n6 THE TANGANYIKA PROBLEM. 



patches of absolutely bare sandy soil. On these plains 

 there were, however, in places, scattered over the surface of 

 the ground, a few young euphorbia trees, the seeds of which 

 had evidently been disseminated over the plains by the 

 wind or birds, and as these hardy plants grew bigger on the 

 older land further from the lake shore, I noticed that in the 

 hot glare of noon their massive structures threw a patch of 

 deep cool shadow round their feet. Farther away from the 

 lake where the land was older and the euphorbias had con- 

 sequently had time to grow proportionately bigger, the 

 noon-day spot of shade had also correspondingly increased, 

 and in the area of such shadow there were to be found 

 varieties of plants, besides the grass, which here found 

 protection from the fiery glare and heat, and were con- 

 sequently able to grow. Among these plants struggling 

 against the naturally adverse conditions of the plains under 

 the euphorbia shadows there were thorn trees, climbing 

 plants, and flowering shrubs, and when once these plants 

 had in this manner got a footing on the plains they 

 prospered like one of Germany's protected industries and 

 throve amazingly ; so much so indeed, that on land that was 

 still further from the lake, and consequently still older, the 

 thorns and bushes of various sorts were enveloping the 

 euphorbias, which now appeared as rather choked growths 

 in the centre of the bushy patches. Further away again 

 from the lake there were many clumps of bushes and 

 trees scattered in all directions over the country ; and 

 in many of these were still to be found the dead or 

 dying remains of the original euphorbia, to the protec- 

 tion of which the bush patch owed its growth. The 

 seven lean kine had here eaten up the seven fat kine, 

 and in such districts we entered the typical scenery of 

 an African park. 



