waited for Sharp. The natives, thinking that I could be imposed upon
with my small caravan, ignored my presence, and in face of several
requests refused to bring in food for sale. The country was very rich
in produce, so I warned the chief that unless he brought in food in the
ordinary way for sale I should be obliged to come and take what I
wanted, as I could not starve. I was just preparing to carry out my
threat, when Sharp arrived, and the chief soon turned up with a diseased
sheep and about a quart of flour, which I promptly clapped on to his
head, while Sharp roared with laughter at him. He tried hard to
maintain his dignity, but with little effect: a little, tub-bellied man,
he presented the most ridiculous spectacle imaginable as he stalked out
of camp half black, half white, preceded by his awed followers. In the
afternoon he returned with plenty of supplies, and after receiving a
handsome present in exchange, retired quite satisfied. After making yet
two more attempts after elephant, in the course of which I came on many
cattle-yards hidden in the deepest recesses of the forest, we gave it up
as hopeless, and determined to press on to the Albert Edward Lake.
During one of my elephant hunts I came on the skeleton of a gigantic
ape, larger than anything I have ever seen in the anthropoids, but I
never saw a live specimen, though the natives assured me that they were
plentiful, and were a great source of annoyance to the villages, being
in the habit of carrying off stray women.
While exploring with a small number of followers, I observed some
ape-like creatures leering at me from behind banana-palms, and with
considerable difficulty my Ruanda guide induced one of them to come and
be inspected. He was a tall man with the long arms, pendent paunch, and
short legs of the ape, pronouncedly microcephalous and prognathous. At
first he was terribly alarmed, but soon gained confidence, and when I
asked him about game and elephant, he gave me most realistic
representations of them and of how they should be attacked. I failed to
exactly define their status, but from the contempt in which they were
held by the Wa Ruanda their local caste must be very low. The stamp of
the brute was so strong on them that I should place them lower in the
human scale than any other natives I have seen in Africa. Their type is
quite distinct from the other people's, and, judging from the twenty to
thirty specimens that I saw, very consistent. Their face, body, and
limbs are covered with wiry hair, and the hang of the long, powerful
arms, the slight stoop of the trunk, and the hunted, vacant expression
of the face, made up a _tout ensemble_ that was a terrible pictorial
proof of Darwinism. Two of them accompanied me to Mushari. On the road
they showed me the ease with which they can make fire with their
fire-sticks.
*CHAPTER XIII.*
*THE RUTCHURU VALLEY AND THE ALBERT EDWARD LAKE.*
On June 26th we started on our march to the Albert Edward Lake, and
camped that night near Kahanga's village. Many of the more important
men came and paid their respects to us, but Kahanga himself did not turn
up. We inquired of his Prime Minister for what reason he had not done
so, and were informed that he was ill; but having, as I thought, seen
him, as I passed, looking far from ill, I made further inquiries, and
discovered that he was afraid of our caravan, and imagined that if he
came to our camp we should make him prisoner and demand a big ransom of
ivory. I can only imagine that he had heard of other white men behaving
in this manner. I tried hard to induce him to come, but in vain. As
when I was there before with only a few boys he had been exceedingly
friendly, it is obvious under what disadvantages one labours when
travelling through Africa with a big caravan.
The following day we crossed the Mungawo, and following the ridge of the
spur which runs down to the junction of the Mungawo and the Kako through
the Shoni district, we camped on a bluff overlooking the Kako itself.
The Kako, as the southern portion of the Rutchuru is called, is a large
body of water, many feet deep, and quite unfordable. Its banks are
clothed with dense forests.
The people of Shoni were most friendly, and we purchased a large supply
of beans. At this camp I saw a waterbuck, the first antelope that we
had seen for many weeks.
We crossed the river by a native bridge formed of trunks of trees thrown
across and bound together with fibre. Beneath, the Kako thundered, a
mighty torrent, and the cloud of spray had left a saline deposit on the
rocks, which was much appreciated by our cattle.
The name of the district into which we had entered was Imukubsu. From
here we had a magnificent view of the volcanoes, and having dropped
4,000 ft. we were enabled to see what an imposing mass Mount Eyres is;
its form on this side is an exact facsimile of the Matterhorn from the
Riffelalp.
