34 MRULI TO RUBAGA IN UGANDA. 



length, owing to our ascent into drier ground, the narrow path 

 widened out into a well-kept broad road, bounded by trees and 

 gardens. The farther we proceeded the more beautiful and 

 highly cultivated grew the land : luxuriant fields of sweet 

 potatoes, juicy green tobacco, yellow-flowering ground nuts, 

 fields of maize and sorghum, all divided from one another 

 by cleanly kept paths ; whilst in the background there were 

 groves of bananas, in which not a weed is permitted, splendid 

 fig-trees of different species, tall euphorbias, and thickets of 

 climbing plants. 



Naturally the bird world was not wanting there. Hundreds 

 of splendid astrilds and amadinae fluttered in and out amongst 

 the dense foliage ; everywhere the weaver-birds had hung their 

 swinging nests ; flocks of guinea-fowl scrape up sweet potatoes ; 

 we heard the " bellowing " of the schizcerhis, flying in pairs ; 

 white-breasted ravens stalked about the ground, and high in 

 the air the kite (Milvus parasiticus) flew in ever-changing 

 circles. Many large huts lay scattered in the fields ; their 

 inhabitants stood in groups upon the way, many clothed in 

 white cotton stuff. " Otiano, nyo, nyoge " was the greeting we 

 received in passing. Shots echoed in the air, and, accom- 

 panied by hundreds of spectators, we arrived in a large open 

 space where huts had been prepared for our reception. 



My tent was hardly erected before a man, a perfect stranger 

 to me, brought me a bunch of ripe golden bananas, a sign of 

 welcome, and Mreko took leave to greet his wife and chil- 

 dren. It w r as afternoon before we had made ourselves at home, 

 and the rain had hardly stopped for a moment when a proces- 

 sion approached my tent. It was led by Mreko and Kanagurba, 

 both clothed in white vestments. They were bringing me 

 presents : baskets full of large red sweet potatoes, bunches 

 of green and ripe bananas wrapped in green leaves, enormous 

 gourds full of frothy sandi (fresh banana wine, a very pleasant 

 tipple), small native hens, and a long-legged cock of the 

 bastard race, whose ancestor once found its way here from 

 Gondokoro, a black, high -humped cow, and — rarity of rarities 

 — a dozen eggs in a pretty little basket'. Both gentle- 

 men had, as their somewhat thick speech indicated, done all 

 honour to the banana wine, which was even then being offered 



