DISCOVERY OF THE VICTORIA N'YANZA. 11 



drums beating the measure they were wont to 

 move by. 



The caravan on the 12th got under way by 6 A.M., 

 and we marched thirteen miles to a village in the 

 southern extremity of the Unyambewa district. For- 

 tunately tempers, like butterflies, soon change state. 

 The great distractor Time, together with the advan- 

 tage of distance, has produced such a salutary effect 

 on the Belooches' minds, that this morning's start 

 was accomplished to the merry peals of some native 

 homely ditty, and all moved briskly forward. This 

 was the more cheering to me because it was the first 

 occasion of their having shown such signs of good 

 feeling by singing in chorus on the line of march. 

 The first five miles lay over flattish ground winding 

 amongst low straggling hills of the same formation as 

 the whole surface of the Unyamuezi province, which 

 is diversified with small hills composed of granite out- 

 crops. As we proceeded, the country opened into an 

 extensive plain, covered, as we found it at first, with 

 rich cultivation, and then succeeded by a slender tree 

 forest, amongst which we espied some antelopes, all 

 very wary and difficult of approach. At the ninth 

 mile was a pond of sweet water, the greatest luxury 

 in the desert. Here I ordered a halt for half an hour, 

 and made a hearty breakfast on cold meat, potted 

 Tanganyika shrimps, ronelle jelly, with other deli- 

 cacies, and coffee. The latter article was bought 

 from the Kaze merchants. Towards the close of 



