Eden and a Zoo

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1045, 20 July 1904, Page 2

Eden and a Zoo

Among the manifold charms of Uganda is a wonderful Mological garden, fifty miles long, teeming with wild animals. "On my way through it," said Mr, Cunning* ham, the Secretary of tbo East Africa Protectorate, who arrived mi London ro* ccntly, " we passod through a herd of 50,000 zebras. Wo saw twenty ostriches, some rhinoceroses, and giraffes in the dis tanco, and tho plains fairly swarmed with gazelles,, Tho zebras ivero massed on the railway lino, and merely divided to let tho train pass, n fow soampcring away a hund'cd yards or so. No" whero else in tho world can such a sight be witnessed, But more wonderful than tbo animal is tho human population of the place. " Here in London you have the twentieth century," said Mr Cunningham, 11 but in Kavirondo it is only tho day after the Creation, with the difference that the Adams and Eves of Kavirondo have not yet discovered that they aro naked, and iusload of reposing in beatific leisure among : applo trees, Adam and Eva may bo seen hoeing garden's along tho railway, or carrying baskets of grain to the markets at Port Florence, the majority ol them without an atom ot clothing. The railway stations, alas, are gradually getting Adam into trousers. The cruise around Lake Victoria occupies about a week, The Rtoamer touches at all the German and British statious, Tho scenery at Entebbe and Mnnyonyo (tho port of Kampala) ii very fioo, and as thocourso lies among tho most beautiful parts of the Sose Archipolago, and tbo Buvuma group, thore is an unending feast for the oye of pretty creeks, bold headlands, aud banks of graceful palms fringing broad slopes of turf. As to the ltipon Falls, they defy description. I think it may safely bo laid that tho lour to Uganda outrivals in interest anything to be found olsewhero in tbo world. As to the health point of view, thero is no fear on that score. In the old days tbo first explorers caught fever, but now, owing to the researches of Sir Patrick Mansou and others, Uganda is a yory habitable country, I have lived in Uganda for fivo yoars, and havo never once had fever, and neither my wife uormy'childhas ever been ill, On tbo contrary, if a person is sulking from throat or lung trouble, a month in Uganda will probably make him all right again, I found it so in ray case, I am speaking from my own personal experience, Tho tourist may thereforo look on Uganda as perfectly healthy," The charms of tho country have led to an extraordinary development of tourist traffic on tho Uganda railway. When Mr Cunningham was at Mombasa it was found necessary to duplicate all the .trains from tbo coast to Lake Victoria. " Ten thousand,' 1 said ho " is, I think a small eatitnato of tho number of tourists to be looked for during the coming season," Ton years ago it would havo cost £2OOO at least to visit Uganda. Nrw it can bo douo in a fortnight for 125. The journoy from the coast to Lake Victoria (800 milos) takes only two days now.