274 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap. 



jittle villages and homesteads. Here Basha Kassa met 

 so many friends, and they had so much to tell each other 

 — for this was his first visit since his captivity — that I 

 began to doubt my reaching camp that night. From 

 what they said it appeared we had come too far south, 

 and now had to turn north-east. At last, on an open 

 stretch of grass, beyond the village of Wundee, we found 

 our camp pitched close to the edge of Lake Tana. A 

 fringe of bush clothed the bank of the lake, and as the 

 ground was quite level the water was hidden from view. 

 I made my way to the edge of the lake, but it was a dull, 

 misty day, and, except a great expanse of water, there 

 was nothing to be seen — neither the further shore nor 

 the islands being visible — so I returned rather dis- 

 appointed with my first glimpse of Tana. Belat Wurgie 

 was fulfilling his own prophecy by having a sharp attack 

 of fever, so I gave him a strong dose of phenacetin and 

 saw him warmly rolled up. A large present of provisions 

 arrived later, and over some egg-cups of rum I had a 

 chat with the headmen. They informed me that the 

 lake was full of fish and hippo, but that there were no 

 crocodiles, that mosquitoes only troubled them during 

 the rains, and that at no time of the year did they suffer 

 from fever. All the ground along the western shore of the 

 lake used to be as highly cultivated as it was round our 

 camp, but the outlaws had gradually driven the villagers 

 away, till the latter had all congregated in this south- 

 west corner. 



Next morning I started off to examine the place 

 where the Abbai runs into the lake. I was told that 

 the water was at its lowest, and consequently all along 



