The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-30


bit as exciting as those which fell TO the
lot OF Mr.. Churchill and his companions }
BY TIE RT. HON. WINSTON
CHURCHILL
Under Secretary of State for the Col
onies of Great Britain.
When ii came time for us 10 leave
Faiao and the Murchison Falls behind
ii took no little time TO stow all our
baggage, food and tents upon the steel
launch and It's three steel sailing boats
of different sizes which were TO carry
us down the Victoria Nile into the
Albert Nyanza, across the top of this
lake, and then down the 10 miles
reach Of the White Nile till navigation
IS barred az Nimulc by moye cataracts
Though our camp was astir at $50.
the dawn was Just breaking when We
were able TO embark. IS we drifted out
into midstrcam the most beautiful view
of the falls broke upon us. 1t was al.
ready almost daylight, but the sun had
rot yet actually topped the great es-
carpmcnt over which the Nile descends.
The banks on both sides of the river.
clad with dense ard lofty forests and
rising from the water S edge, were dark
In shadow. The river was 4 broad sheet
of steel graz. ve!ned with paler streaks
OF foam, TIE rock portals of the falls
were je'tv black. and between them, il
Inmned by single shaft Of sunlight.
cleaned the tremendous cataract
thing. Of wonder aud glory, we'll worth
travelling all the way to see.
We We're scon among the hippo-
potami. Every 200 or 300 yards, and at
every bend Of the river, we came upon
herd of from 5 TO 20. To us in
steam launch they threatened no re-
sistencc or danger. But their inveterate
hostility 10 canoes leads to repeated loss
OF He among the native fishermen.
whose frall craft ara crumpled like
eGgsncils IN the snap of enormous Jaws.
Indeed all the way from here to Nimule
they are declared TO be the scourage
and terror OF the Nile.
Fancy mistaking hippopotamus-
almost the largcs' surviving mammal in
the worid-ior water lily. Yet nothing
IS more easy. Inc whole river is dotted
with floating lilies detached from anv
root and drifting along contentedly with
the current. 1t is the habit of the hippo
TO loil Jn the wafer, showing only his
eyes and the tips of his ears. and per
haps now and then a glimpse of his
nose, and thus concealed, his Silhouette
IS, at 500 yards. almost Indistinpuish-
aole from floating vegetation.
Tho Peeping Toms of the Nile.
thought they also looked like riant
eats peeplnG. SO soon, however, as they
saw us coming round corner and
heard the throbbing Of the propeller.
they would raise their whole heads ont
or the water 10 have a look, and then
immediately dive to the bottom in dis
gust. Our practice was then to shut Off
steam and drift silently down upon
them. In this way one arrives In the
middle OF the herd. aud when curiosity
or want OF air compelS them to come
up again there is chance for a shot.
One great fellow came up TO breathe
within five yards of the boat, and the
look OF astonlshmcnt, of alarm, OF in
dlgnatlon IN his large expressive eyes
as with one vast snort he plunged be-
loN. was comical TO see.
Ihese creatures are not casv to kill
JGey bob up 1T the most unexpected
quarters, end are down again in a see
ond. One does not like to run the risk
OF mercy wounding tacm and the tar
get presented is small and vanishing. T
shot one who sunk with a harsh sort of
scream and thud of striking bullet
We waited about long time for him
TO toat up to the surface, bui IN vain
for he must have been carried into or
under bed of reeds and could not be
retrieved.
The Murchison Falls arc about so
miles distant from the Albert lake. and
rs with the current we made six or
seven miles an honr. this part of our
journey was short Here the Nile offers
splendid waterway. The main chan
mel is at least ten feet deep and navi-
CATION. in spite of shifting sand banks,
islands and entanglements Of reeds and
other vegetation, is not difficult
The river itself is of delicious, sweet
water. and flows along in many places
half mile broad. It's banks for the
first 90 miles were shaded by beautiful
trees, and here and there contained by
bold hcadlands, deeply searped bv the
current. The serratcd outline of the
frh ,.-,1y, : L. r..
Albert Nyauza could soon be seen
painted IN shadow on the western sky
As the lake is approached the riparian
scenery degenerates. the sand banks be
come more intricate, the banks are low
and fiat and huge marshes encroach up
on the river on either hand Yet even
here the traveller moves through an i'm.
posing world.
AT length, after five or six hours
steaming, we cleared the mouth of the
Victoria Nile and swan out on to the
broad eIpanses of the lake. Happily
on this occasion it was quite calm How
1 wished then that / had not allowed
myself to be deferred by time and
croakers from a longer voyage, and
that we could have turned to the south
and, clrcumnavigating the Albert, as
cended the SemJiki river with all its
mysterious attractions, have visited the
forests on the southwestern shores. and
caught, perhaps, CLEAN of the SHOWS
of Ruwenzori
A Secret Roosevelt Will Doubtless
Learn.
Some of my party had won the con-
hdence Of the engineer Of the launch,
who had revealed to them a valuable
secret. IT appeared that somewhere
between Lake Albert and Nmule mot
to be too precise-there was a place
known only to the elect, and not to
more than one or two OF them. where
elephants abounded and rhinoceros