Lake Kivu 



islands and sharp promontories stood out clear and green 

 in the morning light. 



Rubengera, which is one hour-and-a-half's journey from 

 the small bay of Msaho, held little of interest for us. There- 

 fore after staying one night with some missionaries who had 

 just arrived there, we pushed on to Murunda, seven hours' 

 march to the north. This place we found to be a well-built 

 mission, founded by the White Fathers and in charge of two 

 black padres. It hes in the midst of fine mountain scenery 

 and close to the southern extension of the Bugoie Forest, 

 known locally as Kasiba. 



For the past seven weeks we had been travelling through 

 an almost treeless country, rich neither in flora nor fauna. 

 The getting of firewood even was a continual source of worry, 

 and used as we had become to the forest region, by many years' 

 residence in it, we were more than pleased to see trees around 

 us again and to know that this question was at least shelved 

 for the time being. The fact that a large and unexplored 

 forest stood close by, holding possibly rare animals and 

 insects was, in our eyes, also an added attraction to the 

 district in which we now found ourselves. 



Owing to its inaccessibility, the Kasiba Forest has seldom 

 been visited by travellers and bordering as it does the un- 

 known country of the Bugoie dwarfs, was hkely to prove 

 interesting both eatomologically and by reason of the fact 

 that it was said to be the home of the Kivu gorilla and also 

 what appeared to be (from a photograph shown me by a 

 White Father) a new species of chimpanzi. 



Deciding, therefore, to pay this forest a visit, I set about 

 the task of finding guides. Still having Msinga's messengers 

 with me this did not prove difl&cult ; so leaving my wife 



49 E 



