WE JOIN COUNT TELEKI’S LINE OF MARCH. 253 
promontory at the southeastern extremity of the lake. 
Here were many evidences of volcanic action, but none of 
them of recent origin. 
The ground was strewn with pieces of obsidian or vol- 
canic glass, lava, ashes, and conglomerate rock, besides 
masses of fossil oyster shells. Dodson and I rowed out to 
three small islands that lay quite near shore. The first 
was a mere barren rock a hundred yards long, and on it 
we found nothing of interest ; but on the other two, which 
were much larger, and covered witi bushes, we found 
myriads of aquatic birds building their nests and rearing 
their young. Every available bit of ground and every 
bush was occupied by nests. There were egrets, cormo- 
rants, herons, storks, ibises, geese, plover, and ducks by the 
thousands. 
We took back many different kinds of eggs, and found 
that none except the cormorants’ eggs were edible; but 
luckily we had enough of these for several omelets. Two 
more marches now brought us to Count Teleki’s camp 
(June 12). There was great rejoicing among us, as we 
had now accomplished one of the things we had long been 
striving for, — to join Count Teleki’s line of march, and so 
complete the circuit from Berbera to Zanzibar. 
The march to Rudolf would have been nothing now had 
I followed the way described by Lieutenant von Hdéhnel, 
but my object was not simply to get to a certain point. 
The Watu had told me of the existence of many tribes to 
the north of Stephanie, and led me to suppose it would be 
a most important country to explore, so I determined not 
to lose the opportunity. There was a great change in the 
lower end of Lake Stephanie from the time it was visited 
by Count Teleki, seven years before. The lake extended 
half a mile further inland, and where there had been a 
barren desert, there was now dense grass and weeds, seven 
