OUR FIRST VOYAGE ON LAKE CHAD 327 



now lay for some hours threading the straits that wound 

 two miles wide between the reed-bays and the islands. The 

 water was beautifully clear ; sometimes we were passing 

 over a firm and shelly bed, but more often it was covered 

 in layers of dark mud, that varied from a few inches to 

 unknown depths. Presently the reed-belts on the right grew 

 gradually less and their monotonous dark green began to be 

 broken by flat stretches of yellow sand, which we hailed 

 joyously, feeling that at last we had broken down the 

 barrier to the south. Soon the reeds gave way altogether 

 and all along our right low-lying land stretched into the 

 distance. As we had not come more than twenty miles, 

 and as on all previous maps the Lake was made at least fifty 

 miles across, we very naturally supposed this to be a large 

 island and were in high spirits at the prospect of soon 

 rounding it. But, all the rest of that day we were tantalised 

 by its nearness, for, although we made many attempts, we 

 found it impossible to get the boat to the land over the mile 

 or more of thick mud. 



All through the day we kept a sharp look-out for Budumas, 

 but never set eyes upon a soul, though sometimes on the 

 lee-side of the islands we discovered their fishing-stations, 

 which were revealed to us by the flocks of gulls seen circling 

 in the air. Our coming gave the birds a brief chance of 

 plunder, for long before we could catch sight of them all the 

 Budumas had disappeared into the reeds, and the gulls then 

 swooped down upon the fish, smothering the canoes in white 

 clouds. Excepting occasional duck that were very wild and 

 rose a long way from us, the gulls were the only life we saw 

 upon the Lake ; and the apparent soUtude of the islands 



