certainly the most useful animal of the donkey class I have ever seen. When running away, the Arabs shot many of their best asses and some of the cattle, to prevent their falling into our hands alive. During the time spent at Kasongo I made a point of getting to know the surrounding country, and was constantly astonished by the splendid work which had been done in the neighbourhood by the Arabs.

Kasongo was built in the corner of a virgin forest, and for miles round all the brushwood and the great majority of trees had been cleared away. Certain trees, such as the gigantic wild cotton-tree, had been left at regular intervals, whether as landmarks or for the shade they afforded I do not know. In the forest clearing splendid crops of sugar-cane, rice, maize, and fruits grew; and some idea of the extent of this cultivation