228 FROM TANGANYIKA TO THE CONGO 



virulence became diminished. Nowadays, with the 

 rapid opening-up of the country, the constant passage 

 of Europeans travelling from one district to another, 

 and the suppression of native warfare, it is becoming 

 increasingly easy for natives to move beyond the 

 limits of their own countries, and by their means 

 sleeping sickness is spread from one end of the 

 country to another. The prevention of the disease 

 is by far the most serious problem which confronts 

 Europeans in Africa, and the outlook at the present 

 time is at the best a gloomy one. 



For the first few days after we had left Tan- 

 ganyika, we occasionally saw behind us magnificent 

 views of the lake lying in its great trench among 

 the hills. This mountain country to the west of 

 Tanganyika is an exceedingly beautiful country, but 

 very little populated and apparently infertile. The 

 mountains are a continuation of the same range 

 which we had followed all the way from Lake Albert 

 Edward, but much lower than they are farther 

 north, and little more than 5,000 feet high at the 

 point where we crossed them. The descent on the 

 west side of the range is as sudden and unexpected 

 as the ascent on the other side is slow and gradual. 

 After climbing, almost without noticing it, through 

 hills and valleys for six days, we came without any 

 warning to the top of a slope of about 3,000 feet — 

 so steep that I experienced the same feeling of a 

 desire to throw something into the abyss, which (I 

 confess it with shame) comes over me on the tops of 



