Ill 



THE VICTORIA XYANZA, THE GREATEST LAKE IN AFRICA 



Ax extraordinary fascination surrounds the history 

 of the Victoria Nyanza. It is remarkable that a lake 

 with a shore-line of 3,200 miles and an area of 25,000 

 square miles lying in the midst of a thickly populated 

 region of East Africa should have remained undis- 

 covered to the modern civilised world until Speke 

 discovered it in 1858. Now the lake is daily traversed 

 by steamers with regular ports of call, engaged in 

 conveying passengers, tourists, and cargo as safely as 

 on Lake Michigan. 



Port Florence (Kisumu) is on the shore of Kavirondo 

 Gulf, a nearly land-locked inlet about thirty miles long, 

 and varying in width from two to three miles. This 

 gulf is on the north-eastern shore of the lake, and the 

 channel by which it communicates with the main water 

 is almost blocked with islands. Anyone visiting the 

 lake will appreciate the difficulties experienced by 

 the early explorers in deciding between islands and 

 prominent headlands, unless the parts were carefully 

 explored : this in many instances was difficult on 

 account of the hostility of the inhabitants. 



The Nile leaves the lake at Napoleon Gulf on the 

 northern shore. As the steamer enters this gulf and 

 approaches the landing stage at Jinja there is nothing 

 to lead one to suspect that the falls are so near. A 

 prominent bluff pushes into the lake between the landing 

 stage and the falls ; in order to see the latter it is 

 necessary to leave the steamer and walk over a low 



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