings, and
used the ashes to form a lye in which he boiled the hippo-fat.
This hippo-soap, kneaded into lumps about the size of cricket-
balls, resembled the ordinary native soap in colour and con-
sistency. It lasted me for some time, until a good supply of
ordinary washing soap reached me from Kampala.
CHAPTER XVIII.
GAZELLES.
THE TJiomsonii gazelle is found in smaller or larger
herds between the Makindos river and Lake Nakuru.
It is about the size of a goat, and provides the most
exquisite roast for the hunter's table. It is not a bit
shy, and often allows the hunter to walk up to within fifty yards
of it. Of course, where it has been much shot at, as, for instance,
in the immediate neighbourhood of the caravan road, it has
learnt to distrust the approach of man, and to seek safety
in flight already at 200 yards. Young Thomsonii gazelles
are constantly being caught by the Masai, who bring them to
Fort Smith and Naivasha station, and sell them for a mere
trifle.
On my second journey I caught, with my hands, a young
Thomsonii alive. It was at Lanjora. I had shot a zebra, and
it was getting dusk, when, on my way back to the camp, I
nearly trod on the little creature cosily curled up for sleep. I
dropped at once on the top of it and seized it. Next morning
we reached Machakos, and I bought a she-goat for eight rupees,
equivalent at the time to ten shillings. The goat had a kid of about
the same size as the young Thomsonii, and she made no difficulty
in letting the stranger share with her own young one, provided
we just held one of her legs. The young Thomsonii did not
relish the first sip of goat-milk, but, being hungry, it came back
for more, and after that took to it most naturally. On the
march I had the Thomsonii carried ; but before we started on
the march, and immediately on arrival at camp, and whenever
the caravan stopped to rest on the road, I saw to it myself that
the Thomsonii was brought to the goat and fed. It had already
become quite tame and a pet with my men, when, on a sudden,
at Kibwezi it was seized with convulsions and died. Whether
257 R
258 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
it had eaten some poisonous plant, or some one had hurt it,
I do not know.
Such young ones, as are allowed to run about free in
some of the up-country stations, thrive very well indeed, and
have been successfully reared. They breed in captivity, and
become very tame ; in fact, they are apt to become too
cheeky. " Billy," the pet Thomsonii at Fort Smith, has been
an inmate for some years, and, as familiarity breeds contempt,
he goes for natives without having received any provocation.
I have seen brave Masai warriors edge sideways out of the fort
in a hurry, when master " Billy " has been on the war-path.
The captive Thomsonii appear to relish the leaves of the
sweet-potato plant.
There is a great difference in the horns between the male
and the female. The horns of the buck curve upward and
backward, and then bend slightly forward, terminating in a
very sharp and dangerous point. The last two inches near
the tip are smooth, but the rest of the horn has the charac-
teristic " rings." In some of the specimens I have shot,
the horns diverge ; in others they seem to run almost
parallel. The horns of the female are tiny, compared with
those of the male. They are short and slender, and lack the
"rings." In two of the specimens I shot, one of the horns was
deformed.
The skin of the Thomsonii, dressed and mounted, makes a
very pretty mat. Owing to the abdomen being white, the mat
has a white border. The back is a dark tan, which shades into
a light brown at the flanks, where a characteristic dark brown
stripe borders the white abdomen. A similar dark brown but
short line fringes, at a little distance from the tail, each
hind-quarter. I cannot remember having seen anywhere else
so many Thomsonii gazelles as I saw on my third journey at
Lake Naivasha, on the west side of the lake. The usual
caravan route is along the east shore, but incessant rains
had rendered the Morendat and Gilgil rivers, which flow into
Lake Naivasha, impassable for our caravan, and we were
compelled to try the west route. Both these rivers are now
bridged, being part of the new caravan cart-road, on which so
much money has been expended.
The Grantii gazelle is a handsome animal of a delicate fawn
colour. In the Thomsonii the tan colour reaches right up to the
GAZELLES 259
tail ; but in the Grantii the fawn colour stops some three or four
inches from the tail and then changes into white. As in the
Thomsonii, a dark brown but short line fringes, at a little distance
from the tail, each hind-quarter. The horizontal dark brown
stripe along the flank, which is a conspicuous characteristic of
the Thomsonii, is absent in the Grantii.
Both sexes have horns. The horns of the buck usually
measure about two feet, but may occasionally exceed three
feet. They curve upward and backward, gradually diverging
from each other ; the direction then changes to upward and
forward, and the last three inches bend gracefully forward and
inward. The general shape of the horns belongs to the sort
known as " lyrate." The last three inches are smooth and ter-
minate in a sharp point, the rest is marked, as in the Thomsonii,
with "rings." Grantii with the most symmetrical and typical
horns are found in the Kilimanjaro region, to which the Kiboko
river may be said to belong. It was at the Kiboko river, on my
fourth journey, where I shot my finest specimen of a Grantii buck,
as regards symmetry of horns. I kept the mask and had the
head mounted in London. Subsequently the authorities at the
South Kensington Natural History Museum asked me to let
their artist take a drawing of it.
At Lake Nakuru I wounded a Grantii buck in the leg. This
led to a tedious pursuit ; for the wounded animal would fre-
quently stop, but never let me get nearer than a quarter of a
mile. Finally it went up a steep and rocky hill ; I followed,
when suddenly it descended again to the plain, leaving me
exhausted and out of breath about half-way up the hill. I
gazed down at the Grantii with a feeling of disappoint-
ment at losing it after all my energetic perseverance, when
a novel and unexpected scene was enacted before my eyes.
If 1 had been in the plain, I should not have seen this scene,
but owing to my position half-way up the hill, I had a capital
view of the plain and of what was taking place at the foot
of the hill.
The Grantii had paused, and was so engrossed with looking
up in my direction, that it did not observe the danger threaten-
ing it from quite a different quarter. I became aware of a
large brown animal moving along the foot of the hill towards
the Grantii. Neither animal suspected as yet the presence of
the other, and neither could see the other, owing to the scattered
26o
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
boulders of rock. Of a sudden the new-comer stopped, raised
its head, and sniffed the air. The next moment it rushed for-
ward with astonishing speed. The wind blew towards it, and
it must have scented, that a wounded animal was not far off.
The attention of the Grantii was attracted by the noise ; it
gave but one look, and seemed to know that now indeed it
was a race for life.
It made for the open plain, the pursuer after it. The
pursuer gained steadily on it, when the Grantii doubled
magnificently in the
very nick of time to
escape the fatal bite.
I believe, if it had
not been wounded
and somewhat tired
by my long pursuit, it
could have escaped.
But the pursuer
again drew nigh, and
though the Grantii
staved off the fatal
moment for a while
by skilful doubling,
it was seized at last
by the flank. Both
animals rolled over
and over. The Gran-
tii, having shaken it-
self free, once more
dashed across the
plain. But its minutes
were numbered, and this exciting pursuit ended in the Grantii
being torn down to the ground and lying helpless.
Three of my Swahilies, who had accompanied me, declared
that only a lion could have captured the Grantii ; and I felt
inclined to think so too, as the scene took place in full, bright
daylight between eleven and twelve in the morning. I now
hastened down-hill to dispute with the lion, or whatever the
animal might be, the Grantii which I considered mine. At
the same time, there was the hope of bagging the other animal
as well. As I drew near, I saw that it was not a lion, but a
grant's gazelle.
GAZELLES 261
big brown hy^na which sneaked off when we advanced. As
the hyc-ena had done me a good turn, I did not hurt it, but
gave my attention to the Grantii which had its flank ripped
open and the intestines protruding. The poor beast staggered
up and tried to show fight. We seized its horns, threw it down,
and saved it further suffering by cutting its throat.
The Grantii gazelles herd together in small numbers only.
The horns of the female Grantii are different to those of the
male. They are about a foot long and slender. They resemble
somewhat the horns of the male Thomsonii, except that the
" rings " are not so prominent, and the horns are more uniformly
slender from the base upward. The illustration shows a
specimen which 1 secured at Bondoni not far from Machakos.
CHAPTER XIX.
ANTELOPES.
THE broad distinction between antelopes and deer lies
in the fact, that the horns of antelopes are hollow, and
are set upon a solid bony core as in oxen. The horns
are never shed, and have to last the animal through life ;
consequently, every now and then an antelope is shot, which has
one of the horns broken off, just as an elephant may now and
then be found with only one tusk, the other having been broken
off or mal-formed. Antelopes vary considerably in size, from
the eland, which almost approaches a rhinoceros in bulk, to the
tiny pah, which is not much larger than a hare. Some, as, for
instance, the striped koodoo and the spotted reed-buck, are very
handsomely marked, but the majority of antelopes have a plain
coat, either brown or grey. Some, like the hartebeest, have short
hair ; others, like the water-buck, are shaggy. The tail of the
wildebeest resembles that of a horse ; in the steinbok the tail is
shorter than in a rabbit. Both sexes of some species, as the
hartebeest, have horns ; but only the buck of other species, as
the impalla.
The horns do not branch, yet every species has its own
characteristic and distinguishing variations in length and shape.
The African antelopes have two horns ; there are no four-
horned species, as in India.
1 lie Impalla or Pallah Antelope. — By the new game-laws all
shooting is prohibited between the Athi river and the Kedong.
But it happens that the impalla is most common just outside
these limits. I have shot them as far south as Campi-ya-Simba
and as far north as the Gilgil river.
The impalla frequents the bush. I have never seen it roam,
like the Thomsonii gazelle, over extensive open grass-plains.
The bush facilitates stalking, but it has its drawbacks. It
ANTELOPES
263
screens the hunter from the game, but it also hides the game
from the hunter ; and as the game has the senses of smell, sight,
and hearing more acute than man, it has time to escape before
the hunter is aware of its proximity. The colour of the impalla
is brown, and a dark brown vertical stripe fringes each hind-
quarter at a short distance from the tail. The doe impalla has
no horns. The
buck is usually
accompanied by
a small herd
of six or more
does.
On my fifth
journey 1 had an
exciting chase
after a buck at
Campi-ya-Sim-
ba. Time after
time the watch-
ful eyes of the
does prevented
my getting with-
in range of the
buck. I could
have shot one of
the does more
than once, but
I did not want
to ; and, as often
happens in such a case, it seemed as if they knew it. At last
I did succeed in giving the buck a bullet. It then left the
herd, but it led me a fine chase over hill and dale, through bush
and brake. More than once I got within range, and several
times more it was hit. We followed it through a forest and
up to a river. Owing to the reeds and bushes at the water's
edge, we only got a glimpse of it, as it plunged into the river
and tried to swim across. But the opposite bank was very
steep ; and as the buck swam along it, looking out for an
open and convenient spot to land, we floundered through the
reeds along our side of the river, trying to get a sight of the
animal.
IHK IMPALI.A ANTKLOPE.
264 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
As it swam, it only exposed its head and horns ; even the
neck was immersed. I had two more shots. The first grazed
one of the horns and struck off a spHnter ; the second went
into the head. Instantly it sank, head downwards, as if trying
to stand on its head, and the hind part of the body came for
a second into view. It took some time before one of my men
found a spot, where we could cross over to the other bank, and
then we had the further trouble of fishing the body out. The
horns reached England safely, and are in my collection ; but
when I look at them, the whole scene, as it happened in the
solitude of the African wilderness, passes before me.
The horns of the buck impalla form a series of graceful
curves ; in their upward curve the direction is at first forward
and outward, this changes to backward and outward, and then
becomes backward and inward, and finally ends by being
forward and inward. The last four niches near the tip are
smooth and terminate in a sharp point, the rest of the horn
is " ringed."
The buck shown in the illustration is not the one that gave
us so much trouble. It is one that I secured at the Kedong with
one bullet.
The Wildebeest. — The gnu or wildebeest is a singular creature.
Its horns remind one of the ox, its tail and mane of the horse,
its shaggy tuft of beard of the goat, and yet its trunk and limbs
are those of an antelope. There are several species of gnu, but
the one seen in these regions is the "blue wildebeest," so called
from its bluish silver grey colour. The horns of an old male
may be mistaken by the inexperienced as buffalo horns, because
they form a similar broad band across the forehead, wide sweep
to the side, and sharp terminal curve inwards. Both sexes have
horns, but those of the female are more slender. In the young
animal the horns take only a slight bend to the side and then
run upwards.
The wildebeest is found either singly or in herds which
may vary from a few individuals to many hundreds. The
Athi plains and the open grass-lands by Campi-ya-Simba are
some of its favourite spots. Where it has been much shot at, it
has become shy and timid ; but where shooting is prohibited,
as on the Athi plains, it will calmly go on grazing within fifty
yards of a passing caravan. It looks a formidable creature, but
is really most inoffensive ; even when wounded and pursued, it
ANTELOPES
265
only seeks safety in flight and never attacks. A solitary animal,
when chased, will sometimes go through singular antics, bobbing
its head up and down and whisking the tail about. I have seen
it tumble down as if shot, scramble up, career oft" to a distance,
then suddenly turn round and stand still, staring at the pursuer,
as if nothing had happened.
The flesh is not very palatable, but decidedly acceptable to
the ever-hungry Swahili. On one occasion, on my fifth
journey, I shot a female at Lanjora with my Lee-Speed rifle.
The bullet broke both hind-legs and the poor brute dragged
itself along on its fore-legs. I shall never forget the distressing
bellowings of pain it uttered. For though, as a rule, game
suffers death without a sound of pain, now and then some
poor animal does moan or cry out. The herd of wilde-
beests remained standing near the one which I had wounded ;
but though my men urged me to shoot some more, I would
not, as I considered one animal sufficient for the caravan. Meat
can only be kept for a very few days ;
sometimes it goes bad already on the
following day. It would, therefore, be
wasteful to shoot more than is abso-
lutely required. The herd moved off, as
1 advanced towards them, and I speedily
ended the suft'erings of the wounded one.
A good many wildebeest must fall a prey
to lions, judging by the skulls which litter
the grassy plains. Hartebeest skulls are
also fairly common ; but skulls of gazelles
are rarely seen, and perhaps are de-
voured by wild beasts, owing to the
bones being smaller.
The Pah. — From Mombasa right up
to Singo this tiny antelope is more or
less common. Near the Tsavo river
used to be its favourite haunt. It pre-
fers grassy jungles, where it can hide
among the thorny shrubs and undergrowth, impassable to
larger animals. It is easier to bag a specimen with a shot-gun
than with a rifle.
On the march through Singo, happening to be a little ahead of
my caravan, and tramping along with a walking-stick in my hand,
,V...^«.i''
A PAH ANTELOPE.
266
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
one of these little creatures suddenly jumped up out of the grass
at my feet. Before it could dash away, up went my stick and
caught it a whack on the neck, stretching it dead. The Soudanese
soldier walking behind me then carried it for me, slung from
the stick, till the caravan overtook us.
Natives have a clever way of making a sort of pouch or
hand-bag out of the skin of small animals, such as kids, pahs,
weasels, or wild-cats. One cut or stab through the throat
sideways furnishes an opening large enough to enable the
operator to withdraw the whole of the body of the animal,
peehng the skin off as if it w^ere a tight-fitting glove. The
skin is then turned inside out, dried in the sun, and mani-
pulated until it is soft and pliant. The pouch is carried
suspended from the wrist or arm, by slipping the hand through
the hole at the neck. I have in my collection one of these
curious hand-bags, which I got on my journey through the
Magwangwara country in German East Africa. It is the skin of
a weasel, and has the jawbones and teeth left m situ. The native
to whom it belonged carried in it his most cherished possession,
which hap-
pened to be
a snuff-box.
He sold me
the handbag,
but he would
not hear of
parting with
his s n u ft-
box.
Tlie Kobus
thomasi Ante-
lope.— 1 have
shot only one
specimen of
this fine an-
telope. 1 se-
cured it on the
march through Singo, one of the Uganda provinces. Shortly
before reaching our cam.p at Busibika, we were crossing a grassy
plain with a few shrubs and scattered trees, when I caught sight
of a large herd of antelopes; but curiously enough there was only
THE KOBUS THOMASI ANTELOPE.
ANTELOPES 267
one amongst them which had horns. I decided to stalk it,
a comparatively easy matter, owing to the scattered shrubs.
I got to within 120 yards of it; but as the animal stood
facing me, I was compelled to give it the chest-shot, though
I dislike this shot as it rarely bowls the animal over. We
found afterwards, on examining the body, that my first shot
did enter the chest, but was deflected to the left by the
breast-bone ; it penetrated sufficiently far to disable the left
fore-leg. 1 fired two more shots at the animal as it galloped
off, but missed both times. Fortunately, owing to the wound,
it had soon to stop ; and I was able to stalk up to eighty
yards and give it the shoulder-shot. It managed, however,
to leap away and disappeared behind some ant-hills. When
we got to the ant-hills, not a trace of the antelope could
we see far or near ; but a diligent search in the grass showed
us the animal lying dead. On cutting it up, we found that
the second bullet had gone clean through the heart ; and yet
the animal was able to give a dozen or more bounds before
it fell dead. This may perhaps be accounted for bv its being
hit when in full gallop.
It is of the size of a large stag. The two white patches
round the eyes and the white patches on the upper lip are
very distinctive. The abdomen is also white ; the rest of the
body is a tan, with the exception of a black patch at the knees,
and a black line running from the knees down the front of the
leg. The Waganda call it the Sunu or Nsunu. The horns
start close together upward, then they diverge outwards and
backwards ; curving round, they converge inwards and back-
wards, then a second bend occurs and the horns terminate
curving forwards. The horns are "ringed," with the exception
of the last three or four inches, which are smooth and ter-
minate in a sharp point.
The Nswallah. — This is a favourite word with the Swahilies to
designate any antelope or gazelle larger than a pah or smaller
than a kongoni. It is a very convenient word wherewith to
cloak ignorance ; and as I am not certain to which particular
species the antelope shown in the illustration belongs, I cannot
do better than give it the Swahili name. It was a female without
horns, and this makes it doubly difficult to classify it. A shot
through the back at two hundred yards laid it low, practically in
sight of the camp, and two Soudanese .soldiers at once hurried
268
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
off to fetch it. I came across several more of the same sort in
Singo, where I shot this one. It frequents grassy plains dotted
with shrubs or bush. It is found either solitary or with a
companion, probably a young one. I have never seen it in
herds ; and I unfortunately failed to come across one with horns.
It had a white abdomen and a bushy tuft to its tail, which was
also white on
the under
surface. The
general colour
is a soft dark
brown with a
darker patch
on the fore-
head.
TJie Harte-
beest Antelope.
— There are
two species
of hartebeest
met with on
the journey
to Uganda,
though there
are several
more in other
parts of Africa.
The species
found along the caravan route through British East Africa is
the Cokei, which also reaches for some distance into the Uganda
Protectorate, and is then replaced by the Jacksoni, which
stretches right up to the north of Unyoro. It 'is sometimes
seen alone, but, as a rule, it is found in small herds. Near the
Mto-ya-Mawe (or Stony River), between Muani and Campi-ya-
Simba, I saw, on my last journey, a huge herd which must have
numbered several hundreds. The hunter soon finds out, that it
is easier to shoot a solitary individual than one in a herd.
The hartebeest has rather an ungainly appearance, as the
hind part of the body droops. When it gallops, it looks as if
it were limping, especially as the head bobs up and down with
the motion. It misleads the inexperienced who imagine they
THE NSWALLAH ANTELOPK.
ANTELOPES 269
have wounded the animal. In spite of this hahing movement
it gallops very swiftly, and soon out-distances pursuit. Gene-
rally, one sentinel looks after the safety of the herd, but the
others are not indifferent as to their common security, and
their keen senses soon apprise them of approaching danger.
They often fall a victim to their curiosity. After the animal
has galloped a certain distance, it will stop and climb the
highest white-ant hillock in order to satisfy this craving to
know the actual whereabouts of the pursuer. I have found it
a good plan, when stalking hartebeest, to run after it whilst it
is running, and to drop flat on the ground the moment it stops
to reconnoitre. If there is sufficient cover, I then proceed to
stalk it by crawling nearer to it under cover of the grass and
shrubs. If there is absolutely no cover, I remain motionless,
and then it is a struggle of patience between hunter and game.
As a rule, the hunter has not sufficient time or patience, and
the moment he moves the hartebeest bolts.
Young ones are occasionally run down by natives, and
brought to the station alive and sold for a trifle ; but hitherto
the hartebeest has proved very different to the Thomsonii in
captivity. Thomsonii can be reared with, comparatively speak-
ing, no trouble at all ; but the hartebeests until now, in spite
of the utmost care and attention, have not proved in up-country
stations successful in captivity — they have always died young.
