MORE EXPLORATORY WORK 



I was very hospitably entertained by the officers of 

 the King's African Rifles, and spent a very pleasant 

 week with them. There was a lot of work to be 

 accomplished before I could leave ; my men were paid 

 off, my trophies poisoned and packed, and five 

 months' mail opened and read. At length, everything 

 was finished, and I was free to return home at 

 last. 



There is much exploratory work still to be accom- 

 plished in British East Africa. On both sides of the 

 Tana River are large stretches of unknown country. 

 The region to the south of my route has never been 

 traversed by a white man, and between it and the Tana 

 a small range of hills has been shown on all maps 

 from native information only. It would be of great 

 interest to know whether they really exist, and, if 

 so, what is their extent and height. West of Mr. 

 Haywood's route, between the Lorian and Sankuri 

 and east of the Jombeni Mountains, there is a large 

 tract of almost wholly unknown country. The course 

 of such rivers as the Mackenzie is acknowledged to 

 be very doubtful, and the hydrography of the whole 

 of this region should prove of the utmost interest. 

 I have been told by natives, with how much truth I 

 cannot say, that there exists a large swamp south of 

 Marti and between the Uaso Nyiro and the Tana.^ 

 This is by no means impossible, and the exploration 

 of this part of the country might open up new hunting 

 fields, for, as far as is known, the climate is healthy 

 and there is a certain amount of water. 



The regions lying between Kitui and the Tana 

 are also unexplored, but they are believed to be unin- 

 habited and waterless, and their investigation would 



1 See Chapter XXIII., pp. 263-264. 

 284 