Here we purchased some of the curious hippo spears that are used by all
the natives on the Albert Edward Lake; they have a large piece of cork
or light wood on the end of the haft which floats the spear if they miss
their aim. We also purchased some medicine for producing rain; it was a
small goat's horn filled with the congealed blood of chickens.
Our Baleka prisoners were most amusing. Their joint clothing when
captured consisted of one string of beads, half a dozen wire bracelets,
and a human tooth as a pendant to a necklace of elephant hair. They
were very hungry, and quite pleased with their quarters. It was a
terrible sight to see how they tore and devoured half-raw meat, but
apparently they missed the flavour which they had particularly affected,
as they could never satisfy themselves. Because of the quantity of food
they consumed, our boys viewed them with considerable disfavour. We
issued for their use a large block of soap, and insisted on their
bathing in every available stream; after that we presented them with
some blue cloth and a red blanket, draped in which they appeared quite
respectable, although the style of costume did not seem to lend itself
to their figures or type of beauty.
The western side of the valley is covered with luxuriant forest, and the
eastern side consists of rolling grass land till fifteen miles from the
lake, when the country settles down into one vast plain.
The people of Imukubsu appear to be practically independent of the
Kigeri, although they are undoubtedly part of the Ruanda stock.
Here four streams flow down from the east, the most important being the
Fuko. At the outlet of the Fuko the Kako becomes the Rutchuru, and the
district to the east is called Bukoma, and is very sparsely inhabited.
Still further to the east lies the district of Ijomba, which centres
round two rather prominent peaks. Six miles further north there is
again a considerable population, and large plantations of bananas.
The following day we crossed a stream of considerable breadth, filled
with papyrus; the water was very deep, and we had great difficulty in
the crossing of our goats and sheep. Marching through a desolate
country with no population, we arrived at a good stream called the
Gwenda. The bed of this stream is very curious; the country drops
suddenly 100 ft., forming a broad, flat-bottomed valley, down the middle
of which the Gwenda has carved out a deep trough. The valley is so flat
that it cannot be due to erosion, and is probably a recently-dried-up
arm of the lake.
From there we crossed a vast plateau, covered with short grass; and it
was not until three in the afternoon that we reached an insignificant
stream, on the banks of which were a few poverty-stricken villages.
The type of native had changed entirely; they informed us that they were
Wanyabinga, and that the name of their country was Wataka. They refused
cloth or beads, saying that they had no use for such things, their only
garment consisting of well-cured skins.
The following morning we marched through similar country, and saw many
tracks of elephant. I was leading the caravan that day, and was
suddenly stopped by the cry of "Elephant!" I hastily put my big gun
together, and saw a herd of fifty elephant cross the path and descend on
to the flat plain below; they reminded me forcibly of an old print of
the Spanish Armada, as they sailed past through the long grass; their
huge ears flapping to and fro gave the impression of sails; and their
gliding action over the uneven ground was exactly similar to the motion
of a ship. The grass covered their legs, and the peculiar swinging
action of the elephant, who moves both the legs on one side at the same
time, gives the appearance of the beast being on wheels. Sending a note
back to Sharp, I hurried off in pursuit, as they swept into an extensive
patch of dense thorn jungle. The track was easy to follow, owing to the
number that had passed, and after a sharp burst of half an hour I saw
one standing broadside on, about thirty yards ahead. I tried for the
brain-shot with my .303. He threw his trunk into the air, and fell like
a rock--dead. Two more appeared at the shot, and looked at me; I fired,
and the whole herd crashed away; then I remembered that the magazine of
my gun had been loaded with expanding bullets. I rushed after them, but
failed to catch them up, and I had the greatest difficulty in retracing
my steps; the elephant had forced a way through the thornbush, and it
was comparatively easy, in the excitement of pursuit, to follow, as I
could push the thorns open in front as the elephant had done before me;
but on my return journey it was almost impossible to get through, as the
thorns, which had swung back in their place, had to be pulled towards
one to allow a passage. However, eventually I arrived at my dead
elephant, full of thorns, and torn to pieces. It was only a small bull,
but it was my first, and as I strolled back to the caravan, the beast's
tail in my hand, I was a proud man.
