Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1885-08-05
ksssteriN Ahice.

The British Royal Geographical 30
ciety's expedition to Mount koeria and
Lake Victoria Nyanza, IN 1854, thA
account Of which has Just beeh pub
lished In England, wal fruitful il the
collection Of interesting intosmation
concerning the snow-clad volcanic
mountains and the strange tribes OF
eastern equatorial Africa. II II stated
that q more charming region cannot be
found in all Africa. Though Ning at
. general elevation of 5000 fest, Il 10
not mountainous. but extends in bill
lowy, swelling reaches, characterized
by everything that makes . Pleasing
landscape. There are great parks. en-
livened by groups OF game. Vast herds
Of cattle or flocks of sheep and goats
a be seen wandering kneesdeep id
the splendid pastures. The climate
and. flora Of the district BY no means
realize the popular idea OF the tropics.
The eye rests upon coniierous trees,
forming pine-like woods; while sprigs
Of heath, sweet-scented clover, ane-
none, and other familiar forms can be
readily gathered. Within q mile OF
the equator Mr.. Thomson. the leader
Of the expedition, found his camp m
veloped in q dense Scotch mist, very
cold, while the grass was sprinkled
with hoar frost. On another occasion
q violent hail-storm burst over the ex-
ploring party, and the country lay alb
solutely white for sixteen hours This
elevated region is travefsed north and
south by . lofty chain of mouatains,
termed "The Aberdare Range" the
land further westward suddenly sink
ing down into q trough 1900 feet be-
low the general level Of the table land,
and inclosed by almost PRESCRIPTIONS
''escarpment walls" This is the
stronghold Of the Massar tribes, who
are described - robbers and black.
mailers by profession, and the biggest
DULLES OF Africa" A line OF lakes 90.
cupies the lowest level Of the trough
and receives its rainfall, the two chief
lakes being Naivasha and Baringo.
The latter has no visible outlet, while
its basin of eighteen miles by ten re-
ceives q large volume of water in the
form of some half o dozen considerable
streams. The level of the lake, how
ever. rises very little, and to make the
enigma more complete, the water is
quite sweet and harbors enormous
numbers Of fish, with hippopotami and
crocodiles, although it 10 certainly per.
picking to understand where the last
named can have come from. Mr..
Thomson's narrative is full of other
wonders, for he tells us of the mysteri-
Gus caves of Ligonyi, cut into the hard
rock for unknown distances all round
o particular level in . mountain twenty
miles in circumference, and so enorm-
Gus in size as to be able to contain
whole villages and herds OF cattle. The
exploring party satisfied themselves
that these caves were purely of artif-
cial origin, and that they had been
hewn out in search for the precious
metals, but who the people were, by
whom they we're constructed, and
whittier they have gone, remains for
the present zone Of the ~strangeSt prob
lens OF African archaeology" An idea
Of the sport he had in these regions of
eastern equatorial Africa may be gath.
cred from the fact that on n occasion
four rhinoceroses, four zebras, one
giraffe, and four antelopes fell before
the rifle Of the leader of the expedition
in six hours. In the broken country
around Lake Baringo elephants were
met with in great numbers; ut Lake
Naivasha herds Of antelope raced with.
in q stone-throw of the camp; while
even in the most desert tracks tray
ersed between Kilimanjaro and the
Victoria Nyanza "big game was met
with in profusion.