Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 4.djvu/404

 822 SOUTH AND EAST APEICA, the zone of lowlands often inundated during the rainy season, and then cKmbs the hills to its culminating point at the village of Kola, about 30 miles west of Dar- es-Salaam. At Kola, where it descends westwards in the direction of the Kingani Valley, two routes will branch off, one running to Lake Tanganyika, the other to Nj'assa. The former, keeping more to the west, will traverse the mountains and valleys of Usagara and Ugogo, and so on probably through Taboro to ITjiji, while the latter, bending to the south-west, will cross the rolling plains of Uzaramo, the Rufiji gorges, and the Luwego Valley. Although still far from perfect, the Dar- es-Salaam road is already utilised for a considerable local traffic, and the riverain planters so highly appreciate its advantages that they have constructed several branches to connect the more remote villages with the main highway. Bagamoyo. North-west of Dar-es-Salaam follows Bagamoyo, which, however, unlike it, possesses no natural haven. It stands on an open beach which slopes gently down to the water's edge and then shoals so gradually that the shipping has to ride at anchor about two miles off the coast. But this point of the bay, whose name of Baga-Moyo, or " Bottom of the Heart," indicates its central position on the con- cave curve of the shore, enjoys the advantage of standing exactly opposite the city of Zanzibar, about 26 miles distant. It thus occupies the most convenient point on the coast for the traffic between the capital and the mainland. Bagamoyo also lies only a few miles to the south of the Rufu or Kingani estuary, and thus com- mands the entrance to a thickly peopled fluvial valley, which descends from the Usagara uplands, strategical centre of the whole country. Thanks to these favourable conditions, Bagamoyo has already become a large African town, with a population of as many as ten thousand during the season for engaging porters to join the caravans which are here equipped for the interior. Like Zanzibar and other Arab towns, it has its bazaar, and several of its buildings have been constructed in the European style. But the surrounding district is low and insalubrious, the streets and open spaces are encumbered with refuse of all sorts ; on the beach are left rotting in the sun the remains of the fish which forms the staple food of the "Warimas (Wa-Rima), or coast people; lastly the place is occasionally visited by fierce cyclones, which uproot the trees and sweep away the native dwellings. The Arabs are relatively less numerous in Bagamoyo than in the neighbouring island of Zanzibar ; but on the other hand the Hindus of various castes have here formed a powerful colony, which has monopolised nearly all the local trade, and disposes of the Wanyamezi porters to the caravans on its own terms. The place has a garrison of Baluchi troops, who mount guard before the governor's palace, lying in the midst of shady gardens some two miles farther south. To the north of Bagamoyo rise the numerous structures connected with the Catholic mission, head centre of all the other missionary stations throughout East Africa. Here nearly six hundred children, purchased for the most part from the slave-dealers,