The last time I passed the Eldoma Ravine Station, a young
hartebeest was running about in the inner court. It was being
fed on cow's milk from a bottle. A piece of calico, punctured
with a number of holes, was tied so as to form an elongated
and soft mouthpiece, which the young one could take into its
mouth. The allowance was a bottle in the morning and
another towards dusk. The young one seemed to appreciate its
food ; for if the boy who fed it was not up to time, it would
impatiently follow him about. On one occasion, when we ex-
perimented, it followed, though with evident reluctance and
hesitation, right up the steps and into a private sitting-room.
A young water-buck was at the Ravine Station at the same
time, and its graceful form, notwithstanding its shaggy coat,
formed a striking contrast to the ungainly and uielegant young
hartebeest. Both young antelopes were exceedingly tame.
The young water-buck would coolly walk up to my tent,
which had been pitched in the inner court, and help itself to
270 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
water out of the pail or basin. But when it began to consider
that my tent-ropes were meant for the purpose that some one
is said to have blessed the Duke of Argyle for in the case of
the new milestones, namely, to scratch the back against, I began
to consider the water-buck's affection for my tent as rather a
nuisance.
The head of the Jacksoni is anythhig but handsome. It is
elongated, and narrows to almost a blunt point at the muzzle.
From the forehead rises a bony protuberance, covered for two or
three inches by the skin. Upon this bony elevation are perched
the two horns. Their direction is at first outward and backward,
then comes a rather sharp bend, and they proceed forward and
almost parallel with each other ; then occurs another sharp bend,
and the horns point backwards and slightly outwards. The first
portion of the horn is stumpy, thick, and somewhat rugose ; the
middle portion, between the two bends, is " ringed " ; the ter-
minal backward portion is smooth for the last six or seven inches,
and ends in a sharp point.
My first specimen of Jacksoni I shot at the Eldoma Ravine
on the first journey. I saw a small herd of about four or
five, and 1 fired at 150 to 200 yards. 1 was using my Martini-
Henri rifle, and there was such a cloud of smoke that it was
impossible at the moment to see what had happened. As
the smoke cleared, I noticed that the herd had not disappeared
as I had expected, but were in evident hesitation. I fired hur-
riedly a couple more shots, which missed. Walking leisurely
up to the spot, 1 was pleasantly surprised to find that my first
bullet had hit, for a kongoni, as hartebeest are called by the
Swahili, lay expiring. I sent the horns to the coast to be for-
warded to England, but, like many of my other shooting speci-
mens, they never reached home. It does happen, that specimens
arrive at the coast without any vestige of address remaining, and
after some time such are sold as unclaimed goods ; but it is
annoying, when they miscarry after every precaution has been
taken to ensure their reaching safely their destination. After a
while the traveller ceases to look upon these mishaps as annoy-
ances, and he rather congratulates him.self when things he has
sent do reach safely his home or his friends.
My second Jacksoni gave me a deal of trouble. It was in the
uninhabited region between the Ravine and the Kavirondo. My
first shot wounded the animal badly, but when we went to look
ANTELOPES 271
for it on the brow of the hill, we saw it gdlloping off in the dis-
tance, leaving a broad blood-spoor on the grass. This incited
us to follow, as from time to time the animal lay down ; but for
a long time I never could get within half a mile of it. During
the pursuit we suddenly came upon a splendid buffalo, the first
and only one I have ever come across. I used my Lee-Speed,
as it was rather far oft", and I presume I missed, for my subse-
quent shots only accelerated its flight. I had always heard, that
a buffalo invariably attacks its aggressor, but this is evidently not
the case. I confess I hesitated at first to risk an attack from the
huge creature, but I trusted to having my magazine-rifle, which
enables me to have eleven shots running without re-loading,
since by a simple movement the empty cartridge is automatically
extracted and replaced by a loaded one from the attached
magazine. I speculated that, as the attacking animal came closer,
my chances of hitting it would be increased. But wdth further
experience I am not so sure, that I should like to trust to a Lee-
Metford bullet having sufficient stopping power to arrest the
rush of an enemy, man or beast, though mortally wounded.
The buffalo might still have had enough life left to toss and gore
me, even though its minutes were numbered, and it should sink
down dead afterw-ards.
When I succeeded in coming up with the exhausted harte-
beest, I gave it a bullet from my Lee-Speed rifle at close
quarters. It jumped over a grassy elevation, and when we
had climbed this, we saw a hartebeest slowly galloping oft"
at a distance. Thinking this was the wounded one, as it had
already shown such marvellous powers of endurance, we were
following for a while, when I felt convinced that it must be
another hartebeest, and that consequently the wounded one
must be lying dead somewhere. The only way to ascertain this,
was for us to retrace our steps to the last spot, where we had
seen the wounded one, and from there to track it. This we
did, and thus we came upon it, lying dead in the grass, and
completely hidden from us even within five feet of it.
My third Jacksoni 1 got to the south of the Ravine. The
fourth Jacksoni I shot in Singo. Whilst the alarmed animals
were rushing across a swamp, I ran in pursuit, and I dropped
on my knees, when the herd paused on the other side of the
swamp to look round. I was obliged to give the chest-shot,
as the nearest animal was one which faced me. I found
272 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
afterwards, that the Martuii bullet had hit, and had been
deflected to one side under the skin, where we felt it and
cut it out. Owing to the scattered bush, it was difficult to
follow the animal, but in the end we succeeded in securing it,
though it required several more bullets.
The Cokei Hai'tebeest. — It has quite different horns to the Jack-
soni. This is due to a slight difference in direction where the
two bends occur. Instead of curving, as in the Jacksoni, almost
straight forward at the first bend, the curve in the Cokei is to the
side. This gives a wider stretch between the horns. Then again
at the second bend, instead of pointing straight behind, the horns
of the Cokei point almost straight up. In other respects, even
including the perch on the bony skin-covered protuberance, the
Jacksoni and Cokei horns resemble each other. There are slight
but interesting variations among the Cokei horns themselves ; in
some the terminal points are directed backward, in others in-
ward, instead of the more common direction of upward.
The first antelope I ever shot was a Cokei hartebeest, and
I am not likely to forget the danger I unconsciously exposed
myself to on that day. We had got to that part of the Kiboko
river, which lies on the old route. I was near the head of the
caravan with another European. The caravan stopped, and I
was told we w^ere going to pitch the camp there. My companion
had already gone off to stalk some hartebeest seen in the distance.
1 thought I might as well do the same, and I took a slightly
different direction. My companion returned to the camp without
firing a shot. I fired at 400 yards. I did not know whether I
had hit, but on going to examine the place, my boy pointed out
to me some drops of blood.
We two, my boy and I, went in pursuit, and, after a fatiguing
chase, we came, more by good luck than skill, upon the wounded
animal which had not been able to keep up with the herd. I
succeeded in rolling it over. My boy cut its throat ; for though
it was quite dead, no devout iSIahommedan wall eat the flesh
of an animal which has not had its throat cut, nor will he eat
it unless it is cut by a Mahommedan. According to Koran
teaching, the Mahommedan should not eat the flesh, unless the
throat was cut when the animal w^as still alive ; but this part
he discreetly ignores, especially when on caravan journeys, as
it would make his limited chances of getting meat practically
nil. Having cut the animal's throat and satisfied his conscience.
ANTELOPES 273
my boy divested himself of his water-bottle, which we had
emptied, and we followed a zebra which I had also wounded.
Though we got very near the zebra, in fact within tifty yards
of it, I found that my remaining five cartridges were useless,
as they would not fit the rifle. As neither of us felt inclined
to attack the zebra with a knife, for it can give quite as bad a
bite as any horse, we retraced our steps.
Hitherto I had placed the utmost reliance on a native finding
his way about by a sort of instinct. I was therefore taken
aback, when my boy could not discover, where the dead harte-
beest lay. I began to be anxious about our finding our way
back to camp, when I noticed some birds at a distance alighting
on the grass. My boy promptly pronounced them to be guinea-
fowls, but I felt convinced they must be gigantic guinea-
fowls, to be seen at that distance. Then the thought flashed
through my brain, that they might be vultures at my harte-
beest. This proved to be the case, and they had already
pecked out one of the eyes, devoured half the tongue, ripped
open the abdomen, and polished off most of the entrails.
The empty water-bottle however assured us that it was the
hartebeest which I had shot.
My confidence in the native topographical instinct was
restored, by seeing that we were after all so near the dead
antelope, though we had discovered it by an accident. As we
were both under the impression, that the camp was pretty
near, perhaps at the utmost half-an-hour off, we held a short
consultation, and decided that he should hurry back to the
camp with the hartebeest's head and horns, in order to guide
a sufficient number of men to carry the meat to the camp.
I was to remain on guard, lest vultures or hyaenas should
quite devour the carcass. As my rifle was useless, except
that in an emergency I could use it as a club, I told the boy
to leave me the kitchen-knife which, in the hurry of starting
from camp, he had taken with him instead of my hunting-
knife. The boy went, and I was left alone.
The broiling sun drove me to seek the shelter of the meagre
shadow cast by a thorn-tree, while the vultures, a score or more,
perched patiently a few yards off. At last the amount of shade
barely sufficed to cover my head, while I lay stretched at full
length on the ground. The vultures seemed to know to a
nicety, how long I remained awake. Not one of them ventured
s
274 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
near, to my knowledge. Then the heat and fatigue overpowered
me. I fell fast asleep.
Some sense of approaching danger, curiously enough, must
have entered into my dreams. I awoke with a start, looking
for the enemy. So sure was 1, that I was not surprised to see
some naked savages approaching swiftly and silently in the dis-
tance. They had not noticed me, being attracted by the dead
hartebeest which was being devoured by scores of vultures.
The savages were well armed ; they carried bows and arrows
and long knives. I certainly thought my fate was sealed. It
seemed the best thing to play up bravely, if the worst was to
happen. I jumped up and shouted, attracting at once their
attention. I waved my rifle, slapped the barrel, pointed triumph-
antly to the dead hartebeest, and beckoned to them to hurry up.
1 could see they hesitated. This made me more friendly and
pressing in my invitation to them to join me.
When they had grasped the fact, that 1 did not intend to
harm them, they cautiously drew nearer. After a long parley,
carried on in gesture-dialogue, I got them to cut up the meat
and to load themselves with it. The vultures, while I slept,
had devoured heart, lungs, and liver, and picked the bones of
one hind-quarter perfectly clean. 1 am sure, they would have
polished ofif the whole hartebeest at one sitting, if left un-
disturbed. I never saw again such a variety of vultures and
other carnivorous birds. While the savages were cutting up
the meat, I kept reminding them of the presence of my rifle.
I could not divest my mind entirely of all fear of foul play
on their part. This made me display my handful of five useless
cartridges, and flourish the kitchen-knife in my right hand.
Fear of losing my life and determination to sell it dearly were
struggling for mastery.
W^hen they had shouldered the meat, I insisted on their
walking in single file in front of me. They evidently disliked
this arrangement, being as much afraid of me, as I was of
them. But, when I urged them to take notice of rifle and
kitchen-knife, they reluctantly complied. Unfortunately I had
not the least idea in what direction my camp lay. I saw
that they wanted to take a direction almost opposite to the
one my boy had taken. Of course I protested in dumb-show,
and pointed out what 1 imagined to be the right one. They
jabbered noisily, shook their heads, and pointed in the direc-
ANTELOPES > 275
tion they wanted to take. 1 let them finally have their own
choice. We walked for fully an hour. Then we steered
for a large tree, where a crowd of similarly armed savages
awaited us.
Here my first set of savages threw down their burdens of
meat, squatted down, and entered into a noisy palaver with
their comrades. I waited patiently for a while. Then, as no
one seemed willing to make a move to accompany me a step
farther, I decided to take the initiative by renewing our pan-
tomime gesture-dialogue, which had proved successful so far.
I confess I was not at all sure but that the savages had already
taken me miles and miles away from the caravan route. They
might, for all I knew, be waiting to take me to one of their
distant villages, and to disarm me whenever I fell asleep.
How I blamed my stupidity in permitting my servant to leave
me ! What solemn resolutions I formed, as we probably all
do when we realise the feebleness of our unaided intellect, if
it should please Providence to help me safely out of this scrape !
I felt convinced, that any sign of fear might end in my ruin. I
approached the savage who was evidently the leader.
He remained sitting. Silent and sullen he only stared at me.
I slapped him patronisingly on the shoulder. I professed to be
most anxious to explain to him the mysteries of the deadly rifle.
I even showed him how I took aim. This manoeuvre led to the
younger savages making a precipitate movement to the side to
get out of the line of aim. But the old sullen rascal remained
unmoved. When I had done enough of this dumb-crambo
business, slapping his shoulder and occasionally shaking him
up, I assumed an authoritative tone, and hoisted one of the
loads of meat on to his shoulders. This made him budge ;
and as he pointed out a younger man sitting near to him,
1 soon had all the meat shouldered again. Then we moved
off in single file, leaving the other savages squatting under
the tree.
In about two hours we came upon my hartebeest's head.
I heard afterwards that my boy, having lost his way, be-
came tired and nervous, and then chucked away the trophy.
My friendlies, for at last I felt convinced that my savages
were dealing honestly with me, lifted up the hartebeest head
and carried it along. The sun was getting low, when we
entered the caravan road. Then my boy met us. He was
276 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
accompanied by two or three of our caravan porters, and he
brought my riding-donkev. My friendlies carried the meat right
into camp for me, where I shared it with them, they grinning
with pleasure and satisfaction.
Though this Httle adventure had ended happily and now
looked rather comic, I took the lesson to heart not to risk
losing myself again in a wild jungle, with neither water nor
fire within available distance, without a companion, and prac-
tically unarmed. Our caravan leader assured me I was lucky
in falling in with friendly Wakamba, and that I should never
have returned, if I had met a band of Masai on the war-path.
That he was in the right, and that these adventures do not
always have a happy ending, was proved within a few months
on this very spot. Dr. Chartres, the Mission doctor at Kibwezi,
went with a friend, Mr. Colquhoun, for a day's shooting to
this very neighbourhood.
These two men were never seen again. According to the
servants who accompanied them, as soon as the tents were
pitched, the two white men, followed by a gun-bearer, stalked
some antelopes, wounded one and followed it. The gun-
bearer returned to the camp and said, that he had lost sight of
the "musungu" (the white men). As he had not succeeded
in finding them, he had decided to go back to the camp.
Hour after hour passed, and neither of the white men turned
up. The camp got alarmed. Everybody went to search the
bush, calling and shouting. Not a trace could be found. Night
rendered further search useless. Next morning the search was
resumed and kept up for some days. Not the slightest clue was
forthcoming. The servants returned to the Mission Station and
reported the disaster.
It is not likely that these two unfortunate white men were
killed by lions. The lions would have devoured them on the
spot, and the rifles would have been found. Dr. Chartres
knew the neighbourhood thoroughly, it is therefore improbable
that they lost themselves. It is believed, that they were met
by hostile savages, probably Masai on the warpath, and were
captured and killed.
On my first journey to Uganda, we had a major as caravan
leader. On my subsequent five journeys I was in charge of
the caravan. In the event of my not turning up before dusk,
our caravan leader had already decided to leave one European
ANTELOPES
277
with some porters at the camp to wait a day or two and to
search for me. The bulk of the caravan, some four hundred
men, could not of course be delayed, as the food question is a
serious one in a wilderness. It turned out, that the caravan,
instead of camping where we had halted in the morning and
were supposed to camp, had moved otT two hours farther on.
When I arrived at our camp, I got of course a wigging for
having left, as I was supposed to have done, a caravan on
the march ; but I was able to explain, that I should not have
NEUMANNS STEINHOK. i
left but for the misleading assurance of the headman, that we
had reached our destination. In fact, the caravan would have
camped, where I had started from, but that owing to the
drought there was no water to be had till the Kiboko river was
reached.
Neumajins Steitibok. — On my sixth journey I shot two small
antelopes, one at the Molo river, the other at the Kiboko river,
the first in the Uganda Protectorate, the second in the British
East Africa Protectorate. Both were males. The females of
this species have no horns. I was puzzled to know to which of
the small species of antelopes my specimens belonged. I sub-
mitted them to Mr. Oldfield Thomas, the authority on antelopes
278 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
at the South Kensington Natural History Museum. He was
interested, because the Museum had not yet one specimen of
the sort in its vast collection. Mr. Thomas considered mine to
belong to a new species quite recently added to science by
the German traveller and naturalist in whose honour it has been
named Neumanni. But there appears to be a slight difference
which places my two specimens as a sort of connecting-link
between the South African steinbok and Neumann's. The
South African species has a black patch on the nose and a black
horse-shoe patch on the forehead. Neumann's has neither the
one nor the other. My two specimens do not have the black
horse-shoe patch, but they both have the black patch on the
nose. Mr. Thomas places, therefore, my specimens amongst
the Neumanni, as they are nearest to the specimen described
as Neumanni. This antelope has tiny horns, somewhat rugose.
The general colour is a rich brown. It frequents bush-covered
districts in the neighbourhood of water. It is either solitary or
in companionship with one or two others. It is a pretty and
graceful animal ; and it can run apparently as fast on three legs
as on four. One specimen I bowled over with a single shot ;
the other, in spite of a broken hind-leg, gave me some trouble
before 1 could secure it.
CHAPTER XX
SMALL MAMMALS.
M
Y interest in small
mammals was aroused
by my capturing one
new species of rodent
at Mumia's in Kavirondo in
1895.
I am indebted to Mr. E.
de Winton, F.Z.S., for the
list of names of the specimens
collected by me in Uganda
and in British East Africa, and
to the Zoological Society of
London for permission to use
their description of the new
Lophuromys.
Two specimens ( 5 and ? )
of the dwarf mungoose {Helogale
undulata) I presented to the
British Museum (Natural His-
tory) ; they were got with one shot, as they crossed the caravan
road at Masongoleni in British East Africa.
The large ground-squirrel {Xeriis erythr-opus) was caught with
a noose in a maize-held at Masindi in Unyoro. It is covered
with short stiff hairs, some of which are as hard and bristly as
the small quills of a porcupine. When running along the ground,
the animal holds its tail horizontal.
The small ground-squirrel {Xerus rutilus) can frequently be
seen on the march, racing ahead along the dusty caravan road
on a hot sunny day. From time to time the animal pauses to
LOPHUROMYS ANSORGEI.
[Half life-size.)
28o UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
sit up in a pretty begging attitude to look around and listen, and
finally it scampers off into the bush.
Emin's striped-squirrel {Funisciurus boehmi) is very common
at Fajao in Unyoro. It is a small green animal, with three
horizontal black stripes along the body from the neck to the
tail. Where the trees were close together, I have seen it jump
from tree to tree ; but if the branches happened to be rather
far apart, it ran down the trunk of the tree as easily as if it
were on level ground, and hurrving on to the next tree, it ran
up with equal ease and rapidity, however vertical and high the
tree might be.
The ochre-footed scrub-squirrel {Funisciurus genand) is pretty
often met with, rustling in the foliage of the shrubs and bushes
along the caravan road between Kinani and Kibwezi in British
East Africa.
The bats were captured with the butterfly net, some in the
open air on bright moonlight nights, some in my hut, and some
in banana plantations.
The musk-shrews were caught with a steel-trap in my hut.
Other troublesome visitors the steel-trap has rid me of, viz., the
Mus hildebrandti,\he. Mus gentilis, and the Mus UgandiC.
The harsh-furred field-mouse {LopJiuroniys fiavopunctatus) was
caught with the hand in a field of sweet-potatoes at Masindi in
Unyoro. The LopJiuromys ansorgei and the Tachyoryctis splejidens
were collected in clearing the jungle, where formerly had stood
a Kavirondo village.
The tree-rat was caught with the hand, when a tall forest tree
was felled at Fajao. This rat has a reddish patch near the nose,
and a similar mark near the root of the tail.
The two species of small grass-mice differ in colour. The
reddish one I got from a bird's nest hanging from a bush ; the
young of this species, however, are dark grey, for I saw four
such in a nest cleverly constructed between the bananas of a
green banana-bunch.
The striped field-rat {Ai-vicanthus pulchdld) is a pretty animal
with its zebra markings. It is very common in the sweet-potato
fields at Masindi in Unyoro. I once came across three young
ones in a nest built in the fork of a small tree. The tiny size of
the markings gave them the appearance of having spots instead
of stripes.
The curious Heterocephalus glaber, or hairless rodent mole, I
SMALL MAMMALS
2SI
shot in 1896 at Kinani in British East Africa. I found it in a
small sandy patch, surrounded by scattered bush and thorn-
trees, near the caravan route. Whereas the Tachyoryctes splen-
dais, or bamboo-rat, was observed by me in Kavirondo to throw
up the earth like a giant mole, and to live in rich, cultivated soil
overgrown with vegetation, this Heterocephalus threw out the
earth with its hind-legs from a small tunnel, like a rat-hole, in
a sandy, bare, and barren patch. The hairless, yellowish skin
of the Heterocephalus felt to the touch something like a frog's
naked skin. The eyes are so small, that I thought at first this
animal had none, but they can be seen by using a magnifying
glass. The animal is not absolutely hairless, for it has a few
scattered hairs on its head and feet. To secure the specimen
I had to shoot it. On presenting it to the British Museum
(Natural History), Mr. Oldfield Thomas told me, that the first
of this species came from Abyssinia, but as nearly half a century
passed before another was obtained, it was thought to be rather
a freak of Nature than a distinct genus. In course of time,
however, a similar animal, but belonging to a different species,
was brought from Somaliland. My specimen, Mr. Thomas tells
me, is interesting because it is the first from British territory.
