U THE T^ROPICAL AGEICtJLTtJRIST. [Atia. 1, 1903. 
shades of green on the lofty, precipitous, forest- 
clad banl?s of the harbour, lit up by the rays of the 
setting sun, have an exquisitely pleasing and sooth- 
ing effect on the weary traveller. There are great 
possibilities for this district. The land is of 
exceptionally good quality both here and in the 
hinterland, and as the navigable lagoon extends a 
good way inland, an excellent waterway for the 
transport of produce is available. Already 
quantities of grain, ground-nuts, oil seeds and 
coconuts, &c., are shipped by dhows and coasting 
steamers to Zanzibar, Mombasa and other town?, 
and the Italian firm at Takaungu does a consider- 
able business in rubber. 
We now entered what may be termed the 
southern extremity of the great Arabuka Forest, 
which extends northward for many mile?, with 
few breaks, beyond the Sabaki River. The portion 
we passed through on our way to Mtondoa — the 
next important village — was about 8 miles in 
breadth, and may be termed a sub forest, few of 
the trees being over 30 feet in height. Here and 
there are stately old veterans, towering above 
the smaller forest and thick undergrowth, which 
would indicate that at no very distant period, 
previous to the raiding and decimating of the 
coast population, this had been a vast virgin forest. 
As we reached the edge of the forest, tiie 
gardens of the villagers commenced at once, and 
we passed through some 4 miles of carefully 
cultivated shambas. The fields of Indian corn, 
sorghum and sem-sera, were beautifully regular, 
and fenced in with high saplings or poles from 
the forest, so as to protect the grain fields from 
the depredation of ele])hants. The crops were very 
heavy, and che soil magnificent— these clearings 
having evidently been cut out of forest similar to 
that we had just passed through. 
As we passed the Magarini shambas the land 
continued good and seemed to get still richer the 
farther we went inland. In front was a range of 
hills of moderate elevation and of comparatively 
easy ascent. These are for the most part cultivated 
or fairly well-wooded, many of the trees attaining 
to a good size. The soil on this range is very good, 
and I believe tea, coffee (both Arabica and 
Liberian), and perhaps cacao, would do well here. 
The provision grounds or gardens were producing 
heavy grain and other crops, and various hamlets 
were passed on the way. From the top of the 
range, which is undulating or plateau-like, we had 
a magnificent view all round. Large plains of tall 
grass. Hooded in some cases with intervening ridges 
of forest and scrub lani, stretched away to the 
south and west, and the same range of forest clad 
hills, bearing rubber vines plentifully, extended 
northwards. Descending in a more southern direc- 
tion, we passed through very rich valleys and 
plains, the soil becoming of a blacker colour, rich, 
stiff, and strong. It seemed to be an ideal grain, 
tobacco, and sugar-growing country. Here we 
came in touch with the Wauika tribes, and passed 
many of their villages and hamlets surrounded with 
well-cultivated shambas, yielding heavy crops. 
These are a very quiet, industrious, law-abidiny, 
agricultural people, and Mr Skene informed me 
that they willingly paid their hut tax, and quite 
appreciate the benefits of peace and freedom from 
slave-raiding, conferred on them by British rule. 
Late in the day we came on the largest stretch 
of good cultivation we had yet seen. Waving 
crops of sorghum ("mu'.ama") and Indian corn 
(" Mahiudi ") extended over a long level valley to 
the north and south, as far as the eye could reach. 
The strong, black soil was magnificent and had 
raised many such heavy crops in succession as 
those now ripening. These were the shambas 
of a large settlement of Swahili slaves, who have 
from time to time deserted their masters, and 
whose village was built along the ridge of a 
peculiar, solitary hill rising abruptly from the 
middle of tfie plain. After a very long and trying 
day's march we camped in this slaves' village 
called Kawa Ali Tete. Here we found the people 
well-to-do and happy in the enjoyment of perfect 
freedom, whilst their extensive cornfields bore 
eloquent testimony to their industry. Their square 
houses were large and well built and the people 
very civil— the headman bringing us presents of 
fowls and eggs, &c. 
On the 2r.d August, after leaving Kawa AH 
Tete we continued our march through an equally 
rich undulating country, with stretches of fairly 
good forest along the ridaes which separate the 
fertile valleys, and where Tnbber vines were fairly 
common. About noon we reached a stockaded 
village on a rising ground close to the Sabaki 
Kiyer. Here we rested and enjoyed a refreshing 
drink of the water from young coconuts — the trees 
within the fortified village being exceedingly fine, 
well-developed, and bearing heavy crops of nuts. 
The Sabaki at this feny is very broad and was 
fortunately not overflooded, so the porters M-ere 
able to wade across with their loads. The croco- 
diles, which are numerous here, rarely attack a 
caravan or a number of porters, while fording 
the river in company, but confine their attent;ion 
to solitary individuals, while drawing water or 
batliiug. During the wet seasons this river will 
be most useful as a waterway for the transport of 
produce from the rich hinterland, but in dry 
weather it will not be navigable for any great 
distance. Valuable stretches of forest extend 
northward from the Sabaki, and would seem to be 
a continuation of the great Arabuka forest, which 
extends southward as far as the Kilific Oreek. 
We now made for the Mission Station of Jelori, 
which is a little way south of the Sabaki. 
We said good-bye to the Mission on the 4th 
August, and pushed on along the shores of a Jong 
lagoon or lake, which, during the floods, communi- 
cates with the Sabaki ; then struck the Arabuka 
Forest, after passing through some good shambas 
bearing heavy crops of grain. The path we fol- 
lowed led us through the forest for the greater part 
of our day's march. The vegetation now became 
very interesting and good collections were made. 
The Landolphias {L Kirkii and L floridd) were 
fairly numerous in most parts, and the vines did 
not seem to have been cut or much abused by the 
native rubber collectors, though the habit which 
the latter have of making a circular wound in the 
bark of the vines or lianas is very objectionable. 
At first the trees in this part of the forest were 
well-grown, and large trees were met with at 
intervals all the way. The average girth of the 
trees would not justify the application of the 
term " virgin forest," but rather that of " sub- 
forest," the finest I had yet met with. There is said 
to be a vast extent of them extending for many 
miles to the east, and still more so, with occa« 
sional breaks, to the north-east, and known as the 
Utwani Forest. The remnants of forest we had 
passed through during the two previous days were 
evidently only a continuation of the same forest. 
There are many varieties of the finest hard-wooded 
