4 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT chap. 



Dundas to be navigable for more than 200 miles from 

 the sea ; and, in consequence, it seemed to us a suitable 

 point at which to commence our journey. It was our 

 intention to ascend the river, and, upon reaching the 

 limits of navigation, to strike to the north, and penetrate 

 as far as possible into the interior. 



From information received, we had come to the con- 

 clusion that the Somali tribes did not extend their 

 wanderings many miles from the coast lying between 

 Kismayu and Lamoo, at the mouth of the Tana River, 

 and that the Juba River formed the southern boundary 

 of the wanderings of the Somali inhabiting the country 

 immediately south of Berbera ; so that, by taking the 

 Tana route, we should effect an entrance into the 

 country without coming into contact with the Somali. 



Of the tribes inhabiting the country between the 

 Juba and the Tana rivers we had no definite knowl- 

 edge. Lieutenant von Hohnel and Count Teleki, on 

 their former journey along the eastern shore of Lake 

 Rudolph, saw signs and gathered intelligence of a large 

 tribe called Rendile. The exact habitat of this tribe 

 was unknown, but they were supposed to range from 

 Lake Stephanie, in the north, to some point near Mount 

 Kenya, in the south. They were said to be possessed 

 of vast herds of camels, horses, donkeys, sheep, goats, 

 and cattle. This wealth had made them the object 

 of attacks from the Somali on the coast, and from the 

 Masai and other tribes lying to the south and west of 

 them. Owing to this fact, it was said, they were con- 

 tinually on the move — stopping but long enough in 

 one place to exhaust the pasturage, and then moving 

 on again in search of food and water for their flocks. 



