'144 THE WEST SIDE OF RUVVENZORI 



we might have had of making friends with them. 

 At an altitude of about 6,000 feet in the Butagu 

 Valley we came to a small cluster of huts on fairly 

 level ground, where we decided to camp. Surround- 

 ing the huts was a small banana shamba, and out- 

 side that some cleared ground which would have 

 made an excellent camping-ground ; but in spite of 

 protests more forcible than polite, our chief of escort 

 cut down the bananas, which he said might shelter 

 an enemy, and camped among the huts, which his 

 soldiers naturally looted. Needless to say, the in- 

 habitants had all fled, except one small child, who 

 was taken on up the valley as guide ! On the 

 following day we climbed up by almost invisible 

 tracks through the forest, which clothes the right 

 (north) side of the Butagu Valley, to Kakalongo 

 (7,100 feet), where there were a few scattered huts 

 and a good deal of cultivation. It was manifestly 

 out of the question to try and take our whole 

 caravan higher than this point, so it was decided 

 to make a camp there for as long a time as our 

 food-supply would last. The slaughter by the 

 escort of the only cow in the valley, in mistake (so 

 they said) for a buffalo, was another incident which 

 no doubt aggravated the hostility of the natives 

 towards us. 



The Butagu Valley is V-shaped and exceedingly 

 steep-sided, the left bank especially being almost 

 precipitous, so that there is hardly any vegetation 

 growing upon it ; while on the north side, which is 