Bats.
1. Epomophorus minor (fruit bat ' . From Masindi in Unyoro.
2. Hipposiderus caffer Do. do.
3. Vesperugo nanus .... Do. do.
4. Taphozous mauritianus .... Do. do.
5. Nycteris thebaica From Kampala in Uganda.
Miisk-Slirews.
6. Crocidura doriana From Masindi in Unyoro, and
Kampala in Uganda.
Sqitir7-els.
7. Funisciurus genana (ochre-
footed scrub-squirrelj . . . From Kibwezi and Kinani, in
British East Africa.
8. Funisciurus boehmi (Emin's
striped-squirrel) From Fajao in Unyoro.
9. Xerus erythropus (ground-squir-
rel) From Masindi in Unyoro.
10. Xerus rutilus (ground-squirrel) . From Mtoto Ndei, British
East Africa.
282 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Gerbil
11. Gerbillus(Tatera)afer . . . • From Masindi in Unyoro,
and Mumia's in Kavirondo.
Reed-Mouse.
12. Dendromys mesomelas. . . . From Masindi in Unyoro.
Fie hi- Rats.
13. Arvicanthusabyssinicus . . ■ From Mumia's in Kavirondo ;
Masindi in Unyoro ; Kibero,
on east shore of Lake Al-
bert ; Mahaji, on west shore
of Lake .'\lbert.
Striped Field- Rat.
14. Arvicanthus pulchella .... From Masindi in Unyoro.
Tree- Rat.
15. Mus hypoxanthus From Fajao in Unyoro.
Tree-Motise.
16. Mus dolichurus From Fajao in Unyoro.
House- l\ats and Mice.
17. Mus hildebrandti From Masindi in Unyoro.
18. Mus gentilis Do. do.
19. Mus ugandas From Kampala in Uganda.
Small Grass-Mice.
20. Mus (Leggada) musculoides . . From Masindi in Unyoro.
21. Mus (Leggada) minutoides . . Do. do.
Harsh- Furred Field-Mouse.
n^
Lophuromys flavopunctatus . . From Masindi in Unyoro.
23. Lophuromys ansorgei .... From Mumia's in Kavirondo.
On a New Rodent of the Genus Lophuromys
FROM British East Africa.
By W. E. de WINTON, F.Z.S.
(From Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 19th May 1896.)
In a small series of mammals presented to the national
collection by Dr. W. J. Ansorge, Medical Officer to Her
Majesty's Government in Uganda, who is now home on leave,
SMALL MAMMALS 283
I find two specimens of a very handsome mouse of the genus
LopJuiroinys new to science, which I propose to name in honour
of the collector.
Lophuromys Afisorgei, sp.n.
The whole of the upper parts of the head and body smooth
dark chocolate colour, with no markings whatever, the under-
parts uniform pale cinnamon, the feet dark above and below,
the tail black-brown, slightly greyer beneath, especially basally,
rather short and thick, covered with hair, but not densely enough
to conceal the scales, ears moderate, rounded, covered with close
short hairs.
On parting the fur of the upper parts, it will be found that the
tips only of the hairs are dark, shading gradually into bright tan
at the bases ; there is no under-fur, all the hairs are perfectly
straight, of a uniform length, and of very much the consistency
of a stiff camel's-hair brush.
Measurements taken from dried skin : head and body 135
mm., tail 49 mm., pes 22 mm., forearm and hand 33 mm.
Skull : greatest length 33.5 mm., greatest breadth 17 mm.,
basifacial length 20 mm., basicranial length 10 mm., incisive
foramina — length 6.5 mm., breadth 2.8 mm., nasals — length 15
mm., breadth 3.5 mm., upper molar series 5.5 mm., lower molar
series 5 mm., mandibles, from condyle to incisor tips, 24 mm.
Hab. Mumia's, Kavirondo, N.E. of Lake Victoria.
Type No. 96. V. 8. i, in Brit. Mus.
The nearest ally of this species is most likely L. sikapusi from
West Africa, but it is easily distinguished by its rather larger size
and much darker and handsomer colouring.
Seen through a lens, each hair is flattened like a blade of
grass, tapering abruptly to a sharp point at either end ; some of
the hairs are flat, others have the edges turned over so that the
cross section forms the segment of a circle. The claws are long
and straight ; these and the hairy nose and other peculiarities of
the genus are well described by Mr. F. W. True (Proc. Nat. Mus.
Washington, 1892, vol. xv. p. 460) in his description of Mus aquilus,
which no doubt should be referred to this genus. I may mention
that there is in the British Museum a specimen which seems to
agree with the description of Mus aquilus ; this is a smaller
animal, freckled with light tips to the hairs, and is otherwise
very distinct from the animal now under notice, but shows that
284 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Mr. True's specimen was about full grown, and that the tail was
not materially shortened by the injury mentioned.
Dr. Ansorge has been hitherto known in connection with
zoology as a collector of insects, but he gives me an interesting
account of the accident which put him in possession of this
collection of mammals in 1895. The site of a long-disused
village had been purchased for the purpose of building the
new Government Hospital, and in clearing the long grass and
scrub towards the centre, as the circle narrowed it was dis-
covered that there was a large number of small mammals
enclosed. It being observed that there were "rats of all
colours," a selection of pairs of different sorts was made, with
the result that some ten or a dozen specimens were obtained.
Dr. Ansorge describes the Rhizoviys heaving up the ground like
giant moles ; many of the new Lophurotnys, quite twenty, were
left on the ground.
The two specimens agree in every particular, and are said to
be male and female, but are not labelled.
Bamboo-Rat.
24. Tachyoryctes splendens . . . From Mumia's in Kavirondo.
Hairless Rodent Mole.
25. Heterocephalus glaber . . . . In 1896 from Kinani in British
East Africa.
CHAPTER XXI.
REPTILES.
Frogs. — There can be little doubt that an interesting collection
of frogs could be obtained in Uganda and on the march up-
country. The difficulty of making such a collection lies in the
necessity of having to provide oneself with a good supply of
the indispensable methylated spirits and pure alcohol, and
suitable stoppered glass jars. Once only, it was on my third
journey, did I take some methylated spirits with me. I was
promptly relieved of it, on the third day's march from Mom-
basa, by the professional thief who, having enlisted as a
caravan porter, absconded with his load. On my first journey
— we were camped at the famous water-holes in the Taru
desert — I caught a greyish white frog in one of the small
water-holes, and I was tempted to bottle it, sacrificing some
of my brandy to preserve it in. This specimen has since
found its way to the Natural History Collection at South
Kensington. On my fifth journey I was tempted once more
to secure the specimen I saw. This time it was a bright-red
frog, noticed by me in the slushy caravan road near Mason-
goleni, when incessant and depressing daily rains kept my
eyes directed to the ground. The following day I found
with regret, that the brilliant red colour had disappeared
under the action of the spirits, and had been replaced by
a dingy grey, whereupon in disgust I threw the specimen
away. I am sorry for it now, as I have not found anything
like it in the South Kensington Museum. I may have thrown
away a very interesting novelty.
My third and last attempt was to bring to the coast a very
tiny little grass-frog from Kavirondo. This little creature was
sitting snugly on some tall blades of grass. In colour it was
almost white, in size about half an inch. Owing to the white,
2S5
286 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
purple, and yellow flowers scattered among the grass, it might
be easily overlooked. Swahilies say this little frog poisons cattle.
It is quite possible that cattle out grazing may swallow some
of them. As Nature did not intend that cows should devour
frogs, it is not at all improbable that gastric irritation may be
set up by the unnatural food, and in severe cases may pro-
duce death. These little frogs are very numerous in certain
localities ; hundreds could have been collected easily. A few
days later I happened to look at the pickle-jar which con-
tained my specimen. I found the spirits had been upset, and
the specimen, dried up and spoiled, had to be thrown away.
But the remarkable differences which exist among frogs in
colour, size, shape, and habits, and which 1, with an unin-
terested eye, have noticed, convinces me that any one, willing
to devote some spare moments to this particular subject, would
find it well worth his while.
Chameleons. — Among the many interesting objects the tra-
veller meets with, the chameleon deserves mention. If for
nothing else, the ludicrous mobility of its eyes must arrest one's
attention. The chameleon has a perpetual stiff neck, the apo-
plectic shortness of which prevents the head being turned.
Kindly Nature has, however, provided abundant compensation,
by enabling the chameleon to look behind without having the
trouble of turning round, and to look straight up without having
to move the head.
To watch the eye of the chameleon gaze upward, then
straight behind, now downwards, now forwards, is sufficiently
amusing ; but when the two eyes are seen to have the power
of moving perfectly independently of each other, one eye
staring stonily backward, and the other eye fixed in heavenly
rapture upward, and after various other squinting gymnastics,
both eyes suddenly shoot back and assume a normal position ;
then the effect is decidedly laughable. In squinting human eyes,
only one eye does really the work of seeing, the other eye, for
the matter of that, might be closed or non-existent ; the brain
taking cognizance of what the one eye reports to it, and ignoring
all impressions on the other eye. But in the squinting exercises
of the chameleon, both eyes, whether working in unison or
independently, have what they communicate to the brain
impartially attended to.
The fore-foot of the chameleon has two of the four toes
REPTILES 287
forward, and the other two backward. This gives to it some-
what the appearance of a crab's pincers, and imparts to it, at
the same time, the grasping power of the hand. There is an
awkward stilted movement in the Hmbs of the chameleon, as
it unclasps its hold, extends the limbs, and fastens on to some
object. The tail is long and prehensile.
Everybody knows that the chameleon has the power,
apparently depending on its volition, of changing its colour ;
but judging from the African specimens I have observed, there
seems to be a very limited choice of colour and of pattern.
The most common colours are green and yellow, and the
usual patterns are a yellow mottling on a green ground, or
dark green vertical patches or stripes with a yellow base line.
With the lantern light thrown on them on a dark night,
chameleons appear as plain whitish-yellow bodies among the
dark foliage.
Natives have a superstitious dread of chameleons, and believe
their bite to be poisonous. It required a good deal of persuasion
to get any one to carry for me a small branch on which a
chameleon perched motionless ; but if the chameleon, disturbed
by the movement, began to walk towards the hand, the man
would drop the branch in fear and horror. When irritated or
frightened, the chameleon opens wide its jaws and utters a
hissing sound like "shah." If greatly annoyed, it will snap and
bite at the object held out to it ; but it is really very timid
and inoffensive, and all it desires, is to be left alone, to fulfil its
mission of clearing the world of flies and other insect pests.
Lizards. — Judging from what I have seen, apparently a great
variety of species exist of the useful and harmless lizard. It is
a pleasure to watch the alert movements of their head, their
diligence in hunting down troublesome insects, their nimbleness
in darting on their prey, and the rapidity with which they race
up the perpendicular surface of a tree, rock, or wall. They have
to keep a sharp look-out for their own safety, for they are
evidently considered delicate morsels by more than one enemy.
I have often seen a hen catch a lizard, kill it by dashing it
repeatedly against the ground, and then swallow it whole. Some
of the lizards in these Protectorates are brilliantly coloured in
blue, orange, and red ; but many of the smaller, decked in
inconspicuous colours of grey and brown, are admirable in the
beauty of the patterns traced on them.
288 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
There is a very large water-lizard, known by Swahilies as
the "kenge," which may grow to an enormous length, and is
appreciated by them as food. I was startled once by nearly
treading on one of these big lizards at Fajao near the bank
of the Nile. At first I took it for a small crocodile, but as it
swiftly clambered up a steep sandy bank I saw my mistake.
On the overland journey from Lake Nyassa through the Mag-
wangwara country in German East Africa, one of our Swahilies
shot a water-lizard six feet in length. It was the largest I have
seen, the one at Fajao could not have been much over three
feet. The skin of the " kenge " is used to ornament various
fancy articles. In Usoga it is used instead of the conventional
drum-skin of leather for small drums ; it also serves to form the
sound-board in typical Usoga harps.
One night the cold, wriggling body of a lizard rushing down
my leg made me jump out of bed pretty sharp, under the
impression that it was a snake.
The larger lizards will catch and devour the smaller species.
I have watched a lizard going through a curious sort of mus-
cular exercise, consisting in raising the head and the fore-part
of the body up and dowm. Occasionally this was the prelude
to attacking and pursuing another lizard. In these tights one
of the lizards may lose its tail, w^hich seems to drop off easily
and then lies for a considerable time wriggling about. In a
short time a new tail has grown and replaced the one that was
lost.
Eggs of lizards have more than once been brought to me by
natives as eggs of birds, because they happened to be unusually
large ; but lizard eggs are more elliptical in form, and even a
gentle touch will often indent their white, leathery surface.
Tortoises. — One comes across tortoises pretty often in these
Protectorates, but, as a rule, they are small and worthless.
Some species are found in the grass, others frequent rivers and
lakes. From Ndi to Muani they are constantly met with. The
largest specimen I saw, was in one of the pools of the Athi
river ; as it rose to the surface of the water, we thought at first
that it was the head of a hippo appearing. The smallest speci-
mens I found in pools and puddles in Kavirondo. I have seen
Wanyamwezi eat a tortoise, but none of the other natives. A
good many tortoises must perish in the annual grass-fires, for
one comes not unfrequently upon their calcined remains.
REPTILES 289
Two curious specimens of the " leathery " variety I saw
caught at Kibero by two Soudanese children fishing with line
and rod in Lake Albert. Instead of the usual hard carapace,
these tortoises had a soft flexible shell, hence the name
" leathery." They were brownish-black in colour, dotted all
over with green specks. They had a curious, pointed snout.
When placed flat on the back, they had the power to wriggle
themselves right again. I kept them alive for many months in
an earthen bowl filled with water. I hoped to have brought
them with me to London, but owing to unforeseen circum-
stances they had to be left at Kampala.
Snakes. — When I first visited Central Africa and Lake
Nyassa, I used to carry some capsules containing ammonia in
my pocket, in anticipation of a snake-bite. I was agreeably
surprised to find how rarely one sees a snake, and I never
heard of any one being killed or even bitten by one.
But, though far from common, one is forcibly reminded
every now and again in British East Africa and Uganda that
there are snakes about, and that they can and do kill human
beings.
Most travellers have met the deadly puff-adder, the big
python, and the green, slender grass-snake. At least a dozen
other species have come at one time or another under my
notice. There was a conspicuously coloured yellow and red
snake which I killed near Kilungu on my third journey. A tiny
black snake with white spots, which I tried to intercept on the
caravan road at Kasokwa in Unyoro, turned and sprang at me ;
it was not much over a foot in length, and a blow with my stick
knocked it over dead. At Masindi we despatched two long grey
snakes which had taken up their quarters in the hospital dispen-
sary. When we cleared the ground for a new road leading
from the foot of Kampala hill in September 1894, several bluish-
grey and brown snakes were brought to light and destroyed, and
also a long black one which was discovered inside a white-ant
hill that was being levelled. I once saw a very long python
lying dead near the Nzoia river in Kavirondo.
On my fourth journey, near Lake Nakuru, one of my porters
warned me just in time, as I approached a shrub on which
lay curled a young python four to five feet long. I blew its
head off with my shot-gun. On the west shore of Lake Albert
I fired from a dug-out canoe at some baboons, and a long
290 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
green snake, which I had not observed, was accidentally killed
by the shot and dropped from the overhanging branches into
the water.
What strange tent companions one may have, I experienced
at Mtiabua on the east shore of Lake Albert. We had camped
on a sandy tongue of land, sparsely dotted with bush and shrub;
I was dressing, and my Arab servant was removing something
or other from the tent, preparatory to our striking tent for the
day's march, when a snake sprung and struck at his hand, but
fortunately only hit his sleeve. We soon killed it. It was three
feet long, and had a lovely geometrical pattern in red-brow-n
along its back.
When visiting the Murchison Falls of the Victoria Nile, some
one just called out in time, as we were about to pass underneath
a branch on which lay extended a silver-grey tree-snake. The
wav this creature slid swiftly and noiselessly along the branches,
and from one bush to another, was simply marvellous. Twice
at Fovira did I see water-snakes in the Nile ; the one was
close to the shore, where Soudanese w^omen went to bathe and
to fetch water ; the other started boldly from our side of the
bank, and, though the river is here over half a mile broad,
attempted to swim across to the other side, but meeting one
of the small floating islands of papyrus sudd, it cleverly
wriggled up a papyrus-stem, and thus secured for itself a
free passage on it down the Nile.
At the Makindo river, on my fifth journey, I was on the
point of entering one of the many small, scattered clumps of
bushes, when I fortunately noticed, and had just time to jump
back, a snake, part of it standing erect, three feet high. Its head
was slightly drawn back, and it was ready to strike. I had
a narrow escape. On my sixth journey, I watched at Kiwalo-
goma, in Uganda, a small brownish tree-snake climbing the
perpendicular trunk of a big tree with comparative ease and
rapidity. It was much too small to encircle the tree trunk, but
its writhing body took advantage of minute inequalities in the
bark, found support thereon, and used them as a sort of ladder.
The most dreaded snake is the deadly puff-adder ; I have
shot tw^o specimens. The first one was on my third journev,
at the Kedong. It had been raining incessantly for days, and
the camp looked like a swamp. Walking along in single lile, I
was passing a large boulder, when I saw one of these hateful
REPTILES 291
reptiles coiled on the top of it just out of reach of the water.
As I had the gun in my hand I fired, and owing to my being
so near, the shot cut the snake right in two and blew both parts
off the stone into the water. The second specimen I got at the
Kiboko river on my fourth journey. It lay right in the middle
of the caravan road through the wood, extended at full length,
and leisurely moving along. I had only a small-shot cartridge
with me ; the shot therefore did not injure the skin perceptibly,
though it killed the puff-adder on the spot.
On the loth of February 1898, in Singo, a province of
Uganda, I had three narrow escapes from snake-bite. In the
morning a snake was disturbed under the awning of my tent,
but fortunately it was killed before it could get at me. On
the march, another crossed the narrow footpath right under
our feet. It suddenly emerged from the tangled weeds on our
right and disappeared in the long grass on our left. Luckily
it was not trodden on, so no one was bitten. The third
was to cloud the day with a sad event. I was riding at the
time on my donkey, and my Wahima servant, " Ferhani," was
by my side. Two Soudanese soldiers were walking in front of
us. With a start they sprang to one side, calling out " snake " ;
but we were so immediately behind them, that my donkey, my
boy, and I were already over the spot, and had no time to
avoid it. The snake could have struck at me as easily as at
the bov, because on donkey-back one's legs are not very many
inches from the ground.
With a scream of fear, and his face distorted with terror,
Ferhani jumped from my side. Too late ! The snake struck
him ; my donkey and I escaped unhurt. I jumped down to
attend at once to the poor fellow. He had sunk on the
ground, clasping his leg. He exclaimed : " Master, I shall die."
Then he kept reciting his Mohammedan prayers, " There is
but one God and Mohammed is his prophet, and is with
God," up to almost the moment of his death. The wound
consisted of four tiny punctures, mere pin-pricks ; and while
one man was vigorously sucking the wound, I twisted my
handkerchief round the limb to arrest circulation. The Sou-
danese soldiers were most sympathetic and attentive. Taking
Ferhani of their own accord on their back, they carried him
to my tent, running the whole distance. I used ammonia and
stimulants, the remedies at hand, but nothing could save him.
292 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
He died within two hours and a half, and I lost a most
faithful and attached servant. It brought the uncertainty of
life very forcibly before me, to think how near I had been to
falling myself a victim to this horrid snake, the third one
that endangered my life in the course of one day. My Arab
servant expressed surprise, that the bite did not kill Ferhani
more quickly. If what he says is correct, the puff-adder's
bite may prove fatal in a very few minutes. He told me,
that on one occasion, when some Arabs were together in a
hut, one of them left the company and went to a cocoa-nut
palm close by ; the others heard a scream and saw the man
sink down at the foot of the palm, but by the time they had
hurried up to him, he was in extremis, and died. A puff-adder
had bitten him.
