LAKE RUDOLPH 275 



flocks of white spoonbills for the first time. I also saw some 

 of the birds which in South Africa go by the name of the small 

 locust bird. 



Our progress was now smooth and pleasant in spite of the 

 great heat, over great flats with a sandy soil, varied sometimes 

 by low ridges of rotten ground with stones, where the pace was 

 slower, the hills far away on our right and the lake more shoal 

 than ever, with water-grass a mile or two out to sea. More 

 fishing kraals on islands were passed, whose inhabitants were 

 always ready to sell fish, both fresh and dried. I saw, too, a 

 feu^ duck at this part, and, all along, the various water-birds of 

 the kinds already mentioned, with others not enumerated, were 

 in astonishing numbers. Hippos are not common, and the few 

 seen mostly far out from the shore, but land game plentiful, 

 especially " topi " (which did not seem very wild), sometimes 

 in large herds, as well as the usual kinds, including con- 

 siderable numbers of the smaller zebra, Grevy's being also 

 present. 



Three or four Ndorobos from the large settlement we had 

 passed several days before had been following us with the 

 object of selling some ivory they knew of, which was concealed 

 on the lake shore at this part. It proved to be two very large 

 bull tusks, but they had evidently lain here for many years, and 

 were nearly rotten. However, Mnyamiri was very pleased to 

 acquire it, as he was able to buy it for a small quantity of 

 goods. It seemed folly to me to carry such comparatively 

 worthless stuff such an immense distance to the coast ; but 

 Swahili traders refuse nothing in the shape of ivory, however 

 much damaged, and even buy rhinoceros horns, undeterred by 

 long and difficult land carriage. 



I had hoped to begin to meet with elephants in this part, 

 as Count Teleki and Captain Von Hohnel had told me that 

 they had found numerous herds along this coast, all the way 

 from Alia northward. But there can be no doubt that, at the 

 period of their visit, a succession of seasons of exceptional 



