Mr. Churchill's Journey 



solely to make his particular acquaintance. A 

 few words, therefore, from Mr. Churchill put them 

 into the wildest spirits, and a present of two or 

 three bullocks kept them busy eating the greater 

 part of the night. 



Hence our immediate point was Masindi, some 

 two days' march ahead. We trekked through a 

 flat, dry, monotonous country, the road being 

 weeded and clean as a new pin, and bordered on 

 either side with withered grass and stunted trees. 

 This is a very favourite elephant ground, but, 

 unfortunately, the elephants had sought greener 

 fields and pastures new during our short sojourn 

 there. 



We usually walked on our flat feet, though 

 there was a mule and a carrying-chair for tired 

 or sick people. Mr. Churchill rode a " bike " — the 

 road, barring an infrequent hill, allowing of this 

 all the way to Gondokoro — and, on reaching the 

 head of the column, would dismount and march 

 the remainder of the day's journey with the 

 doctor and myself. This contributed not a little 

 to our enjoyment of the daily round ; the march 

 seemed shorter, and the minutes literally flew as 

 we listened to various stories and yarns, and dis- 

 cussed questions of major or minor importance. 

 These discussions were, as often as not, continued 

 of an evening over the sunset drink in camp 

 before dinner. I well remember the subject of 

 Socialism cropped up. Mr. Churchill gave us his 



G 8l 



