58 THE PROVINCE OF TORO 



Ruwenzori, and ten miles would more than cover the 

 extent of sflaciers. 



Another mistake that has frequently been made 

 is to describe Ruwenzori as the ' great African water- 

 shed ' and the 'Congo- Nile water-parting.' As a 

 matter of fact, all the water that runs from Ruwenzori 

 finds its way eventually into the Nile system. The 

 streams that flow from the western slopes ' of the 

 range join the Semliki River, which runs into Lake 

 Albert, whence flows the Nile. The waters from 

 the south flow into Lake Albert Edward, and those 

 that come down the eastern valleys flow into Lake 

 Ruisamba, whose waters flow into Lake Albert 

 Edward and thence into the Semliki River. From 

 the escarpment described earlier in this chapter, the 

 streams in front of you, as you look over the edge, 

 run straight away to Lake Albert, while the streams 

 behind you make an almost complete tour of 

 Ruwenzori, and travel nearly 200 miles to reach 

 the same destination. The length of the range from 

 the most northern spurs to the last foot-hills on the 

 south, which correspond almost exactly with the 

 Equator, is about seventy miles, and the breadth from 

 east to west is, roughly speaking, about twenty 

 miles. The first European to see Ruwenzori was 

 probably Sir Samuel Baker, who saw what he called 

 the 'Blue Mountains to the south' during his explora- 

 tion of Lake Albert in 1864; but it was not until 

 1887, when Stanley came from the Congo on the 

 Emin Relief Expedition, that the mountains were 