I had some difficulty in getting out of the jungle. In trying to do so
I arrived unexpectedly in a village hidden in the thicket. The people,
hearing my shots, had put the village in a state of defence. It was
surrounded by almost impenetrable jungle, except at two places, where
there was an elaborate gate and stockade. The gate had been filled up
with a pile of heavy logs, pointing outwards and upwards, which rendered
entrance impossible from without, but, to their astonishment, I arrived
through the thicket. As I promptly leaned my rifle against a hut and
put out my hand to greet them, their suspicions were allayed, and they
gave me some water; then one of their number showed me the path out of
the jungle, and I rejoined the caravan. Half a mile further on we
camped by two muddy pools on the outskirts of the thicket.
The natives became quite friendly, and brought us large quantities of a
small kind of bean, and helped us to cut out the tusks. Our carriers
came to see the elephant, and forming a ring round it, chanted a song in
its honour, and each man threw a handful of grass on its side to show
his respect, but, of course, would not eat the meat. Curiously enough,
the natives also refused to eat the meat, although they were very poor;
they informed us that they would eat hippo meat, but not elephant, which
seemed to me a very subtle distinction. We cut off a portion of the
trunk and boiled it gently for twelve hours, but did not eat much of it
when it came to table; the meat was excellent, but the two unpleasant
tubes through the middle, and the wrinkled black skin with its short,
stubby bristles, did not give an appetizing, appearance to the _plat_.
However, the youthful cannibals devoured it, although there must have
been at least ten pounds, in the short space of an hour. The two elderly
cannibals disappeared during the night. It was evidently a move on the
part of our boys, who resented the proportion of presents that fell to
the cannibals' lot.
The reports of the country in front were not encouraging, so we bought
up a considerable quantity of beans; and the following morning marched
across the plain, and arrived near another village, similar to the one
we had left, which was also carefully hidden in the jungle. This village
was elaborately stockaded, and the natives absolutely refused to allow
me to enter; however, I eventually succeeded in obtaining a guide, and
we continued our march till we arrived at a small lagoon, where our
guide promptly left us. Here we saw a considerable number of
topi-hartebeeste and Uganda kob; these, with the exception of one
waterbuck mentioned above, were the only game that we had seen for many
long weeks; and it was a great treat to have a change from the
inevitable goat.
Here the plain opened out to a tremendous width and had the most
desolate appearance, all the short grass being burnt; and the only
relieving features were a few patches of thorn-scrub and an occasional
candelabra euphorbia. Having no guide and no idea of what was before
us, it was rather a risky undertaking to go ahead without reconnoitring;
but retreat was impossible, owing to the scarcity of provisions, and the
quantity of game rendered actual starvation improbable.
The following morning we launched forth, and after a long march, as I
was beginning to get doubtful as to whether we should find water, I
sighted the Rutchuru river, which here swings back towards the east.
There was a considerable quantity of Uganda kob, topi-hartebeeste, and
Chanler's reedbuck, and on the path we saw several traces of lions,
while the river teemed with hippopotami. The country is very barren,
and there are numerous salt-pans, which at a distance appear like snow.
While the tents were being pitched, we went out and quickly secured a
supply of meat. The Manyema, like all tribes that have come under the
influence of the Arabs, refused to eat the meat of any animal that had
not had its throat cut while still alive; they also refuse to eat hippo,
elephant, or pig, but, curiously enough, are not so particular about
rhinoceros.
We deemed it advisable to camp here for a day, while we went out in
different directions to inspect the country, as we could still, by a
forced march, manage to reach food countries if we found it impossible
to proceed.
I went down the river, and six miles north came unexpectedly through a
belt of reeds on to the lake-shore. Where the Rutchuru enters the lake
there is a very extensive swamp, the haunt of thousands of birds
(pelicans, geese, and various storks), and many hippo. Here I found a
very sparse fishing population; their huts were built in the swamp, and
they themselves travelled about in dangerous-looking canoes. They were
very shy, and it was only after repeated efforts that I succeeded in
inducing two men to come and talk; from them I purchased a few fish,
giving them beads in exchange; and I made many inquiries as to the
country that we had to traverse. They informed me that there were no
villages for many days, and that the few villages that existed at some
distance from the lake were reduced to pitiable straits by the drought,
and the raids of some tribe from the east.
Hence it was obviously impossible to proceed without laying in a stock
of provisions; so we shot several antelope and made our men dry the meat
over fires.