Ferhani had been only ten months in my service. Before
he came to me, he had tried various callings, including that
of a small pedlar, but had failed to earn enough to provide
the bare necessaries of life. In a starving condition he
applied at Fort Masindi for work, and was sent on to me,
as I was willing to add another to the number of my
servants. He did not know a word of Swahili, and knew abso-
lutely nothing of the duties of a servant. Yet very soon he
had learnt enough Swahili to make himself understood, and
had^ mastered all the details of his duties to render himself
indispensable to the household. He was a Mohammedan, and
a strict observer of the Mohammedan ritual. He was frugal
and thrifty, and a sum exceeding £2 was left by him in cloth
and rupees, and taken over by the Government for any heirs
that might turn up. He was devotedly attached to me, and a
plucky little fellow, standing by my side and carrying my rifle
for me on more than one occasion, when I was in imminent
danger of death. To me his death was a great loss. He was
willing and hard-working, tidy, sober, and scrupulouslv honest.
As he was being carried into my tent, he asked for his
" kitabo," or book ; this contained certain passages of the
Koran. When it was brought to him, he was already too
drowsy to remember it.
The bite of the snake was almost instantly followed by a
racking pain which travelled up the poor fellow's leg, and then
passed on successively to the abdomen, both arms, and the other
leg. Severe vomiting set in within a quarter of an hour, and
REPTILES 293
continued to within half-an-hour of his death. He frequently
pressed both his sides in pain and clutched at my arm. A
spasm seized his throat, as if he were suffocating. The whole
body rapidly became icy-cold, in spite of friction and other
artificial means of keeping it warm. A cold sweat covered head
and chest. The power of speech was then lost, but con-
sciousness and hearing remained almost to the end. The sense
of drowsiness increased ; he seemed unable to resist an over-
powering desire to sleep. All our attempts to keep him awake
proved vain ; and the instant he yielded to sleep, he was dead.
He died in my tent. I had the body removed to a
grass-hut to be buried in the morning by his co-religionists
according to their burial rites. The grave was dug the same
night by torchlight. The body was wrapped up in a clean
white cotton cloth, so that it looked like a mummy. In the
morning it was buried, a large white cloth being held as a
cover over the mouth of the grave, on the floor of which a sort
of deep gutter had been prepared to receive the body facing
towards Mecca. A number of short sticks, placed slantingly
against one side of the pit, formed a sort of inclined roof
over the body, this was covered with grass, and, finally, some
wet earth was spread over the grass. The pit was then
filled up, a mound raised over it, and four sticks stuck at the
four corners. The mourners repeated some verses of the
Koran, probably a burial formula, holding up their hands as if
reading from some imaginary book. Some water was sprinkled
.over the grave, and the mourners went through gestures sug-
gestive of washing their hands and faces.
Then the signal was given to march. We left Ferhani in
his lonely grave, and the busy duties of another day claimed
our attention. Yesterday he marched by my side in perfect
health, to-day he had dropped out of the ranks. He lay cold
and still, and another had taken his place. Four tiny punctures,
mere pin - pricks, and yet in a few hours he was snatched
from among the living ! What an emphatic illustration of the
saying, that we are " fearfully and wonderfully made " !
Crocodiles. — Ascending the Shire river in 1893, our stern-
wheeler stuck on a sand-bank. In anticipation of such an
event, apparently of common occurrence, extra natives had been
shipped aboard. It was their duty to jump into the river and
pull the vessel into deep water again. Only a few yards from us
294 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
the water was deep enough. The river teems with crocodiles,
but there is a general belief, that the splashing and the shouting
frightens the crocs away. The men toiled all day ; but, if
anything, we got more firmly fixed than ever on the sand. In
the evening the captain told me, that one of the natives was
supposed to have been drowned, as he had disappeared in the
water. It seems to me, however, just as possible that he was
quietly "annexed" by a crocodile, in whose "sphere of in-
fluence " he happened to be. As the steamer could not be got
off, boats came from higher up the river to our assistance and
took us to the landing-station.
On our way we saw numbers of crocs basking on the sand-
banks and plunging into the water as our boat drew near to
them. One huge monster refused to budge. My boat-
companion got greatly excited, and begged the loan of my
revolver, the only weapon we had.
When thirty yards off, he fired at the eye of the croc. A
furious switch of the tail followed and the monster lay still. I
knew my companion was a good shot, but I was amazed at this
marvellous exhibition of skill, and at the astounding accuracy of
his aim from a moving boat ; but there, apparently, lay the proof
before my eyes. My companion was naturally doubly sure, and
he decided to land and secure the croc. I agreed to follow, but
not a native would stir from the boat. I do not wonder now,
since I have had a little more experience of crocs. Once on the
same sand-bank with our motionless croc, I suggested that my
companion should fire another shot to make quite sure that the
reptile was dead. This shot was followed by such a furious
lashing of the tail and such an unpleasant opening and clapping
together of the huge jaws, that we thought it advisable to retreat
backwards, scramble into the boat, and push off, especially as
the croc was trying to screw himself round on its fore-legs in
our direction. We should probably not have troubled ourselves
further about it, if one of the other boats had not appeared on
the scene. My companion borrowed a rifie from one of the
new-comers. Once more we ventured on the sand-bank, and my
companion sent the bullet crashing into the head of the reptile.
Instantly the croc began rolling over and over, but fortunately
towards the distant end of the sandbank. We had not a spare
cartridge, and were on the point of losing the croc, when my
companion produced a knife.
REPTILES
295
Digging at the throat of the reptile with the knife, whenever
the under surface came into view, and jumping aside at each snap,
we succeeded in cutting the jugular, and the croc succumbed
to its many wounds, within a few inches of the edge of the water.
Our boatmen even then would not venture near for some time.
The carcass was drawn into the boat, and we proceeded on our
journey, whilst I made my first — and I take care it shall be the
last — autopsy on a croc. It was interesting to dissect the reptile,
examine its internal organs, and ascertain that the stomach con-
CROCODILE-POOL AT FAJAO.
tained apparently a bushel of pebbles, but absolutely no vestige
of food ; but — the odour on my hands afterwards and for days !
No amount of soaping and scrubbing seemed to get it off, and it
almost nauseated me, when I raised food to my mouth.
Some natives do eat croc, but very few. The gall-bladder,
with the contained gall, w\-is in great request. According to
some natives, it is highly prized by their " medicine-men " for
supposed medicinal virtues ; according to others, it is used in
the manufacture of some very deadly poison. On rejoining
the travellers in the other boats, the miraculous revolver shot
which disabled the monster croc at thirty yards, was explained
296 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
by the fact, that some one in the first boat had ah-eady hit it
with a rifle bullet, and had left it for dead on the sand-bank.
At the south end of Lake Nyassa, I have seen scores of crocs
floating lazily on the water, whilst natives would bathe with the
greatest unconcern in the lake. They explained this to me, on
the strength of their possessing from their " medicine-man " some
special charm which gave them immunity from crocs. If
occasionally the crocs caught and devoured some one, it was
attributed to neglecting to purchase the necessary charm.
Visiting the hospital at Kilwa in January 1894, I saw among
the patients a man who had lost both his hands quite recently ;
a croc had snapped them ofT, when the man was washing
clothes. At Kibero, on Lake Albert, I shot a young croc, but
the bullet shattered the upper half of the head.
I shot several crocs at Fajao. The river is simply alive with
them at this place, especially at "Crocodile-Pool." The Nile
dashing down the Murchison Falls, indents the southern bank
with a sequence of curves separated by rocky hills. A series of
pools is thus formed, owing to the fierce current of the stream,
by the back-wash of the water. Crocodile-Pool is the one most
handy for the villagers ; and here, any day, scores of women and
children may be seen bathing, in spite of the crocs which bask
open-mouthed on some of the rocks in the stream or congregate
in scores on the opposite northern bank of the Nile.
No doubt the Soudanese settlement, which is comparatively
recent, has driven most of the reptiles to the Shuli side, but there
are still a good many on the British bank of the river. Even
though the croc may not be visible, it may be quite close. One
day I shot a small bird on a branch overhanging the river.
The bird dropped into the water, perhaps six or seven feet from
the bank. As it touched the w'ater, the open jaws of a croc rose
above the surface, snapped up the bird and disappeared. To
my horror one of the boys plunged into the water. As if he
could possibly have recovered the bird ! I yelled out to him to
come back, fearing every second to see a dreadful tragedy ; the
boy himself was much surprised at my excitement. But I took
care never again to shoot a bird which might fall into the river.
On another occasion I heard a loud snap and splash. Look-
ing in that direction, I saw^ the head of a croc above the water
with a big fish in its jaws ; the posterior half of the fish was flap-
ping violently from side to side. A second and a third snap
REPTILES 297
succeeded, and the fish disappeared inside the croc, and the croc
vanished in the stream. It all happened in a few seconds.
When I have been hippo-shooting on this river, I have had an
uncomfortable feeling of the danger of the dug-out canoe up-
setting. Between my first and second visit to Fajao such an
accident did occur to two men in a canoe. I was told, that the
moment the canoe was upset, the spot seemed alive with crocs.
One of the men got safely into another dug-out close by ; but
when the rescuers were trying to pull in the other man, who
was one of our Soudanese soldiers, it was found that it was a tug-
of-war against crocs. Thereupon the unfortunate soldier called
out : " What's the good ? they have got hold of me ; you had
better let go." According to the English officer who told me the
particulars of this accident, the would-be rescuers thereupon did
let go, and of course the next moment it was all over. The
Soudanese take mishaps and misfortunes with stoicism ; their
Mohammedan religion bids them to accept everything as
" kismet," i.e. fate.
I lost several crocs, before I managed to secure a specimen.
The convulsive start given by the dying reptile used to send
it into the stream, and then I was sure never to see it again.
Determined to get a specimen, I went in a dug-out, rounding as
noiselessly as possible a tongue of land, where I knew there
were lots of crocs. I used my Martini- Henry sporting rifle. I
aimed at the reptile farthest from the water ; it was apparently
shot dead, and I had time to shoot another. In the mean-
time the first one gradually recovered and began crawling to-
wards the water, leaving a blood streak in its path. But though
I plugged three more bullets into it, and could see the blood
spurting out, the reptile managed to tumble into the water, and,
as on former occasions, 1 never saw it again. I hurriedly re-
turned to my second croc, and as it opened and snapped its
jaws, though apparently too badly wounded to be able to move,
I advanced to within a few yards and sent a bullet crashing into
its head. This killed it outright.
We fastened the body to the side of our dug-out and towed
it to the landing-place, where it was dragged ashore and cut
up ; the native officer annexing a sort of musk-gland in the
armpit, which some appear to value highly. I kept the paws,
which are partly webbed. Some of the Soudanese belonging
to the Makraka tribe eat crocodile. Among those who wanted
298 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
the croc flesh there was a leper with some of his fingers gone.
I heard that some natives believe, that eating the reptile cures
leprosy, whilst they also believe this fell disease is caused by
eating however tiny a bit of crocodile flesh.
These diametrically opposite views have their European
representatives in so-called homoepathic treatment of disease,
and in the queer notion of curing rabies by applying " a hair
of the dog that bit you."
In the stomach of the croc we found, besides the usual
quantity of stones, a huge fish ; but it was too decomposed
even for native insensibility to eat. The fore-paws of the croc
have five toes and resemble hands ; they are small, and only
the three inner toes have nails. The hind-paws are huge, but
have only four toes, three of which have nails. From tip of
snout to tip of tail this croc measured 13 feet 11 inches.
These reptiles have not the narrow-pointed jaws of the
Indian "gavial," and they dift'er from New World alligators in
the teeth of the lower jaw fitting into notches in the upper
jaw, and not into specially provided sockets.
On a subsequent visit I secured a second specimen of croc.
This one I also shot with a ISIartini bullet. It was much
smaller, it measured only 12 feet ih inches. I removed the
teeth, and kept over fifty of them, not counting small ones.
The large teeth are curios worth keeping. In both crocs I
cut off the flap of skin over the abdomen ; this is the softest
part of the skin, and when tanned it constitutes the valuable
crocodile leather of commerce.
As soon as the Uganda railway is completed, and the Cairo-
to-Cape line realised, some enterprising individual may succeed
in establishing a brisk and lucrative trade with Europe in croco-
dile skins from Fajao and the upper reaches of the Nile.
CHAPTER XXII.
BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, AND BEETLES.
M
I SS ION ARIES, doctors, and military officers are
amongst the principal collectors of butterflies, moths,
and beetles. Now and then some one engaged in
the construction of a new road or railway has his
attention arrested by a beautiful or curious insect, and sud-
denly he too falls under the collecting spell. But there are
comparatively few professional collectors ; it is next to im-
possible for such to find enough purchasers to make the
business pay. The public is not interested in this sort of
achievement, though willing to spend money on the latest
sensational improbabilities from the fertile brain of an un-
truthful adventurer.
It would cost the professional a small fortune to reach the
best collecting areas which the amateur visits at the expense
of some Mission society or the Government. To the amateur
it does not matter whether the locality or the season are
favourable or not, whether the specimens are common or rare,
whether he catches few or many ; to him it is merely a plea-
sant recreation to employ his leisure-time. It often means life
and health to a man, leading a lonely existence in some out-of-the-
way station, to have some object which will divert his thoughts
pleasantly and cause him to take the needful outdoor exercise.
"All work and no play makes jack a dull boy," whether he be
fifteen or fifty ; and there are healthier ways of spending one's
leisure than " killing time " with the assistance of a French novel
and v/hisky.
There is a popular prejudice, that collecting butterflies is
" childish," because we unconsciously associate it with boyhood's
happy days of sailor-suit and Etons, and imagine that it is summed
up in the capture of a " Garden White." With a deeper insight
300 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
into the subject, we are astonished at the vast number of new
species added every year to science.
To the dull eye of ignorance, the starry firmament conveys
no more than the presence of certain specks of light, and
similarly the universe of myriad forms of life is to the
many nothing more than the existence of animated particles
of dust. Two years ago I was the guest of a gentleman, a
Scotchman, who called the collector's pursuit "womanish"!
Yet it was in his house, that I captured two new species of
choice moths, one of them being the " Eiicrosfes unpunctata^'
of a beautiful apple-green colour with a lovely crimson
marginal line.
I became interested in butterflies, moths, and beetles, rather
late in life ; and yet I have succeeded in adding more than fifty
new species to science. How I wish I could recall the wasted
opportunities of earlier years !
The traveller to distant or rarely visited regions of the earth
is almost sure to come across new forms of insect life, and, with
comparatively little trouble, he could bring thence valuable infor-
mation. Of course he must go properly equipped. As I am a
self-taught collector, my present modus operandi is the result of
experience gained by passing through the preliminary stages
of loss and failure. The collector's outfit should comprise
butterfly nets, paper pockets, collecting box, killing-bottle,
biscuit tins, and naphthaline.
Butterfly Net. — This must not be a toy, but the best form of
net to be obtained in London, sufficiently large to capture the
largest butterfly or moth without injury to its wings ; soft and
pliant, with the starch taken out of the stiff new net. It should
hang limp and close, so as to enfold the tiniest specimens. At
least half-a-dozen spare nets should be kept in reserve, owing to
the impossibility of replacing a torn or ruined net in these remote
regions. It should always be ready for use, and on the march it
should be carried by a servant who should be at hand at a
moment's call.
Paper Pockets. — The paper used for making paper pockets
should not be too thin. Ordinary curl paper is not suitable,
the specimens get injured in it. A number of these pockets,
of different sizes, should be carried ready folded for immediate
use on the march. The best sort of paper is provided by the
various illustrated papers edited for transmission abroad. To
BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, AND BEETLES 301
prepare paper pockets, use a rectangular piece of paper, and
fold thus: —
Butterflies can, as a rule, be killed instantaneously by a moderate
pressure on their thorax. Having killed the specimen, drop it
head first into the paper pocket, taking care not to damage the
antennae or any other part of the body. Let the body slide
down along the diagonal line of the pocket, turn down the flap,
and the specimen is safely enclosed. Never place more than
one specimen in one and the same paper pocket.
Collecting Box. — This should be filled, but not too tightly,
with cotton-wool. I have found the botanical form of box
the most useful on the march. I carry in it the empty paper
pockets ready for immediate use, as well as those filled
with the captured specimens. I keep the empty ones at one
end of the box and the filled at the other. The cotton-wool
prevents the specimens from being shaken about and from
getting injured, should the box fall to the ground.
Killmg- Bottle. — This is absolutely necessary for killing beetles
and such of the thick-bodied lepidoptera as would get spoiled,
if killed by pressure on the thorax.
Biscuit Tins. — An empty biscuit tin is the most convenient
receptacle for packing away the captured specimens for trans-
mission to Europe. Beetles should never be placed in the same
box with butterflies and moths ; they should have a separate box
for themselves. The biscuit tins should be neither too small
nor too large. A good pad of cotton-wool, placed on top of
the paper pockets, will prevent them from shifting their position,
and as more and more specimens are added, the pad of cotton-
wool should be reduced in size. The pad should always just
suffice to fill up the tin.
Naphtlialine. — Without this drug, the collector may find all
his specimens spoiled by ants. On my first visit to Zanzibar, a
gentleman arriving from Uganda presented me with his "whole"
302 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
collection. I am glad I insisted, that he should open the box
himself, and hand me each specimen in turn; he found
that barely half-a-dozen of the specimens were uninjured, the
rest were a mass of fragments of wings and bodies, for ants had
been at work on them. He himself had no idea of the condition
of his so-called collection, till he opened the box. The naphtha-
line should be crushed into fine powder, and a little sprinkled
into the empty biscuit tin, and then a little more on the top of
the last layer of specimens. It should never be placed inside the
paper pocket, where it might injure the specimen. A little
sprinkled on the top pad of cotton-wool will often suffice to keep
ants and other insects away. The beetle collection should be
treated in the same way.
I shall now enumerate the different new species which I have
had the good fortune to capture.
(A) Two butterfiies (described by Miss Emily Mary Sharpe).
Vide "Annals and Magazine of Natural History," Ser. 6,
vol. xviii. August 1896.
Amauris ansorgei, sp. nov. (Plate I. fig. 6) .
It belongs to the family Danaida?, and is allied to Amauris
Ellioti Butler, but differs in having the spots on the forewing
white instead of yellow.
Forewing : ground-colour brownish-black with white spots.
Expanse : 3.1 inches.
It was caught at Chagwe in Uganda on December 1894 near
a stream.
Mycalesis ansorgei, sp. nov. (Plate 1. hg. 7).
It belongs to the family Satyridae, and is allied to Mycalesis
rhanidostroma Karsch and Mycalesis saga Butler on the
underside.
Forewing : basal area dark velvet-brown ; a round dark spot
or brand close to the cell is marked between the first and the
third median nervules. Expanse : 2.1 inches.
It was caught at Mtebe (Port Alice) in Uganda on July 12,
1894, in the little wood which fringes Lake Victoria Nyanza,
near the Commissioner's residence. It frequents the shady
depths of the wood. Some more were caught at the same
place in January 1897.
New species of African butterflies, Moths, and beetles.
BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, AND BEETLES 303
(B) One butterfly (described by the Hon. Walter Rothschild).
Vide " Novitates Zoologicae," vol. iii. September 1896.
Papilio phorcas ansorgei, subsp. nov.
It belongs to the family Papilionidae, and differs from Papilio
phorcas F., by the spots on the forewing, situate along the stem
of veins 7 and 8, being smaller and separated from the spot at
the base of the fork by a black interspace ; the tails are broader
than in phorcas. It is, as its name indicates, a green swallow-
tail.
It was caught on the bleak and cold Man, in the Uganda
Protectorate, on May 1895. It flies high, and settles on the
flowers of certain shrubs which bloom in May.
(C) Fifteen moths (described by Mr. F. Kirby, Assistant in
Zoological Department, British Museum, Natural His-
tory). Vide "Annals and Magazine of Natural History,"
Ser. 6, vol. xviii. November 1896.
^gocera triplagiata, var. (?) nov. dispar.
It belongs to the family Agaristidae. Four specimens of this
insect were taken at the same time and place as three specimens
of yEgocera triplagiata Rothschild, which it resembles greatly,
except in the colour of the three transverse white bands on the
forewing. It is in all probability a dimorphic form of ^gocera
triplagiata Rothschild.
It was caught in the Magwangwara country, German East
Africa, on January 11, 1894, in a tract thickly covered with
brushwood.
ProtocercEa geraldi, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Agaristidaj, and is allied to Proto-
ceraea albigutta Karsch from Lower Guinea (?), but in that
species the forewings are described as black, apart from other
differences. Expanse : 33 millim.
Forewings are deep red, with five white spots ; hindwings,
orange.
It was caught near the Narogare River, Kavirondo, in the
Uganda Protectorate, along the old caravan route, on May 19,
1894, on an open grass plain.
304 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
ZygcBna Semihyalina^ sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Zygaenidse, sub-family Zygaeninje,
and is allied to Zyg^ena marina Butler, but has much larger
vitreous spots. Expanse : 29-30 millim.
