THE REDISCOVERED COUNTRY 253 



The view up the bay from our camp is wonderful, 

 with the long reach of the bay, and the different layers 

 of hills and mountains reaching back and back to milky 

 distance. 



Four hours; io| miles; morning, 70; noon, 86; night, 

 68. 



October 8. — ^A day of uncertain rushing about try- 

 ing to get information of when we are likely to get away. 

 A very small dhow blew in and went up the bay. We 

 sent messengers after her and caught her when she 

 landed at Itabanga. For fifty rupees her captain 

 agreed to make one trip to Shirati, but could not make 

 two. As the dhow looked inadequate for all our lot we 

 made the men fall in and picked out those who were to 

 stay until we could send for them. Hamisi, failing to 

 show up, was found dead drunk on tembo* Later when 

 asked why he did not fall in with the rest, he replied 

 that he had '^sleeping sickness,'' an answer that saved 

 him kiboko. Fined him one half month's wages. 



About three in the afternoon I saw the black smoke 

 of a steamer over the point, drifting down the wind. 

 Joyfully we hastened to a height — to find that the 

 ^' smoke" was a swarm of midges, a phenomenon for 

 which Victoria Nyanza is famous. There must have 

 been millions of them, for they were in appearance ex- 

 actly like the voluminous smoke of a steamer that has 

 just been fresh stoked. Once in the air they cannot 



* Native beer. 