I was suffering from slight fever, and consequently Sharp undertook to
return with boys and purchase as many loads as possible of beans.
The fever brought on a very bad foot; I had rubbed all the skin off the
heel with elephant-hunting, and had been walking on it ever since; and
owing to the poisonous influence of the fever, it swelled to a great
size, and was in such an unhealthy condition that when I pushed my
finger into the swelling it left a cavity which did not swell out again
for some minutes. As it was impossible to stop in the country, I had to
make arrangements to be carried, and all the time that I was in camp,
sat with my foot in a basin filled with a strong solution of
permanganate of potash, applying a poultice of Elliman's Embrocation at
night.
Here the water of the Rutchuru was almost too salt to drink, and we were
not sorry to reach the lake, where, although the water was salt, it was
drinkable.
Sharp shot several fine kob and topi, the horns being equal to anything
recorded in Rowland Ward's book, _Horns and their Measurement_.
The water at the edge of the lake was very shallow. Two days from the
Rutchuru my leg became so bad that we were compelled to stop; and as the
supply of food was already running short, we sent some of our boys back
to buy a fresh supply.
Here we were visited by some natives who, having heard our shots, came
down the lake in canoes to find out who we were; they had a few guns
which they had purchased from some Swahili traders; and as they entered
the camp they fired a salute in our honour. The chief, who was a most
intelligent native, asked us whether we wanted to buy any ivory. We
told him to bring it to us, so that we might see whether it was worth
purchasing. He brought a small tusk of 30 lbs., and said that he had
another very large tusk, which he dared not bring unless we made
blood-brotherhood with him. This we did, our headman serving as proxy.
The mode of procedure was as follows: Our headman sat down opposite the
native's representative, each party having a sponsor, while the eldest
of the natives constituted himself master of the ceremonies. Two small
pieces of meat were procured, and each sponsor held one in his hand; the
master of the ceremonies then explained that we were to become
blood-brothers of the chief, and evoked a series of curses on either
party that might not be true to the pledge. The words of his weird
incantation were,--
"May hippopotami run against him; may leopards tear him by night; may
hunger and thirst gripe him; may his women be barren; may his children
wither, even as the grass withers; may crocodiles rend him; may lions
howl round his couch by night; may elephants crush him," etc.
Having thus evoked all imaginary curses on the delinquent's head, he
made a slight incision on each of the parties' chest. The blood that
flowed from the cut having been smeared on the two pieces of raw meat,
each party had to devour the piece smeared with the blood of the other.
A loaded gun had been placed between them, and when the ceremony was
complete, this was fired into the air; while the chief and his
attendants fired another volley. Thereupon I had the 4-bore brought
forth, and told off my headman to fire it, while my gun-bearer supported
him--an advisable precaution. The tremendous report, the obvious
recoil, and the shriek of the huge bullet impressed them mightily.
We then called the chief up and taught him to shake hands, saying that
it was the Englishman's method of making blood-brotherhood; and that now
that we had performed the rites of both people, the Wanyabinga and the
Englishman, there could be no possibility of the compact ever being
broken. And we pointed out our flag,[#] which was flying over the camp,
and told him that wherever in future he saw that flag, he might know
that he would be well received and treated with justice.
[#] This flag was accepted by her late Majesty the Queen.
They then filed off with a handsome present of cloth, delighted with the
result of their visit; and the following morning they arrived with the
tusk, which was a large one, weighing about 80 lbs. But we did not
purchase it, explaining to them that we had only come there to see the
country, and to hunt elephant for our own amusement, and that we were
not like the Swahili traders whom they had met. We allowed them to
bring the tusk, so that they might see that they could repose absolute
confidence in us. With the tusk they brought several loads of sweet
potatoes, and we gave them a present in exchange.
The chief was a very pleasant and intelligent native, and during the
next two days Sharp made several short trips with him. One day the
chief and all his men showed us how they hunted antelope with dogs. The
dogs were well trained; they rounded the beast and drove it within reach
of the hunters, who succeeded in spearing it.
The whole of the southern coast of the Albert Edward is the home of
hundreds of hippopotami, and the beach is lined with masses of their
dung; all night they kept up a tremendous concert of bellowing and
grunts, which rendered sleep well-nigh impossible.
