thousands of passenger-fish, leaping at the falls with all
their might, the Wasoga and Waganda fishermen coming
out in boats and taking post on all the rocks with
rod and hook, hippopotami and crocodiles lying sleepily
on the water, the ferry at work above the falls, and
cattle driven down to drink at the margin of the lake,
—made, in all, with the pretty nature of the country—
small hills, grassy-topped, with trees in the folds, and
gardens on the lower slopes—as interesting a picture as
one could wish to see.
The expedition had now performed its functions. 1
saw that old father Nile without any doubt rises in the
Victoria N’yanza, and, as I had foretold, that lake is the
great source of the holy river which cradled the first
expounder of our religious belief. I mourned, however,
when I thought how much I had lost by the delays in
the journey having deprived me of the pleasure of going
to look at the north-east comer of the N’yanza to see
what connection there was, by the strait so often spoken
of, with it and the other lake where the Waganda went to
get their salt, and from which another river flowed to the
north, making “ Usoga an island.” But I felt I ought to
be content with what I had been spared to accomplish ;
for I had seen full half of the lake, and had information
given me of the other half, by means of which I knew all
about the lake, as far, at least, as the chief objects of
geographical importance were concerned.
Let us now sum up the whole and see what it is worth.
Comparative information assured me that there was as
much water on the eastern side of the lake as there is on
the western—if anything, rather more. The most remote
waters, or top head of the Nile, is the southern end of the
lake, situated close on the third degree of south latitude,
which gives to the Nile the surprising length, in direct
measurement, rolling over thirtyrfour degrees of latitude,
of above 2300 miles, or more than one-eleventh of the cir