The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume IX, No. 4 [‎191r] (52/172)

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TWO YEARS’ TRAVEL IN UGANDA, UNYORO, AND ON THE
UPPER NILE."
By C. F. S. VANDELEUR. D.S.O.. Lieut. Scots Guards.
Starting from Mombasa on September 7, 1894, with Mr. Jackson
and Captain Ashburnham, and a large caravan of about four hundred
men, carrying arms and ammunition, we reached Port Alice on Lake
A ictoria at the end of November, after a most successful march under
the leadership of Mr. Jackson, during which only two men died. After
a short stay in Uganda, I started with Major Cunningham for Unyoro
and the Nile. We followed the road leading by Singo and across the
river Kafu at Baranwa, and eventually arrived at the headquarters.
Fort Hoima, on January 1, 1895, where Major Cunningham took
over the command from Captain Thruston, who was returning home.
We were delighted to get our ponies safely across the very bad swamps,
and they were the first animals to reach this country from the East
Coast. Halting here for five days, we marched to Kibero on the 7th.
The country becomes more open on nearing the Albert Nyanza, and
rocky in places, until all of a sudden the edge of an enormous escarp
ment is reached, 1200 feet below which lies the great lake, as a rule
covered by a white haze which obscures the horizon and the mountains
on the western shore. Our home for the next three weeks was to be a
steel boat about 20 feet long, into which we packed ourselves with a
crew of sixteen men, consisting of eight Sudanese, most of whom had
been on Emin Pasha’s old steamers, and eight Zanzibaris, including our
own servants. They were certainly the worst rowers I have ever seen.
The two races were also always accusing each other of doing no work.
Besides them, we had a friendly Wanyoro chief called Keyser, who spoke
the Lure language.
We entered the Nile on the second day, and, on nearing Wadelai,
found the river narrowed considerably, with a very strong current,
which we found it difficult to make way against on our return journey.
We camped one mile further on, at Emin Pasha’s old fort of Wadelai,
which was then completely overgrown. We set fire to all the grass
round, as much to diminish the myriads of mosquitoes as to give us a
clear field of fire in case of surprise, the natives appearing very hostile.
The mosquitoes throughout the journey, at night and in the early
morning, made life miserable, and it was a penance to take observations
for latitude and longitude at night. After Wadelai, we glided rapidly
past narrow channels formed through the floating vegetation and
papyrus, stopping sometimes near the villages on the banks to ask for
news, which was very unreliable, some of the natives even stating that
the Dervishes were close in front. Our guide, crouching down in the
* Paper read at the Royal Geographical Society, November 23, 189G. Map, p. 472.
No. IV.— April, 1897.] 2 c