GAME DISTRICTS AND ROUTES
BY F. J. JACKSON
At particular seasons of the year there is a considerable migration
of game beasts, and though all the lines of their migration are not
ascertained, it is quite certain that great numbers work their way
towards the coast between April and July; instinct in all probability
impelling them in that direction, where the grass and all other
vegetation are abundant. It would consequently be advisable for the
sportsman to choose the time for his contemplated trip to a certain
district when game is most likely to be plentiful there. Regard should
also be had to a place suitable and convenient for headquarters, where
surplus baggage, trophies, &c., can be stored, and where food for
the caravan is procurable. The Kilimanjaro district, with Taveta as
a depôt, was at one time, and perhaps is still, one of the best game
districts in East Africa. Here game of nearly every variety is to be
found, with the exception of _Kobus defassus_, _Kobus Kob_, Jackson’s
hartebeest, sable antelope, _Damalis Senegalensis_, and the oribi.
Elephants, though they are numerous in the wet weather, are confined
almost entirely to German territory, at the base of the mountain below
Mochi and Kiboso, and it would be necessary to get a permit to shoot
them, either from the German Commissioner at Bagamoyo on the coast, or
from the officer in charge of the district at Mochi. From about August
to April the elephants are confined to the belts of dense forest on
the mountain, at an elevation of from 7,000 to 10,000 feet, where
it would be practically useless to attempt to follow them. About April
they begin to leave this forest belt, and work their way down to the
undulating country at the base of the mountain. This country is covered
with bush, long grass (in places ten to twelve feet high), with plenty
of mimosa and other trees scattered about, as well as with clumps
of dense bush and large forest trees; and as it is well watered by
numerous streams flowing from the mountain, which, lower down, form the
Kikavo, Weri-weri, and other rivers, the elephants get plenty of food,
and evidently find it altogether congenial to their habits, as very
few of them wander into British territory. Within a few marches round
Taveta the sportsman will come across every kind of country in which
game is to be met with, from the bare, covertless, open plain, the
haunt of the wildebeest, oryx, Grant’s gazelle, Thomson’s gazelle, &c.,
the ostrich, and the great bustard, besides the everlasting zebra and
Coke’s hartebeest, to the dense and almost impenetrable forest in which
is found the elephant and a small duyker-like buck (_Cephalolophus
Harveyi_). The district is varied by open bush, where the stalker can
see game when three or four hundred yards off; dense bush, where it is
impossible to see anything until pretty close up to it; and sparsely
timbered country, quite park-like in appearance.
[Illustration: A DIFFICULT STALK]
Here every kind of stalking has to be practised. At one time the
stalker must crawl painfully along, flat on his stomach, for long
distances to get a shot at one of the wilder or scarcer antelopes; at
another he must walk cautiously along in dense forest, with a thick
covering of dead leaves on the ground, trying his utmost to tread
lightly and noiselessly, and to avoid stepping on some fallen branch
hidden away in the leaves, the snap of which would scare whatever he
might be after, be it elephant or small duyker buck. In open bush--i.e.
bush which is sufficiently open to enable the stalker to see the game
when about a hundred yards off--stalking is generally easy work, as
there are often plenty of ant-heaps, besides bushes, to be taken
advantage of. In dense bush, stalking is often unsatisfactory and
mere chance-work, as it is very difficult to avoid making a noise in
getting through it, and disturbing the game before seeing it. Perhaps
the prettiest, and often the easiest, stalking is done in park-like
country, where there are both big trees, ant-heaps, and bushes dotted
about, as well as grass some 18 inches high, to afford shelter to the
stalker. In this district game is most abundant from September, when
the young grass is just beginning to shoot after being burnt, to May,
when it is long, coarse, and dry.
[Illustration: Easy stalking country]
The Kapite plains to the west and the Athi plains to the north-west of
the Ukambani hills, with Machako’s as headquarters, form another grand
country with regard to the quantity of game in it, though it does not
afford quite such a variety as the Kilimanjaro district; and as the
game is almost entirely confined to the vast, undulating, open, grassy
plains, stalking is often both difficult and laborious. Lions are very
plentiful here, and are seen perhaps more often than elsewhere, owing
to the open nature of the country. The cheetah is by no means uncommon.
Rhinoceroses have here rather a bad reputation for charging, which may
possibly be accounted for by the fact that they are so much harassed by
the Wakamba, who, when out hunting, and unable to get within bow-shot
of game by fair stalking, have to resort to driving, and wound far more
rhinoceroses than they kill. In the river Athi hippopotami are very
plentiful, and, I think, have finer teeth than those in the Nzoia river
and Victoria Nyanza. September to April is the best time of the year
for a trip to this country.
Further north, the district round Lake Baringo, with Njemps as a depôt,
is very good. Here the natives are as trustworthy and civil as the
Wa Taveta, and all surplus baggage, &c., can be left at headquarters
in charge of a few men whilst the sportsman is away shooting in
the surrounding country. A few marches to the north and north-east
elephants are numerous. The waterbuck (_Kobus defassus_) takes the
place of the common waterbuck (_Kobus elipsiprymnus_), and the lately
described hartebeest (_Bubalis Jacksoni_) takes the place of _Bubalis
Cokei_. The impala carry particularly fine horns here. As I have never
made a prolonged stay in this district, I am unable to say which months
of the year would be the best to visit it in; but from what I could
judge, when up there in July, I should say November to May.
