lk from morning to night,
with the result that they grew so fat it took eight men to lift one
of them, when walking became impossible. Superstition was rife, and
the explorers were not sorry to leave Unyoro _en route_ for Cairo.
Speke and Grant now believed that, except for a few cataracts, the
waterway to England was unbroken. The Karuma Falls broke the monotony
of the way, and here the party halted a while before plunging into
the Kidi wilderness across which they intended to march to save a great
bend of the river. Their path lay through swampy jungles and high grass,
while great grassy plains, where buffaloes were seen and the roar of
lions was heard, stretched away on every side.

[Illustration: CAPTAINS SPEKE AND GRANT.]

Suddenly they reached a huge rock covered with huts, in front of which
groups of black men were perched like monkeys, evidently awaiting the
arrival of the white men. They were painted in the most brilliant
colours, though without clothes, for the civilisation of Uganda had
been left far behind. Pushing on, they reached the Madi country, where
again civilisation awaited them in the shape of Turks. It was on 3rd
December that they saw to their great surprise three large red flags
carried in front of a military procession which marched out of camp
with drums and fifes playing.

"A very black man named Mohammed, in full Egyptian regimentals, with
a curved sword, ordered his regiment to halt, and threw himself into
my arms endeavouring to kiss me," says Speke. "Having reached his huts,
he gave us two beds to sit upon, and ordered his wives to advance on
their knees and give us coffee."

"I have directions to take you to Gondokoro as soon as you come," said
Mohammed.

Yet they were detained till 11th January, when in sheer desperation
they started off, and in two days reached the Nile. Having no boats,
they continued their march overland till 15th February, when the masts
of Nile boats came in sight, and soon after the two explorers walked
into Gondokoro. Then a strange thing happened. "We saw hurrying on
towards us the form of an Englishman, and the next moment my old friend
Baker, famed for his sports in Ceylon, seized me by the hand. What
joy this was I can hardly tell. We could not talk fast enough, so
overwhelmed were we both to meet again. Of course we were his guests,
and soon learned everything that could be told. I now first heard of
the death of H.R.H. the Prince Consort. Baker said he