406 * CLOSING INCIDENTS. 



yea, they were so courteous as to part the grass as they walked and cautioned 

 them against stepping into holes. 



But, notwithstanding the beauty and richness of the vegetation the Col- 

 onel and his companions found the road from Kampala to Lake Albert tire- 

 some and monotonous. Not that the voyage offered only one kind of scenery. 

 On the contrary, there were the most remarkable varieties and contrasts, but 

 a particular class of landscape was distributed, so to speak in large chunks. 

 What they saw one day they saw for the whole next week. The enormous 

 masses of commonplace Vegetation seemed to have grown over and smoth- 

 ered the human race. In this dense poll of vegetation, exciting no emotions, 

 offering no prospects of anything new, man is of but little more significance 

 than the gorilla and the chimpanzee — his houses or huts produced no more 

 scenic effects than large bird's nests. He cannot lift himself above the scrub 

 and tall grass. If he cuts it down, it simply grows up and surrounds him 

 again holding his spirit in bondage and depriving him of that energy which 

 has lifted other races up. 



Even in animal life, the American expedition found these forests and 

 glades strangely deficient. Beasts there were; but in contrast to the eastern 

 plains where they were too conspicuous, they were rarely to be seen. In the 

 whole journey from Kampala to Lake Albert the only wild mammals which 

 they saw were a party of baboons in Unyoro. They were crossing the road 

 which was cut through the usual tall grass, a little way in front of them, 

 and stopped for a moment, and turned with interest to see what the strange 

 creatures were. Almost the only other four-limbed creature they saw was a 

 chameleon. 



O'ne form of animal life, however, was very abundant in these regions — 

 butterflies. They were found in a somewhat unusual place, namely, the pud- 

 dles on the road. Indescribable quantities of these insects had settled on the 

 road in many places, forming bright spots of white and yellow, and were so 

 engrossed in their uncleanly banquet, debauching themselves with low ca- 

 rouses in dirty water, particularly if there was a little filth or carrion in it, 

 that they let the caravan drive over them without stirring 



From Uganda they passed into the kingdom of Unyoro. While the road 

 somewhat deteriorated as they passed farther west, the scenery of the two 

 countries was very much the same, being composed of hills with low-lying, 

 marshy country between them. The road scaled the height and wallowed in 

 the marshes with the most inflexible determination, and no reason or obsta- 