It is a lovely little moth. The head is green ; the antennas
are reddish-brown, white towards the tips ; thorax reddish-
brown, scaled with bluish-green above; abdomen coppery-
green. Wings are cupreous.
The forewing has 5 large transparent spots and the hind-
wing has 2 such spots.
It was caught at Port Alice in Uganda on June 30, 1894, on
flowering weeds, on the edge of the wood which borders Lake
Victoria Xyanza.
A lefts cthelinda, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Nyctemeridae ; and is allied to Aletis
monteironis Butler from Delagoa Bay, except in colour.
The wings are deep orange-red with broad black border.
Forewings have a large oblique subapical white band and 3
spots ; hindwings have a rather small oval spot. Expanse :
52-64 millim.
It was caught at Parumbira at the north-east end of Lake
Nyassa on November 8 to 10, 1893.
Aletis erici, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Nyctemeridae.
The wings are rather pale orange-tawny (perhaps faded) ;
forewings with a broad oblique subapical white band and 3
white spots below it ; hindwings with 7 or 8 white spots on the
nervures. Expanse : 65 lin.
It was caught at Port Alice in Uganda near Lake Victoria
Nyanza on July 19, 1894.
Neiiroxeyia a?isorgei, sp. nov.
This very rare moth had to be classed as a new genus
(Neuroxena).
It belongs to the family N^xtemeridae.
The forewing is light brown, with a uniformly broad oblique
pale yellow bar running across it. Hindwing is pale orange.
Abdomen red. Expanse : 46 millim.
Only one specimen, caught at Mtebe (Port Alice) in Uganda
on July 12, 1894.
BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, AND BEETLES 305
Redoa niaria, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Liparidaj, and is allied to the Indian
species Redoa clara Walk, and Redoa rinaria Moore. Expanse :
43 millim.
It is iridescent white, thinly scaled, subhyaline, with 2 silvery-
white bands on the forewings.
It was caught at Mtebe (Port Alice) in Uganda on July 12,
1894.
Cropera pallida, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Liparidae. At the Natural History
Museum, South Kensington, there are specimens from Natal
and Delagoa Bay. Expanse : 24-34 millim.
Forewings pale yellow with slight orange tint, with 3 or 4
irregular and indistinct transverse whitish b^nds ; an orange spot
in the middle of the wing. Hindwings pale yellow, unspotted.
It is noted as abundant on the coast of Mozambique in 1893.
Lasioptila ansorgei, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Saturniid^.
This very rare moth had to be classed as a new genus
(Lasioptila).
It is of a rich fawn colour, slightly varied with rosy grey.
The forewings have a slight transverse black dash towards the
base, and a narrow vitreous lunule bordered with black on both
sides, and with the horns turned outwards, at the end of the cell.
Hindwings with a narrow black lunule opening outwards, and
most distinct on the underside, at the end of the cell.
Only one specimen, a female, was caught in Uganda on
December 12, 1894.
Hibrildes ansorgei, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Lasiocampidaj.
Body is reddish-brown, antennae strongly bipectinated. Fore-
wings smoky hyaline with black cilia ; a blackish mark at the
end of the cell, beyond which is a broad white band ; a row
of submarginal white spots between the nervures. Hindwings
tawny yellow, with a broad lunule at the end of the cell ; a
rather narrow black border marked with 6 large white spots
between the nervures. Expanse : 60 millim.
Only two specimens, both females, were caught in the Mag-
wangwara country, German East Africa, on January 19, 1894.
u
3o6 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Hibrildes veuosa, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Lasiocampidae, and is allied to
Hibrildes norax Druce, the type of the genus; but in that
species the thorax is white, and the wings are also much whiter
than in Hibrildes venosa. It may be the male of Hibrildes
ansorgei.
It is creamy white and subhyaline. Forewings have costal area
yellowish, tips brownish. Antennae black, head orange, thorax
clothed with yellow hairs, abdomen reddish. Expanse : 57 millim.
Three specimens, all of them male, were caught in the
Magwangwara country, German East Africa, on January 16
and 19, 1894.
Lichenopteryx conspersa, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Lasiocampidae.
Antennae very long, brown, very deeply bipectinated. Wings
buff and very densely clothed with scales and hair. Forewings
with many scattered brown and black spots. Hindwings nearly
as long and broad as the forewings. Expanse : 53 millim.
Two specimens, a male and a female, were caught near
the Kesokon River in the Uganda Protectorate, along the old
caravan route.
Pyrainarista rufescens, sp. nov.
It is a very rare moth, and has been classed as a new genus
(Pyramarista). It belongs to the family Hypopyridae, and is
allied to Hypopyra bosei Saalmliller from Madagascar.
Fawn colour ; tinged with rosy on the costa. Antennae with
a row of short triangular teeth on each side, terminating in a
slender curved bristle. Forewings with a triangular black spot
on the middle of the costa. Abdomen with small anal tuft.
Expanse : 81 millim.
Only one specimen, a male, was captured at Parumbira at
the north-east end of Lake Nyassa on November 15, 1893.
Maxula africana, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Hypopyridae, and is allied to the
common and variable East Indian Maxula unistriata Guen.,
but without the zigzag lines and rows of black dots on the disc
which we meet with in that species.
The male has the wings grey, dusted with black, with a sub-
BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, AND BEETLES 307
marginal white stripe. Forewings have 4 black costal spots.
Underside orange-tawny. The female is much lighter. Expanse :
45-53 millim.
It was caught in the Magwangvvara country, German East
Africa, on January 11 and 13, 1894.
Paraeumelea conspersata, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Geometr^e ; and is allied to Parae-
umelea perlimbata Guenee, but that species has orange mark-
ings, and a row of long sub-marginal streaks in place of the
brown sub-marginal lines of Paraeumelea conspersata.
It is pale yellow, thickly speckled with brown, with black
discoidal cell. Underside whitish. Expanse : 45 millim.
It was caught at Port Alice in Uganda on June 24, 1898.
(D) One butterfly (described by the Hon. Walter Rothschild).
Vide "Novitates Zoologicae," vol. iv. April 1897.
Charaxes ansorgei, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Nymphalidae, and is allied to
Charaxes pollux, but the white band of the upperside of the
hindwing distinguishes this species at a glance from pollux.
Forewing rufous chestnut, with marginal ochreous spots
rounded. Hindwing with a complete series of dark ochraceous
sub-marginal spots ; a milky white median ; wing outside the
band black, inside the band brownish-black.
It was caught at Patsho, in the Nandi country of the Uganda
Protectorate, on December 11, 1896.
(E) Two moths (described by the Hon. Walter Rothschild).
Vide " Novitates Zoologica?," vol. iv. August 1897.
Ceranchia ansorgei, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Saturniidae. Differs from Ceranchia
mollis Butler, its nearest ally, especially in the presence of the
sub-marginal white band on both wings.
Forewing hair-brown ; just before middle of wing there is
an almost straight transverse white band ; a second band runs in
3o8 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
a slight curve from the costal margin ; upon the discocellulars
there is a small eye-spot, 2 mm. in diameter, consisting of a
yellow, a black, and a white ring surrounding a black centre.
Hindwing white from base to apex of cell, gradually becoming
dark-greyish drab, a sub-marginal white band edged outwardly
with pale yellow ; a small black spot at end of cell. Length :
forewing 40 mm., hindwing 29 mm.
Only one specimen, a male, of this rare moth has been caught,
at the Kiboko river, British East Africa, on November 5, 1896.
yEgocera ansorgei, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Agaristidse, and is closely allied to
^gocera menete Cram., but has a narrower and differently
marked forewing. The hindwing as in ^gocera rubida Feld.,
but the border and the central spot deeper in colour.
Costal and inner margins are dusted over with creamy buff
scales ; nervules close to the fringe with metallic scales.
It was caught at Muani in British East Africa on November
II, 1896.
(F) Nine moths (described by Mr. W. Warren, M.A., F.E.S.)
Vide " Novitates Zoologicse," vol. iv. August 1897.
Agraptochlora nigricornis, sp. nov.
It belongs to the sub-family Geometrinae.
Forewings : deep grass-green without markings ; costa deep
ochreous. Hindwings : wholly green. Face, palpi, and fore-
legs deep red ; antennae with the shaft reddish, pectinations
blackish ; thorax and base of abdomen deep green. Expanse :
24 millim.
It was caught on Mombasa Island in October 1896.
Eucrostes impimctata, sp. now
It belongs to the sub-family Geometrinas.
Forewings : apple-green, marginal line crimson, fringe
snow-white. Face and palpi red, thorax green, abdomen
ochreous with snow-white red-edged dorsal spots. Expanse :
15 millim.
Caught several on Mombasa Island in October 1896.
It is distinguished by the entire absence of the dark cell-spot.
BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, AND BEETLES 309
Craspedia sagittiliiiea, sp. nov.
It belongs to the sub-family Sterrhinae.
Forewings : ochreous with an olive tinge ; a row of distinct
black marginal spots ; fringe greyish-ochreous ; cell-spot black.
Hindwings : the same, but the dark cell-spot is surmounted by a
round spot of snow-white raised scales. Expanse : 26 millim.
It was caught on Mombasa Island in October 1896.
It is remarkable for the dense and rough scaling.
Chloroc/ysiis grisea, sp. nov.
It belongs to the sub-family Tephroclystiinae.
Forewings : ochreous, suffused with grey and tinged with
rufous ; basal patch with traces of waved grey lines through
them ; fringe chequered light and dark grey. Underside pale
grey. Expanse : 16 millim.
It was caught on Mombasa Island in October 1896.
Eulype (?) disparattiy sp. nov.
It belongs to the sub-family Hydriomeninae.
Forewings : glossy, leaden grey ; three transverse broadish
lines white ; minute dark cell-spot. Hindwings : white, fringe
ochreous-grey. Expanse : 28 millim.
The antennae of the male are lamellate and subserrate.
One male and one female were caught at Nandi in the
Uganda Protectorate in December 1896.
Plerocyriiia nigrocellaia, sp. nov.
It belongs to the sub-family Hydriomeninae.
Forewings : uniform glossy grey ; cell-spot oblique, velvety
black. Hindwings : hardly paler, without markings of any kind.
Expanse : 32 millim.
Two males and one female were caught at Nandi in the
Uganda Protectorate in December 1896.
Hyostoviodes nubilata, sp. nov.
This very rare moth has been classed as a new genus
(Hyostomodes).
It belongs to the sub-family Semiothisinae.
Forewings : whitish, thickly dusted and striated with dark
grey, lines starting from dark costal spots. Hindwing with black
cell-spot. Expanse 26 millim.
One male and one female were caught at Muani in British
East Africa in December 1896.
3IO UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Trysindeta subspersa, sp. no v.
This very rare moth has been classed as a new genus
(Trysindeta).
It belongs to the sub-family Ennominje.
Forewings : pale straw colour, marginal dots brown, cell-spot
dark brown. Expanse : 32 millim.
It was caught at Nandi in the Uganda Protectorate in
December 1896.
Zamai-ada ansoi'gei, sp. nov. (Plate I. fig. 5).
It belongs to the sub-family Ennominae. This species is
certainly related to Guenee's secutaria (Stegania) from Abyssinia,
but does not in all points agree with his description ; that, how-
ever, was made from a single female,
Forewings : pale yellowish-ochreous ; cell-spot brown ; a row
of dark marginal dashes. Head, thorax, and abdomen ochreous.
Expanse : 20 millim.
It was caught at the Kiboko river in British East Africa in
November 1896.
(G) Two moths (described by the Hon. Walter Rothschild).
Vide "Novitates Zoological," vol. v. March 1898.
Nudaurelia ansorgei, sp. nov. (Plate I. fig. 4).
It belongs to the family Saturniidaj ; distinguished from the
allied species, especiallv by the post-discal bands of the forewing
being curved anteriorly, the ante-median band being angulate,
and the black outer band of the hindwing being 2i millim. wide.
Upperside : forewings chestnut-brown, speckled all over with
black scales. About one-fourth from the base the wing is
crossed by a black line. At the apex of cell is a round eye,
consisting of a vitreous dot surrounded by a broad ring of
tawny ochraceous and enclosed by a narrow line of dull whitish-
pink. Half-way between this eye and the outer margin the wings
are crossed by a black transverse line. Hindwings : basal two-
thirds brownish-pink, crossed between middle and base by an
indistinct black band. In the centre of the wing is a large eye,
having a vitreous centre, outside this a dark yellow broad ring,
then a narrower black one, followed by a dark red one, the
whole enclosed by an outside whitish-pink ring. A little beyond
the eye the wings are crossed by a broad black smuous band,
BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, AND BEETLES 311
edged on the inner side with a narrow grey Hne. Outer third of
wings chestnut, freckled with black like forewing.
Underside : ante-median bands absent ; eye-spot of forewing
as large as above, but with a black ring between the tawny ochra-
ceous central ring and outer whitish-pink one. Hindwing from
post-discal black line towards base pinkish-grey ; eye-spot reduced
to a vitreous dot surrounded by a broad tawny ochraceous ring.
Antennae dark brown ; basal part of stalk yellow. Head,
thorax, and abdomen tawny ochraceous.
Size as Nudaurelia nictitans Fabricius.
Of this rare moth only one specimen, a male, has been
caught, at Masindi, in Unyoro, in the Uganda Protectorate, on
April 30, 1897.
PseudapJielia ansorgei, sp. nov. (Plate I. fig. 8).
It belongs to the family Saturniidae.
The two spots at the end of the cell of both wings of
apollinaris are absent in ansorgei, being replaced on both wings
by a black dot just behind the origin of vein 5, which has, however,
on the underside a yellow centre ; fringe fuscous. Post-discal line
of hindwing closer to cell than to outer margin of wing.
It was caught at Masindi, in Unyoro, in the Uganda Pro-
tectorate, on April 15, 1897.
(H) Two moths (described by Mr. W. Warren, M.A., F.E.S.).
Vide " Novitates Zoologicae," vol. v. March 1898.
XanthorJioc conchata, sp. nov.
It belongs to the sub-family Hydriomeninie.
Forewings : with the ground-colour yellowish-white, suffused
and dusted with fulvous, and crossed by numerous darker
tremulous lines ; cell-spot black ; pairs of small black dashes
along the margin at the ends of the veins.
Hindwings : whitish, with dark cell-spot and exceedingly
faint traces of a dark post-median line ; fringe yellowish, with the
marginal spots as in forewings.
Palpi long, thick, and roughly haired. Thorax and abdomen
greyish-ochreous ; the face and palpi brownish. Expanse :
26 millim.
Two males were caught in Nandi, in the Uganda Protectorate,
in December 1896.
312 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Einythecodes impimctata, sp. nov.
It belongs to the sub-family Ennominae. It appears to
be quite distinct from any of the forms of Eurythecodes
flavidinaria.
Forewings : pale yellow with faint brownish freckling ; the
lines grey-brown ; cell-spot blackish.
Hindwings : with a curved and sinuous post-median line.
Expanse : 28 millim.
Two males were caught at Kampala in Uganda in January
1897.
(I) One butterfly (described by Mr. Guy Marshall). Vide
" Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London,
1897/' p. 13.
Teracolus ansorgeiy sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Pieridas.
Upperside : light ochreous with black markings. Forewing :
pattern and colouring similar to that of Teracolus aurigineus
Butler, except in the following points : —
{a) There is no trace of the whitish-grey patch at base, it
being replaced by slight blackish clouding ;
ib) The discal zigzag black band is narrower, and ends
abruptly on inner nervure.
Hindwing : ground-colour as in forewing, base with very
slight fuscous clouding.
Underside : pattern exactly like that of Teracolus vesta
Reiche, but the ground-colour of the forewing is somewhat
lighter. Hindwing: pale yellow; a longitudinal ray from
base in cell, and a shorter one above it deep pink. A thin
black line runs along extreme hind margin of both wings,
which is present in Teracolus vesta but absent in Teracolus
aurigineus.
This is a most interesting species, combining as it does the
upperside colouring of Teracolus aurigineus with the underside
colouring of Teracolus vesta, being at the same time quite
distinct from either species.
It was caught on January 5, 1894, i" German East Africa.
BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, AND BEETLES 313
(J) Eleven butterflies (described by Mr. H. Grose Smith, B.A.,
F.E.S., F.Z.S. &c.). Vide " Novitates Zoologicae," vol. v.
August 1898.
Pinacopteryx heletia, sp. no v.
It belongs to the family Pieridae.
Upperside : both wings slightly greenish-white. Anterior
wings with an outer-marginal rather broad black band, broadest
at the apex ; costal margin narrowly black, and a small black
dot at the end of the cell.
Underside : anterior wings white, with the apical area broadly
and outer margin more narrowly pale yellowish-green ; a small
black dot at the end of the cell. Posterior wings pale yellowish-
green, with a curved row of dusky lunular markings crossing the
wings in the middle of the disc. Expanse : i^ inches.
It was caught at Kabras, in Kavirondo, in the Uganda
Protectorate, in December 1896.
Acrcea dissociata, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Acraeidae.
Upperside : anterior wings ashy grey, semi-hyaline ; a narrow
pink streak in the middle of the inner margin. Posterior wings
pink, except at the base, which is rather broadly dusky grey ; an
irregular row of black spots surrounds the cell ; a rather large
spot in the cell, and a cluster of spots near the inner margin
towards the base, some of which merge in the dusky basal
area.
Underside : anterior wings pinkish dull brown, posterior
wings pale tawny ; the disc is traversed by a very broad chestnut-
brown band. Expanse : 2^ inches.
It was caught at Patsho, in the Nandi country, in the Uganda
Protectorate, in December 1896.
. AcrcBa unimaculata, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Acraeidae.
Differs from Acraea quirina Fabr. in the absence of spots
on both sides of both wings, except on the underside of the
posterior wings, where there is one spot in the cell near the
base. On the upperside the basal tawny area is rather more
314 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
extended, thus resembling Acraea cerasa Hew., and on the
posterior wings it extends lower towards the anal angle ; both
wings are dusky grey at the base. Expanse : 2 inches.
It was caught at Kabras, in Kavirondo, in the Uganda Pro-
tectorate, in December 1896.
Acrcsa disjuncta, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Acraeidae. Nearest to Acraea cydonia
Ward and Acraea flava Dewitz, but smaller than either of
those species.
Upperside : dark brown. Anterior wings with a pale tawny
band crossing the wings, as in Acraea cydonia Ward, but divided
between the two upper median nervules by a blackish-brown
irregular band, which partially covers the interspace between
the two upper median nervules, but is narrower than in Acraea
cydonia Ward and Acraea flava Dewitz. Posterior wings
with the basal three-fourths light brown and outer fourth dark
brown. Expanse : if inches.
It was caught in the Nandi country in the Uganda Protec-
torate in December 1896.
Acraea ansorgei, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Acraeidae.
Upperside : anterior wings dark brown, with a rather bright
tawny band from the costa crossing the end of the cell, thence
becoming wider to the inner margin ; towards the apex is a
bright tawny spot near the costa, divided into three by the
veins, and a quadrate spot above the upper median nervule
nearer the outer margin. Posterior wings bright tawny, be-
coming dusky at the base.
Underside : dusky pale brown with the transverse tawny
band indistinct. Posterior wings with the disc crossed by an
indistinct irregularly undulated dusky brown band, inside which,
but outside the cell, are two small black spots, a similar spot
in the middle of the cell, two in the interspace above the sub-
costal nervure, one on the shoulder, and six or seven others
near the inner margin below the base of the cell. Expanse:
if inches.
It was caught at Nandi Station, in the Nandi country, in the
Uganda Protectorate, in December 1896.
BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, AND BEETLES 315
Acrtea conjuncta, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Acrseidae.
Upperside : both wings dull brown. Anterior wings with a
transverse tawny band resembling the band of Acraea nandina,
but not extending to the costal margin ; the subapical spots as
in A. nandina, but smaller. Posterior wings crossed in the
middle by a suboval tawny band ; in this band are a black spot
near the costa and two smaller spots, one above and the other
below the discoidal nervule.
Underside : both wings resemble A. nandina, but on the
posterior wmgs the space beyond the undulated band is much
darker ; the spots are arranged as in A. nandina. Expanse :
ij inches.
It was caught at Nandi Station, in the Nandi country, in the
Uganda Protectorate, in December 1896.
Acrcea anacreoiitica, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Acraeidae.
It differs from Acraea anacreon Trim, in several respects.
On the upperside of the anterior wings the black discal and cellu-
lar spots are larger. On the underside of the posterior wings
the spots in the discal row and those nearer the base are respec-
tively more confluent, forming two irregular bands, the space
between which is uninterruptedly pink, which colour forms an
irregular band extending from the costal to the inner margins ;
the outer marginal row of pale fulvous spots is narrower and
bordered inwardly by very narrow black lunules. Expanse :
$ i^ inches, $ 2 inches.