The Tana river is another excellent district, both on account of the
variety of game and the quantity of certain species which elsewhere a
sportsman might seek day after day and never come across, though he
went out specially for them. These are Waller’s gazelle, lesser kudu,
oribi, ‘tope’ (_Damalis Senegalensis_) and Hunter’s antelope (_Damalis
Hunteri_), which has hitherto not been found excepting on the north
bank of the river, some 150 miles from the mouth. There is also a small
antelope found here which has been described as a distinct species
under the name of _Gazella Petersi_, but it may possibly be nothing
more than a local variety of _Gazella Grantii_. This trip is perhaps
more easily undertaken from Lamu, as everything can be shipped by dhow
as far as Kau, on the river Ozi, where canoes can be engaged with
the help of the Arkida, the principal man in the town, and the whole
caravan, baggage and all, transported through the Belazoni Canal into
the Tana river and upwards. If the start is made direct from Mombasa,
it would be necessary to either march the whole way to Golbanti, a
mission station on the river, or, to save a good deal of time and
trouble, a dhow could be chartered as far as Melindi, and the rest
of the journey done overland. At Golbanti canoes can be hired and Wa
Pokomo boatmen engaged to transport all goods and food up the river,
whilst the porters can march along the bank empty-handed if sufficient
canoes are not forthcoming for all. A trip up this river should be
undertaken between September and April, as it is in flood, and a great
part of the country under water, during the remaining months of the
year.
There are also many other districts nearer the coast, which are well
worth visiting, in which game is to be found, though in more limited
quantities. These are--the district round Adda, on the main road
from Vanga on the coast to Mount Kisagau in the Teita country; Mount
Pika-pika; Ndara, and Kisagau in the Teita country; Merereni, north of
Melindi on the coast, all of which are accessible from Mombasa. The
mainland to the north of Lamu, and about opposite the small island of
Tula, is another good place. The best time for any of these places
would be from April to August. All these and the Tana district would,
for the most part, come under the head of bush country, where stalking
is comparatively easy.
So much has been written about the different routes into the interior
that it is not necessary to enter upon them here. In the accounts
that have been written, each writer’s experience has differed so
materially that it would be unadvisable to rely on the opinion, based
on experience, of one writer more than another, particularly if taken
from the records of expeditions of a few years back. One writer may
have experienced no difficulties, as both food and water may have been
plentiful when he passed. Another writer may have had plenty of food
and no water, and another plenty of water but no food, &c. The rainfall
in East Africa is uncertain, and the supply of food and water also
uncertain in consequence. Therefore all the very latest information as
to the food and water supply along the line of march should be obtained
at Mombasa, before leaving. The information of a man who has traversed
the route about to be taken only two months previously cannot be relied
upon, although his veracity is not to be doubted. Only one month’s dry
weather will make an enormous difference in a water supply; but besides
this there are other things to reckon against. Amongst these are the
number of caravans which have subsequently passed up and down, and the
number of natives from Teita and Ukambani, who are constantly going to
and fro, often with herds of cattle, sheep, and goats, all of which
very soon diminish even the largest supply.
But when once the game country is reached, all anxiety about food and
water is virtually over. It is the getting to the game countries,
when long tracts of foodless and often waterless wilderness have to
be traversed before the sportsman’s Eldorado is reached, that is such
trying and often anxious work. The Teita route is the principal one
into the interior, and is also the principal one from the sportsman’s
point of view, as it leads to all the best game countries. This route
passes _viâ_ Taru and Mount Maungu. The wilderness between Taru and
Ndara is commonly known as the ‘Maungu march,’ and it is to this day
more dreaded by both Europeans and natives alike than any other, and
this more particularly when going up country, when the porters, not
having recovered from their ‘high old times’ on the coast, are out of
training and soft, and easily become disheartened. Coming down country
with their faces to the coast, and the ‘high times’ before them, it
is quite a different thing, and there is little or no anxiety, as the
men will face almost anything. Unless there has been an exceptional
drought or an unusual number of caravans upon the road, water is
generally procurable at Taru and also at Mount Maungu, where, however,
the men have to climb the hill 1,000 feet above the camping-ground
to get it. Between these two points, a distance of some thirty-four
miles (by the winding serpentine footpath, and not fifty-three, as
some writers maintain), there is no water, excepting perhaps for a few
days after heavy rain. This wearisome march can then be broken at a
place called Ziwa Butzuma, and again at Ziwa-wa-tatu. The best way to
get over this wilderness (and it is always best to rely on its being
quite waterless) is to take a supply of kerosene oil tins from the
coast, and engage extra men as far as Ndara in Teita to carry them from
Taru, where they can be filled, to Maungu, where they can again be
replenished if necessary.
