CHAPTER XXXI.

RUWENZORI AND LAKE ALBERT EDWARD.

Importance of maps in books of travels--The time spent over my maps--The dry bed of a lake discovered near Karimi; its computed size--Lessons acquired in this wonderful region--What we learn by observation from the Semliki valley to the basin of the twin lakes--Extensive plain between Rusessé and Katwé--The Zeribas of euphorbia of Wasongora--The raid of the Waganda made eighteen years ago--The grass and water on the wide expanses of flats--The last view and southern face of Ruwenzori--The town of Katwé--The Albert Edward Nyanza--Analysis of the brine obtained from the Salt Lake at Katwé--Surroundings of the Salt Lake--The blood tints of its waters--The larger Salt Lake of Katwé, sometimes called Lake of Mkiyo--The great repute of the Katwé salt--The Lakists of the Albert Edward--Bevwa, on our behalf, makes friends with the natives--Kakuri appears with some Wasongora chiefs--Exploration of the large Katwé lake--Kaiyura’s settlement--Katwé Bay--A black leopard--The native huts at Mukungu--We round an arm of the lake called Beatrice Gulf, and halt at Muhokya--Ambuscade by some of the Wara-Sura, near the Rukoki: we put them to flight--And capture a Mhuma woman--Captain Nelson and men follow up the rear guard of Rukara--Halt at Buruli: our Wakonju and Wasongora friends leave us--Sickness amongst us through bad water--The Nsongi River crossed--Capture of a Wara-Sura--Illness and death among the Egyptians and blacks--Our last engagement with the Wara-Sura at Kavandaré pass--Bulemo-Ruigi places his country at our disposal--The Pasha’s muster roll--Myself and others are smitten down with fever at Katari Settlement--The south side of Lake Albert Edward and rivers feeding the Lake--Our first and last view, also colour of the Lake--What we might have seen if the day had been clearer 334