that possessed by Mombasa. The channel between
the island and the mainland is here capable of
giving commodious and safe anchorage to the
very largest vessels, and as the jetty is directly
connected with the Uganda Railway, Kilindini
has now really become the principal port, being
always used by the liners and heavier vessels.

I had spent nearly a week in Mombasa, and was
becoming very anxious to get my marching orders,
when one morning I was delighted to receive an
official letter instructing me to proceed to Tsavo,
about one hundred and thirty-two miles from the
coast, and to take charge of the construction of the
section of the line at that place, which had just then
been reached by railhead. I accordingly started
at daylight next morning in a special train with
Mr. Anderson, the Superintendent of Works, and
Dr. McCulloch, the principal Medical Officer;
and as the country was in every way new to me,
I found the journey a most interesting one.

The island of Mombasa is separated from the
mainland by the Strait of Macupa, and the railway
crosses this by a bridge about three-quarters of a
mile long, called the Salisbury Bridge, in honour of
the great Minister for Foreign Affairs under whose
direction the Uganda Railway scheme was undertaken.
For twenty miles after reaching the mainland,
our train wound steadily upwards through