ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ALBERT 201 



that only a small portion of the salt is really extracted, and the 

 waste is considerable ; but there is such a superabundance of 

 fresh material to work upon, that it would not pay to waste 

 more time on each potful of soil subjected to this treatment. 

 In hot sunny weather the whole female community is as busy 

 as bees ; but rainy weather puts at once a temporary stop to 

 the work, because the natives do not even take the trouble to 

 put up a slight shed to protect from the rain the particular 

 spot which they happen to be working at. Should the hollow, 

 where they work, get swamped by the rain, they abandon it 

 for the time and proceed to tackle a fresh patch. When the 

 salt is ready, it is made up into small loads weighing from 5 

 lbs. to 30 lbs., and is then carried by the men to the different 

 markets. The men have apparently no other work to do, and 

 in the meanwhile smoke and loaf about all day in an open 

 shed, evidently their African club-room. 



Melindwa, the chief, brought me a present of salt which I 

 distributed among my Soudanese escort and Swahili porters. 



Close to where the salt-industry is carried on. there are a 

 dozen or more hot sulphur-springs which bubble out of the 

 ground at the foot of the range of hills east of Kibero. Where 

 it emerges from the soil, the water is boiling hot, but even a short 

 run of a hundred yards in the open air cools the water sufficiently 

 to enable one to enjoy a warm bath. Just for the novelty of the 

 thing I indulged on the spot in such a bath, a cosy corner 

 rendering the place absolutely private ; but I found it more 

 convenient afterwards to have the hot water brought to my 

 tent. The water forms narrow channels, and has only to flow 

 a few hundred yards to reach Lake Albert. There is a yellowish 

 slimy incrustation on the pebbles over which the hot water flows. 



I discovered some similar hot springs, six of them, all lying 

 close together, on the west shore of Lake Albert, about two and 

 a half hours from Mahaji ; they have only three to five feet to 

 run to reach the lake. They issue from the grassy foot of the 

 hills which border the lake. I do not know if Emin Pasha was 

 aware of their existence. It is rather curious that there should 

 be hot springs on both sides of the lake. The water of the lake 

 has a slightly mawkish taste. 



During my stay at Kibero I succeeded, but not till I had put 

 some pressure on chief Melindwa, in getting sanitary require- 

 ments added to every dwelling, and suitably screened off. The 



