tling noise
made whilst I followed them kept them on the alert. At night a hyena
came into my hut, and carried off one of my goats that was tied to a log
between two of my sleeping men.

During the next march, after passing some of the most beautifully-wooded
dells, in which lay small rush-lakes on the right of the road, draining,
as I fancied, into the Victoria Lake, I met with a party of the king's
gamekeepers, staking their nets all along the side of a hill, hoping
to catch antelopes by driving the covers with dogs and men. Farther
on, also, I came on a party driving one hundred cows, as a present from
Mtesa to Rumanika, which the officers in charge said was their king's
return for the favour Rumanika had done him in sending me on to him. It
was in this way that great kings sent "letters" to one another.

Next day, after going a short distance, we came on the Mwarango river,
a broad rush-drain of three hundred yards' span, two-thirds of which
was bridged over. Until now I did not feel sure where the various
rush-drains I had been crossing since leaving the Katonga valley all
went to, but here my mind was made up, for I found a large volume of
water going to the northwards. I took off my clothes at the end of the
bridge and jumped into the stream, which I found was twelve yards or so
broad, and deeper than my height. I was delighted beyond measure at this
very surprising fact, that I was indeed on the northern slopes of the
continent, and had, to all appearance, found one of the branches of the
Nile's exit from the N'yanza. I drew Bombay's attention to the current;
and, collecting all the men of the country, inquired of them where the
river sprang from. Some of them said, in the hills to the southward; but
most of them said, from the lake. I argued the point with them; for I
felt quite sure so large a body of flowing water could not be collected
together in any place but the lake. They then all agreed to this view,
and further assured me it went to Kamrasi's palace in Unyoro, where it
joined the N'yanza, meaning the Nile.

Pushing on again we arrived at N'yama Goma, where I found Irungu--the
great ambassador I had first met in Usui, with all his "children"--my
enemy Makinga, and Suwarora's deputation with wire,--altogether, a
collection of one hundred souls. They had been here a month waiting for
leave to approach the king's palace. Not a villager was to be seen for
miles round; not a plantain remained on the trees,