METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATE. 187 



during the rest of my journey till I reached Lake 

 Nyassa. Of course, the worst feature of this 

 desert zone is the scarcity and extremely objec- 

 tionable nature of the water. Dysentery ought 

 to be most carefully guarded against, and water 

 should always be boiled before use. The extra- 

 ordinary feat of endurance mentioned by the late 

 Mr. Joseph Thomson, who walked fifty miles in 

 a day, shows that, at any rate, some Europeans 

 can support great muscular strain in this region ; 

 but it cannot be supposed that the country is one 

 suited for Europeans to colonise and work with 

 their own hands. 



The best part of the Colony zone in tropical 

 Africa is undoubtedly the magnificent country 

 which extends from Matschakos to the Nandi 

 range, close to the Victoria Nyanza, which may 

 be called for convenience the Masai highlands. 

 I have myself walked fifty miles in thirty hours in 

 this region, and Dr. Gregory performed feats of 

 this kind which completely throw mine into the 

 shade, and would be even in England worth men- 

 tioning. In reality, one is quite in as good a 

 condition physically as in Great Britain. 



This is chiefly due to the cold nights, when a 

 fire is frequently pleasant. Sometimes the daily 

 range is very great (e.g., 80 degrees in the after- 

 noon and 46 at night), but considering the manner 

 in which one has to travel, Europeans may safely 

 be said to have every prospect of being able to 



