route also being so diversified with bills, afforded fresh
objects of attraction at every tu rn ; and to-day, by
good fortune, the usually troublesome people have
attended more to their harvest-making, and left me to
the enjoyment of the scenery. My trusty Blissett
made a florikan pay the penalty of death for his temerity
in attempting a flight across the track. The
day’s journey lasted thirteen miles, and brought us
into a village called Isamiro.
CHAPTEB IV.
FIRST SIGHT OF THE VICTORIA N’yANZA— ITS PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
SPECULATIONS ON ITS BEING THE SOURCE OF THE
NILE — SPORT ON THE LAKE — SULTANS MACHUNBA AND
MAHAYA— MISSIONARY ACCOUNTS OF THE GEOGRAPHY__
ARAB ACCOUNTS — REGRETS AT INABILITY TO COMPLETE
THE DISCOVERY— THE MARCH RESUMED — HISTORY OF THE
WATUTA — HIPPOPOTAMUS - HUNTING — ADVENTURES — BAHAMA.
August 3d.— T h e caravan, after quitting Isamiro, began
winding up a long but gradually inclined hill—which,
as it bears no native name, I shall call Somerset^
until it reached its summit, when the vast expanse of
the pale-blue waters of the N’yanza burst suddenly
upon my gaze. It was early morning. The distant
sea-line of the north horizon was defined in the calm
atmosphere between the north and west points of the
compass; but even this did not afford me any idea of
the breadth of the lake, as an archipelago of islands
(vide Map, Bengal Archipelago), each consisting of a
single hill, rising to a height of 200 or 300 feet above
the water, intersected the line of vision to the le f t;
while on the right the western horn of the Ukdrdwd