550 
SICK OJF STRANGE COUNTRIES. 
people, grand mountains, lovely valleys, the glorious vege* 
tation of primeval forests, wild beasts aud an endless suc- 
cession of beautiful man ; besides great rivers and vast 
lakes — the last the most interesting from their huge out- 
flowings, which explain some of the phenomena of the 
grand old Nile. 
Let me explain, but in no boastful style, the mistakes of 
others who have bravely striven to solve the ancient pro- 
blem, and it will be seen that I have cogent reasons for 
following the painful, plodding investigation to its conclu- 
sion. Poor Speke’s mistake was a foregone conclusion. 
When he discovered the Victoria Nyanza he at once jumped 
to the conclusion that therein lay the sources of the river 
of Egypt, “ 20,000 square miles of water ” confused by 
sheer immensity. 
Ptolemy’s small lake “ Coloc ” is a more correct repre- 
sentation of the actual size of that one of three or fout 
lakes which alone sends its outflow to the north. Its name 
is Okara. Lake Kavirondo is three days distant from it, 
but connected by a narrow arm. Lake Naibash orNeibash, 
is four days from Kavirondo. Baringo is ten daj’s distant, 
and discharges by a river, the Nagardabash, to the north- 
east. 
These three or four lakes, which have been described by 
several intelligent Suaheli, who have lived for many years 
on their shores, were run into one huge Victoria Nj^anza. 
But no sooner did Speke and Grant turn their faces to this 
lake, to prove that it contained the Nile fountains, than 
they turned their backs to the springs of the river of 
Egypt, which arc between four hundred and five hundred 
miles south of the most southerly portion of the Victoria 
Lake. Every step of their heroic and really splendid achieve- 
ment of following the river down took them further and 
further from the sources they sought. But for the devotion 
to the foregone conclusion the sight of the little “ White 
Nile,” as, unable to account for that great river, they must 
have turned olf to the west down into the deep trough of 
