DESCRIPTIVE 21 



blades are sharply pointed to prick and scratch 

 you as a path is forced through them. This 

 gives on to a plain of shorter, if still very rank 

 grass, over which, as we reach it, a couple of 

 reedbuck gaUop madly to gain the protecting 

 shelter of the neighbouring forest. Here the 

 magnificently fronded Borassus palm, a growth 

 very similar to the weU-known fan palm of India, 

 and the Hyphoene, but httle inferior to the 

 last named either in size or beauty, lend that 

 tropical aspect to the surrounding scenery which 

 invests the African landscape with such grace 

 and charm. We follow a narrow game path, 

 and wend our way towards the tree belt, whose 

 dark, umbrageous outUne affords a welcome 

 contrast to the dry, grassy, sun-swept plain 

 which stretches between it and the descent 

 to the river. On its edge stand enormous, grey, 

 ghostly baobabs ; shady, shimmering groves of 

 silvery-leaved bamboos, sometimes growing com- 

 pletely over ancient ant-hills of such immense 

 height that they would rather appear to be 

 artificial than natural features of the view before 

 us. Then we find, as the forest grows thicker, 

 large trees roped together with depending monkey- 

 ropes and llianas ; great clumps of rock-Uke 

 euphorbias ; dwarf iron - wood and shady 

 acacias ; velvety -foliaged albizzias and coarse- 

 looking gomphias ; huge parinaria with lofty 

 stems as straight as a mast, and as thick as the 

 boiler of a good-sized locomotive. All these 

 and a hundred more. Then, as the mellow 

 afternoon sunlight, slowly westering, strikes the 

 3 



