A BEAUTIFUL DISTRICT. 651 



The caravan had in the meantime crossed safely, men, bales, 

 donkeys and baggage, and the long line moved off over a much 

 more beautiful district than had yet been seen ; first splendid 

 park-like lands, next through a grove of young ebony trees, where 

 guinea fowls and hartbeests were seen ; then winding about 

 with all the characteristic eccentric curves of a goat path, up 

 and down a succession of land waves, crested by the dark green 

 foliage of the mango, and the scantier and lighter-colored leaves 

 of the enormous calabash. The depressions were filled with 

 jungle, while here and there were open glades, shadowed even 

 during noon by their groves of towering trees. As the strange 

 cavalcade passed along, every living thing seemed to be in con- 

 sternation, "flocks of green pigeons, jays, ibis, turtle-doves, 

 golden pheasants, quails and moor-hens, with crows and hawks, 

 flew away in terror, while here and there a solitary pelican was 

 seen bearing off from the doubtful scenes on stately wing, and 

 beautiful pairs of antelopes dashed away like fairies, and grave- 

 looking monkeys with their bullet heads, white breasts and 

 long tails were hopping out of reach like Australian kangaroos." 



Four miles from the river a halt was ordered at Kikoka, which 

 is on the western border of Mrima. This frontier city was only 

 a collection of straw huts erected in utter indifference of archi- 

 tectural style, surrounded by a pitiable apology for fields. The 

 people were indolent idlers who had settled there from Mrima 

 and Zanzibar. The next stage brought the expedition to Rosako, 

 the frontier village of Ukwere, perched on a little hillock sur- 

 rounded by an impenetrable jungle of thorny acacia. 



Mr. Stanley was now fairly in the midst of African scenes. 

 The wilderness was broken only by the little villages which 

 every now and then appeared peeping through the crevices of 

 their wonderful fortresses of acacia, and the people were fully 

 up to the average in genuine African characteristics. And 

 thenceforward the journey was the monotonous succession of 

 delays, extortions, short marches, fevers, losses and anxieties 

 which distinguish all such expeditions. The Wakwere were not 

 strong enough to be bold, but they were mean enough to be 

 annoying, and sustained their reputation for dishonesty with 

 evident pleasure. And they supported their claims to African 

 nativity by as varied devices and as characteristic developments 



