The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-10-03

| That same evening there was an
other big dinner party at Mr..
Knowles house, and the king Of
Uganda and his regent were present.
On the following morning, Colonel
Roosevelt accompanied Capt. w. f..
S. Edwards, the inspector general Of
police for East Africa and Uganda,
and Mr.. Knowles to inspect the Kan
pala police station.
We returned to lunch with Mr.
Knowles, and, after the meal was
over, prominent Indian resident of
Kampala and deputation of Indian
merchants arrived to present Colo
mel Roosevelt with some magnificent
ivory curios and Congo knives, as q
small token of their regard for him.
The day before Christmas Eve,
Colonel Roosevelt and Kermit rode
off on their mulcs-horses had been
discarded in Uganda owing to the
bad climate-on the first lap of their.
long Jungle land journey.
CHAPTER XIV
Through Uganda to Hoima
had arranged to follow on the
morning of Christmas Day. But
when the day dawned there was
such very heavy rainstorm that
had to postpone my departure until
the afternoon. So / did not leave
Kampala until two days after the ex-
petition had started off; l hope to
overtake it by making forced
marches.
Meanwhile the pain and the swell
ing was rapidly growing worse, and
it was with great misgivings that /
prepared for my long march on the
! trail of Theodore Roosevelt. / had
. gone too far to turn back.
Eventually we began our march,
the porters leading the way. They
| were headed by native drummer,
who beat a monotonous tattoo for the
edification of my Baganda porters
and to my own annoyance.
| followed them, lying in canvas
hammock slung on a long pole. which
was carried by two porters alternate
ly on either their heads or their
shoulders. Two other porters fol-
lowed behind me, to act as relief
party for the hammock bearers. My
feet were on level with, or some
what higher than, my head; and
was most intolerably uncomfortable
! The prospects of those days of
marching was far from being allur-
| ing.
The roads were very muddy and
slippery after the heavy rain, and our
progress was slow. l was thankful
that there was only 10 miles to cover
to Kisimbill camp, for the pain was.
at times, almost unbearable.
The jolting of the hammock made
matters much worse. On reaching
my first camp at sunset, l sent back
messenger to Kampala to bring me
out ricksfaw, feeling positive it
would be more comfortable than
travelling by hammock.
The Baganda had erected most
palatial camp for the Roosevelt ex-
pedition-as they did throughout
Uganda-and made myself ut home
in it.
There was neat stOckade of dried
elephant grass all around the camp.
The road on either side had been
planted with banana trees so as to
form an avenue to the bandas (grass-
rooted and open-sided huts). And
flowers had been stuck into the walls
of the bandas and grass strewn along
/ the path inside of the compound.
Ispent Christmas night here. alone
| with my porters. This was the fourth
or fifth Christmas Day that had
spent under canvas in either East
| Africa or Central Africa during six
years. had no heart for Christine
festivities, for L was wornout with
the pain that racked me. I con
sumed morsel of food and retired
to bed.
spent troubled night--could not