LAKE RUDOLPH 269 



coming up, so that I might have had the pleasure of meeting 

 a European in this far and lonely desert. 



In reply to my inquiries about elephants, I was told that 

 I should meet with some farther on, when approaching the 

 northern extremity of Bassu, where Reshiat was situated, which 

 they declared they had visited. Thus I seemed to be getting 

 at length within reach of the rather mysterious country which 

 was our present goal, and I had every reason to feel thankful 

 that all was so propitious ; for we seemed to have overcome 

 the greatest difficulties of the journey. The going was now 

 first-rate, the ground level, with hardly any stones. The hills 

 had fallen back, and were now a considerable distance off to 

 the eastward, a wide plain bordering the lake. Here and there 

 were belts of mimosa bush, generally about dry watercourses ; 

 and in front, beyond a large bay, was a hilly headland which 

 I took to be the one which Teleki and Von Hohnel cut across, 

 as shown by their map. This map was very, useful, and 

 enabled me, though without instruments, to tell approximately 

 what part of the lake I had reached. 



Arid and barren though the country still was, there was a little 

 more vegetation than farther south, in the shape of sparse and 

 withered grass and a few stunted thorn bushes scattered here 

 and there, rendering it more suitable to game ; and as a con- 

 sequence I noticed a good deal of zebra spoor of both the large 

 and small species, also a few fresh rhino tracks as well as a new 

 " scrape " or two, while gazelles seemed more numerous than 

 hitherto. During the day's march I had bagged several geese 

 with my rook rifle, so that my own larder was well supplied ; 

 but my men had not had much meat lately, so I determined to 

 make an effort to obtain a good supply that afternoon. 



My experience is, as the result of many years of observation 

 in Africa, that meat is a most important addition to the food 

 of porters on the march. Its value in keeping them strong, 

 healthy, and contented is inestimable ; and I think a conclusive 

 proof of this is that I hardly ever had a case of even trivial 



