From the Cape to Cairo; the first traverse of Africa from south to north . cials of their hunting trophies and maintains, at thepreposterous figure of 14 rupees 8 annas a month, a large number ofWaganda boatmen on the Nile, where they die like flies of dysenterybrought on by unsuitable food. The country is quite unsuited to theseWaganda, who are all banana-eaters, millet being the staple food; andthis, coupled with the great difference in altitude, is killing them by 243 244 FROM THE CAPE TO CAIRO dozens, while the banks of the Nile itself are lined Avith capable canoe-men, who could be engage
From the Cape to Cairo; the first traverse of Africa from south to north . cials of their hunting trophies and maintains, at thepreposterous figure of 14 rupees 8 annas a month, a large number ofWaganda boatmen on the Nile, where they die like flies of dysenterybrought on by unsuitable food. The country is quite unsuited to theseWaganda, who are all banana-eaters, millet being the staple food; andthis, coupled with the great difference in altitude, is killing them by 243 244 FROM THE CAPE TO CAIRO dozens, while the banks of the Nile itself are lined Avith capable canoe-men, who could be engaged at a month; 14 r. 8 a. a month to raw buckniggers, many of whom are mere boys, is sufficient in itself to damn anycountrys future which will be dependent on its agriculture. Where A. be with wages for raw niggers at £1 a month ? It is an uphillfight now at 3s. rate; 8 r. a load from Kampala to Fajao, a fourteen daysmarch, what produce will bear transport rates like this ? Similarly thepay of the Soudanese is absurd, they actually do not know what to do. NILOTIC GKAIN-STOEES. with their money, and the only result of the late rise in their pay is thatthey no longer cultivate on their own account, but buy everything atexorbitant rates from the natives. They would have been equally con-tented and equally well off with half the sum, the effect of the other halfbeing increased drunkenness and a general rise in the price of nativeproduce. The Government should have its own plantations or make allot-ments to the station natives, instead of the present system of money rations,as it will be very difficult to induce the natives to work while they cansell enough produce at exorbitant rates to obtain their few luxuries, and WADELAI TO KERO 245 in the near future to pay their hut-tax. Another gross piece of folly wasthe introduction of the rupee instead of the English currency. Let ushope that Sir Harry Johnston has not arrived too late. It was very pleasant to find some on
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