The male specimen was caught at Patsho and the female at
Rau, both in the Nandi country, in the Uganda Protectorate, in
December [896.
Jxinonia rauana, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Nymphalidae ; it is closely allied to
Junonia Kowara (Ward), Junonia Sinuata (Plotz), and Junonia
aurosina (Butler), but it has the outer margins of anterior
wings less falcate, and the bands on the upperside considerably
broader.
Upperside : both wrings dark brown, crossed by a common
3i6 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
pale brown band, three minute dots in the band between the
median nervules and a white subapical spot ; the basal dark area
is not interrupted by paler markings. Posterior wings with a
row of six small dots in the pale band.
Underside : with dark bands and markings closely resembling
Junonia Kowara (Ward). Expanse : if inches.
It was caught at Rau, in the Nandi country, in the Uganda
Protectorate, in December 1896.
Mycalesis nandina, nom. nov.
[I would suggest the name Mycalesis nandina for the Mycalesis
ansorgei Grose Smith, to prevent any possible confusion with
Mycalesis ansorgei Sharpe. — W. J. AxsORGE, September 1898.]
It belongs to the family Satyridae ; in shape it resembles
Mycalesis elionas Hew.
Upperside : both wings velvety dark brown, slightly paler
towards the outer margins.
Underside : both wings with the basal three-fourths dark
velvety brown, the outer fourth paler brown with a row of spots
crossing the disc of both wings, the spots being surrounded by
slightly greyish-brown rings. On the anterior wings the spots
are five in number. On the posterior wings is a row of seven
spots, of which the four uppermost are the smallest, centred with
white dots. The posterior wings are more acute at the anal
angle than is usual in the African section of this genus. Ex-
panse : If inches.
It was caught at Patsho, in the Nandi country, in the Uganda
Protectorate, in December 1896.
Mycalesis fliiviatilis^ sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Satyridje, and is near to Mycalesis
dubia Auriv.
Upperside : dark brown, with an indication of a paler sub-
marginal line on the posterior wings.
Underside : both wings with the basal half darker brown
than the outer half ; towards the apex, in a paler area, are
two contiguous ocelli, of which the upper is the larger, and
is surrounded by a fulvous ring ; one large ocellus is situate
between the two lowest median nervules, surrounded by a
BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, AND BEETLES 317
pale ring. On the posterior wings a row of seven ocelli crosses
the disc ; the ocelli are surrounded by pale brown rings. The
outer margins of both wings are rather deeply indented.
Expanse : if inches.
It was caught in the Subugo Forest, in the Uganda Protec-
torate, in December 1896.
Everes kedonga, sp. no v.
It belongs to the family Lycaenida?.
Upperside : anterior wings bluish-grey, with silvery- white
veins. Posterior wings pale silvery-blue, with a submarginal row
of round black spots of uniform size, except at the anal angle,
where there are two small dots ; the outer edge of the spot is
narrowly white, and the outer margin is narrowly dark grey ; one
slender black tail.
Underside : grey. Anterior wings, with discal and sub-basal
spots, arranged almost as in Everes fischeri Eversm. and Everes
filicaudis Pryer. Posterior wings with sub-basal and discal
spots surrounding the cell, closely resembling those species.
Cilia of both wings greyish-white. Expanse : | inch.
It was caught at the second Kedong, in the Uganda Protec-
torate, in November 1896.
(K) Two Longicorn beetles (described by Mr. C. J. Gahan, M.A.,
of the British Museum, Natural History). Vide " Annals
and Magazine of Natural History," Ser. 7, vol. ii. July
1898.
Xystrocera ansorgei, sp. nov. (Plate I. fig. 2).
Head, prothorax, and underside of body reddish-brown in
colour. Elytra bone-white in colour, but marked with a large
number of small rounded fuscous spots ; the surface of the
elytra presents a number of minute granules, each of which
bears a short seta, while close to each granule is a small shallow
puncture.
This species of Xystrocera may be easily recognised by the
peculiar and unusual colour of the elytra.
Long. 25, lat. sh millim.
Only one specimen, a female, caught in Uganda.
3i8 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Compsoinera ajisorgei, sp. nov. (Plate I. fig. 3).
This species is very closely allied to Compsomera nigricollis
Gah., which it resembles exactly in the markings of the elytra,
with the exception that the metallic-blue colour in the type of
Compsomera nigricollis is here replaced by metallic-green. It
differs chiefly from Compsomera nigricollis in having the head,
legs, and antennae quite black in colour.
Long. 26, lat. 7 millim.
Only one specimen, caught in Uganda.
(L) One butterfly (described by the Hon. Walter Rothschild).
Vide "The Entomologist," June 1897.
Papilio inivietiais, sp. nov.
It belongs to the family Papilionidsi. This most remarkable
butterfly is closely allied to Papilio rex Oberth. ; but while that
species is almost the exact mimic of Melinda formosa Salv. and
God., Papilio mimeticus mimics Melinda morgeni mercedonia
Karsch.
5 Forewings : differ from Papilio rex in having the basal
area deep chestnut instead of orange-rufous ; in this chestnut
area is a longitudinal pale streak behind cell, not present in
typical Papilio rex.
Hindwings : One of the most striking dift'erences, however,
between Papilio rex and Papilio mimeticus is that while in Papilio
rex the ground-colour of the hindwings is uniform black, in
Papilio mimeticus the disc of the wing is dull chestnut, this
colour extending along the abdominal margin to near apex of
vein.
Underside : The two anterior white marginal spots of Papilio
rex are absent in Papilio mimeticus.
Oberthiir, in his original description of Papilio rex (Bull. Soc.
Ent. Fr. 1886, p. 114), says "Abdomen black above, white on
sides and below;" but in the specimen of Papilio rex from Uganda
Protectorate the underside is black, with a narrow but distinct
median white line, and in this agrees entirely with Papilio mime-
ticus.
It was caught at a streamlet which crosses the caravan route
not far from Msarosaro in Uganda on December 28, 1896.
BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, AND BEETLES 319
(M) The Hon. Walter Rothschild has very kindly sent me,
October 1898, the description of two new species of
lepidoptera (a butterfly and a moth), which I captured
in Unyoro and at the Eldoma Ravine respectively : —
Kalliuia ansorgei Rothsch., sp. nov. (Plate I. fig. i).
Forewing more produced at apex than in rumina, hindwing
with a long tail, slightly curved inwards.
Upperside : forewing, basal two-thirds plumbeous blue-
green, metallic, this area evenly and slightly convex outwardly ;
a narrow indistinct band from costal margin to vein 3, where
it approaches the metallic area, pale brown covered with metallic
blue-green scaling ; interspace between this band and metallic
area black, rest of marginal region dark brown, a series of
indistinct dots, the uppermost of which has a white dot at its
discal side, and a submarginal, indistinct, narrow band blackish-
brown. Hindwing, basal two-thirds as on forewing ; marginal
area brown, with a blackish-brown submarginal band ; between
veins 2 and 3 there is an oblong eye-spot of 2 and 3 mm. width,
consisting of an outer ochraceous ring that encircles an out-
wardly black, discally brown-red space with a minute blue
centre ; a smaller eye-spot behind vein 2.
Underside : blackish broccoli-brown, powdered over with
single white scales. Forewing, 4 undulate lines in cell, a fifth
upon disco-cellulars, another beyond, 2 lines behind cell, and
a zigzag line from costal to inner margin, 14 mm. distant from
apex of wing and 10 mm. from tip of vein ib ; a series of small
post-discal black dots with white centres, the one between veins
2 and 3 forming nearly an eye-spot ; a series of thin, small,
more or less curved, black submarginal spots. Hindwing, an
indistinct undulate line from costal margin across middle of
cell to vein ib ; a distinct narrow band straight across the
disc from costal margin (9 mm, from the tip of vein 8) to tail,
consisting of a black line thinly bordered with pale blue and
green proximally, shaded at both sides with dark brown ; post-
discal spots as on forewing, surrounded with paler scaling,
nearly forming eye-spots, the spot behind vein 3 as large as
above, much paler, with a pale ochraceous centre ; submarginal
320 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
spots lintar, the one behind vein 2 extending to tip of tail
obviously bordered grey outwardly.
Length of forewing 40 mm. Length of hindwing from base
of cell to tip of tail 41 mm.
Hab. Kasokwa, Unyoro, i' caught on the 2nd of November
1897.
Buncea ansorgei Rothsch., sp. nov.
$ Allied to B. acetcs, Wester., from West Africa. Wings
above grey, without sprinkling of black scales. Forewing with
a small vitreous spot at the end of the cell, barely 2 mm. in
width ; an irregular, indistinct, blackish-grey band across middle
of cell to inner margin, the cellular portion lunate, bordered
greyish-w^hite outwardly; a greyish-black line from apex of
wing to inner margin as in acetes, but much thinner, bordered
outwardly bv a broad band of greyish-white scaling which is
convex between the veins. Hindwing without band in basal
half ; the eye as in acetes, but the outer ring greyish- white, with-
out pinkish tint ; black band beyond eye thinner than in acetes,
contiguous with the eye from second discoidal to tirst median
nervule ; costal area from base to band and eye brighter red
than in acetes, the red not extending beyond middle of cell and
upper discoidal vein respectively. Underside whitish-grey, with
a slight butBsh tint. Forewing red beyond cell from base to
near post-discal blackish-brown line, the latter much thinner
than in acetes ; no black irregular mark at basal side of vitreous
spot, but a very obscure, rather broad, brownish band from
costal margin straight across the vitreous spot to inner margin.
Hindwing, a tiny black dot between costal and subcostal
nervures near base, as in acetes, the obscure median band of
forewing continued across hindwing, here situated at the basal
side of the small vitreous spot ; outer discal line much narrower
than in acetes.
Head and legs as in acetes ; thorax above and below con-
colorous with base of wings ; abdomen with a yellowish tint at
the edges, below slightly darker grey than breast ; first joint
of antennae white as in acetes ; apical processes of joints shorter
than in acetes.
Hab. Eldoma Ravine, 22nd March 1898; i ?.
BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS, AND BEETLES 321
Dr. K. Jordan, the eminent entomologist, wrote to me,
October 1898, about my collections which are deposited at
Tring, as follows : —
" Your collections are of great scientific interest for two
reasons. Firstly, the number of species which are new, or of
which only a few specimens are known to exist in other collec-
tions, is remarkably large. Your list of novelties will certainly
be trebled when the whole of the material you have collected
has been worked out. Unfortunately there was too little time
at our disposal to supply you with a complete list, as you
suggested, of the whole of your collection. Such new forms as
have been described by Mr. Rothschild, Mr. Grose Smith, and
Mr. Warren, were limited to certain families of the lepidoptera ;
but your other specimens will be carefully examined and made
known to science in due time. Where you have collected, the
countries have been comparatively little explored as regards
butterflies and moths ; and lepidopterists must be gratified at
your important contributions to our knowledge of the lepidoptera
of those regions.
'* Uganda and the Nandi country have yielded the greater
proportion of your novelties and rare species ; here we have the
true East African fauna with a small mingling of the West
African, but mostly somewhat modified, species ; whereas, in
the more remote Unyoro, the number of West African forms is
already very large. Many species which appeared to you very
rare, because you found them only in Unyoro, are, as a matter
of fact, rather common West Coast and Congo insects. The
discrepancy between the fauna of Unyoro and Uganda is, for
example, very strikingly illustrated by the Pieridcs, there being
in your collection very few species of Teracolus from Unyoro,
while there are splendid series of a great number of species of
this pretty genus from the countries farther east.
"The following are some of the choice captures you made, to
mention but a few of them : — Both sexes of Kallinia jacksoni,
a good series of Melinda mercedonia and Melinda forviosa, in-
clusive of their rare females ; a series of Papilio jacksoni and
Papilio mackinnoni ; some specimens of Papilio pelodiirus, also
Papilio priiiglei {$ and ?); Acrcea poggei ; PseudacrcBa kiinowi ;
Charaxes pithodorus ^ &c., &c.
"A most interesting and noteworthy specimen is undoubtedly
the female of Papilio rex, which you captured in the spring of
X
322 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
this year at the Eldoma Ravine, where, on a former journey, you
secured the male Papilio rex. Entomologists will be interested
to know that this female of Papilio rex does not differ essentially
in pattern from the male, except in some details which do not
affect very much the general appearance.
"Among the Heterocera your Satiirniidce are interesting.
There is also a fine show of the day-fiying moths belonging to
Xanthospilopteryx, including some undescribed forms. Your dis-
covery in those regions of a West African Hawkmoth of peculiar
appearance, Lephostliethus diimoulini, or a close ally of it, equally
deserves to be noticed.
" Yet, however rich in rare forms your collection is, its greater
scientific value, in my opinion, consists, secondly, in your having
given the exact date and locality of capture of every specimen,
and in your having marked all the individuals you caught in
copula. With such material to work with, the entomologist is
able to investigate questions of geographical distribution and
to study seasonal variation and individual variability ; whereas,
unfortunately, many collectors confine themselves merely to
recording the country where their specimens were caught."
APPENDIX.
BIRDS.
APPENDIX.
BIRDS.
ON THE BIRDS COLLECTED BY DR. ANSORGE
DURING HIS RECENT STAY IN AFRICA.
By ERNST HARTERT.
HAVING been asked by Dr. Ansorge to name the birds
he collected in Africa, I herewith give a list of the
two hundred and sixteen species he obtained.
This collection is scientifically of much interest, not
only because it contains some species which hitherto have not
been described, but because he has found a number of birds of
which formerly only one or two specimens were known, some
of them having been unique in the Berlin Museum. By record-
ing the localities where he found them, he has extended con-
siderably our knowledge of the distribution of certain species,
and in other cases he has added valuable confirmation of facts
which hitherto were open to doubt. Very interesting forms,
among others, are the Francolins, of which Dr. Ansorge col-
lected some very rare ones ; the new Guinea-fowl, which I
have called Njnnida ansorgei ; the rare Woodpecker, Cavipothera
tiBuiolcBuia ; the Swift (No. 73), a tropical ally of our common
swift of Europe ; several of the Flycatchers and Shrikes ; the
new Pyronielaiia and some of the other Weaver-birds ; the
Larks ; a number of Sun-birds ; some of the TvneliidcF, and
others. During his former stay in Uganda Dr. Ansorge dis-
covered a new Barbet, described as Tricholavia ansorgii by
Shelley in Bull. B. O. Club. vol. v. p. 3 (1895).
Tring, September 1898.
326 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
(TERNS.)
I. Hydrochelidon kiicoptera (Schinz)
Pongo and Kibero on Lake Albert, August and October 1897.
(GEESE.)
2. Chenalopex cBgyptiaciis (L.)
$ Campi-ya-Simba (the camp of lions), British East Africa.
•'Iris red-brown. Bill pinkish with brown edges, feet rosy
flesh-colour."
(DUCKS.)
3. Nettion piinctatuni (Burch.)
Lake Naivasha, Uganda Protectorate, April and November.
" Feet slate-blue with a more or less distinct green streak along
the middle." In the female the upper tail-coverts are not undu-
lated with narrow black lines. The abdomen is paler, less rufous
than in the male, and hardly differs from the breast in colour.
The wing is about 15 mm. shorter (<? 150-156 mm., ? 143-145
mm.). The adult male agrees perfectly with Salvadori's de-
scription.
4. Nettion capense (Gm.)
? ad. Lake Xakuru, Uganda Protectorate, 30/1 i/i 896. " Iris
red. Feet yellow-brown with black web. Bill pink with black
base."
(WADERS.)
5. Qldiaiemiis verniiailatus Cab.
Kibero, on the east shore of Lake Albert in Unyoro, $ ?
21 1% !()']. " Iris lemon-yellow. Feet pale green, yellow towards
the thigh. Bill blackish, soft parts on sides from nostrils to base
and basal half of mandible greenish-yellow."
6. Hoplopterus spinosus (L.)
Kibero, Unyoro, 29/10/97. $ " Iris purple-red, bill and
feet black."
7- yEgialitis hiaticola (L.)
Kibero (Unyoro;, 12/10/97. ^figrant from Europe.
BIRDS 327
8. Tringa subarqiiata (Guld.)
Kibero (Unyoro), 12/10/97. Migrant from the North.
9. Glottis nebularhis (Gunn.)
Kibero (Unyoro), 13/10/97. Migrant from the North.
10. Tringoides hypoleuais (L.)
Kibero (August, October), Fajao, and Masindi in Unyoro ;
also Mombasa, British East Africa. Migrant.
11. Totanus ochropHs (Vj.)
Kampala (Uganda), February. Migrant from Europe.
12. Totanus glareola {L,.)
Masindi (Unyoro), April. Migrant,
13. Totanus stagnatilis (Bechst.)
Lake Naivasha, Uganda Protectorate. November.
14. Pavoncella pugnax (L.)
Lake Naivasha, Uganda Protectorate. November.
15. Tringa minuta Leisl.
Lakes Nakuru and Naivasha, Uganda Protectorate. November.
(BUSTARDS.)
16. Otis melanogaster Rlipp.
^ ad. Kiboko river, British East Africa, 7/1 1/96. "Iris
orange, feet yellowish-white, bill white with black stripe along
the culmen. Length from tip of beak to tip of toe 31^ inches."
17. Eupodotis kori (Burch.)
Bondoni in Ukamba, 15/4/97. British East Africa.
328 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
(RAILS.)
i8. Liuinocorax niger (Gm.)
Four specimens, two males and two females, from Masindi,
Unyoro, May and June 1897. " Iris bright red, a narrow Hesh-
red circle round the eye (eyelid), feet copper-red, bill light
green." The wing of the female is about i cm. shorter than
that of the male.
19. Phyllopezns africanus (Gm.)
$ ad. Fajao, Unyoro. " Iris chocolate-brown. Feet light
slate-blue. Bill light slate-blue. Bare forehead, slate-blue."
(SAND-GROUSE.)
20. Ptci'ocles guttiiralis A. Smith.
^ April 1898. Campi-ya-Simba (the lion camp), in Ukamba,
British East Africa. " Iris dark brown, feet blackish-grey, bill
bluish-grey."
(STORKS AND HERONS.)
21. H agedashia kagedash (Lath.)
Fajao, Unyoro, 10/12/97. " Ii'is light straw-yellow." Wing
360-365 mm., bill 150 ( $ ), 180 ( $) mm.
22. Ibis cEtJiiopica (Lath.)
ad. Lake Nakuru, Uganda Protectorate, 23/3/98. " Iris
dark brown."
23. Bubulcus ibis (L.)
$ Pongo, Lur country, north-west shore of Lake Albert,
24/10/97.
24. A rdetta payesi ( Verr.)
? Kibero, on east shore of Lake Albert, Unyoro, 15/8/97.
I believe there is no doubt that this specimen must be called
A. payesi {yQ,xx^. It agrees with A.piisilla (V.) in most characters,
but the sides of the head and neck are bright cinnajnoft. It is
certainly not A. podiceps (Bp.), of which I have a large series.
A. payesi is as yet, according to Neumann (J. F. O. 1898, p. 284)
only on record from South and West Africa, and specimens from
there, and most likely other parts, have hitherto been mixed up
with A. pusilla or A. podiceps.
BIRDS 329
(FLAMINGOES.)
25. Phoenicopterus roseus Pall.
Common on Lake Nakuru (Uganda Protectorate) ni March.
The small Pha:n. minor was not to he found in March. (See
No. 26.)
26. PJicenicoiiaias minor (Geotfr.)
Lake Nakuru (Uganda Protectorate) in November, in large
numbers. Only this species was then noticed, instead of P.
roseus.
(PIGEONS.)
27. Vinago calva nudirostris Sws.
? ad. Fajao, on the Victoria Nile, Unyoro. " Iris : inner-
most rim bright light blue, shading into dark grey towards the
outside." Salvadori unites the forms from West, Equatorial,
and East Africa. Neumann separates V. calva calva and V. calva
nudirostris, making V. salvadorii a synonym of the latter. Nudi-
rostris would be the northern form.
28. Turtur senegalensis (L.)
This common African pigeon is represented from Ndi (British
East Africa), 28/10/96 ; and from Kampala (Uganda), various
dates.
29. lUrtur dainarensis Finsch & Hartl. (? an subsp.)
? Kampala (Uganda), 10/1/97. $ 9 Masindi (Unyoro),
16/6/97. " Iris dark brown, a narrow yellow edge round eyelid,
feet pink, bill black." I am in doubt about the correctness of
the above nomination. Specimens in Mus. Tring from Lake
Nyassa, as well as from Western Somaliland, agree inter se, but
are much paler on abdomen and belly. I fancy that these birds
belong to a new sub-species, but more material is necessary to
decide about this. Count Salvadori has also enumerated birds
from Ndi, Pangani, Ugogo, Dar-es-Salaam, Mombas, as damar-
ensis ; O.Neumann records it from Zanzibar, Kibaya, Kavirondo.
