of tlie rush-drains going to northward; and in the dells
were such magnificent trees, they quite took me by surprise.
Clean-trunked, they towered up just as so many
great pillars, and then spread out their high branches like
a canopy over us. I thought of the blue gums of Australia,
and believed these would beat them. At the village of
Mbtile we were gracefully received by the local officer,
who brought a small present, and assured me that the
king was in a nervous state of excitement, always askino-
after me. Whilst speaking he trembled, and he was so
restless he could never sit still.
Up and down we went on again through this wonderful
To Naktisi, 9th. country5 surprisingly rich in grass, cultivation,
and trees. Watercourses were as frequent
as ever, though not quite so troublesome to the
traveller, as they were more frequently bridged with poles
or palm-tree trunks.
This, the next place we arrived at, was Nyamgundu’s
To Kibibi, km . 0W11 residence, where I stopped a day to try
and shoot buffaloes. Maula here had the
coolness to tell me he must inspect all the things I had
brought for presentation to the king, as he said it was the
custom; after which he would hurry on and inform his
majesty. Of course I refused, saying it was uncourteous
to both the king and myself. Still he persisted, until
finding it hopeless, he spitefully told N’yamgundu to keep
me here at least two days. Nyamgundii, however, very
prudently told him he should obey his orders, which were to
take me on as fast as he could. I then gave N’yamgundu
wires and beads for himself and all his family round,
which made Maula slink farther away from me than ever.
The buffaloes were very numerous in the tall grasses
Halt, im. ^ nec^ sides and bottoms of the hills;
but although I saw some, I could not get a
shot, for the grasses being double the height of myself,
afforded them means of dashing out of view as soon as
seen, and the rustling noise made whilst I followed them
kept them on the alert. At night a hyena came into my
hut, and carried off one of my goats that was tied to a
log between two of my sleeping men.
During the next march, after passing some of the most
, , beautifully-wooded dells, in which lay small To JNakatema, •/ . m. rush-lakes on the right of the road, draining,
as I fancied, into the Victoria Lake, I met with a party of
the king’s gamekeepers, staking their nets all along the
side of a hill, hoping to catch antelopes by driving the
covers with dogs and men. Farther on, also, I came on
a party driving one hundred cows, as a present from Mtesa
to Rtimanika, which the officers in charge said was their
king’s return for the favour Rumanika had done him in
sending me on to him. It was in this way that great kings
sent “ letters” to one another.
Next day, after going a short distance, we came on the
To Nyama Goma, Mwarango river, a broad rush-drain of three
mh. hundred yards’ span, two-thirds of which was
bridged over. Until now I did not feel sure where the
various rush-drains 1 had been crossing since leaving the
Katonga valley all went to, but here my mind was made
up, for I found a large volume of water going to the
northwards. I took off my clothes at the end of the
bridge and jumped into the stream, which I found was
twelve yards or so broad, and deeper than my height. I
was delighted beyond measure at this very surprising fact,
that I was indeed on the northern slopes of the continent,
and had, to all appearance, found one of the branches of the
Nile’s exit from the N’yanza. I drew Bombay’s attention
to the current; and, collecting all the men of the country,
inquired of them where the river sprang from. Some of
them said, in the hills to the southward; but most of
them said, from the lake. I argued the point with them;
for I felt quite sure so large a body of flowing water could
not be collected together in any place but the lake. They