Cairo to Kisumu : $b Egypt—The Sudan—Kenya ColonyCarpenter, Frank G. (Frank George)
History
Cairo to Kisumu : $b Egypt—The Sudan—Kenya Colony
Carpenter, Frank G. (Frank George)
Egypt -- Description and travel; Kenya -- Description and travel; Sudan -- Description and travel
Let me give you some notes which I made with these wild animals on all
sides of me. I copy: “These Kapiti plains are flat and I am riding
through vast herds of antelopes and zebras. Some of them are within
pistol shot of the cars. There are fifty-odd zebras feeding on the grass
not one hundred feet away. Their black and white stripes shine in the
sunlight. Their bodies are round, plump, and beautiful. They raise their
heads as the train goes by and then continue their grazing. Farther on
we see antelopes, some as big as two-year-old calves and others the size
of goats. The little ones have horns almost as long as their bodies.
There is one variety which has a white patch on its rump. This antelope
looks as though it had a baby’s bib tied to its stubby tail or had been
splashed with a whitewash brush. Many of the antelopes are yellow or fawn
coloured, and some of the smaller ones are beautifully striped.
“Among the most curious animals to be seen are the gnus, which are
sometimes called wilde-beeste. As I write this there are some galloping
along with the train. They are great beasts as big as a moose, with the
horns of a cow and the mane and tail of a horse. Hunting them is good
sport.
“But look, there are some ostriches! The flock contains a dozen or more
birds, which stand like interrogation points away off there on the plain.
They turn toward the cars as we approach, then spread their wings and
skim away at great speed. Giraffes are frequently seen. They are more
timid than the antelope, and by no means so brave as the zebras.”
[Illustration: All the steel in the bridges on the Uganda Railway was
made in the United States and put in place under American direction,
because the British bidders wanted three times as long and double the
price for the job.]
[Illustration: Built primarily to break up the slave-trade in East
Africa, the Uganda Railroad has also proved that the natives, under
proper direction, can become useful workers. Thousands of them have been
employed in the construction and maintenance of the line.]
[Illustration: The natives rob the railroad of quantities of wire, which
to them is like jewellery. Both men and women load themselves down with
pounds of it coiled around their arms, legs, and necks, and even through
their ears.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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