198 A NATURALIST IN MID-AFRICA. 



advantage is very largely counterbalanced by the 

 extremely poverty-stricken appearance of the 

 country on the whole. Karagwe and Ankole 

 (i.e., the higher plateaux) do not afford much 

 prospect for Europeans. Urundi, of course, is a 

 very fertile country, and probably all along the 

 chain of high hills which culminate in Mfumbiro, 

 and which I crossed near Mwesi's, there is a dense 

 population and plenty of cattle, as well as a fairly 

 heavy rainfall ; but just in these places the climate 

 will very probably turn out unsatisfactory. Still, 

 these hills, like the Masai highlands and the Nyika 

 and Stevenson Koad plateaux, might possibly form 

 colonies for Europeans : a very unusual condition 

 of things in Africa. It is, of course, satisfactory 

 to reflect that this is in German territory. If, as 

 there are some grounds for hoping, the future trade 

 of this district will pass down through British 

 Central Africa, there will be, at any rate, the 

 passage money of emigrants going there. 



For Tanganyika I am sorry that I have very little 

 to say of an encouraging nature. Captain Hore 

 (" Tanganyika," p. 146) gives a very good account 

 of the climate. My own experience is so dia- 

 metrically opposite to the impression that one 

 would draw from his work, that I feel obliged 

 (though I do not like to contradict one who had 

 such ample opportunities of judging) to quarrel 

 with every one of his statements. 



The lassitude and weakness which overcame me 



