Mr. Churchill's Journey 



and ironstone, thickly covered with dried-up 

 o;rass, which the natives were bei^innino- to burn 

 in places in readiness for the early rains to 

 induce the short green grass to spring up and 

 provide food for their large herds of cattle. 

 There were hills, if not mountains, studded over 

 the landscape, though we did not pass many 

 close to the road, which had been carefully 

 cleared and weeded in readiness for our march. 



Some ten miles took us to one of the prettiest 

 of all the camps we stayed at during our travels. 

 This was on the further side of the Assua river, 

 at its junction with the Atappi river, the water 

 of which is ice-cold in comparison with the warm 

 Assua water that has flowed for so many miles 

 across the sunburnt plains. 



The photograph shows the usual roomy houses, 

 which had been so kindly prepared for us all 

 along the route, under the shelter of some 

 beautiful borassus palms, whilst our dining-table, 

 a "chop box," and a bundle of bedding are on 

 their way across this now shallow river, and Mr. 

 Churchill is getting a leg-up on to someone's 

 shoulder to save a wetting so near camp. In 

 the foreground is a huore tusk belonoring- to a 

 large ivory caravan we met en route, the property 

 of some adventurous Indian traders who had 

 spent the last eighteen months in the Congo, so 

 they told us. 



This is a great place for game of all sorts, 



95 



