54 THE PROVINCE OF TORO 



Toro is the name of the province ; Fort Portal 

 (formerly Fort Gerry) is the name of the hill where 

 the Government station and police lines are ; 

 Kabarole is the hill of the Church Mission station, 

 and Kasaorama's is the Kings's hill. Sickness amona^ 

 the porters delayed me for a few days at Toro, and 

 I was hospitably entertained by Mr. Haldane the 

 Collector and Mr. Knowles the Sub-Commissioner 

 of Toro and Ankole. Major Powell-Cotton had 

 arrived there a few days before with his wife, and 

 was just setting out for a six months' okapi hunt in 

 the Congo Forest. 



Fort Portal is built upon a hill, on the top of 

 which is the 'boma,' a square enclosure bounded by 

 a deep square trench and lines of eucalyptus-trees, 

 and containing the collector's office, guard-house, 

 and stores. On the slope of the hill are the two 

 or three houses of the officials and the police 

 lines, orderly rows of round, white-washed mud 

 huts. There is a detachment of about 150 Uganda 

 police under the charge of a British non-commis- 

 sioned officer, and very soldierly they look in 

 their dark - blue jerseys and putties and white 

 breeches. On either side of the road that leads up 

 to the fort is a row of Indian stores. What sort 

 of business they can all do it is hard to imagine ; 

 possibly some of the rubber and ivory from the 

 Coneo leaks out in this direction. A mile to the 

 south, across a valley where flows a beautifully 

 clear stream, is Kasagama's palace, perched on a hill 



