194 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
that the river was small, and that its course was from 
south of east. Observation Island was rich in plants, 
though only a few hundred yards in length. The wild 
pine-apple, mimosas, acacia, thorn, gum, vines, euphor- 
bias, eschinomense, llianes, water-cane, and spear-grass 
flourished with a luxuriance quite astonishing. As we 
passed Utiri, we observed that the natives were much 
interested in our boat, and some fishermen whom we 
encountered fell into ecstasies of laughter when they 
saw the novel method we adopted for propelling her. 
They mocked us good-naturedly, and by their gestures 
seemed to express contempt for the method in question, 
as not being equal to paddling. The rudder and its 
uses also excited unusual astonishment, and when the 
sail was hoisted, they skurried away as though it were 
an object of terror. 
After leaving the hilly coast of Utiri, the lowlands of 
Shirati and Mohruru rose into view, and the black 
mountain mass of Ugeyeya appeared to the eastward 
at the distance of about twenty miles. To the west of 
it, grim and lofty, loomed the island of Ugingo. 
Clusters of grey, rocky islets stud the lake along the 
coast of Shirati, while from the water’s edge, to a 
distance of five or six miles, an uninteresting plain, 
unenlivened by forest or verdure, slopes slowly up to 
where the land breaks into groups and masses of 
irregular hills. This continues to the mouth of a river 
which the natives call Gori, and which terminates the 
country of Ururi. On the right bank of the river 
begins mountainous Ugeyeya, the south-western ex- 
tremity of which runs out into the lake like a 
promontory. 
Gori is an important and powerful river during the 
rainy season. It is said to rise in a north-easterly 
direction near Kavi. Far inland on the east, to a 
distance of twenty-five days’ journey, the country is 
reported to be a continuous plain, dotted with low hills 
and containing water only in pools. About fifteen 
days’ journey from the lake, the natives also report a 
region wherein are “ low hills which discharge smoke 
