CHAPTER XXI 



A PLEA FOR THE SAVAGE 



The journey to Jinja was an experience that I shall long 

 remember, for it was one of the most extraordinary feats 

 of endurance by natives that I have seen. The distance 

 had to be traversed the same day that I gave notice 

 at Kampala to the agent. There were four relays of 

 boys to be employed on the road. The agent had tele- 

 graphed to Jinja advising them there to despatch two 

 relays of four boys each. The first relay had to travel 

 over thirty miles from Jinja, and the second some fifteen 

 miles. The first stage of the trip was nothing extra- 

 ordinary, since the boys were fresh at the start ; the 

 second, however, was only moderately good, inasmuch 

 as the boys who took me on from there had already 

 travelled from Kampala on foot, and had only arrived 

 an hour before me. They had then to work the ricksha 

 over a hilly and laborious road to near the 30-mile post 

 where I was taken over by the first batch of boys from 

 Jinja, that was, if I remember correctly, about four 

 o'clock in the afternoon. These boys took me to 

 about fifteen miles from Jinja, and then the fourth and 

 last stage was accomplished by a party who rattled 

 me along at a terrific pace regardless of the boulders 

 in the road that nearly sent me flying out of the 

 ricksha ! 



From a scenic point of view I do not think I have 

 ever seen anything to compare in its class with the road 

 from Kampala to Jinja. The grand trees and the green 



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