To Lake Albert Edward i75 



having followed the blood trail, I espied the spotted skin of 

 the dangerous cat gleaming through the foliage of a bush, and 

 as I took aim it sprang out at me like a flash of lightning. A 

 very lucky snap-shot, which pierced its neck, settled the matter, 

 and it rolled dead almost at my feet. 



We now shifted our camp further north. In order to reach 

 the spot, Veriter and Weidemann had occupied themselves with 

 the Askari for a few days previously in throwing a bridge very 

 dexterously over a small but very deep tributary of the 

 Rutschuru. This had proved itself to be necessary for the con- 

 veyance of the loads. Shortly before. Raven had been com- 

 pelled to reach the further bank by swimming. 



The landscape to the north of this small river had some- 

 thing of a park-like character about it. We pitched our tents 

 very widely apart under some fine old acacias, and connected 

 them by narrow paths which we cut through the knee-high grass. 

 Light groups of acacias dotted about almost conjured up visions 

 of some fine old English park. 



The land became more densely overgrown towards the eastern 

 side. Near the Sultan Kikamero's village the vegetation at times 

 assumed the character of a forest preserve. In these places we 

 often caught sight of hamlets encircled by barricades of thorn. 

 In earlier days the western margin of the steppe is stated to 

 have been much more thickly populated ; and it is said that the 

 lion pest drove the people away. As a matter of fact, we passed 

 by many places where potsherds and fragments of all sorts lay 

 scattered around, and where the ground plan of a former village 

 was still recognisable in spite of the choking brushwood. 



Towards the north the ground, which is much riven with 

 clefts, falls away gradually to Lake Albert Edward, and there 

 again assumes the aspect of the steppe. Numerous shell remains 

 indicated that we were on the ancient sea-floor, and that the 

 waters of the lake must at one period have completely covered 

 the district. From here we could already recognise the sparkling 

 surface of Lake Albert Edward, and, aided by a telescope, we 

 could descry the vast hosts of pelicans which inhabit the white 



