102 THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 



common in the jungle, and the hippopotami, though frequenters 

 of the plaintain gardens and constantly heard, were seldom seen 

 on land in consequence of their unsteady habits. 



DISCOVERING THE NILE'S SOURCE. 



AFTER remaining a day in this beautiful retreat, the expedition 

 started again and filed along the left bank of the Nile until the 

 Isambo Rapids were reached. Here the surroundings were weird 

 and suggestive of dark and bloody deeds ; a jutting cliff, over- 

 shadowed by deep foliage which bars the sun's rays, and below, 

 a dangerous pit of boiling water lashed by hungry crocodiles 

 seeking prey. Pushing further on, across hills and over planta- 

 tions devastated by elephants, the party arrived at the extreme 

 end of the journey, the farthest point ever visited by the expe- 

 dition on the same parallel of latitude as king Mtesa's palace, and 

 just forty miles east of it, on Victoria Lake. 



Speke writes : " We were well rewarded ; for the 'stones,' as 

 the Waganda call the falls, were "by far the most interesting sight 

 I had seen in Africa. Everybody ran to see them at once, 

 though the march had been long and fatiguing, and even my 

 sketch-block was called into play. Though beautiful, the scene 

 was not exactly what I expected ; for the broad surface of the 

 lake was shut out from view by a spur of hill, and the falls, 

 about twelve feet deep, and 400 to 500 feet broad, were broken 

 by rocks. Still it was a sight that attracted one to it for hours 

 the roarof the waters, the thousands of passenger-fish, leaping 

 at the falls with all their might, the Wasoga and Waganda 

 fishermen coming out in boats and taking post on all the rocks 

 with rod and hook, hippopotami and crocodiles lying sleepily on 

 the water, the ferry at work above the falls, and cattle driven 

 down to drink at the margin of the lake, made, in all, with 

 the pretty nature of the country small hills, grassy-topped, with 

 trees in the folds, and gardens on the lower slopes as interest- 

 ing a picture as one could wish to see." 



Speke felt certain that he had really discovered the source of 

 the Nile, and in his exultation procured some boats, intending to 

 have a sail on the lake. He had not gone far on its tranquil 



