Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-11-10


them and bring them forward but not twist
ing them aside from their natural line Of
development, nor wrenching them loose
from what was good in their past, by at
tempting the impossible task of turning an
entire native population into black English
men at one stroke
A Call on Uganda's King.
called on the little king, who is being
well trained by his English tutor-few tu-
tors perform more exacting or responsible
duties-and whose comfortable house was
furnished in English fashion. l met his ma
tive advisers, shrewd, powerful-ooking
men; and went into the council chamber,
where I was greeted by the council, SUBJ
stantial looking men, well dressed in the ma
tive fashion, and representing all the dis
tricts of the kingdom.
When we visited the king it was after
dark, and we were received by smart look
ing black soldiers in ordinary khaki uni
form, while accompanying them were other
attendants dressed in the old-time fashion;
men with flaming torches,an others with
the big Uganda drums which they beat to
an accompaniment of wild cries. These
drums are characteristic Of Uganda; each
chief has one and beats upon it his own pc
culiar tattoo.
The king, and all other people of conse-
quence, white, Indian or native, went round
in rckshaws, one man pulling in the shafts
and three others pushing behind. The rick
shaw men ran well, and sang all the time
the man in the shafts serving as shanty-man
while the three behind repeated in chorus
every second or two kind of changing note
and this went on without break, hour after
hour.
The natives looked we'll and were dressed
we'll; the men in long flowing garments of
white, the women usually in brown cloth
made in the old native style out of the bark
of the bark cloth tree. The clothes of the
chiefs were tastefuly ornamented. All the
people, gentle and simple, were very polite
strangers.
A Situtunga Hunt.
Knowles arranged situtunga hunt for
us. The situtunga is closely related to the
bushbuck but is bigger, with very long hoofs
and shaggy hair like waterbuck. 1t is ex-
clusively beast of the marshes making its
home in the thick reedbeds, where the water
is deep; and it is exceedingly shy. SO that
very few white men have shot, or even
seen it.
Its long hoofs enable it to go over the
most treacherous ground, and it swims well
in many OF its haunts, in the thick papyrus,
the water is waist deep on man. Through
the papyrus, and the reeds and marsh grass,
it makes well-beaten paths. Where it is in
any danger of molestation it is never seen
abroad in the daytime. venturing from the
safe cover of the high reeds only at night !;
but 50 miles inland, in the marsh grass on
the edge of big papyrus swamp, Kermit
caught glimpse of half dozen feeding in
the open, knee deep in water, long after
sunrise.
On the hunt in question patch Of marsh
was driven by hundred natives, while the
guns were strung along the likely passes
which led to another patch Of marsh flne
situtunga buck came to Kermit's post, and
he killed it las it bottled away 1t had stolen
up so quietly through the long marsh grass
that he only saw it when it was directly on
him. It's stomach contained not grass, but
the leaves and twig tips of shrub which
grows in and alongside OF the marshes.
The day after this hunt our safari started
on its march northwestward to Lake Albert
Nyanza.
Along the road we often met wayfarers;