96 In the Heart of Africa 



Since then a decade has passed away, and these animals appear, 

 in the meantime, to have increased considerably. The numbers 

 we saw hanging in the branches of the trees might be reckoned 

 in thousands. Like the sea-birds on a northern island, or like 

 the plums on the trees in a good fruit year, we found the flying- 

 foxes here, and, like a host of gnats, they rose up in the air, 

 alarmed by our shots, flew screeching loudly round our heads, 

 and in a little time settled down once more in their former resting 

 places. Their movements in flying are measured, similar to those 

 of the seamew. In the evening, on returning to our tents from 

 our tour round the island, we observed the flying-foxes at a great 

 elevation flying towards the distant Kwidschwi. It was probably 

 hunger that drove them thither. Mugarura would hardly be 

 likely to produce a sufficient fruit supply (chiefly wild figs) to 

 maintain so vast a number. 



The island is not inhabited — that is to say, not continuously. 

 We found a few Watussi there, of a low order, with their cattle 

 — about twenty oxen. They slept in small scanty huts, which 

 one could see were but for temporary use. Probably the cattle 

 are taken there to graze at the beginning of the rainy season. 



An open stretch of water about two miles wide divides 

 Mugarura from the smaller island of Wau, which lies to the 

 westward and is also uninhabited. It takes two hours to cross, 

 and even this short interval of time is sufficient sometimes, on 

 fickle Lake Kiwu, to place boats in really dangerous situations. 

 More than one visitor to Lake Kiwu has experienced this. Kandt, 

 who saw more of the lake than anyone else, relates that whilst 

 returning from Wau he met with stormy weather, and that it was 

 only with the greatest difficulty that he succeeded in bringing his 

 boat, half -full of water, into a harbour of safety on the shores 

 of Mugarura. For these reasons we hurried when we left the 

 island. This proved fortunate for us, for, in about an hour from 

 our leaving, the sky, which had been quite bright at first, clouded 

 over, and storm-heavy clouds, broken by brimstone-yellow 

 patches, hung over the mountains of Ruanda. Short, sharp and 

 violent squalls swept over the surface of the lake, and wave 



