The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume IX, No. 4 [‎195v] (61/172)

378 TWO YEARS’ TRAVEL IN UGANDA, UNYORO, AND ON THE UPPER NILE.
of fire at the period of their transformation into winged insects.
During a long night march we undertook to surprise Rabadongo,
the king’s katikiro, at Misriandura, and a force of Wanyoro and some
Arabs, we were astonished about 1 a.m. at seeing fires in all
directions, and at once concluded that our column bad been detected,
and that these were watch-fires to announce our approach. The
country was hilly and thickly populated, and these fires made a very
weird effect. It turned out afterwards that they were only the fires
made to capture the white ants.
The climate of the uplands of Unyoro is a fairly good one, and is, I
think, drier than that of Uganda. The maximum temperature registered
at Fort Hoima, during the time I was there, was 89°, and the minimum
49°; as a rule, the thermometer did not go below 60° at night. The
rains are very variable. In September, October, and November there
is usually most rain; and July was the coolest month. There will
be a great demand in this country for cloth, European clothing of all
sorts, boots, shoes, etc.
In September I received orders to proceed to Uganda with a
company of Sudanese from the Unyoro garrison, to take part in the
expedition against the Nandi tribe east of Lake Victoria, who had been
cutting up caravans on the main road to Uganda, and had also
treacherously murdered a trader named West. I returned by a different
and most excellent road by Mruli, and along the Victoria Nile to Lake
Kioja.
arriving in Uganda,
commissioner, and was now at Port Alice. Kampala, under the charge
of Mr. George Wilson, was in a very flourishing condition; the size
of the town had increased, and was increasing daily, all the people
seeming very happy and contented. An interesting event happened
while I was there, which was the arrival of Bishop Tucker’s large
caravan, with which were five missionary ladies, the first who have ever
reached Uganda, and I am glad to say that they all arrived in good
health after their arduous march. There was great excitement among
the people, who went in crowds to meet them. Bishop Hanlon and the
English Roman Catholic mission had also arrived lately, after an
adventurous march, and have established themselves on one of the high
hills of which Mengo is composed.
We started from Kampala with the troops for the Nandi expedition
on October 14, and marched round the lake, through Usoga and
Kavirondo, crossing the Victoria Nile at Jinga. After a few days’ delay
a 1 Umia 8 t0 make the necessary preparations, we marched along the
™ual caravan road as far as Kateas before entering the country. There
.s a small depot here, garrisoned by Sudanese, which has to supply the
Guaso Masa fort wrth food. The great obstacle to transport has been
the total absence of food between Kikuya and Kabras, a distance of