444 ACROSS AFRICA. [Chap, 



. .CHAPTER XXXIV. 



Formation of the Continent. — River Basins. — Deserts. — The Water-sheds. — Zamb6si. 

 ^— Kongo. — Physical Geography. — Useghara Mountains. — Fertile Soil. — The Lu- 

 gerengeri Valley. — The Kungwa Hills. — Gum -copal. — Timber - trees. — Fauna. — 

 Snakes. — The Mukondokwa Valley. — Lake Ugombo. — Mpwapwa. — Barren Soil. — 

 The Marenga Mkali. — Ugogo. — A Dried-up Country. — Ziwas. — Kanyenye. — Us6- 

 khe.— Granite.— Khoko.— The Vale of Mdaburu.— The " Fiery Field."— The Ma- 

 bunguru. — Jiwc la Singa. — Urguru. — Unyanyembe. — A Cultivated Country. — 

 Ugunda. — Ugra. — The Kawendi Mountains. — Uvinza. 



The object of this and tlie following chapters is to discuss 

 briefly the geography of that portion of Africa traversed by 

 me, and its future prospects, both with regard to commerce and 

 tlie abolition of the slave-trade. 



Speaking roughly, tropical Africa consists of a central plateau 

 — the lowest portion of which is the valley of the Kongo — sep- 

 arated from low tracts fringing the coast by lines of hills and 

 mountains. These lines of mountains in some places approach 

 closely to the coast, and at others recede from it, and also vary 

 greatly in height ; yet the ranges are perfectly easy to trace. 



In consequence of this formation of the continent, it may be 

 l)roadly described as forming three divisions — the low-lying and 

 unhealthy littoral, the mountain ranges, and the central plateau. 

 It is not necessary here to remind the reader that this plateau 

 consists of almost every sort of country, presenting great natu- 

 ral diversities. Independent groups and ranges of mountains, 

 great lakes and noble rivers, abound in the heart of the " Dark 

 Continent." 



Another way of forming the continent into geographical di- 

 visions would be by considering each great river -basin to be 

 one, and the water-sheds to be natural lines of demarkation. 



Taking this as a starting-point with our present knowledge 

 of Africa, the great basins would be those of the Nile, Kongo, 

 Zambesi, Niger, Ogowai, and the rivers draining into Lake 

 Tchad. The minor rivers draining the littoral and adjacent 



