Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-06
UGANDAsS APE-LIKE MEN.
SfmiaA Character Of the People No,
Doubted By Sir Harry Johnston.


Doubted BY Sir Harry J0hnston.
The London Chronicle publishes an inter
view with Sir Harry H. Johnston, his maj
esty's special commissioner to Uganda,
who. upon the execution of his mission. has
returned TO London after an absence OF
two years He said:
As q proof of the recent improvement In
communication with Uganda I may say
that four weeks before crossing the English
channel / was wandering through a very
wild and out-of-the-way portion Of Uganda.
near Mt. Elgon. and In the midst Of the
most extraordinary quantity of big game
have ever seen in tropical Africa. This
stretch of country. which lies between Ell
coma Ravine station and the slopes OF Mt.
Eigon. Is entirely uninhabited by natives.
owing to the intertribal wars. which caused
their depopulation many years ago. The
Dig game wandering over these elevated
plains mad been 80 long unmolested by man
that they were quite as tame as deer in an
English park. Ny expedition passed
through herds Of elephants, and was con-
stantly putting up rhinos. singiy or in
pairs We could actually be said to be
escorted for stretches Of several miles by
zebras and antelopes that would approach
within ten yards. Lions were constantly
met with. but were so hard at work on
hartebeest and zebra that they did not in
terfere with the caravan.
1t was in this country that Sir Harry and
mis- companions discovered a remarkable
new variety OF giraffe, the male of which
had no less than five bosses or horn cores.
Continuing, Sir Harry Johnston said:
Beyond securing specimens Of giraffe and
an apparently new variety of zebra, and
several new antelopes for the British Mu-
scum the expedition exercised the greatest
forbearance IN regard to shooting. and
after while the members OF the expedi-
ton found it more interesting to be wan
dering through this splendid geological
garden and watching the creatures within
almost as short a distance as they can be
seen in Regents Park than IT would have
been had they been constantly try
ing the effect Of modern rifles on animals
the killing Of which would have been so
easy as to be simple butchery. i shall
propose to the foreign Office that this new
district should be kept as kind OF national
park and game reserve, as it well might be.
In view OF the number and variety of crea-
lures which 1t contains.
TWO days from the verge of this wonder
ful beast country l struck the Uganda rail-
way just where it is beginning to descend
from the Mao plateau to Lake Victoria. In
three days after reaching this point my
party and myself were conveyed In comfort
500 miles to Mombasa. The journey could
have been made in two days. but l desired
to spend more time at Mairobi. I consider
the railway people have had an extremely
difficult task to overcome in building line
across country which at times is subjected
to devastating floods. This is characteristic
of a stretch of some 100 miles Of the East
Africa Protectorate: in Uganda itself the
rainy season being more regular, there has
been less trouble given by the perennially
flowing streams and rivers. The line, how
ever, has been substantially constructed for
nearly 500 miles. and the remaining ninety
still to be completed are about half fin
ished.
The railway is having a marked effect on
the natives. especially on the nomad tribes.
1t has been great civilizing influence, as
1t provides work for those who choose to
work and the means of carrying on legfti-'
mate trade in native provisions. These ma
tiveS being essentially Initiative are copy
ing the Indian coolies in their costume. and
have now quantity Of cloth to cover their
nakedness
In speaking of his various journeys Sir
Henry Johnston said:
Il had the good fortune to met with the
extraordinary race OF ape-like men first
discovered by Messrs. Grogan and Sharp
tographs and measurements confirm the
opinion as to the very simian character OF
these people, who must not be COMPOUNDED
with the Congo dwarfS. who are quite dis
tinct in appearance. While the dwarfs are
from four feet to five feet in height. the
ape people appear to be of normal stature.
Sir Henry Johnston and Mr.. W. G. Dog
gett have secured An almost unrivaled Sc
res of thousand photographs illustrating
fully the scenery, natives, beasts, birds,
plants and insects of the protectorate. They
have taken and recorded measurements on
the lines laid down by the anthropological
and women belonging to the various tribes.
Another interesting feature of the expedi-
ton has been the recording by monograph
of native songs and speech.