thought the N’yanza was the source of the Juh river,* as
he did in our former journey, but gave way when I told
him that vessels frequented the Nile, as this also coincided
with his knowledge of navigators in vessels appearing on
some waters to the northward of Unyoro. In a great
hurry he then bade me good-bye; when, as he thought it
would be final, I gave him, in consideration for his former
good services to the last, expedition, one of the gold
watches given me by the Indian Government. I saw him
no more, though he and all the other Arabs sent me
presents of cows, goats, and rice, with a notice that they
should have gone on their war-path before, only, hearing
of my arrival, out of due respect to my greatness, they
waited to welcome me in. Further, after doing for Manüa
Séra, they were determined to go on to Ugogo to assist
Salem bin Saif and the other merchants on, during which,
at the same time, they would fight all the Wagogo who
persisted in taking taxes and'in harassing their caravans.
At the advice of Musa, I sent Maüla’s son off at night to
tell the old chief how sorry I was to find the Arabs so
hot-headed I could not even effect an arrangement with
them. It was a great pity ; for Manüa Séra was so much
liked by thé Wanyamüézi, they would, had they been
able, have done anything to restore him
Next day the non-belligerent Arabs left in charge of
25th and 26th. station, headed by my old friends Abdülla
and Mohinna, came to pay their respects
again, recognising in me, as they said, a “ personification
of their sultan,” and therefore considering what they were
doing only due to my rank. They regretted with myself
that Snay was so hot-headed; for they themselves thought
a treaty of peace would have been the best thing for them,
for they were more than half-ruined already, and saw no
hope for the future. Then, turning to geography, I told
* The Jub is the largest river known to the Zanzibar Arabs. It debouches
on the east coast north of Zanzibar, close under the equator.
Abdhlla all I had written and lectured in England concerning
his stories about navigators on the N yanza, which
I explained must be the Nile, and wished to know if I
should alter it in any way: but he said, Do n o t, you
may depend it will all turn out right; to which Miisa
added, all the people in the north told him that when the
N’yanza rose, the stream rushed with such violence it tore
up islands and floated them away.
I was puzzled at this announcement, not then knowing
that both the lake and the Nile, as well as all ponds,
were called N’yanza : but we shall see afterwards that he
was right; and it was in consequence of this confusion
in the treatment of distinctly different geographical features
under one common name by these people, that in
my former journey I could not determine where the lake
ended and the Nile began. Abdhlla again^-die had done
so on the former journey—spoke to me of a wonderful
mountain to the northward of Karague, so high and
steep no one could ascend it. It was, he said, seldom
visible, being up in the clouds, where white matter, snow
or hail, often fell. Musa said this hill was in Ruanda, a
much larger country than Urundi; and further, both
men said, as they had said before, that the lands of
Usoga and Unyoro were islands, being surrounded by
water; and a salt lake, which was called N yanza, though
not the great Victoria N’yanza, lay on the other side of
Unyoro, from which direction Rumanika, king of Ka-
ragiid, sometimes got beads forwarded to him by Kam-
rasi, king of Unyoro, of a different sort from any brought
from Zanzibar. Moreover, these beads were said to have
been plundered from white men by the Wakidi,—a stark-
naked people who live up in trees—have small stools fixed
on behind, always ready for sitting—wear their hair hanging
down as far as the rump, all covered with cowne-shells
—suspend beads from wire attached to their ears and their
lower lips—and wear strong iron collars and bracelets.