We Marched Up The Wet Margin Of Swamp All Day, Crossing
The Water At A Fork Near The End.
The same jungle prevails on
all sides, excluding all view; and the only signs of man's
existence in these wilds lay in the meagre path, which is often
lost, and an occasional hut or two, the temporary residence of
the sporting Kidi people.
After toiling five miles through the same terrible grasses, and
crossing swamp after swamp, we were at last rewarded by a
striking view. The jungles had thinned; we found ourselves
unexpectedly standing on the edge of a plateau, on the west of
which, for distance interminable, lay apparently a low flat
country of grass, yellowed by the sun, with a few trees or shrubs
only thinly scattered over the surface; while, from fifteen to
twenty miles in the rear, bearing south by west, stood
conspicuously the hill of Kisuga, said to be situated in Chopi,
not far from the refractory brothers. But this view was only for
the moment; again we dived into the grasses and forced our way
along. Presently elephants were seen, also buffalo; and the
guide, to make the journey propitious, plucked a twig, denuded it
of its leaves and branches, waved it like a wand up the line of
march, muttered some unintelligible words to himself, broke it in
twain, and threw the separated bits on either side of the path.
Immediately after starting, the guide ran up on an ant-hill and
pointed out to us all the glories of the country round.
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