318 HIS LAKE A PHYSICAL IMPOSSIBILITY. 



a little north of the Equator. Pinally, Captain 

 Speke made his own lake a physical impossibility. 

 Within little more than 60 miles from east to 

 west he has given it three main effluents, the Mwe- 

 rango, the Luajerri, and the Nile or Napoleon 

 channel, to say nothing of the Myo Myanza, the 

 Murchison Creek, the Usoga stream, together 

 with the Asua river from the Baringo. It is 

 w^onderful that our 19th century maps continue 

 to print such a phenomenon. What will posterity 

 say of this magnum opus ? 



After Captain Speke's return we debated, in 

 frequent conferences with the Arabs, the advis- 

 ability of remaining at Kazeh till fresh supplies 

 could be procured from Zanzibar, thus enabling 

 us to visit the northern kingdoms — Karagwah, 

 Uganda, and Unyoro. Our good friends unani- 

 mously advised us to reserve the exploration for 

 another journey. The lake was, unlike the Tan- 

 ganyika, unnavigated ; to travel along the S. 

 Eastern shores was, they said, impossible owing 

 to the ferocity of the pastoral tribes, and the 

 mutual jealousies of great despots on the western 

 banks would necessitate a large outfit, and per- 

 haps years of delay. Their advice appearing 

 sound, I applied myself to the ways and means 

 of marching upon Kilwa, thus avoiding a return 



