LIVINGSTONE AND STANLEY ON LAKE TANGANIKA. 161 
northern head of the lake was indented with seven 
broad bays, each from one and a half to three miles 
broad ; that long broad spits of sand, overgrown with 
matete, separated each bay from the other. The first, 
starting from west to east, at the broadest part, to the 
extreme southern point of Mugihewa, was about three 
miles broad, and served as a line of demarcation between 
Mukamba’s district of Ruwenga and Mugihewa of 
Ruhinga ; it was also two miles deep. The second bay 
was a mile from the southern extremity of Mugihewa to 
Ruhinga’s village at the head of the bay, and it was a 
mile across to another spit of sand which was terminated 
by a small island. The third bay stretched for nearly a 
mile to a long spit, at the end of which was another 
island, one and a quarter mile in length, and was the 
western side of the fourth bay, at the head of which 
was the delta of the Rusizi. This fourth bay, at its 
base, was about three miles in depth, and penetrated 
half a mile further inland than any other. Soundings 
indicated six feet deep, and the same depth was kept to 
within a few hundred yards of the principal mouth of 
the Rusizi. The current was very sluggish ; not more 
than a mile an hour. Though we constantly kept our 
binocular searching for the river, we could not see the 
main channel until within 200 yards of it, and then 
only by watching by what outlet the fishing canoes 
came out. The bay at this point had narrowed from 
two miles to about 200 yards in breadth. Inviting a 
canoe to show us the way, a small flotilla of canoes pre- 
ceded us, from the sheer curiosity of their owners. We 
followed, and in a few minutes were ascending the 
stream, which was very rapid, though but about ten 
yards wide ; and very shallow, not more than two feet 
deep. We ascended about half a mile, the current being 
very strong, from six to eight miles an hour, and quite 
far enough to observe the nature of the stream at its 
embouchure. We could see that it widened and spread 
out in a myriad of channels, rushing by isolated clumps 
of sedge and matete grass ; and that it had the appear- 
ance of a swamp. We had ascended the central, or 
VOL. II. m 
