138 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT 



CHAP. 



try, and resting from our labours upon the shores of the 

 lake. The soil was becoming moist under foot, and the 

 grass wore a greener appearance. Where can the lake 

 be } was our thought. 



At one o'clock, seeing a tall sycamore tree across the 

 river (at this point not ten yards wide), we stopped the 

 caravan, crossed the stream, and climbed as high as pos- 

 sible up the tree. From this vantage point we took one 

 long look, and then with half-suppressed curses de- 

 scended to the ground. There is no Lake Lorian ! It 

 is but a vast swamp, overgrown with papyrus and water- 

 errass. The narrowness and shallowness of the river at 

 this point (it was but a foot deep) proved to us that it 

 could not continue beyond the swamp — at least, in the 

 dry season. Here, then, was the end of high hopes and 

 incessant effort — no lake, no Rendile. The vast sheet 

 of water we had seen from the top of the plateau had 

 been a mirage. We felt that we had been tricked and 

 duped by Nature at every turn. Our feelings of dejec- 

 tion were shared by every member of the caravan. 

 They, too, had lived in glad hopes of reaching the lake. 

 Time and again I had promised them that upon reach- 

 ing it they should have their fill of camels' milk and 

 goats' flesh. The burden of their muttered and in- 

 cessant refrain was : " Wapi ? " (" Where ? ") " Wapi 

 bahari ? Wapi ngamia? Wapi mbuzi.f* Wapi maziwa.^^ 

 Hapana kitu hapa ! Gehennam tu ! " (" Where is the 

 lake .-^ Where are the camels.'^ Where are the goats ? 

 Where is the milk ? There is not a thing here ! It is 

 simply hell ! ") 



Our sympathies were with them, but it was unwise to 

 allow them to remain long in this state ; so they were at 



