354 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
Uvinza, is at last afloat upon the deep-blue waters of 
the Tanganika. 
She is about to explore the mountain barriers which 
enfold the lake, for the discovery of some gap which 
lets out, or is supposed to let out, the surplus waters of 
rivers which, from a dim and remote period, have been 
pouring into it from all sides. 
She has a consort now, a lumbering, heavy, but 
staunch mate, a canoe cut out from an enormous teak- 
tree which once grew in some wooded gorge in the 
G-oma mountains. The canoe is called the Meofu, and 
is the property of Muini Kheri, governor of Ujiji, who 
has kindly lent it to me. As he is my friend, he says 
he will not charge me anything for the loan. But the 
governor and I know each other pretty well, and I 
know that when I return from the voyage, I shall have 
to make him a present. In Oriental and African lands, 
remuneration, hire, compensation, guerdon, and present 
are terms nearly related to one another. 
The boat and her consort are ready on the 11th of 
June, 1876. The boat’s crew have been most carefully 
selected. They are all young, agile, faithful creatures. 
Their names and ages are as follows : Uledi, the cox- 
swain, twenty-five years ; Saywa, his cousin, seventeen ; 
Shumari, his brother, eighteen ; Murabo, twenty ; 
Mpwapwa, twenty-two ; Marzouk, twenty-three ; Akida, 
twenty ; Marnbu, twenty ; Wadi Baraka, twenty-four ; 
Zaidi Rufiji, twenty-seven ; Matiko, nineteen. Two 
supernumeraries are the boy gun-bearers, Billali and 
Mabruki, seventeen and fifteen years respectively. 
After eighteen months’ experience with them it has 
been decided by all that these are the elect of the 
Expedition for boat- work, though they are by no means 
the champions of the march. But as they have only 
light loads, there has never been reason to complain of 
them. 
There is much handshaking, many cries of “ Take 
care of yourselves,” and then both boat and canoe hoist 
sail, turning their heads along the coast to the south. 
Kasimbu, two miles from Ugoy to Ujiji, sends forth 
