CHAPTER H.
The Lady Alice afloat again— Her mate and crew— Anxiety
on her behalf— On hallowed ground—Unwelcome visitors:
in the haunts of the Ruga-Ruga—The aborigines’ last retreat—
A scene of blood— The robbers of the Lake, and
their tutelary spirits— A geological problem: were there
once two lakes ?— Rising waters— The abode of the genii
—A storm— Forest fires— At the mouth of Cameron’s
“ outlet” — The Lukuga creek.
(June n — Ju ly 31, 1876.)
T h e saucy English-built boat which had made<
the acquaintance of all the bays and inlets of
the Victoria Nyanza, which had been borne on
the shoulders of sturdy men across the plains
and through the ravines of Unyoro, had halted
on the verge of the cliff rising above Beatrice
Gulf, had thrust her bows among the papyrus
of the Alexandra Nile, ridden gaily over the
dark lakes of Karagwe, and crossed the inundated
plains of Usagusi, and the crocodile-haunted
river of Uvinza, is at last afloat upon the
deep-blue waters of the Tanganika.
She is about to explore the mountain barriers
which enfold the lake, for the discovery of
some gap which lets out, or is supposed to let
out, the surplus water of rivers which, from a
dim and remote period, have been pouring into
it from all sides.
She has a consort now, a lumbering, heavy,
but staunch mate, a canoe cut out from an
enormous teak-tree which once grew in some
wooded gorge in the Goma mountains. The
canoe is called the Meofu, and is the property
of Muini Kheri, governor of Ujiji, who has
kindly lent it to me. As he is my friend, he
says he will not charge me anything for the
loan. But the governor and I know each other
pretty well, and I know that when I return from
the voyage, I shall have to make him a present.
In Oriental and African lands, remuneration,
hire, compensation, guerdon, and present are
terms nearly related to one another.
The boat and her consort are ready on the
n th June 1876. The boat’s crew have been
most carefully selected. They are all young,
agile, faithful creatures. Their names and ages
are as follows: Uledi, the coxswain, 25 years;
Saywa, his cousin, 17; Shumari, his brother, 18;
Murabo, 20; Mpwapwa, 22; Marzouk, 23; Akida,
20; Mambu, 20; Wadi Baraka, 24; Zaidi Rufiji,
27; Matiko, 19. Two supernumeraries are the
boy gun-bearers, Billali and Mabruki, 17 and 15
years respectively. After eighteen months’ experience
with them it has been deaided by all
that these are the elect of the Expedition for