pass by Ujiji, but I knew that, if I arrived at
Nyangwe, I should be able to send a force of
twenty men to Muini Kheri for my letters. Though
Sayid bin Salim had over twelve months’ time
to comply with my moderate request, not a
scrap or word of news or greeting refreshed us
after the long blank interval! Both of us, having
eagerly looked forward with certainty to
receiving a bagful of letters, were therefore much
disappointed.
As I was about to circumnavigate the Tan-
ganika with my boat, and would probably be
absent two or three months, I thought there
might still be a chance of obtaining them, before
setting out westward, by despatching messengers
to Unyanyembe. Announcing my intentions
to the governor, I obtained a promise
that he would collect other men, as he and
several Arabs at Ujiji were also anxious to communicate
with their friends. Manwa Sera therefore
selected five of the most trustworthy men,
the Arabs also selected five of their confidential
slaves, and the ten men started for Unyanyembe
on the 3rd June.*
Before departing on the voyage of circumna*
My five trustworthy men arrived at Unyanyembe within
fifteen days, but from some cause they never returned to the
Expedition. We halted at Ujiji for seventy days after their
departure, and when we turned our faces towards Nyangwe,
we had given up all hopes of hearing from civilization.
vigation of Lake Tanganika, many affairs had
to be provided for, such as the well-being of
the Expedition during my absence, distribution
of sufficient rations, provisioning for the cruise,
the engagement of guides, &c.
The two guides I obtained for the lake were
Para, who had accompanied Cameron in March
and April 1874, and Ruango, who accompanied
Livingstone and myself in December 1871 to the
north end of Lake Tanganika.
The most interesting point connected with this
lake was its outlet. Before starting from Zanzibar,
I had heard that Cameron had discovered
the outlet to Lake Tanganika in the Lukuga
river, which ran through Uguha to the west,
and was therefore an affluent of Livingstone’s
great river.
In Commander Cameron’s book, vol. i. p. 305,
the following sentences, bearing upon what he
personally saw of the Lukuga, are found :—
“ In company with the chief, I went four or five miles
down the riyer., until navigation was rendered impossible,
owing to the masses of floating vegetation. Here the depth
was 3 fathoms, breadth 600 yards, current i 1/* knots, and
sufficiently strong to drive us well into the edge of the vegetation.
I noticed that the embouchures of some small streams
flowing into the river were unmistakably turned from the
lake, and that the weed set in the same direction. Wild date-
palips grew thickly down the river.” -
In opposition to this statement of Cameron’s
was the evidence taken by me at Ujiji.