xx INTKODUCTION". 



at laying down a route, and his pleasure was very great 

 when he found that I had so profited by his instruction that 

 the route I had constructed coincided very accurately with his 

 own. 



The letters and papers which are to be found in this volume 

 are running notes of Emin's work, written for the information 

 of personal and scientific friends. In nearly all cases personal 

 matters have been omitted. The notes were written under 

 great difficulties when on the march, and they reflect the 

 passing thoughts and conjectures of the man's mind. A 

 certain amount of repetition will of necessity be found in the 

 earlier letters. It might, perhaps, have been better to omit 

 parts of them, but to have done so the German text must 

 have been ignored and connecting sentences introduced. It 

 has therefore been thought best to keep closely to the German 

 original, the more so, perhaps, as the frequent repetition of 

 marches through impenetrable grass, banana groves, thorny 

 jungles, and swamps, will prove to the reader far better than 

 any words of mine can do, the dogged perseverance of the 

 man, who, notwithstanding the immense physical fatigue from 

 which he was constantly suffering upon these expeditions, 

 plodded on, note-book in hand, never permitting a noteworthy 

 fact to escape his eye or a detail of scientific interest to go 

 unremarked. The descriptions, too, of the details of these 

 journeys give an accurate idea of the topography of the country, 

 and will prove of value not only to future travellers, but, I 

 hope, to traders, missionaries, and others who will take part in 

 the opening up of the country. When reading over the proofs 

 of this volume, I have been repeatedly struck with the vivid 

 picture given of paths over which I have myself had occasion 

 to treacl. I am able to recall the very trees, the huts, and 

 even the swampy places which Emm so faithfully portrays, 

 and can almost feel again the sting of the numerous insects 

 which lie describes as specially haunting particular spots. 



While I do not expect the readers of these letters to be 



