MESSENGERS FROM MTESA. 723 



land ; and the ear is attracted by the rough music of the river's fierce play, 

 despite the terrors which the imagination paints, so that it absorbs all our 

 attention to watch the smooth, flowing surface of the lake, suddenly broken 

 into fury by the rocks of gneiss and hematite which protrude, white and 

 ruddy, above the water, and which threaten instant doom to the unlucky 

 navigator who should be drifted among them. There is a charm, too, in the 

 scene which can belong to few such, for this outflowing river that the Great 

 Victoria Kyanza discharges from its bosom, becomes known to the world as 

 the White Nile. Though born amid the mountains of Ituru, Kargue, and 

 Ugeyeya, it emerges from the womb of the N yanza, the perfect and veritable 

 Nile which annually resuscitates parched Egypt. 



" From the Kipon Falls we proceeded along the coast of Ikira south-west, 

 until, gaining the shore opposite Uziri, we coasted westerly along the irregu- 

 lar shore of Uganda. Arriving at the isle of Kriva, we secured guides, who 

 voluntarily offered to conduct us as far as Mtesa's capital. Halting a short 

 time at the island of Kibibi, we proceeded to Ukafu, where a snug horse-shoe- 

 shaped bay was discovered. From Ukafu we despatched messengers to 

 Mtesa to announce the arrival of a white visitor in Uganda, after being most 

 hospitably received with fair words, but with empty hands, along the coast 

 of Uganda. I was anxious to discover the entrance of the ' Luajerri,' and 

 questioned the natives long and frequently about it, until, securing an inter- 

 preter who understood the Kisawahili, we ascertained that there was no such 

 river at all as the Luajerri, that 'Luaserri,' however, meant still water, appli- 

 cable to any of the many lengthy creeks, or narrow inlets which indent the 

 coasts of Uganda and Usugo. From this I conclude that Speke was misin- 

 formed, and that his 'Luajerri' is Luaserri, or a still water. At least we 

 discovered no such river, either sluggish or quick, flowing northwards ; while 

 in the neighbourhood of ' Murchison Creek ' I did, indeed, find a long and 

 crooked inlet, called Mwaru- Luaserri, or the Quiet-water — which penetrated 

 several miles inland, and the termination of which we saw. I noticed a posi- 

 tive tide here, I should mention, during the morning. For two hours the 

 water of this creek flowed north, and subsequently, for two hours, it flowed 

 south ; while, on asking the people if this were a usual sight, they said it was, 

 and was visible in all the inlets on the coast of Uganda. 



" Arriving at Beyal we were welcomed by a fleet of canoes sent by 

 Mtesa to conduct us to ' Murchison Creek,' and on the 4th of April I landed 

 amid a concourse of two thousand people, who saluted me with a deafening 

 volley of musketry and waving of flags. Katakiro, the chief Mukungu, or 

 officer, in Uganda, then conducted me to comfortable quarters, to which shortly 

 afterwards were brought sixteen goats, ten oxen, an immense quantity of 

 bananas, plantains, sweet potatoes, besides eggs, chickens, milk, rice, ghee, 

 and butter. After such a royal and bountiful gift I felt more curiosity than 



