THE VICTORIA REGION. 37 



are peculiarly moral as compared with the decently 

 attired Waganda and other races. In Madagascar, 

 West Africa, and the Cape, I have always found 

 the same rule. Chastity varies inversely as the 

 amount of covering. 



The natives, when first clearing a plantation or 

 " shamba " from the original bush, plant, as soon 

 as the rains begin, " wimbi," or hungry rice, 

 which springs up and yields a crop almost imme- 

 diately ; then they put in Indian corn and millet ; 

 sweet potatoes are taken from it during the third 

 and fourth year, and after planting beans during 

 the fifth and sixth year, the land is allowed to 

 revert to bush again, in which state it usually 

 remains at least five years. The cattle disease, 

 apparently a liver complaint, has destroyed most 

 of their cattle, but they seem to have plenty of 

 fowls, goats, sheep, &c. There appears to be no 

 ivory or rubber in Kavirondo now, and the country 

 is very much under Uganda, and would not give 

 the slightest trouble if administered from there. 



The villages are usually surrounded by a deep 

 ditch and mud wall, and contain quantities of 

 little circular huts with walls under 4. feet high. 

 As a rule the roofs are of grass, and the walls 

 chiefly made of the " elephant grass " or Mateitei. 



After passing Mumia's, where I rested for a day 

 to allow my men to feed thoroughly, we went on 

 to the shore of the Victoria Nyanza, where we 

 arrived on the 11th of January, 1894. 



