102 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



English merchant on the Nile, and what a field is 

 opened to the world, if, as I hope will be the case, 

 England does not neglect this discovery ! 



But I must not -expatiate too much on the merits 

 and capabilities of inner Africa, lest I mislead any 

 commercial inquirers; and it is as well to say at 

 present, that the people near the coast are in such 

 a state of slothful helplessness and insecurity, that 

 for many years, until commerce, by steady and cer- 

 tain advance, shall in some degree overcome the 

 existing apathy, and excite the population to strive 

 to better their position, no one need expect to 

 make a large fortune by dealing with them. That 

 commerce does make wonderful improvements on 

 the barbarous habits of the Africans can now be 

 seen in the Masai country, and the countries ex- 

 tending north-westward from Mombas up through 

 Kikuyu into the interior, where the process has 

 been going on during the last few years. There 

 even the roving wild pastorals, formerly untamable, 

 are now gradually becoming reduced to subjection; 

 and they no doubt will ere long have as strong a 

 desire for cloths and other luxuries as any other 

 civilised beings, from the natural desire to equal in 

 comfort and dignity of appurtenances those whom 

 they now must see constantly passing through their 

 country. Caravans are penetrating farther, and 

 going in greater numbers, every succeeding year, 

 in those directions, and Arab merchants say that 