30. Chalcopelia afra (L.)
One skin without label, with green wing-spots.
330 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
31. Oena capensis (L.)
$ Mto-ya-mkuyuni (Ukamba), British East Africa, 13/11/96.
" Feet red. Bill orange, red at base." This little pigeon, so
common in most parts of Africa, was only met this one time.
It is rare on the East African coast, but very common in the
interior (Neumann).
(GAME-BIRDS.)
32. Fi-ajicoliiius gra7iti Hartl.
? Mtoto Ndei, British East Africa, 1/11/96. "Iris red, feet
red-brown, bill black."
33. Fraucolinns kirki Hartl.
? Maharagwe-fundi, in the Taru desert, British East Africa,
23 10/96. " Iris dark red-brown, feet red, bill black." Is this
really a distinct species ? I share Mr. Neumann's doubts in
this respect.
34. Fraiicolijuis uluetisis Grant.
This species, only quite recently described by Mr. O. Grant,
was found, in April 1898, on the Kiboko river and at Muani in
Ukamba, British East Africa. " Iris dark brown, feet lemon-
yellow, bill greenish-black, yellow at base." Only three females
were sent.
35. Francolinus gcdgci Grant.
Two males, one from Mondo in Uganda, and one from
Hoima in Unyoro. The latter seems to be younger, its iris is
described as dark brown, feet orange-yellow ; while of the former
the feet were copper-red, black in front, and its iris red. Maxilla
black, mandible orange.
Only a single specimen was obtained by Mr. Gedge on the
Elgon Plains (Kavirondo), where it is common. (Grant, Ibis,
1891, p. 124, id. Handbook Game-birds, i. p. 127.)
36. FTuncolinus liubbardi Grant.
One male, River Molo, twelve miles south of the equator,
Uganda Protectorate, Ravine district. " Iris sepia-brown, feet
lemon-yellow, bill black at the tip, yellow at base."
BIRDS 331
Grant (Bull. B. O. Club. vol. iv. p. 27, id. Handbook Game-
birds, i. p. 112) described it in 1895 from the Nassa district.
37. Pternistes infuscatus Cab.
This common species was shot at Makindos, Ukamba, British
East Africa. (See Neumann, J. F. O. 1898, p. 302.)
38. NuDiida reiclienozvi Grant.
$ ? shot on the Kiboko river in Ukamba, British East
Africa, 26/4/98. " Iris red-brown, bill and feet black." The
wattle at the gape seems to be almost quite red.
39. Numida ptylorJiytidia Less.
A female and a young male from Kitanwa, 2\ hours' march
from the east shore of Lake Albert, Unyoro.
Lesson, who was evidently a very poor Greek and Latin
scholar, spelt the name ptylorJiyticJia.
40. Numida ansorgci, sp. nov.
An adult male of a guinea-fowl, shot at Lake Nakuru (Uganda
Protectorate), on March 28, 1898, cannot be united with one
of the described forms. It stands probably somewhat between
A^. reicJienowi and the form named N. intevDiedia by Oscar
Neumann. It differs from N. reichenowi in the form of the
helmet, the high ridge of caruncles at the base of the bill, the
broad, not narrow and not hair-like feathers on the back of the
neck, and the colour of the wattle at the gape, but it agrees
with this species in the form of the wattle at the gape and the
barred neck-feathers. It differs from N. intermedia Neum. in
the beak being blackish-green, not red, the larger wattles at the
gape, and their colour, and probably also the more spotted
chest. The type-specimen has on the hind-neck, just below the
head, a bunch of broad pointed black feathers, which seem to
point upwards ; the feathers below this bunch are very finely,
but regularly barred with numerous white bars. The red naked
skin on the nape is divided by a narrow black line in the
middle ; the wattle at the gape is broad and largely extended
in front and behind, but not very pendant ; and there is a red
spot in front as well as on the hind-tip. "Iris red-brown."
332 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
Wing 282 mm., tarsus 75, middle toe without claw 55, helmet
in a straight line from the bottom 34, bill 24.
From A\ coronata, which is not yet known to occur north
of the Zambesi, it presents many points of difference, notably
the bunch of feathers on the hind-neck, the deep black ground-
colour, the form and colour of the wattles.
(BIRDS OF PREY.)
41. LopJioai'tus occipitalis (Daud.)
? ad. Masindi, Unyoro, 6.897. "Iris golden-yellow, feet
lemon-yellow. Bill slate-blue, black towards the tip. Cere
greenish-yellow."
42. Circles Diacrurus (Gm.)
? juv. Fovira, Unyoro, 2/1/98. " Iris orange-red, feet lemon-
yellow."
(PARROTS.)
43. Poioccphalus rufiventris (Rupp.)
Voi river and Mtoto Ndei in British East Africa. " Iris bright
orange-red in both sexes, bill and feet blackish."
(ROLLERS.)
4-1 . Eurystouius afcr (Lath.)
Kampala (Uganda) and Kibwezi (British East Africa).
(PLANTAIN-EATERS.)
45. Tnracus Jiartlaubi (Fisch. & Rchw.)
$ ? Subugo Forest, Uganda Protectorate, 6/12/96. "Iris
chocolate-brown, feet black, bill red."
46. SchizorJiis leiccogaster Riipp.
$ ad. Muani, British East Africa, 11/11/96. " Iris greenish-
brown ; feet black. Bill greenish-black."
(COLIES.")
47. Colitis Icucotis affijiis Shelley.
In 1885, in the Ibis, p. 312, Shelley separated from " Colitis
leucotis tjpicus," of which he says that it inhabits " X.E. Africa,
BIRDS 333
southward to Kitui in Ukamba," a form which he called Colius
leucotis affinis, and of which he says that it is found on the
" Upper White Nile to Dar-es-Salaam," and that it differs from
C. leucotis typicus in being smaller, and in having the neck and
back generally less distinctly barred, the white on the throat
and sides of the head clearer, the tail-feathers generally slightly
narrower. He adds that "these sub-species appear to run into
each other." In 1892, in the catalogue of Birds, vol. xvii. p.
342, Dr. Sharpe separates " Colius affinis" as a sub-species from
C. leucotis. Of the latter he says that it occurs in " Abyssinia
and Bogosland, south to Shoa," and of the former that it is found
from the " White Nile district to Central Africa, and thence to
Eastern Africa." In 1898 (Nov. ZooL, vol. v. p. 76) I was able
to quote what I called C. affinis as far south as New Heligoland
in German East Africa. According to Reichenow it occurs all
over German East Africa. After carefully reviewing the available
material, I find that there are two forms now mixed under " C.
affinisy' i.e. a smaller form from the drier parts of East Africa,
and a larger one from the interior. Shelley (1. c.) had already
noticed that his C. leucotis affinis were not all alike. Both forms
have been found by Dr. Ansorge. One from Mombasa Island
(13. X. 1896) and another from IMaharagwe-fundi in the Taru
desert, British East Africa (24. X. 1896) are true affinis. " Iris
dark brown."
The three forms might be separated as follows : —
1. Throat and neck distinctly and strongly barred, some bars
indicated on the whole back, wing longer (100 mm.), ear-coverts
silvery grey :
C. leucotis leucotis Riipp.
(Abyssinia, south to the elevated parts of Somaliland.)
2. Throat and neck less strongly barred, back without indica-
tions of bars, wing as long and ear-coverts of the same colour as
in leucotis :
C. leucotis berlepschi, subsp. nov.
(Central Africa, from the White Nile to German East Africa.)
3. Throat and neck less strongly barred (as in berlepschi), back
without bars, wing much shorter, 90-94 mm., ear-coverts of a
less silvery-grey, more buffy shade, upper and under surface
generally slightly more rufous :
334 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
C. leiicotis affinis Shelley.
(Drier eastern districts of East Africa— Bagamoyo, Dar-es-
Salaam, Zanzibar, Witu.)
48. Coitus leucotis berlepschi Hart.
This form is characterised above, the type being from New
Heligoland, German East Africa. Dr. Ansorge sent specimens
from Masindi in Unyoro, Hoima in Unyoro, and Kampala in
Uganda. " Iris : upper brim yellow (or yellowish-green), lower
half greenish-yellow (or greenish-grey)." This is rather dififerent
from C. leiicotis affinis.
This form is named in honour of my friend Count Berlepsch,
who has lent and given me valuable material for comparison.
(HORNBILLS.)
49. Lophoceros erytJirorhynchus (Tem.)
$ Kinani, British East Africa, 2l^!g8. " Iris light yellow,
feet black, bill red, mandible black towards base, base yellow."
50. Lophoceros inelanoleuais (Licht. sen.)
$, ad. Kibwezi, Ukamba, British East Africa, 28/4/98. " Iris
whitish-yellow, feet black, bill red."
(CUCKOOS.)
51. Centropns supcrciliosus H. & E.
Kampala, Uganda, January.
(HONEY-GUIDES.)
52. Indicator indicator (Gm.)
A male in moult and very abraded ; Mondo, Uganda, 25/12/96.
(BARBETS.)
53. Melanobucco {Pogonorhync/ius) irroratus (Cab.)
IMwachi, two days' march from Mombasa, and Taru (British
East Africa), October 1896. " Iris red-brown, feet and bill
black."
BIRDS 335
54. Trachyphonns boehmi Fischer & Rchw.
$ Ndi, British East Africa, 27/10/96. " Iris chocolate-brown,
feet slate-green, bill slate-green.
The bird figured as T. boehmi \n Reichenow's " Vogel Deutsch-
Ost-Afrika's," seems to be T. viargaritatiis.
55. Tricholcema lacrymosuni Cab.
? Masongoleni, British East Africa, 2/1 1/96.
56. Barbatnla affinis Rchw.
? Taru, British East Africa, 22/10/96.
57. Barbatnla leucolcBma Verr.
Mondo, in Uganda, 25/12/96. "Iris chocolate-brown."
(WOODPECKERS.)
58. Mesopicus gcertan (P. L. S. Mull.)
An adult male and a young one from Masindi and Fajao in
Unyoro, 13/1 1/97. Has no sign of red on the abdomen or breast,
and resembles entirely a male shot by the writer on the Benue.
I should have expected M. rhodeogaster, which is probably not the
same as M. spodocephalus, at Unyoro.
59. Dendropiciis zanzibari Malh.
$ ad. (marked ? erroneously). Between Maungu mountain
and Voi river, British East Africa. " Iris chocolate-brown, feet
greenish-grey, bill dark slate-grey." Probably sub-species of
D. guineensis (Scop.) = D. cardmalis (Gm.) = D. hartlaubi Malh.
60. Canipothera tceniolcBina Rchw. & Neum.
Subugo Poorest, in the Uganda Protectorate. " Iris red, feet
green, bill slate-bluish."
(KINGFISHERS.)
61. Halcyon seviiccBriilea (Forsk.)
Kibero (Unyoro), 12/10/97, ?. " Iris dark brown. Bill and
feet red." Kibwezi, Ukamba, British East Africa, 29/4/98.
336 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
62. Halcyon senegalensis (L.)
$ Pongo, Lur country, north-west shore of Lake Albert.
There are apparently several sub-species of this species, but H.
cyanoleuca cannot possibly be a sub-species ( = geographical race)
of it, for it occurs in many parts together with H. senegalensis. It
is either a species or a stage of plumage of the latter.
6^. Halcyon chcliciiti (Stanley.)
Mahaji in the Lur country ; Masindi in Unyoro ; Kitanwa in
Unyoro ; Mwachi, two days' march from Mombasa, in British
East Africa. " Upper bill (maxilla) slaty-brown or dark reddish-
brown ; under (mandible) red. Iris brown."
64. Corythornis cyanostignia (Riipp.)'
Kibero on the shore of Lake Albert and iNIruli on the Kafu
river in Unyoro.
65. Ceryle rudis (L.)
Kibero and Mruli (Unyoro).
(BEE-EATERS.)
66. M crops bullockoides A. Smith.
Lake Naivasha, Second Kedong, and First Kedong.
67. AT crops apt aster L.
$ Muani (British East Africa), 11/11/96. In much faded
and worn plumage.
68. M crops albicollis Vieill.
Kampala (Uganda) and jMasindi (Unyoro).
(HOOPOES.)
69. Upupa africana Bechst.
Mau and Kariandus in the Uganda Protectorate.
70. Irrisor viridis (Licht.)
Kibwezi, Ukamba, British East Africa, 29/4/98.
BIRDS 337
71. Irrisorjacksoni Sharpe.
$ ad. Eldoma Ravine, Uganda Protectorate, 23/3/98. " Iris
dark brown, feet brick-red, bill blood-red." (Salvin, Cat. B.,
Brit. Mus. XVI., PI. 3, f. i). Wing 130 mm.
72. RJiinopomastes cyanonielas (Vieill.)
$ ad. Samburu, fourth camp on road from Mombasa to
Uganda.
(SWIFTS.)
73. Apus shelleyi{^?\\?idi.)
One male of a swift, shot at Kakamaga's on March 12, 1898
(Kavirondo), belongs to A. shelleyi. It closely resembles A. apus,
but is smaller; the secondaries- are decidedly paler, but the
difference in the shape of the rectrices is very slight. Wing
145 mm., tail 70. " Iris chocolate-brown, feet light brown, bill
black."
Very little is known about this swift, which must be resident
in some parts of North-Eastern Africa.
74. Tachomis parvus (Lcht.)
Fovira in Unyoro, January 12, 1898.
(SWALLOWS.)
75. Hirujido senegalensis\^.
Masindi, Unyoro, 27 6/97.
76. Hiriindo rustica L.
Kibero (Unyoro) in October ; Kampala (Uganda) in February.
77. Hinifido gordoni ]-A.x<\.
Road between Kampala and Port Alice, Uganda, 1 1/2/97.
This species does not seem to be recorded so far east.
78. Hirundo piiella Temm & Schleg.
Mombasa (British East Africa).
79. Cotile riparia (L.)
Kibero in Unyoro, October.
338 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
80. Psalidoprocne albiceps Scl.
First Kedong, British East Africa, 6/4/98.
(FLY CATCHERS.)
81. Platystira cyanea (S. Miill.)
Masindi, Unyoro. "Wattle above eye bright red. Iris hght
blue-grey, with white inner margin. Bill and feet black."
82. Batis orientalis (Heugl.)
Fajao on the Victoria Nile, Unyoro. " Iris bright yellow."
83. Batis senegalensis {l^.)
Mombasa Island, Maji Chumvi (three days' march from Mom-
basa), British East Africa.
^84. Bradyornis pallidus (v. AIull.)
Tarn desert, British East Africa.
85. Bradyornis uiurimis F. & H.
Kibwezi in Ukamba, British East Africa.
86. Dioptrornis fischeri Rchw.
Eldoma Ravine ; Pashto in Nandi (Uganda Protectorate) ;
March 1898. " Iris dark brown, bill and feet slate colour." The
sexes are fully alike.
87. TerpsipJione perspicillata (Sw.)
Taru desert and First Kedong, British East Africa.
t>>
88. Tarsiger stellatiis orientalis Fisch. & Rchw.
I believe T. oriejita/is to be a poor sub-species of T. stellatus.
The difference in the colour of the upper tail-coverts stated in
J. F. O., 1884, p. 57, does not exist, but the black tip to the tail
is a little wider, and the yellow breast and abdomen somewhat
paler. Mau (Uganda Protectorate) 8/12/96.
BIRDS
339
8q. Muscicapa intiriua (Fisch. & Rchw.)
Eldoma Ravine ; Subiigo Forest ; Pashto in the Nandi country ;
Fajao, and Mruli on the Kafu River, in Unyoro. Uganda Pro-
tectorate. (Perhaps better called Alseonax imirina.)
90. Muscicapa grisola L.
Mtoto Ndei and Makindos River, British East Africa. Novem-
ber and May ist.
91. Campophaga nigra Vieill.
Mwachi, two days' march from Mombasa (British East Africa),
and Nandi (Uganda Protectorate).
92. Elminia t ere sit a An tin.
Masindi (Unyoro) and Kampala (Uganda). " Iris chocolate-
brown, bill and feet black." A nestling was found on August 2,
1897, which is very pale-bluish, with pale-brown tips to the wing-
coverts and feathers of the head.
93. M clcenornis ater Sundev.
Kibwezi in Ukamba, British East Africa, 29/4/98.
94. Melcznornis edolioides (Swains.)
Masindi, Hoima, and Kaligire in Unyoro ; and Kampala in
Uganda.
[(SHRIKES.)
95. Signwdus tricolor (Gray.)
? Mazera's (nine miles from Mombasa), British East Africa,
17/10/96. " Iris orange, feet red, bill orange-red."
96. Pi'ioHops talacouia A. Smith.
Maji Chumvi (three days' march from Mombasa), Ndi, and
Kibwezi (British East Africa) ; Fajao (Unyoro). " Iris yellow in
the old birds, greenish-brown in the young, feet orange, bill
black."
97. Nilaus minor Sharpe.
Taru, British East Africa.
340 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
98. Eurocephalus rilppelli Bp.
Taru desert, 22/10/96. " Iris chocolate-brown."
99. Dryoscopus major (Hartl.)
Masindi in Unyoro, April and June. " Iris red-brown."
100. Lanius candatus Cab.
Kiboko River, British East Africa, November. "Iris dark
brown."
loi. Lanius collaris humeralis (Stanl.)
Masindi in Unyoro, April and May. " Iris chocolate-brown."
102. Lanius excubitorius Des Murs.
Kamunina in Unyoro, June. " Iris chocolate-brown."
103. Dryoscopus gatube^isis (Licht.)
Fajao on the Victoria Nile, below the Murchison Falls,
Unyoro.
$ ad. " Iris bright orange, feet slate-blue, bill black."
104. Lanius dorsalis Cab.
$ ad. Voi River, in British East Africa, 25/10/96.
This species, although described long before 1883, is left out
of vol. viii. of the Cat. B. Brit. Mus.
The peculiar pattern of the under-wing seems to be un-
described. The lesser under wing-coverts as well as the under
primary-coverts are black, while the remainder of the under
wing-coverts are white.
105. Lajiiarius nigrifrons Rchw.
$ ad. Fort Smith, Kikuyu, British East Africa.
106. Lanius collurio L.
Kiboko River and Kibwezi in Ukamba, British East Africa,
April 26th and 28th, 1898, both adult males, bills and wings
rather small.
BIRDS 34^
107. Telephonus ininutiis Hartl.
i Kiwalogoma, Uganda, 26/12/96. " Iris red, feet and bill
black."
108. Telephonus senegalus (L.)
Taru and Mwachi (two days from Mombasa) British East
Africa.
109. Laniarius erythrogaster Cretschm.
Saridzi, Unyoro, April. " Iris light yellow."
no. Dryoscopns rufinuchalis Sharpe.
A $ from Kinani, British East Africa, belongs to this species,
described from Somaliland. I doubt its distinctness from D,
ruficeps, also described from Somaliland. " Iris chocolate-brown,
feet dark greenish-brown, bill black."
(ORIOLES.)
111. Oriolus rolleti'$i2i\v2idi.
Ndi, British East Africa, 27/10/96. " Iris red, feet slate-
green, bill reddish-brown."
(DRONGOS.)
112. Dicruriis afer (YJiQhi^
Mazera's, nine miles from Mombasa, British East Africa.
(STARLINGS.)
113. Lamprotornis purpuropterus (Riipp.)
Hoima in Unyoro ; Pongo in the Lur country, on west shore
of Lake Albert. " Iris whitish-yellow."
114. Lamprocolius sycobins Hartl.
Samburu, British East Africa, 20/10/96. " Iris bright orange."
115. Lamprocolius chalybeus Ehr.
$ Eldoma Ravine, in the Uganda Protectorate, 24/3/98. " Iris
bright yellow."
342 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
ii6. Lamprocolius purpiireus (P. L. S. Miill.)
One specimen, marked "?," from Wakibara in Unyoro,
24/4/97, is so much smaller than all specimens of L. purpureus
known to me that 1 believe it belongs to a different form, but
more specimens are desired to decide about it.
117. Cosmopsarus regius Rchw.
This finest of all African birds was shot at Kinani, in British
East Africa, on the 2nd of May 1898. " Iris is light yellow,
feet black, bill black." The female differs from the male only
in having the wing 2 or 3 mm. shorter.
118. Spreo superbus (Riipp.)
Ukamba, and Gilgil River, in the Uganda Protectorate. " Iris
light yellow."
119. Spreo fiscJieri {\<.z\\\\.)
One female of this very rare bird, first described by Professor
Reichenow 2iS^^ Notauges," then placed by Sharpe under " Spreo,"
where it belongs, and afterwards by the same author in " Pholi-
dauges" was shot at Kinani (British East Africa) in May 1898.
" The iris is light yellow, feet and bill black." The bird named
S. fischeri in the British Museum, and described in Cat. B. xiii.
p. 667, is not S.Jischeriy but a widely different new species. No
specimen of S. fischeri is in the British Museum.