My foot having meanwhile sufficiently healed to allow me to be carried,
we advanced along the shore of the lake, and camped at the edge of the
extensive swamp at the mouth of the three main streams which flow into
the lake from the south-east. Here it was obvious that there had been a
recent and abrupt rise in the country, the old lake-bed being sharply
defined.
From this point I perceived that my observations would materially
diminish the area of the lake; the suggested coast-line on extant maps
practically corresponds with the last lake level. Judging from the
comparatively insignificant size of the vegetation on the
recently-exposed lake-bed, the last rise and level must have been
historically recent and quite sudden; in fact, a remarkable point was
that this vegetation corresponds in age to the vegetation found on the
lava-beds that had been poured out by the volcanoes immediately prior to
the late terrific eruption.
Owing to the swampy nature of the country, we were compelled to again
march south-east; and after crossing a flat table-land, again descended
on to the last level of the lake, where we crossed the first of the
south-eastern streams, called the Sasa. Here an arm of the late lake
level runs five miles inland, and is three miles broad. Then we again
climbed on to the table-land, which is the last lake-level but two, and
camped on the site of two deserted villages.
Our blood-brother was still with us, and he informed us that these
villages had been raided by a tribe from the east, and that the
surviving inhabitants had retired to the impenetrable thorn-jungle, or
had fled to the Rutchuru valley.
From this camp we looked down on a great swampy plain which absorbs the
waters of these three south-eastern streams. In many places geysers
were shooting vast jets of steam into the air, and the course of the
rivers was defined by dense strips of luxuriant jungle.
The surrounding country must be rising very rapidly, and the geysers are
an indication of considerable volcanic activity. By the last rise the
lake has lost a hundred and twenty square miles; and the loss occasioned
by the last rise but one must have amounted to several hundreds of
square miles.
The map of this lake-shore emphasizes the extraordinary similarity of
form in all the great lakes of Central Africa, with the one exception of
the Victoria Nyanza. A glance at the map will show that the angular
inclination and general form of Lake Nyassa, Lake Tanganyika, Lake
Albert Edward, and Lake Albert have a wonderful resemblance to one
another.
The next day we again descended on to the last lake level, and crossed
the Ntungwe river. This river we crossed by means of an ingenious
native bridge, which would suggest that the country at some time not
very remote was much more densely populated. After passing through one
or two insignificant villages, we camped by a small lagoon. The
following morning we crossed the third stream which feeds these swamps,
but I could not ascertain its name; and we were compelled to make a
detour to the east to avoid some very dense strips of jungle, in which
we found some carefully-hidden villages, strongly fortified by
stockades. The natives had carefully closed the entrance, but appeared
to be quite friendly; and here, with great regret, we said farewell to
our Wanyabinga brother.
Our day's march brought us once more to the lake-shore, which was still
swampy; and as reed was growing at a distance of one mile from the
shore, it was evident that the lake was still very shallow, and in all
probability the next few years will see another very considerable change
in its area.
A few miles further on there is a small bay, where are two insignificant
villages close to the lake. Here the natives cultivate dwarf
banana-plants, and eke out a precarious existence by trapping
hippopotami. They build a stout scaffold of logs and fasten thereto a
booby-trap, consisting of a heavily-weighted spear-head.
These villages were on the frontier of Visegwe's country, who is one of
Kaihura's chiefs. Here my fever assumed a serious form; my temperature
at one time rose to 108.4, but the motherly attentions of Sharp pulled
me through; and when I was sufficiently recovered to be moved, he
procured a gigantic dug-out canoe, in which I was paddled to Katwe, the
frontier post of the Uganda Protectorate.
Sharp marched up the lake-shore, and with the assistance of Kazinga,
ferried all the loads and boys across the narrow neck of Lake Ruisamba.
The ferry is not more than four hundred yards wide, and with
considerable trouble the cattle were induced to swim the distance. Two
natives seized each beast by the horns, and, swimming by its side,
assisted it across. Fortunately there were no crocodiles in the
vicinity. The canoes were of extraordinary structure, and are peculiar
to Lake Albert Edward, although they approximate to the type of canoe to
be found on the Victoria Nyanza; some of them are very large. They are
made of axe-hewn boards, sewn together with banana fibre.
*CHAPTER XIV.*
*KATWE TO TORO.*