The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-23
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For one long day our little palpitatins
launch, towing its fotilla of canoes
splashed through this curious region, al
times winding through glade IN the
papyrus forest scarcely dozen yard!
across, then presently emerging into
wide floods, stopping often to clear oul
propeller from tangles of accommodating
greenery. All this while we must care
fully avoid the northern and particular.
ly the northwestern shore, for the ma
tives are altogether unadministered
and nearly all the tribes are hostile. To
pursue the elephants, which, of course,
abound in those forbidden precincts, is
impossible; TO land for food or fuel
would be dangerous, and even to APP
proach might draw a hutter of mus
kerry or a shower of spears.
Another forty miles of steaming and
we reached Mruli. Mruli is a represen-
the eye are score of funnel-shaped
grass huts, surrounded by dismal
swamps and labyrinths of weeds, over
which clouds of mosquitoes danced few
crishly. \ long wattled pier had been
! built from terra hrma to navigable wa
| ter, but the channel by, while it could
be approached. had been wholly blocked
by 1onting island: and this had to be
towed painfully out of the way before
a fresh escort of Kings African rifles.
by a mob of fresh porters, and lastly by
the only friendly tribe from the north
ern bank of the river, and while tents
were pitched, baggage landed and cook
ING fires began 10 glow, these 400 wild
spearmen, casting aside their leopard
skins, danced naked In the dusk.
Into the Heart of Wild World,
We had intended on leaving the Nile
where II turns northward at Mruli to
march directly across to the Albert
lake. But tales of the beauty and won
der Of the Murchisou falls had capti-
waited my mind, a new plan had been
resolved. and thithcr we were now to
proceed by FIVE marches-two to Mas
iudi (tweuty five miles from Mruh)
and three more turning northward to
the Nile to the foot Of. the Murchison
falls at Fajao.
The first days march from Masiudi
was a long ono, and our portcrs painted |
and toiled under loads through the !
heat of the day. 1t was not till the
afternoon that the main body came
into camp. and stragglers trickled |
through into the dusk. Meanwhile, tho
local natives built under our eyes, with
extraordinary speed and cleverness, a
spacious dining hall and two or three
quite excellent bedrooms from the sur
elephant grass and bamboo
groves; and we Jared as comfortably in
these two humble dwellings as If we
dwelt in kings palaces.
The forest was little thinner on the
second day. although the Jungle was Of
the same dense and tangled fertility.
We started an hour before sunrise, and
By clock had climbed to the saddle
Of the high rocky wall which contains
The valley of the Victoria Nile. From
his elevation of, perhaps, 600 feet
above the general level Of the plain,
Wow of the landscape '
vas for the first time possible,
In every direction spread n wide sea
IF foliage, thinning here into brush.
larkening there into forest. rising and I
alling with the waves of the land, and
,roken only by occasional peaks Of
ock. Far away to the northwest c
ong silver CLEAN, just discerniblo t
through the haze OF the horizon, re- +
'ealed to our eyes the distant prospect @
f Lake Albert Nyanza. The camera u
annot do Justice to such a panorama. c
Il photographs those vast expanses o
ook like mere scrubby commons, in t
ospitablc and monotonous to the eye, T
to the soul. One has to re-
lember that here are botanical and
gardens combined on an un-
mited scale; that Natures central y
roductive laboratory is here working l.
light aud day at full blast; and that !,
he scrubbv common Of the picture is -
aa!lY fairyland of glades and vistus.