120. Dilophus carutiailatiis (Gm.)
Campi-ya-Simba, 8/1 1/96, British East Africa.
(WEAVER-BIRDS.)
121. Quelea cardinalis (Hartl.)
Masindi, Unyoro, June and July 1897.
$ " Iris dark brown, feet light brown, bill black."
? " Iris brown, feet light brown, maxilla light brown, man-
dible brownish-yellow."
122. Anaplectes nielanotis (Lafr.)
Masongoleni, British East Africa, 2liil()6. "Iris in both
sexes red-brown, bill orange."
BIRDS
343
123. Melanopteryx nigerrima (Vieill.)
Masindi in Unyoro, Magogo in Kavirondo, Kiwalogoma in
Uganda.
$ ad. " Iris yellow, feet brown, bill black."
124. Hyphantornis bohndorffi (Rchw.)
Fovira and Fajao in Unyoro ; Kampala in Uganda.
$ ad. " Iris red." ? ad. " Iris red." Juv. " Iris hazel-brown."
125. Hyphantortiis bojcri Cab.
Mombasa Island, British East Africa, 12/10/96. " Iris dark
brown."
126. Hyphantornis fischeri (Rchw.)
Masindi and Fajao in Unyoro, and Kibero (on the east shore
of Lake Albert) in Unyoro. " Iris brown."
Thirteen eggs of Hyp/iantornis fiscJieri show again the same
stupendous variation of colours known to occur in most African
weaver-birds. Some are bluish-green, others bluish-green with
brown spots, or plain dark rufous-brown, or plain brownish
olive-brown, almost like a nightingale's egg ; or brown spotted
with darker brown. They are all from one colony, in which
no other species was observed. These birds, according to Dr.
Ansorge, fed chiefly on the "matama" (Kaftre-corn). The males
were noticed to be the most vigorous nest-builders, selecting
the extreme tip of a branch, on which they fastened the strip of
grass they had brought in their beak. The female occasionally
came and inspected the work, and the male sometimes left its
work unfinished and vigorously began another nest. The female
occasionally took part in bringing some softer grass for the
inner lining of the nest. When the nest was finished, the male
most viciously persecuted every other bird that ventured to
alight on his chosen twig, but it never came to any real fighting
between them. In other species of Hyphantornis both sexes were
observed to be equally busy in building.
127. Hyphantornis vitellinus (Licht.)
•* Mto-ya-mkuyuni," in Ukamba, British East Africa. (This
specimen is, I think, the true vitellinus, and not reichardi^
344
UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
128. Sitagra ocularia crocata (Hartl.)
Masindi, Unyoro, May 1897.
129. Heteryphantes eniini (Hartl.)
Masindi, Unyoro.
130. Ploceus pachyrhynchus Rchw.
Masindi, Unyoro. (Probably a sub-species of superciliosus.)
131. Dinemellia dineinelli {Rvi^'p.)
Taru desert and Kinani, British East Africa.
132. Pyromclana franciscana (Isert.)
Kafu River, Unyoro ; Kibero ; Naruangu, a short day's march
from Mruli on the Kafu River.
133. Pyromelana flammiceps (Swains.)
^ ad. Mtibua, Usoga country, Uganda Protectorate, 19/12/96.
134. Pyromelana ansorgei, sp. nov. (Plate II. fig. 2.)
This evidently very distinct new species seems to be nearest
to P . friedrichseni Fisch. and Rchw. from Masai Land, but differs
in being very much larger, in having a narrower scarlet band
across the lower throat, and apparently also in having the back
and rump black, not scarlet. The upper part of the back (the
interscapulary region) only is orange, all the remainder of the
back is black with pale buff edges to the feathers. It is a
question whether these feathers are those of the fully adult bird,
but there is no sign of their not being so. Under tail-coverts
black with whitish-buff tips. Wing 90 mm., tail 66, culmen 19,
tarsus 25 mm. " Iris dark brown, feet chocolate-brown, bill
black." cJ, Masindi, Unyoro, 17/6/97.
135. Urobrachya pha;nicea (Heugl.)
Mtibua, Usoga country, Uganda Protectorate. The bill of
this specimen is smaller than in one from " Mtoni," collected by
Bohndorff.
New species of African Birds
I- — -^'<'<? page 350, No. 180.
2.— „ 344, No. 134.
BIRDS 345
136. Penthetriopsis niacrura (Gm.)
Ntuti (Singo), Uganda, and Eldoma Ravine (Uganda Pro-
tectorate). A young bird from Masindi (Unyoro) probably
belongs to this species as well.
137. Fenthetria eqnes (Hartl.)
Muani and Mto-ya-mkiiynni (Ukamba), British East Africa.
" Bill light blue."
138. Coliuspasser ardens concolor Cass.
Specimens from Masindi in Unyoro (wing 75 to 76 mm.)
have no sign of a red patch on the foreneck.
139. Lagonosticta bi'wineiceps Sharpe.
Four adult males, one immature male, and one female, from
Masindi (Unyoro), Kibero (Unyoro), Kampala (Uganda), and
Kibwezi (British East Africa), must, geographically, belong to
L. brimneiceps ; on the other hand, however, some of them are
as red above as L. senegala. It is possible that even among the
forms from N.E. Africa to Transvaal, to all of which Sharpe
applies the name L. brwineiceps, there exist several forms. Un-
fortunately Dr. Sharpe did not say which of all these he would
have regarded as the type, no specimen being marked type (see
Cat. B. xiii. pp. 277, 278). In Nov. Zool. v. p. 72 I named the
form from the Upper Shire River L. Senegala rendalli, but I now
doubt its distinctness from L. brunneiceps Sharpe (in his wide
sense). By a mistake the length of the wing of rendalli has
been given as 42 mm., it should have been 47. The wings of
Dr. Ansorge's males measure 49 to 50 mm.
Dr. Sharpe and Prof. Reichenow are apparently also at
variance with regard to L. brunneiceps, the former restricting
L. senegala to Senegambia, the latter calling specimens from
Kakoma, Udjiji, and Bukoba L. senegala, others from Kakoma (?),
Kingani, Bagamoyo, Tabora, Usambara, Karema, &c., L. brun-
neiceps. This can hardly be right ; for it is, in my opinion, most
unlikely that L. senegala and L. brunneiceps are well defined
species , they are probably sub-species. My nndalli is perhaps a
smaller and somewhat brighter form, if separable from brun-
neiceps.
346 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
140. Zonogastris melba (L.)
Makindos River, British East Africa, 4/1 1/96.
141. Phil<zterus arnauai (Bp.)
Campi-ya-Simba, British East Africa, 8/1 1/96.
142. Eslrilda bengala (L.)
Mtoto Ndei and Kibwezi (British East Africa), and Kibero
(Unyoro).
143. Estrilda nonnula Hartl.
i^— E. tenerrivia Rchvv.) A fine series from Masindi (Unyoro)
and Kampala (Uganda), E. tenerrinia is the adult of E. nonnula.
" Bill black with a red streak on each side of maxilla and
mandible."
144. Estrilda paludicola Heugl.
Masindi in Unyoro ; Kampala in Uganda. It seems from
these specimens that the adult male has an orange-red bill, the
female and young a brownish-black one.
145. Estrilda astrild minor (Cab.)
Campi Mbaruk, Kampala, Masindi (Uganda Protectorate).
Young birds have a blackish bill. Typical astrild from South
Africa is larger and with much darker throat and sides of the
head.
146. Estrilda rhodopyga Sundev.
(? (^ 5 Kibero, Unyoro, 13/10/97. The males have the "bill
chocolate-brown ; " the female " chocolate brown with a pink
patch at each corner of mandible and pink edge to maxilla."
147. Granatina ianihinogaster (Rchw.)
One pair from Mto-ya-mkuyuni in Ukamba, British East
Africa, 13/11/96. "Iris red, bill red, feet slate." Narrow red
ring round eye.
148. Spermestes cucullata Sw.
Mahaji in the Lur country, on the west shore of Lake Albert ;
Masindi in Unyoro ; Kampala in Uganda.
BIRDS 3+7
149. Spennesies stiginatopliora Rchvv.
One male of this rare bird from Fajao, on the left bank of
the Victoria Nile, just below the Murchison Falls, 8/12/97. " ^^'s
dark brown, 'feet black, bill light blue." (See Reichenow, Vogel
Deutsch-Ost-Afrika's, p. 154.)
150. Vidua vidua (L.)
This is one of the commonest African birds, generally called
Vidua principalis or serena, the proper name of which, however,
seems to be as above.
A series from Masindi, Hoima, and Kampala, Uganda Pro-
tectorate.
(FINCHES.)
151. Serinus reichenow i Salvad.
Kikuyu, British East Africa.
152. Serinus icterus (Bonn, and Vieill.)
Evidently common in Masindi,^ Unyoro. On January 21,
1898, a nest was found with one normally coloured young and
one albino (*' Iris pink, feet pale flesh-colour, bill pale yellow") of
a canary-yellow colour with white wings.
153. Serinus flaviventris (Sw.)
Masindi (Unyoro) and Campi-ya-Banda (Uganda Protec-
torate).
154. Passer swainsoni (Riipp.)
A series of sparrows from Unyoro and Uganda seem to be
rather sivainsoni than diffusus.
(WAGTAILS.)
155. Motacillaflava L. ; and 156. Motacilla campestris Pall.
Yellow Wagtails, of these two species, were frequently met
with at different places in Uganda and Unyoro from October to
March. It is possible that one or two belong to a third form of
Yellow Wagtails, but this cannot be decided with certainty, as
the specimens in question are young birds.
348 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
157. Motacilla alba L.
Common at Fajao and Fovira in Unyoro from November to
January.
158. Motacilla vidua Sundev.
Fajao and Masindi in Unyoro ; Kampala in Uganda.
(PIPITS.)
159. Macronyx tenellus Cab.
$ ad. Taru, British East Africa, 21/10/96. " Iris dark brown,
feet dark brown, bill brown."
This beautiful and rare Pipit has first been described as a
Macronyx, from which it differs in its smaller size and more
gracile form ; but in the " Catalogue of Birds," vol, xiii., it was
removed to the genus Antkus, while later on Dr. Sharpe created
for it the new genus Tmetothylacus.
160. Macronyx croceus (Vieill.)
This common gigantic form of Pipit was shot at Mruli on the
Kafu River in Unyoro, and at Mtibua in the Usoga country,
Uganda Protectorate.
161. A 71 thus trivial is (L.)
? Masindi in Unyoro, January 1898.
(LARKS.)
162. Mirafra fisclieri (Rchw.)
$ Samburu (fourth camp from Mombasa en route to Uganda),
British East Africa, 20/10/96. " Iris dark orange-brown, feet
flesh-colour, bill brown."
163. Mirafra africana A. Smith.
$ Kiboko River, Ukamba, British East Africa, 25/4/98.
" Iris ochre."
164. Mirafra intercedens Rchw.
S ? Kiboko River, British East Africa, April and November.
BIRDS 349
165. Mirafra hypermetra (Rchw.)
This rare Lark was shot on the Voi River in British East Africa
on 25/10/96. " Iris chocohite-brown, feet flesh-colour, bill slate-
brown, maxilla much darker."
Reichenow has created the new genus Spilocorydon for this
bird, but I see no reason for removing it from Mirafra.
166. Mirafra poecilosterna (Rchw.) (1879.)
This rare Lark was procured at Kinani and on the Tsavo
River, British East Africa, in October. " Iris, feet, and bill
brown."
The narrow and long soft bill remove this species very much
from all Mirafrce, and it will probably be necessary to create a
new genus for it.
(BULBULS.)
167. Pycnonotus nigricans minor Heugl.
$ ad. Masindi, Unyoro, 12 6/97, and Ukamba (British East
Africa).
168. Pycnonotus dodsoni Sharpe.
Makindos River, British East Africa, 4/1 1/96.
This skin agrees with one of the co-types of P. dodsoni in the
Tring Museum.
169. Andropadus eugenius Rchw.
$ ad. Eldoma Ravine, Uganda Protectorate. " Iris dark
brown, feet yellowish-brown, bill black." A young bird from
Rau (Nandi), Uganda Protectorate.
170. Andropadus fiavescens Hartl.
Mombasa Island, British East Africa. " Iris yellow."
171. Phyllostrephus strepitans Rchw.
Mombasa Island, British East Africa, 10/10/96.
(SILVER-EYES.)
172. Zosterops stuhlmanni Rchw.
A series of this rare bird from Masindi and Fajao in Unyoro.
" The iris is orange-red, feet and bill blackish."
350 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
(A specimen from Kiwalogoma in Uganda is deeper yellow
and seems to belong to another species.)
173. Zosterops kikuyensis Sharpe (?)•
A female from Eldoma Ravine (Uganda Protectorate) seems
to belong to this species. Its iris is "sepia brown." With a
series one might be able to find differences from typical kikii-
yensis. The yellow mark on the forehead seems to be larger
in extent.
(SUN-BIRDS.)
1 74. Cifinyris verticalis viridisplendens Rchw.
Masindi in Unyoro, May and June. " Iris dark brown."
175. Cinnyris osiris stiahelicus Rchw.
Kampala, Uganda.
176. Cinnyris ciipreus (Shaw.)
Common at Masindi (Unyoro).
177. Cinnyris falkenstcini Fisch. and Rchw.
iMasindi in Unyoro. " Iris dark brown."
178. Cinfiyris vicdiocris Shell.
$ ad. Siibugo Forest, Uganda Protectorate, 6/12/96. " Iris
chocolate-brown, bill and feet black."
179. Cinnyris reicJutiowi Sharpe.
The considerably shorter bill and the deep purple upper
tail-coverts and breast-band distinguish this bird without diffi-
culty from inediocris. Rau, Xandi country, Uganda Protectorate,
12/12/96.
ii8o. Cinnyris ansoj-gei, sp. nov. (Plate II. fig. i).
An adult male, shot at Nandi Station in [the Uganda Pro-
tectorate on March 16, 1898, differs from C. rcichenozvi Sharpe
in the great extension of the somewhat deeper red colour of the
breast, which occupies an area of about 23 mm. in length, while
in C. reic/ienowi it extends for about 17 mm., and in the beak
BIRDS 351
being still shorter than in C. riiclicnozvi. Wing 53 mm., tail 40
mm., tarsus 20, culmen (from end of feathering on forehead)
18.3 mm., against fully 20 mm. in C. rcicJienozvi. The belly and
lower abdomen seem to be a little darker than in C. reicJienowi.
It is not without hesitation that I describe a third form, in
addition to C. inediocris and C. reicJicnowi, from almost the same
localities ; yet, on the other hand, it seems to be about as distinct
from C. reichenowi as the latter is from C. mediocris ; and Prof.
Reichenow and Mr. Neumann, both authorities in East African
Ornithology, pronounced it to be an undescribed species when
they saw it at Tring.
181. Cinnyris acik (Antin.)
A good series from Masindi in Unyoro. The wings of the
males measure from 68 to 71 mm.
182. Cinnyris senegalensis laniperti Rchw.
(See Journ. f. Ornith. 1897, p. 196.) A male from Mtoto
Ndei in British East Africa belongs to this form, described as a
sub-species of senegalensis, from which it differs in being much
larger (wing 77 mm.), and more brownish on the back.
(Specimens of C. gutturalis from East Africa differ also con-
siderably from those of South Africa in being much smaller, and
must be separated sub-specifically. I propose for them the name
Cinnyris gutturalis incsstiniata subsp. nov.)
183. Cinnyris hunteri Shelley.
Kinani and Tsavo River, British East Africa, October 1896.
" Iris very dark brown, feet and bill black."
The females differ from the females of C acik in being paler
and more greyish above, lighter below and almost whitish on
the abdomen.
184. Nectarinia kiliniensis Shelley.
Kiketi (British East Africa) ; Campi Mbaruk (Uganda Pro-
tectorate) ; and Masindi in Unyoro. " Iris dark brown ; feet
and bill black."
185. Nectarinia pulchella (L.)
Kibero, on the east shore of Lake Albert, Unyoro.
352 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
i86. Anthotreptes hypodila (Jard.)
Samburu ; Masongoleni ; Taru desert ; British East Africa.
(TITMICE.)
187. Farus niger Bonn, and Vieill.
Fajao on the Victoria Nile, below the Alurchison Falls,
Unyoro, 13/8/97. " Iris light yellow, almost white. Feet blue-
black. Bill black."
188. Pariis albiventris Shelley
Taru, British East Africa, 22/10/96. " Iris deep brown ; feet
and bill black."
(BABBLING-THRUSHES.)
189. Argya riifula Heugl.
Mombasa Island, British East Africa. " Iris yellow."
190. Dryodromas rufidorsalis Sharpe
Kinani, British East Africa, 31/10/96. " Iris yellow."
191. Prinia mystacea (Riipp.)
Mruli and Masindi in Unyoro. " Iris golden-orange, bill
black, feet light brown."
192. Cisticola dodsoni Sharpe (?).
$ Voi River in British East Africa, 25/10/96.
This specimen differs from C. dodsoni in being washed with
rufous-brown on the back, but this character may be seasonal.
193. Cisticola lateralis (Fras.)
Kampala in Uganda, 14/1/97. " Iris yellow."
194. Cisticola subruficapilla (A. Smith.)
Muani (British East Africa) and Kibero (Unyoro). " Iris
dark brown." - According to Dr. Sharpe this species occurs
BIRDS 353
nearly all over tropical Africa. The names of cantans Heugl.
andyfjr//^;'/ Reichenovv are perhaps both belonging to the same
northern form which may be a sub-species.
195. Cisticola cinerascens (Heugl.)
r? ad. Masindi fUnyoro), 14/4/97. '* ^^^^ red-brown, feet
flesh-colour. Bill black."
196. Cisticola lugiibris Riipp.
$ Masindi (Unyoro), 26/4/97. " ^"s orange-brown. Feet
flesh-colour. Maxilla black, mandible light brown."
197. Cisticola strangei (Fras.)
$, ad. Kafu River, Unyoro, 4/9/97. " Iris yellow."
198. Cisticola erythrogenys Riipp.
$ First Swamp, Kikuyu,^ British East Africa, 23/11/96.
" Iris orange."
199. Melocichla orientalis (Sharpe. )
Masindi in Unyoro, 25/6/97. " Iris orange-gold, feet light
slate-blue, maxilla blackish, mandible light blue-grey."
200. Euprinodes schistaceus Sharpe.
Mau, in the Uganda Protectorate. " Iris red, feet flesh-
colour, bill black."
201. Calamonastes simplex (Cab.)
Tsavo River, British East Africa.
202. ErytJiropygia leucoptera (Riipp.)
Tsavo River, British East Africa, 29/10/96.
203. Erythropygia hartlaubi Rchw.
Masindi, Unyoro. " Iris light brown, feet slate-colour, bill
blackish ."
z
354 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN
(THRUSH-LIKE BIRDS.)
204. Phylloscopus trochilus (L.)
Eldoma Ravine, Uganda Protectorate, 23/3/98.
205. Turdns bocagei (Cab.)
Masindi, Unyoro, 18/4/97.
206. Turdus deckeni Cab.
Mail, Uganda Protectorate, 7/12/96.
207. Mont kola saxa tills (L.)
Eldoma Ravine, Uganda Protectorate, March 1898.
208. Mynnecocichla ciyptoleuca Sharpe.
Eldoma Ravine, Uganda Protectorate, March 1898. " Iris
dark brown."
209. AlyrniecocicJila Jiigra (Vieill.)
Fort Hoima, Unyoro, October. " Iris chocolate-brown."
210. Saxicola livingstonei (Tristr.)
Lake Naivasha, Uganda Protectorate, 26/11/96.
211. Saxicola cenanthe L.
Kiboko Riveriand Kinani in British East Africa; Masindi, in
Unyoro in winter.
212. Saxicola isabellina Cretzschm.
Masindi, Unyoro.
213. Saxicola pleschanka ( Lepech . )
Eldoma Ravine, Uganda Protectorate, 24/3/98. Fovira in
Unyoro, 1 2/1/98.
214. Pratincola rubetra (L.)
In winter everywhere in Unyoro and Uganda.
BIRDS 355
215. Pratincola riibicola (L.)
Kikuyu (British East Africa) and Nandi (Uganda Protec-
torate), March and November.
216. Pratincola einmce Hartl.
Rau (Nandi) in Uganda Protectorate in March, and First
Swamp, in Kikuyu, British East Africa. " Iris dark brown, feet
and bill black."
I believe that P. emmce is different from P. albofasciata Rupp.
from Abyssinia in having a rufous band across the ches* ; while
in P. albofasciata this band is absent in the fully adult bird. It
is nevertheless strange that Hartlaub, when describing P. enini(2^
did not mention its close affinity to the former.
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