60 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



the numerous accounts given of the kingdom of Uganda 

 being so flat and marshy from the equator to 2 or 3 

 north latitude ; whilst I must have seen any, did they 

 exist, on the south side of the equator, being only 150 

 miles from it when standing on its southern shore. 

 NOAV, judging from all the information given us by 

 the several Egyptian expeditions and missionaries sent 

 up the Nile, who came across hills of no great elevation 

 in 4^ north latitude and 31 or 32 east longitude, 

 which are intersected by the Nile in the same way that 

 the east -coast range is intersected by the interior 

 plateau rivers, as we saw on our passage inwards from 

 Zanzibar ; and further, by the Arabs telling us that 

 all the country on the same meridian, from the Line 

 up to the second parallel north latitude, is flat and full 

 of watercourses ; and then again, by knowing the 

 respective heights of the N'yanza on the one side being 

 nearly 4000 feet, and the Nile's bed in latitude 4 N., 

 or beyond the small hills alluded to, being under 2000 

 feet, it would indeed be a marvel if this lake is not 

 the fountain of the Nile. The reason why those ex- 

 peditions sent up the Nile have failed in discovering 

 the N'yanza, is clearly attributable to the important 

 rapids which must exist in consequence of this great 

 variation of altittide between the north end of the 

 N'yanza (which, let us suppose, is on the equator), and 

 the position, in 4 44' north latitude, at which the 

 expeditions and missions arrived, their further pro- 

 gress being stopped by these rapids. 



