connection with astronomical observation, and twice
by dead reckoning. I t is twenty-six miles broad at
the place of crossing, which is its narrowest central
part. But, alas! that I should have omitted to bring
a sounding-line with me, and not have ascertained
that highly interesting feature—its depth. There is
very little doubt in my mind that its bed is very
deep, owing to the trough-like formation of it, and also
because I have seen my crew haul up fishing-baskets,
sunk in the sea near to the shore, from very considerable
depths, by long ropes with trimmers attached.
For the benefit of science, and as a hint to future travellers,
I may mention that, had I brought a lead, I
might, as if by accident, have dropped it in the sea
when they were resting—have tapped the bottom,
and ascertained its depth—whilst the superstitious
crew would have only wondered in vain as to what I
was about.
28th.—We started up coast early, and at 10 a .m .
put in amongst some reeds opposite the Luguvu river,
as the wind, rain, and waves had very nearly swamped
the boat, and drenched us all from head to foot. I
pitched the tent in the canoe, to protect me from the
storm, but it only served to keep the wind from blowing
on my wet clothes and chilling me, for wave after
wave washed over the gunwale, and kept me and all
my kit constantly drenched through. Three lingering
miserable hours were passed in this fashion; for
there was no place to land in, and we could not venture
forward. The sea abated in the afternoon, and
we gained Mgiti Khambi. -After a day’s halt, the
weather being stormy, and everything being wet and
comfortless, we hailed with delight the succeeding
sunny day, and, making good our time, reached the
old tree on the right bank of the mouth of the Buchb
by 9 p .m .
31 si.—We arrived at Ujiji by breakfast-time, when
I disclosed to Captain Burton, then happily a little
restored, the mortifying intelligence of my failing to
procure the dhow. This appeared doubly distressing
to him, for he had been led to expect it by
Khamis, whom I passed at Kabizia, and who had
delivered Hamed’s letter, stating that the dhow was
at his service. Hamed’s manoeuvring with the dhow
bears much the appearance of one anxious to obtain
the credit of generosity without incurring the attendant
inconvenience of its reality. Otherwise I cannot
divine what good his procrastinations and the means
he took for keeping me near him so long could have
been to him ; for he made no overtures to me whatever.
Bombay now thought, when it was too late,
that if I had offered to give him 500 dollars’ worth of
cloth, landed at his house, he could not have resisted
the offer. I give this notice for the advantage of any
future explorers on the lake. I could not form a true
estimate of the lake’s average breadth, in consequence
of the numberless bays and promontories that diversify
the regularity of its coast-line; but I should say
that from thirty to forty miles is probably near the
truth.