ii THE UGANDA RAILWAY 21 



descends 1,400 feet, then passes along the valley to 

 Xaivasha station (390 miles) within sight of the lake. 

 Along this beautiful valley game of all kinds is plentiful ; 

 antelope, zebra, ostrich, and birds of large size or beautiful 

 plumage can be seen from the train. This part of the 

 line is wonderful, not only from the variety and 

 abundance of birds and animals which inhabit or visit 

 it, but also from the weird scenery caused by the 

 changing colour along the escarpment and around the 

 two extinct volcanoes Longonot and Suswa. The large 

 herds of cattle, the flocks of sheep, and of goats 

 belonging to the pastoral Masai are additional features 

 of interest in this extraordinary and fertile valley. 



The Rift Valley in the neighbourhood of Lake 

 Naivasha is 6,300 feet above the level of the sea ; its 

 floor is clothed with grass and clover, with here and 

 there a collection of small trees. The turf is much like 

 what we are accustomed to see in England ; indeed, 

 when covered with herds of cattle and flocks of sheep it 

 resembles an English park, except that the cattle are 

 humped and a few Thomson's gazelles may be seen 

 running among the cattle. 



The third section of the railway ends at Nakuru, 

 which is a town Iviiiff under the extinct volcano 



v 



Menengai, and is approximately the centre of the Rift 

 Valley. This town is the starting point of excursions 

 to Lake Baringo. 



After leaving Nakuru the train climbs the Mau 

 Escarpment (460 miles), where it attains an altitude of 

 8,300 feet. Here it leaves the Rift Valley and traverses 

 the fertile land and the forests of large trees in the 

 Kisumu Province. The line then descends through the 

 Nyando Valley to Muhoroui, where the country becomes 

 comparatively flat. The most conspicuous features in 

 this part of the route are the enormous number of 

 acacia trees, whose stems and branches resemble inverted 

 umbrellas, the kigelia or sausage-tree, and huge can- 

 delabra euphorbias. 



