ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ALBERT 215 



tuft of feathers stuck on the head, interested in a peaceful homely 

 game. " One touch of Nature makes the world akin ! " 



From Tukwenda's we went on to Pongo, where we passed 

 the night. From Mahaji to Tukwenda's we had high mountains, 

 densely wooded from summit to base, flanking the lake ; with 

 mountain streamlets tossing themselves from the heights above 

 into the lake in sparkling noisy cascades ; with birds singing, 

 twittering, screaming amid the green foliage ; with monkeys 

 of different species going through their amusing antics and 

 gymnastics from branch to branch, and with a wild-cat darting 

 from boulder to boulder along the rock-bound shore. 



From Tukwenda's to Pongo we had sunny plains, with tall 

 reeds intercepting the view, with startled water-fowl of many a 

 species noisily rising on the wing, with many a "deep and glassy 

 bay," with cultivated fields stretching almost to the water's edge, 

 with nestling hamlets, and with sombre forests. 



At Pongo I shot some of the black-and-white Colobus 

 monkeys ; their skins are much sought after, and form an article 

 of commerce. I remember, at the north end of Lake Nyassa, 

 some one buying forty of them. A gentleman at Kampala showed 

 me a dozen of these skins which the officer at Nandi had bought 

 for him. These monkeys are found from the Eldoma Ravine 

 right up to Kavirondo. I have also come across them from 

 Fajao on the Victoria Nile, across Unyoro, as far as the west 

 coast of Lake Albert. They are black with the exception of a 

 white face, a white tuft to the tail, and a fringe of long white 

 hairs across the lower part of the back and along the flanks up 

 to the armpits. They have only four fingers to each hand, 

 with just an indication of the missing thumb, but five toes to 

 each foot. 



The natives of Pongo were harassed by different species of 

 animal marauders. Elephants would walk across their culti- 

 vations and leave huge tracks in the soft soil of the fields. Then 

 baboons would come in troops, not only to plunder the ripe 

 corn, but to cause mischievous and wanton injury to the young 

 green plants. 



The villagers were afraid to encounter these huge fierce 

 baboons which were not a bit afraid of them. My appearance 

 on the scene caused the brutes reluctantly to move off, fiercely 

 gnashing their teeth, and uttering shrill angry screams mingled 

 with sounds somewhat like a dog's bark. The ringleader, a mon- 



