THE RIVERS MWERANGO AND MOOGGA. 213 
wear shoes with comfort ; or where the valleys were 
free from the tall rushes, the chill of walking in such 
mire with a burning sun overhead was quite stupify- 
ing ; but, strange to say, none of us suffered in health. 
The Mwerango, twenty miles west of the Uganda 
capital, was the first large body of water we found 
flowing towards Egypt. The centre part of the bridge 
over it had long since fallen into disrepair, and as the 
river was too deep for wading, we had to swim across 
about twenty yards of its width, which was from 300 
to 400 yards. You could not look up or down the 
stream, as the reeds hid everything ; neither could it 
be crossed anywhere but at this spot, or at other open- 
ings made in the bed of papyrus. In one hour our 
baggage was all across, and every one was freshened 
by a bathe. This stream and a sister river, the Moogga 
Myanza, join and form the KufToo, which flows to 
Unyoro, joining the Nile to the north of Kamarasi's 
residence. Eegarding the rise of these two rivers there 
were various opinions among the Waganda. The 
Mwerango, they said, had its rise from rocks one day's 
journey to the S.S.W. of Namagoma. The other was 
honoured with a poetical tradition. It was named 
"Moogga," after one of the wives of the late king 
Soona. She, on becoming pregnant, was sent, for 
medical advice, to the S.E. of Namagoma. Accom- 
panying the birth of the child there was a flow of 
water, which has run ever since, and was christened 
" Moogga," after the queen ! This river, or rather bed 
of rushes, was 500 yards across, and breast-deep. As 
we waded across it, on either side, within reach, the 
papyrus grew arching beautifully overhead. Its waters 
were clear, and sounded sweetly as they trickled 
