204 CHIEFS & CITIES OF CENTRAL AFRICA 



its dense growth. Suddenly the thicket ended, and 

 we saw a smooth sheet of water lapping lazily on 

 sandy banks, where water - birds settled ere they 

 sought shelter for the night in a fringe of reeds. A 

 bar of glittering beams flashed on its surface where 

 the setting sun touched it with his golden rod, and 

 across the little bay the hills of Hamis stood black 

 in the shadow. It was the Lake — Lake Chad ! 



The Spirit of the Lake is Loneliness, and she is clad 

 in grey. Her spell is over all : in the shallows, and 

 the depths ; in the sunshine, and in the darkness ; in 

 the tracts of water that stretch to the horizon, and 

 on the sandy islands. There is nothing that does 

 not yield allegiance to her sway. 



This mysterious inland sea, fed by the waters of 

 East and West, and surrounded by unknown peoples, 

 has drawn the adventurous of all nations. For cen- 

 turies the lake has been the lode - star of African 

 explorers. They have come, they have seen, they 

 have spoken ; but in no wise has the shroud of en- 

 chantment been lifted from the Lake, for what she 

 reveals one day she obscures the next ; and the riddle 

 of her shallow waters, of her landless islands, of her 

 rushy fastnesses, and even of her timid, wayward 

 inhabitants, will perhaps never be known. 



We marched on by her waters, and presently pitched 

 camp in open ground of sand, dotted with asclepias. 

 A few palms were scattered here and there, but there 

 was no tree to give us shelter, and we did not care 

 to go close to the village. We were hardly seated in 

 our chairs before a penetrating tang warned us that 

 Chad mosquitos were about to come and feast upon 

 us. A smoky fire was hurriedly lit, and as we never 



