DISCOVERY OF THE VICTORIA N'YAXZA 39 



lower portion ; whilst the brown granite rocks, with 

 tees and brushwood covering the upper regions, diver- 

 sify the colouring, and form a pleasing contrast to the 

 scene ', added to this, large and frequent herds graze 

 about the fields and amongst the villages, and give 

 animation to the whole. Amongst the trees, palms 

 here take a prominent part. Indeed, for tropical 

 scenery, there are few places that could equal this; 

 and if the traveller, as he moves along, surrounded 

 by the screeching, howling, inquisitive savages, run- 

 ning rudely about, and boisterously jostling him, could 

 only divest himself of the idea that he is a bear baited 

 by a yelping pack of hounds, the journey would be 

 replete with enjoyment. Crossing some hills, the 

 caravan sprang a covey of guinea-fowls, and at some 

 springs in a valley I shot several couple of sand- 

 grouse, darker in plumage than any I ever saw in 

 Africa or India, and not quite so big as the Thibet 

 bird. The chief of the village offered me a bullock, 

 but as the beast did not appear until the time of start- 

 ing, I declined it. Neither did I give him any cloth, 

 being convinced in my mind that these and other ani- 

 mals have always been brought to me by the smaller 

 chiefs at the instigation of the kirangozi, and prob- 

 ably aided by the rest of the flesh-loving party in 

 general. The jemadar must have been particularly 

 mortified at my way of disposing of the business, for 

 he talked of nothing else but flesh and the animal 

 from the moment it was sent for, his love for butcherr 



