KITIFU 



43 



'Yes, but I want to go on.' Fortunately the plan answered; 

 the people were obliged, however unwillingly, to pick up their 

 loads and follow him till the next camping-place was reached. 



By the time I arrived everything was in perfect order : 

 our tents were pitched, the loads were sorted into great piles, 

 round about which rose the many little tents of the men. At 

 the beginning of a journey most of the people own, in addition 

 to a good shirt and a turban, or some pieces of dress-stuff, a 

 small tent made of a few lengths of cotton material, for which 

 they generally cut a stick on the spot ; but as time goes on, 

 and everything not absolutely indispensable is bartered for 

 food or drink with the natives, whilst the remaining clothes 

 hang in rags on the persons of their owners, the number of 

 tents diminishes considerably^ 



Kitifu is an unimportant little village not far from the 

 Pangani Eiver, which is here called simply the Euvu, or the 

 river. The caravan route leading to it leaves the Pangani at 

 Mawia, and makes towards the mountain districts of Usambara, 

 to return after a few days' journey to the river-banks. It was 

 very interestino- to note how quickly the character of the 

 scenery changed as we left the river behind us. The ground 

 became hard and the vegetation sparse, in spite of the still 

 noticeable influence of the moisture-laden winds from the sea. 

 The chief plants here were sturdy acacias, amongst which was 

 one very beautiful variety with a sort of umbrella-like crown 

 of leaves, apparently placed here on purpose by beneficent 

 Nature as a shelter to the traveller from the intense heat and 

 glare of the sun. Very typical, too, of the district are the 

 greyish-green prickly euphorbia, resembling in form the well- 

 known cactus, and the doum palms, in the branches of many 

 of which grew orchids, the drooping flowers looking in the 

 distance like gaily-decked birds' nests. 



We only stopped one day in Kitifu, and we saw very little 



