Evening star., 1924-08-31


colony 10 thr 'i~.ot.ia -r..-..-.., 49,. ~.
this by boat, and then from one or
ether of the harborS on the western
shore by caravan through Uganda or
suanda. Fer several reasons We
chose the last route.
Thus it happened that the Swedish
expedition to Central Africa assem-
he'd in Nairobi, the capital of the
Neuya Colony. The nucleus of the
expedition consisted - besides the
writer-of Count Nils Gyldenstolpe.
on whose shoulders were laid. in per-
feet safety and confidence. the scien-
titc arrangements, supported by the
English taxidermist Allan Ruddle.
and Oskar Olsson, one of Svensk
tflminduStrfs engineers.
In order TO be able to avail our
selves Of the regular boat connection
across Victoria Nyanza, We hurried
on our preparations, so that the eX-
pedition was ready to start on a day
early in January. In the afternoon
all the members Of the expedition
were slowed away in the compart
ments of the night express.
Envcloped in an enormous cloud of
white steam. the engine at last pulled
itself together. made a determined
effort. and got under way. dragging
its long tail behind il.
Goodbye. good luck. good sport
they called TO US on all sides. And
Nairobi gradually disappeared in the
golden haze Of the setting sun.
All through the night the railway
| mounts slowly but necessarily. First
We have IA glimpse OF the fertile
plains Of kikuyu. The air grows
| thin and cool. But towards morn
ing the strained putting of the engine
suddenly ceases. The summit is
reached. The carriages roll forward
quite easily and soon it is the brakes
that begin to Creak. In winding
curves, through tunnels and over via
ducts, the snakelike train rushes in
mad haste towards the plains round
Lake Victoria Nearer and nearer
| moves the big inland sea.
After 24-hOur journey we ar
! rived at Entebbe. the capital OF
Uganda
on January 81 the expedition
passed NJ Barara and just d week
later it was assembled in Kabale
WE left the hospitable kabale on
w Sunday. January 80, and began
the last toilsome walk towards the
heart of Africa. Every trace of civil
lization was left behind us In front
of US there was only the barren
wilderness
From the valley below KabaIe.
whose low middle ridge constitutes
the watershed Of the rivers of the
district. the narrow path winds up
wards. Green slopes with bushes
and high grass rise on either side.
Their soft contours give the impress
sion of hills, but in reality they are
high mountains.
After a few hours climbing we
reached the first ridge and looked. as
tonlshed. down the other side. 1t is
view that remains in the memory
Framed between green slopes the
narrow Lake Bunyonyi lies deep be-
meath our feet. Like a silver orna-
ment with encruSted emeralds the
surface glistens with it's round is
lands, which are visible from here in
relief against the water
few long. dark objects cut mar
row lines across the silver. They are
the canoes that are to bring US
across: And on the other side. far
away beyond the circumjacent noun
tains. an Impressive misty blue cone
grows up toward the clouds; the top
of Muhavura. For the first time the
goal of our wanderings is in sight
and We look at the colossus with sat
isfaction and wonder; pleased that we
have already arrived so far. wonder
ing what experiences the mountains
over there have in store for us
Now We are descending again and
in a while We stand by the shore of
the lake. which is sparsely covered
with papyrus. Here a great surprise
awaits us. A real, live compatriot,
Commander Elias Arrhenius. in the
service of the Belgian government
and for a long time in the Congo
army, meets US with a true Swedish
handshake. We knew indeed that he
had orders to accompany the expedi-
tion through Belgian territory, but
as he had gone another way we had
no idea when we should meet.
X
REHUNGI lies on the edge of the
II mountain chain which forms the
Eastern wall of the great Central Az
rican Rift Valley. which embraces,
with others, Lakes Tanganyika, kivu
mously broad and deep ditch. The
| mountains begin in Rhodesia and
stretch in an almost unbroken chain
all the way to the country round
Bahr-el-Jebel Almost halfway the
valley is closed up by the maSSif of
the Birunga volcanoes.
Deep down beneath my feet lies the
fertile Bufumbira plain. 1t looks as
if gigantic. green, tumultuous.
come petrified and formed waves and
circular crater cones. The people
down below look like ants: only the
help of the field glasses can I distin-
guish them. But then the lava plain
lies almost 900 meters below the spot
where | stand. Like three gigantic
pyramids Muhavura. Mgahinga and
Sabinio all rise up in a row on the
other side. The volcanoes assume
enormous proportions.
Further away one can catch a
glimpse of Mikeno and a blue, misty
shape in a white skull-cap which is
karissimbi, the highest Of the giants.
To the right the mirror of Lake Mu-
tanda dazzles the eye and to the left
the restless surface of Chahafi and
Mulero glistens in the light of the
setting sun.
Engrossed in the grandeur Of the
sight, l remain standing and do not
feel how the wind bites the skin and
how the evening damp penetrates the
clothes. l forget that / am myself
standing at a height of $500 meters
and that the cold ought long ago to
have been shut out by coat with a
camel haired lining. 1t Is only when
the darkness obliterates all outlines
that l can tear myself away and go
into the tent and melt my joints in a
hot bath.
The following day l made my first
acquaintance with the pygmies.