WITH THE SURVEY PARTY 69 



These were full of wild life in general, and monkeys in 

 particular. Perhaps the most pleasant thing of all was the 

 thought that we had now, at last, started on the work we 

 had come to do. 



Our order of march was practically always the same. 

 Alexander went on ahead with the guide, an interpreter, 

 and part of the escort ; next came the carriers with another 

 soldier or two, and I brought up the rear with the head-men 

 and the rest. 



Until the Murchison Range was reached, both of us 

 sketched the route, he on a cavalry sketch-board, and I with 

 a prismatic compass. From that point, when we were 

 together, only Alexander made the route sketches, as his 

 were so excellent that it would have been mere waste of time 

 for any one else to do any while he was by. It is a wonder 

 to me how, notwithstanding the jolting of his horse, he could 

 produce maps of such marvellous clearness and beauty as 

 were those which were brought home. After a very little 

 time he found that he could do these without ever stopping his 

 horse, and, after the first month, never had to retouch them. 



After we had left the valley of the river, the country 

 grew more open, and assumed for the most part the aspect 

 which it wore for the greater part of our journey. This was 

 much like an English park, except that the grass was higher 

 and coarser, and a good deal of scrub was met with at times. 



About mid-day we arrived at the little village of Serikin 

 Kudu, which is inhabited by the descendants of slaves who 

 had escaped from the King of Wase. Here our tents were 

 put up, and we determined to stay, as we had resolved to 

 make only short marches on the first few days until the 



