mixed with larger trees, and here and there an occasional
baobab rising above all. The land was flat and low, and we
were constantly either passing water-pools or wading through
them, the soil being an excellent rich grey loam. Elephant
tracks abounded, and, judging from the freshly-dropped dung,
quite recent, so that I fully expected to come upon one of.
them at any moment.
Towards noon we got upon a higher level, and in another
BURAMANZA HILL.
hour we reached the foot of a hill called Buramanza, for which
the guides had been on the look-out for some time ; it is
a noted and conspicuous landmark for elephant-hunters,
remarkable for its. solitary position amidst the surrounding
flat plain. I found it very steep to climb, with frequent coral
out-crops, much weather-worn. Its summit, which I estimated
to be from 250 to 300 feet high, was a fairly large plateau with
a dense undergrowth of bush, among which, larger trees, such
as baobabs and mimosas, were growing in a rich chocolate
loam. I was much struck with the appearance of some
curious flat stones pierced with circular holes, so regular in
appearance as to suggest the hand of man, but the head guide
who was with me said— “ It is God’s work, no one has ever
been up here before ! ”
From the hill-top a very extensive view was obtained of
the surrounding country, which, as far as the eye could see,
presented one uniform appearance of thick bush, with here and
there larger trees standing out prominently. Large green
swamps or flooded tracts were also a noticeable feature of the
landscape; one very large one about two miles to the southwest
my guide said was called Bomzo.
The bush appeared denser further inland, but even with my
field-glasses I could see nothing on the horizon but this
uniform green area of low forest, and with the exception of a
small ridge some distance away, the general flatness of the
landscape was unrelieved by any noticeable elevation of the
ground, the only variety being the large green swamps and
distant gleams of flooded water. It was three o’clock in the
afternoon before I rejoined my porters; I found them halted
about a quarter of a mile dff, and the place being a suitable
one, I decided to camp there, for we all had had a rough
time of it since we started at seven o’clock in the morning.
I heard distant gun-shots several times during the d a y :
the guides said that they had been fired by elephant-hunters.
On overhauling my loads I found I had still five days’ food
for my people, so I resolved to persevere in my search for the
forest for three days longer, and then return by forced marches
to the coast by the path which we had cut through the bush.
It rained again heavily during the night, but my people
were well sheltered under huts built of grass and branches,
which they erect quickly at each camping-place. My head
people had small tents of their own made of American drill.
The temperature of this day was—6 a.m., 720; 4 p.m., 8o°
(no rain during the day) ; 6 p.m., 76° (rain at night).
The following morning, June 5, my third day in the bush,
we started off at 7 a.m., making our way across the intervening
valley towards the ridge we had sighted from Buramanza
Hill the day before. Our progress was again exceedingly