The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume IX, No. 4 [‎201r] (72/172)

TWO YEARS’ TRAVEL IN UGANDA, UNYORO, AND ON THE UPPER NILE. 389
is a great pity that a determined effort has not been made to capture
young zebra, and to tame and train them for transport purposes. Even
in Uganda itself there are zebra, near Lake Isolt, in the province of
Singo, also in Buddu and Chagwe. The rinderpest, which killed so
many cattle and buffalo, seems to have died out. Small herds of buffalo
have been seen lately by government officials in various parts of the
Protectorate.
A silver currency has already been introduced, several loads of
rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. having been sent up from the coast, and the days of beads and
cowries are numbered. An interesting event, on the way down to the
coast, was the meeting of a Masai war-party while crossing the Mau
mountains. We were expecting the coast mail daily, and made sure
that the men coming over the brow of the hill were bringing the
precious mail, until the spears glinted in the sunlight, and finally 487
warriors, in full war-paint, as I counted them, filed past our small
caravan. They were the same Masai who had massacred the large
number of Wa Kikuyu and Swahilis in December, not, however, without
strong provocation, as found out afterwards by Mr. Jackson. They
were divided up into detachments, some with monkey-skin head-dresses,
others with capes of ostrich feathers, etc., and all in single file, travel
ling very rapidly. Some cattle and goats were being driven after
them, to provide them with food on the journey to Ingoboto, east of
Mount Elgon, to raid the Kimariongo tribe. We congratulated our
selves on their being friendly, and, after a talk with the leaders, who
were very anxious for us to go with them, passed on our way. At
Naivasha we met Captain Sclater and Captain Smith of the Eoyal
Engineers, with a party making the waggon-road from Kikuya to the
lake. Their carts had reached this point from the coast. The road
down the Kedong escarpment was nearly completed, having been cut
with great labour out of the rock. There were a great many Masai
kraals between the Gilgil river and Naivashe, and I met the great chief
Terary with his old father, who weighed 20 stone.
On arriving at the coast, we found a great change had taken place
in Mombasa, owing to the railway, work on which had just been begun.
A hotel had been started, and shops of all sorts; also a Cook’s Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. ,
which I trust will soon be advertising tours to Lake Victoria and
Uganda.
In conclusion, I wish to pay a tribute to my commanding officer,
Major Cunningham, who conducted all the expeditions I have mentioned
with such skill and success, and who gave me every facility for mapping
and taking observations. He is, I suppose, a unique instance of a white
man in Africa who does not grumble and become ill tempered when
he has fever, and I feel lucky to have had the good fortune to serve
under him.