. Travels in the coastlands of British East Africa and the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba; their agricultural resources and general characteristics . try showed alternations of partly dried swamps, withrising ground presenting a park-like appearance, and coveredwith short grass and clumps of bush. The soil was every-where black and good, and in the swamps was invariablyblack sticky clay. In passing through some thickish bush, I noticed for thefirst time hippopotamus tracks. Just beyond, we entered aWanika village, protected by a strong palisade of posts ; thevillage (Swahili, Mdi) was called Ma
. Travels in the coastlands of British East Africa and the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba; their agricultural resources and general characteristics . try showed alternations of partly dried swamps, withrising ground presenting a park-like appearance, and coveredwith short grass and clumps of bush. The soil was every-where black and good, and in the swamps was invariablyblack sticky clay. In passing through some thickish bush, I noticed for thefirst time hippopotamus tracks. Just beyond, we entered aWanika village, protected by a strong palisade of posts ; thevillage (Swahili, Mdi) was called Makungo Waziin, andthe head-man, Mahawa, told me that I was the second whiteman who had passed that way. I bought three wild duckfrom him for eight annas, and was told they abounded in theneighbouring river, and that the people snared them. Theyalso offered me a heron for sale, which I declined. On theother side of this village flows the river Jorori, a small streamwhich winds through flat, swampy grass-land. It dries upduring the hot weather, but just now, owing to the rains, waspretty full. I had to cross it twice ; the first time the passage. II TRAVELS IN EAST AFRICA 47 was comparatively easy, and I was carried over on the shouldersof my boy and the interpreter ; the second time the streamwas wider, and waist-deep ; my people stumbled in crossing,and of course I got ducked. Between the two crossings thepath led through high grass, and the soil presented the usualblack clayey appearance; on both sides of the path werenumerous traces of hippopotami, which frequented the placeat night. For half-an-hours tramp the country was again park-like inappearance, with short grass, and clumps of bush as before,the soil throughout black clay. We emerged once more on the banks of the Jorori river,where it was from 30 to 40 feet wide, although, as I havesaid, it quite dries up in the hot season. Leaving the river weclimbed up a steep bank by an extremely bad path past an oldWanika clearing,
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidtravelsincoastla00fitz
