It Is Fordable In The Dry Season, But Has To Be
Bridged By Throwing A Tree Across It In The Wet One.
Rising in
the Usagara hills to the west of the hog-backed Mkambaku, this
branch intersects the province of Ukhutu in the centre, and
circles round until it unites with the Kingani about four miles
north of the ford.
Where the Kingani itself rises, I never could
find out; though I have heard that its sources lies in a gurgling
spring on the eastern face of the Mkambaku, by which account the
Mgeta is made the longer branch of the two.
Chapter III
Usagara
Nature of the Country - Resumption of the March - A Hunt - Bombay
and Baraka - The Slave-Hunters - The Ivory-Merchants - Collection of
Natural-History Specimens - A Frightened Village - Tracking a Mule.
Under U-Sagara, or, as it might be interpreted, U-sa-Gara -
country of Gara - is included all the country lying between the
bifurcation of the Kingani and Mgeta rivers east, and Ugogo, the
first country on the interior plateau west, - a distance of a
hundred miles. On the north it is bounded by the Mukondokua, or
upper course of the Wami river and on the south by the Ruaha, or
northern great branch of the Lufiji river. It forms a link of
the great East Coast Range; but though it is generally
comprehended under the single name Usagara, many sub-tribes
occupy and apply their own names to portions of it; as, for
instance, the people on whose ground we now stood at the foot of
the hills, are Wa-Khutu, and their possessions consequently are
U-Khutu, which is by far the best producing land hitherto alluded
to since leaving the sea-coast line. Our ascent by the river,
though quite imperceptible to the eye, has been 500 feet. From
this level the range before us rises in some places to 5000 to
6000 feet, not as one grand mountain, but in two detached lines,
lying at an angle of 45 degrees from N.E. to S.W., and separated
one from the other by elevated valleys, tables, and crab-claw
spurs of hill which incline towards the flanking rivers. The
whole having been thrown up by volcanic action, is based on a
strong foundation of granite and other igneous rocks, which are
exposed in many places in the shape of massive blocks; otherwise
the hill-range is covered in the upper part with sandstone, and
in the bottoms with alluvial clay. This is the superficial
configuration of the land as it strikes the eye; but, knowing the
elevation of the interior plateau to be only 2500 feet above the
sea immediately on the western flank of these hills, whilst the
breath of the chain is 100 miles, the mean slope of incline of
the basal surface must be on a gradual rise of twenty feet per
mile. The hill tops and sides, where not cultivated, are well
covered with bush and small trees, amongst which the bamboo is
conspicuous; whilst the bottoms, having a soil deeper and richer,
produce fine large fig-trees of exceeding beauty, the huge
calabash, and a variety of other trees.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 32 of 403
Words from 16283 to 16816
of 210958
