Lake Victoria to Khartoum 



tion of water in the hollows of the crround veee- 

 tation develops in overwhelming abundance; one 

 is often compelled to use considerable strength 

 in forcing one's way through ; and it is hot to 

 suffocation in these thickets, in which the odour of 

 decaying plants blends with the strong perfume 

 of the flowers. 



Strange to say, all animal life appears to die out 

 of these grass forests during the heat of the day ; 

 one rarely hears the twittering of the birds or the 

 distant trumpeting of the elephant, so that one's 

 heart flies into one's mouth at the occasional rush 

 and smash in the grass on either hand betoken- 

 ing the passage of the heavy body of some wild 

 animal fleeing frightened from one's footsteps ; 

 even the traveller is silent, and presses forward 

 eager to reach some open space. 



At night it is otherwise. No sooner does 

 the moon flood its silver light upon the grass 

 waving in the night breeze, no sooner do fantastic 

 shadows close around the traveller, than the land 

 is filled with ghostly life. There is a rustling 

 and a surging ; the spell is broken ; the animal 

 world awakes. 



The 30th of November, the second night out 

 from Masindi, saw us encamped under the 

 shoulder of Gisi Hill, the highest hill in the 

 countryside, and we made merry. Was it not 

 the anniversary of Mr. Churchill's birthday ? and 

 had not the cook special orders to surpass himself 



84 



