WHERE ROOSEVELT WILL HUNT 



241 



is from end to end one beautiful garden, 

 where the staple food of the people 

 grows almost without labor, and almost 

 everything else can be grown better and 

 easier than anywhere else.* 



The administrative capital of Uganda, 

 where the headquarters of the protec- 

 torate administration are established, is 

 remarkable for its lovely scenery. This 

 is situated at Entebbe, on the long, in- 

 dented peninsula of that name which 

 stretches many arms out into the lake. 

 "Entebbe" means in the native language 

 "a throne." There are lofty green downs 

 on this peninsula, which command a 

 splendid view over the coasts and islands 

 of the northwestern part of the lake. It 

 is round the foot of these downs, on their 

 southern aspect, that the European set- 

 tlement is built. The eastern side of En- 

 tebbe is tropical forest of exceptional 

 magnificence, which has been cleverly 

 transformed by Mr. Alexander Whyte 

 into botanical gardens, some day to be- 

 come notable for their beauty. 



One prominent feature in the land- 

 scape of Entebbe, and in fact of much 

 of southern Uganda, is the lofty incense- 

 trees (Pachy lobus). These grow to a 

 great height and are perennially covered 

 with a rich green pinnate foliage. The 

 rugose trunk of thick girth sweats a 

 whitish gum, which, scraped off and 

 burnt on hot coals, produces the smoke of 

 fragrant incense. These trees produce at 

 certain seasons of the year enormous 

 quantities of blue-black plums, which are 

 the favorite food of gray parrots, violet 

 plantain-eaters, and the great blue Cory- 

 thoeola, besides monkeys and hornbills. 

 Wherever, therefore, there is one of these 

 trees growing those who live in the neigh- 

 borhood may enjoy all day long the con- 

 templation of the gorgeous plumage of 

 these birds, the antics and cries of the 

 parrots, and the wild gambols of the 

 monkeys. 



THE NATIVE CAPITAL OF UGANDA. 



The native capital of Uganda is, per- 

 haps, best styled Mengo, that being the 

 name of the king's quarter. Mengo is 

 like ancient Rome — only much more so — 



*Winston Churchill, M. P. 



a city of seven hills, as any one living 

 there and obliged to move about knows 

 to his cost. Each suburb or portion of 

 the straggling town of some 77,000 souls 

 is a hill or a hillock in itself, with an 

 ascent or descent so steep as often not to 

 be compassed on horseback. In between 

 these hills or mounds there are bottoms 

 of marsh, or there are marshy streams 

 which slowly percolate through dense 

 vegetation. Yet sections of the town in- 

 habited by the little king and his court, 

 the native gentry, and the common peo- 

 ple are clean and picturesque. Reed 

 fences of a kind peculiar to Uganda^ 

 which, by the interlacing reeds, exhibit a 

 bold pattern enclose the ground on either 

 side of the broad red road. Behind these 

 reed fences are numerous courtyards in 

 which bananas grow, and at the end of 

 each series of yards is the closely 

 thatched residence of some family or 

 household. 



Everything bears a neat, swept-up ap- 

 pearance, and the handsome trees and 

 general richness of vegetation round the 

 dwellings make it a city of gardens. 

 Along some of the roads there must be 

 straight perspectives of one or more miles 

 in length, and the breadth of the avenues 

 has about it something royal and sug- 

 gestive of a capital. Mission buildings, 

 with cathedrals in brick and stone, or in 

 humbler materials of cane, thatch, and 

 palm poles, rise from three of the great 

 hills. 



A MOST HOSPITABI^ AND KINDLY PEOPLE. 



The people are extremely hospitable. 

 On my journey through the kingdom, 

 the local chiefs had sent out to hundreds 

 of their people, and each came in bearing 

 at least a bunch of bananas. Some of 

 the headmen even brought cows, goats, 

 a sheep, or anything that they could think 

 of that would gratify the white man. 

 They are the most naturally cultivated of 

 any of the African natives with whom I 

 came in contact. How they acquired this 

 native civilization is not yet clearly 

 known. A more charming people you 

 could not meet in Africa. Their tact 

 is really remarkable. They would send 

 spies into my camp to find out my tastes 