If Taveta should be the sportsman’s destination, I should strongly
recommend him to take these tins with him as far as M’kameni, the last
camp in Teita, before starting into the Siringeti plains. At this camp
he can find out from the natives if there is any water between there
and Lanjora, another long stretch of some thirty-five to forty miles.
If there is no water, natives can be engaged to carry the water-tins
for one march, which should be a good long one. As these Bura natives
are a bad lot and great thieves, and as they are sure to demand payment
in advance and will not stir till they get it, the askaris should be
told to keep a sharp look-out to prevent any of them bolting. This
Siringeti march, and the Maungu march, when coming down country, can
be done best at night when it is cool; but it is not advisable to do
any marching at night when going up country, as it is too near the
coast, and night marching offers temptations to a porter to desert,
which some of them could not resist. There are other ways of getting
over these and other long marches without the aid of water-tins, but
none of them are so comfortable. One way is to have the men called very
early in the morning and told to cook their food for the day. They can
then eat as much as they like and carry the rest with them; can quench
their thirst and fill up their water calabashes before starting, and
then march steadily on throughout the day, with a short rest every two
hours to enable the stragglers to come up; they can sleep anywhere
in the wilderness, and early next day arrive at the water before the
sun becomes very powerful. Then, again, there is what is called a
‘terageza,’ which is a double march--one inconveniently short, say
four miles, and the other inconveniently long, say sixteen to eighteen
miles. This can be negotiated very much in the same manner as the
above, but with this difference: Instead of beginning the day with a
feed, which an African, as a rule, does not care to do, the men wait
until they arrive at the water, at the end of the first short march,
before cooking their food, and then go on and sleep in the wilderness
without water, except what each man carries for himself.
The length of a march depends very much, if not entirely, on the
distance between the places where water is procurable. As a rule, the
water--excepting, of course, the running streams--is not good, and
should be carefully filtered and boiled before being used, and it
should be the special duty of one of the tent-boys to see that this
is done. Before being filtered the water should be cleared of all
extraneous matter by the use of alum. This can best be done by getting
a bucket of water and stirring it round a few times with a lump of alum
in the hand, which will soon precipitate all vegetable and mineral
matter.
When on the march, it is a good plan to make a ‘boma’[10] every night,
even if only to keep the men together; but it is not really necessary
to do so until nearing the outskirts of the Masai country or wherever
the natives are of a thievish disposition. In the game country a boma
is always necessary, not only for protection and to keep the men
together, but to keep out hyænas, &c., which might carry off or destroy
a valuable trophy, if they did nothing worse.
The tent should be pitched in the shade, more particularly in a
position to get the shade from the afternoon sun, when the sportsman is
most likely to be in camp; but thick clumps of dense foliaged trees,
under which the ground is thickly covered with dead and sodden leaves,
should be avoided altogether. Such places are generally unhealthy, as
the damp is pretty certain evidence that the wind does not get at them.
It would be a mistake to have the leaves cleared away--in fact, care
should be taken to avoid disturbing the ground as much as possible, and
all grass, &c., should be cut instead of being pulled up by the roots.
The chances of fever are increased by the proximity of freshly turned
up earth. Rather than sleep in a place with such surroundings it is far
better to camp in the open altogether, and to have a shed built, which
the men can run up in a few hours, to sit under during the heat of the
day.
[Illustration: ‘TEEMING WITH GAME’]
Along the well-beaten caravan routes there is little chance of getting
any sport when on the march, excepting with a shot-gun. By walking
a short way in front of the leading men, a few shots at francolin,
guinea-fowl, &c., can generally be had, and perhaps an occasional shot
at a hartebeest or impala, but the chances are that, even if these
beasts are seen, they will be so wild and on the alert, having seen or
heard the caravan, that the sportsman will not feel inclined to leave
the footpath to follow them. He need not therefore expect to see game
in any quantities until he reaches the vicinity of his headquarters,
excepting on the road to Kilimanjaro, after leaving M’kameni, the last
camp before striking across the Siringeti plains, between Teita and
Taveta, a stretch of some thirty-five to forty miles. These plains are
often teeming with game, more particularly when the grass is beginning
to shoot after being burnt. In September 1886 this place was literally
crawling with hartebeest and zebra, besides impala, _G. Grantii_, _Oryx
collotis_, and a few eland and giraffe, with an occasional steinbuck
and wart-hog. But whatever quantity of game there may be, it is never
advisable to go far from the footpath in pursuit of it when on the
march. In places like this where there is little water, or more often
none at all, it is as much as the porters can do to get through
their long march, and when once they are on the move it is best to
keep them going. The pleasure of bagging a couple of head of game or
so, which will be found further on near headquarters, is hardly worth
the risks of a long delay, which is sure to take place if a big beast
is killed. Headquarters once reached, all the troubles and petty
annoyances which are found so very trying on the march are at an end,
and the sportsman, after he has overhauled all his gear, stores, &c.,
can leave them in perfect safety, as far as the natives are concerned,
in charge of two or three of his men, and can sally forth into the
surrounding district, changing his camp from time to time, with the
pretty certain prospect of obtaining good trophies of all the game
beasts seen on the road up.