NATURE 



313 



THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 1896. 



TRAVELS IN EASTERN AFRICA. 



Through Jungle and Desert. Travels in Eastern Africii. 



By William Astor Chanler, A.M. (Harv.), F.R.C.S. 



8vo. Pp. xiv + 535. With 85 illustrations and 2 maps. 



(London : Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1896.) 



BRITISH East Africa and the adjoining parts of 

 Africa, which are included in the spheres of influence 

 of (jcrmany and Italy, consist of a series of zones which 

 run approximately parallel to the coast. .Along the shore 

 of the Indian Ocean is the low narrow coastal plain. In 

 the interior are the high grass plains of Masailand, the 

 dense forests and plantations of Kikuyu and Mau, and 

 the thickly populated and well-watered basin of the 

 Nyanza. Between these fertile zones lies a broad tract 

 of barren, sandy, scrub-covered plains, occupied only by 

 herds of game which follow the rains across it, or- by 

 small colonies of people who live along the banks of the 

 rivers, or on the tracts of lava that form oases in the 

 desert. This barren Xyika offers few attractions for man 

 or beast, and both native traders and European e.xplorers 

 have hastened over it by the easiest routes to the richer 

 countries of the Central Basin. Hence although the 

 region of the \'ictoria Xyanza has been fairly well ex- 

 plored since first visited by Speke, the country to the 

 north of the available routes to it has been largely left 

 unvisited. Teleki in 1888-89 followed the great rift valley 

 northward to Lake Rudolf; while Piggott, Peters, 

 Hobley, and others made known the main points in the 

 topography of the Tana Valley. But to the north of the 

 Tana, and to the east of the Rift Valley, was a vast region 

 of which nothing was known, e.xcept what could be 

 gathered from the rough records of various Arab and 

 Suahili traders, whose itineraries had been published by 

 New and Denhardt. 



" Purely in the interest of science," Mr. Chanler 

 organised an expedition to explore this unknown land. 

 He was fortunate in securing Teleki's able assistant, 

 Lieut. Ludwig von Hohnel, as his companion and carto- 

 grapher, and also a servant who had previously accom- 

 panied the author in a journey to Kilima Njaro. The 

 three Europeans landed at Lamu, and formed a camp on 

 the mainland at Mkonumbi, where they devoted three 

 months to the organisation of the expedition. Seldom 

 did an expedition have fairer prospects of success. Time 

 was apparently no object, and perhaps the fact that Mr. 

 Chanlers second name is .\stor, explains w'hy he was in 

 the same fortunate position in regard to money. The 

 three Europeans were men of experience in African work ; 

 they had a magnificent equipment ; they had enlisted a 

 powerful force composed of seven Somali, twelve 

 Soudanese, and 140 Zanzibari, while Pokomo canoe- 

 men and others were engaged as required. The trade 

 goods and armament were as suitable as the best local 

 authorities could suggest or money buy ; and their train 

 of baggage animals and flotilla of canoes were sufficient 

 for taking to the head of the navigable part of the Tana 

 stores enough to last for years. In September, 1892, 

 the march began. After many troubles, owing to the 

 unhealthiness of the country, quarrels between the 

 NO. 139;, VOL. 54] 



Soudanese and Somali with the Zanzibari, leading to 

 desertions, and the death of baggage animals, the whole 

 expedition arrived at the British East Africa Company's 

 deserted station at Hameye. The party followed up the 

 Tana to the confluence with the Mackenzie River. They 

 ascended its valley, expecting that it would be the Guaso 

 Nyiro ; they found, however, that its volume gradually 

 lessened, and that the river rises from various sources in 

 the Jombani Mountains. Some distance further north they 

 reached the Guaso Nyiro, which flowed to the east. They 

 followed it till it was lost in a vast swamp known as Lake 

 Lorian, and thus it never reaches the Tana. This was 

 the first of the two principal discoveries made by the 

 expedition, and it is interesting to remark that it was 

 reported by New, from native information, as early as 

 1874. Disappointed at finding Lake Lorian to be only a 

 swamp, Chanler and von Hohnel returned to the reserve 

 camp, which had been left under Galwin at Hameye, 

 indulging in some fighting with the natives on the way. 

 They had some clear views of Mount Kenya, the height 

 of which Hohnel gives as 19,650 feet ; my estimate having 

 been 19,500 feet. They started north again and moved 

 the reserve camp to the country of the Daitcho. Chanler 

 and von Hohnel then set out in search of a tribe known 

 as the Randile, in order to purchase camels with which 

 to carry their goods across the deserts to the north. They 

 found the Randile, but could not persuade the tribe to sell 

 camels. The account of this tribe is the most important 

 contribution made by the expedition to .African geography. 

 For years past there have been legends of a race of 

 " White Galla," and the traditions have come from 

 several quarters, all pointing to the country to the east of 

 Lake Rudolf as their home. Chanler does not refer to 

 these legends, though they are known to all readers of 

 Rider Haggard's novel "Allan Quartermaine." His 

 description of the people (pp. 311-322) is the most im- 

 portant thing in the book, and is especially valuable as it 

 is a simple statement of facts, every line of which shows 

 careful observation and accurate record. The author 

 describes the people as having a " prevailing light colour 

 straight hair, and blue eyes," while they practise a cir- 

 cumcision of the navel and other rites not known among 

 either Somali or Galla. Unfortunately there are no por- 

 traits, and no skulls were collected. The language con- 

 tained many Galla words and some Masai, while the 

 Somali could make themselves understood to the Randile. 

 The words common to these languages, however, may 

 easily have been adopted, and the author gives no in- 

 formation as to the grammar or structure of the language. 

 Hence it seems impossible to form any idea as to the 

 relations of this tribe ; they are neither Bantu nor Nilotic, 

 and perhaps are not even Hamitic. It seems most 

 probable that they are the reported " White Galla," and 

 that they entered the country from Northern Africa. 

 Mr. ChanleHs account only serves to whet our appetite 

 for more information about this remarkable tribe. It is 

 greatly to be hoped that the next traveller who can 

 possiblv enter into communication with it, will bring' back 

 portraits, or preferably a skull, and also get some idea of 

 the grammatical form of the language. 



Having failed in the main purpose of the visit to this 

 tribe, Mr. Chanler returned on his tracks to the reserve camp 

 in Daitcho, and thence marched west to join von Hohnel 



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