crew had taken French leave, and gone foraging on
the mainland, where, all grain being so much cheaper
than at Ujiji, they wanted to procure a supply. I therefore
employed the day in strolling all over the island,
and took hearings of some of the principal features of
the lak e : of Thembu6, a distant promontory on the
western shore, south of this, which is occupied by a
powerful sultan, and contains a large population of
very boisterous savages ; of Ukungue, on the east
shore; and of the islands of Kivira and Kabizia. I
could also see two other small islands lying amidst
these larger ones, too small for habitation. Though my
canoe arrived on the 20th, bad weather prevented our
leaving till the 22d, morning, completing twelve days
at Kaseng^. I now took leave of my generous host |
and, bidding adieu to Kasengd, soon arrived and spent
the day at Kabizia, mourning in my mind that I had
induced Captain Burton to discharge Ramji’s slaves,
for Bombay said they were all sailors, and would have
handled the dhow in first-rate style.
2 3 c£.—We crossed over to Kivira, and pitched the
tent in our former harbour. Next day we halted from
stress of weather ; and the following day also remaining
boisterous, we could not put to sea; but, to obtain
a better view of the lake, and watch the weather for
choosing a favourable time to cross, we changed
Khambi for a place farther up the island.
2 4 ih.—We moved out two miles in the morning,
but returned again from fear of the weather, as the
sailors could discern a small but very alarming-looking
cloud many miles distant, hanging on the top of
one of the hills, and there was a gentle breeze. In
the evening, as the portentous elements still frowned
upon us, the wise crew surmised that the uganga
(church) was angry at my endeavouring to carry
across the waters the goat which the sultan had given
me, and which, they said, ought never to have left the
spot it was presented in alive ; and declared their intention
of applying to the mganga (priest) to ascertain
his opinion before venturing out again. As the
goat had just given a kid, and produced a good supply
of milk, I was anxious to bring her to Ujiji for my
sick companion, and told the sailors so ; yet still they
persisted, and said they would run away rather than
venture on the water with the goat again. Fearing
detention, and guessing their motive was only to
obtain a share in the eating her, I killed both kid and
mother at once, and divided them amongst my partv,
taking care that none of the crew received any of the
flesh. At night we sallied forth again, but soon returned
from the same cause that hindered us in the
morning. And I did not spare the men’s feelings who
had caused the death of my. goat in the morning, now
that their superstitious fears concerning it, if they ever
possessed any, were proven to be without foundation.
27th.—We took our final departure from Kivira in
the morning, and crossed the broad lake again in fourteen
hours, two of them, as before, being spent in
pipes and rest. I have now measured the lake’s centre
pretty satisfactorily by triangulation, by compass in