EXPLORATION OF THE RIVER YEI 365 



On December 3 we reached a point near the small village 

 of Koli. In the evening, as was my wont, I went for a 

 ramble down the river in the hopes of finding that the rocks 

 had come to an end. The sun was low, and I pressed on to 

 gain a little hill that lay ahead of me. Meanwhile I noticed 

 that the rocks were growing less and less, and it seemed to 

 me that the river was flowing more peacefully than it had 

 ever done before. Soon afterwards I had climbed the 

 hillock and was searching with my glasses a wide expanse 

 of grass-country, with here and there woods and groves of 

 gum-trees, and then my heart gave a leap, for, lying at my 

 feet, was my vision of a broad river flowing through a fertile 

 plain. 



I returned to camp and told the great news to the " boys," 

 and that night I lay down happy, saying to myself, " The 

 Nile is near." 



The next morning, as we pushed the boat into the stream 

 and glided smoothly down, instead of striking upon hidden 

 rocks, the poles went deep into gravelly sand, and then our 

 hopes ran high for we knew that we had said good-bye to the 

 rocks. The " boys " took heart and we rushed along at a 

 prodigious rate. More than once in our course we surprised 

 hippos which plunged on in panic in front of us, leaving deep 

 paths in the water, and often in the race they were left behind. 

 The day was glorious, and the sunlight played upon the grass, 

 now dry and golden, for the rains had ceased. We passed 

 several villages where the people were waiting on the sand- 

 banks with offerings of fowls and eggs, all eager to see an 

 Englishman for the first time in their lives. 



That evening found us at Avurra, or Bufi. as it was 



