Unya-N’singe is in south latitude 2° 49'. Nearly
opposite it is Urangi, another series of small
villages; while on the north bank of the Lira
river, at the confluence, is the village of Uranja,
and opposite to it is Kisui Kachamba. The
town of M'eginna is said to be about twenty
miles south-east (magnetic) from Unya-N’singe.
All this portion is reported to have been the
scene of Muini Muhala’s exploits.
On the 9th and the 10th we halted, waiting
for the land division under Frank. On the morning
of the nth, as our friends had not arrived,
I set out in my boat up river, and four miles
above Unya-N’singe entered^ a creek, about forty
yards wide, where I discovered them endeavouring
to cross the stream. The boat was heartily
welcomed, and in a few hours all were-safely
across.
They had, it appeared", again gone astray,
and had entered Ukusu, where they were again
obliged' to fight. Four had received grievous
wounds, and one had been killed. Three War
nyamwezi, moreover, had died of small-pox,
en route from Ikondu.
This creek, like all the rest in: the neighbourhood,
was half-choked with the Pistia stm-
tzoteSy which the aborigines had enclosed with
logs of wood, as a considerable quantity of salt
is obtained from these asparagus-like plants.
When the log-enclosed spaces are full, the plants
are taken out, exposed to the sun until they are
withered, dried, and then burnt. The ashes are
collected in pots with punctured bottoms, and
the pots filled with water, which is left to drip
through into shallow basins. After the evaporation
by fire of this liquid, a dark grey sediment
of a nitrous flavour is left, which, recleansed,
produces salt.
At the head of this creek the land division
rep o rted a hot-water spring, but I did not see
it. On the bluffs, overhanging the creek, the
Rubiacese, bombax, red-wood, iron-wood, and
stin k -w o o d, with various palms, flourished.
The bed of the river consists of shale. Twenty
yards from the bank the river was about 12 feet
deep; at 100 yards I obtained 23 feet soundings.
The bluffs exhibit at the water-line horizontal
strata of greenish shale; above, near the summit,
the rock is grey with age and weather.
Here we dismissed our dwarf to his home,
with a handful of shells and four necklaces of
beads for his very intelligent geographical knowledge
and his civilized pronunciation. He could
not comprehend why we did not eat him, - and
though we shook hands with him and smiled,
and patted him on the shoulder, I doubt whether
he felt himself perfectly safe until he had plunged
out of sight into his native woods once more.
Tippu-Tib determined to journey on land, and
Frank and Sheikh Abdallah were invited to the
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT. VOL. III. Q