OUR PEACEABLE PROGRESS 143 



lost two valuable days In so doing, we were able 

 to define very clearly the exact boundary of the 

 great Semliki forest, and to see how, a little farther 

 north of the Russirubi, it became continuous with 

 the mountain forest. The foot-hills of Ruwenzori 

 on the west side descend almost as abruptly into 

 the level plain as do the walls of the valley of the 

 Rhone above its entrance into the Lake of Geneva, 

 and the mountain valleys open in as modest and un- 

 assuming a manner there as they do in Switzerland. 

 Turning south towards the Butagu Valley, we 

 passed for hours through magnificent banana 

 'shambas,' which could be seen extending for miles 

 along the foot of the hills and out into the plain. 

 Many of these shambas had been long neglected, 

 and had run wild, and their extent was obviously 

 far in excess of the needs of the present population. 

 It was difficult to account for the diminution in the 

 numbers of the people, unless it was a result of the 

 raids, which the Manyuema from the Congo and the 

 Kings of Toro and Unyoro from our own territory 

 used to make into the Semliki Valley, but those are 

 supposed to have ceased many years ago. We 

 induced a few people to come down from the hills 

 and talk to us ; but they were very shy, and, con- 

 sidering our military display, they can hardly be 

 blamed for not believing that we had the peaceable 

 intentions which we claimed to have. Our next 

 performance was quite enough to convince them to 

 the contrary, and to put an end to any hopes which 



