Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-29
Copyright. 1908. by Frank G. carpentes.J

Special Correspondence Of The Star.
NAIvASHA, British East Africa.
rN the heart of the East African High
lands, as far south of the Mediter-
ranean sea as New York Is distant
from Denver and as far west of the
Indian ocean as Pittsburg is west
of the Atlantic. i am writing this letter
for my American readers. l am in the
Great Rift valley. mighty trough.
which runs almost north and south
through this part of the continent. 1t
begins at the Zambesi and traces of 1t
are still to be found in Palestine It is
supposed to be formed by the earth half
folding up after mighty volcanic erup-
ton, which left the craters of Kiliman-
jaro. Kenia and Elgon, mounting the
clouds at attitudes of from $4,000 to
10000 feet.
This great valley narrows and wioens,
1t rises and falls. and it has many great
lakes. Broadly speaking. all the great
lakes OF East Africa are in it CT in its
spurs. North of here are Lakes Baringo
and Rudolf. and still further north in
Abyssinia is Lake Tsana. the source of
the Blue Nile. AS I write I am looking
out on Lake Naivasha. beautiful sheet
of blue water over which white cranes
are flying. / can see zebras~ and an
telopes feeding not far from the water;
black head Of three hippopotami. bob
bling up and down like giant fishing corks
upon the surface. The shores here are
swaInpy, and are lined with masses of
reeds. Just back of them the ground
rises into rich pastures, which are pro-
tected from sportsmen by the reserva-
lions allotted to the Uganda railway and
fairly swarm with big game.
A Future Stock Country.
The weather here Is delightful. We are
so near the equator that one can almost
straddle it. but the altitude is such that
blankets are needed at night and it is
never excessively hot during the day.
Naivasha Is a little higher up in the air
than the top of Mount Washington. and
the climate of the whole Rift valley is
said to be suited for white men. This
matter is being tested by settlers. Large
tracts Of land have been taken up in diff
ferent places. not far from the railroad
and there are many English who are
going into stock raising. Right near the
lake the government of British East
Africa has started an experimental farm
and there are large ranches in the imme-
date vicinity. There are no tsetse flies
here, and the -euras, which one sees by
the hundreds in almost any ride oyer the
valley. are an evidence that horses will
thrive. There are also many ostriches
and In time We may have ostrich farming
here as they have in South Africa The
average height or the valley is something
Hike 5000 feet. and the grass Is said to be
luxuriant everywhere.
The Land Of the Nasal.
This is one of the strongholds Of the
Nasal race. who have always been noted
as warriors and stock raisers. see
them about Naivasha, and not a few
still carry spears and shields. They
have many little towns nearby, and their
settlements are scattered throughout the
Rift valley. They live in huts about
four feet high, six feet wide and nine
feet long. The huts look like great bake
ovens They are made of branches,
woven together and plastered with mud
Sometimes they are smeared over with
COW dung, and that material often forms
the floors. When 1t rains, skins are laid
over the roofs to protect them. The
houses are usually built in a circle about
an Enclosure. in which the cattle are
kept at night. The sheep and goats are
allowed to run in and out the houses Some
OF the towns have fences of thorns around
them to keep out the wild beasts.
These Nasal are a fierce-looking people.
The men are tall and straight. and they
walk as though they owned the earth
When they have their war paint on they
use decoration of ostrich feathers which
surrounds their faces, and Is supposed to
carry terror to the souls of their enc