434 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
have drawn of this region. It is a blank, perfectly 
white. We will draw two curves just to illustrate what 
I mean. One shows the river reaching the Equator and 
turning westward. Supposing there are no cataracts, we 
ought to reach ‘ Tuckey’s Furthest’ by the 15th of 
February ; but if the river takes that wider sweep from 
2° north of the Equator, we may hope to reach by the 
15th of March, and, if we allow a month for cataracts 
or rapids, we have a right to think that we ought to 
see the ocean by either the middle or the end of April, 
1877. 
“ I assure you, Frank, this enormous void is about to 
be filled up. Blank as it is, it has a singular fascination 
for me. Never has white paper possessed such a charm 
for me as this has, and I have already mentally peopled 
it, filled it with most wonderful pictures of towns, villages, 
rivers, countries, and tribes — all in the imagination — 
and I am burning to see whether I am correct or not. 
Believe? I see us gliding down by tower and town, and 
my mind will not permit a shadow of doubt. Good- 
night, my boy ! Good-night ! and may happy dreams 
of the sea, and ships, and pleasure, and comfort, and 
success attend you in your sleep ! To-morrow, my lad, 
is the day we shall cry — ‘ Victory or death ! ’ ” • 
The crisis drew nigh when the 28th of December 
dawned. A grey mist hung over the river, so dense 
that we could not see even the palmy banks on which 
Vinya-Njara was situated. It would have been suicidal 
to begin our journey on such a gloomy morning. The' 
people appeared as cheerless and dismal as the foggy 
day. We cooked our breakfasts in order to see if, by 
the time we had fortified the soul by satisfying the 
cravings of the stomach, the river and its shores might 
not have resumed their usual beautiful outlines, and 
their striking contrasts of light and shadow. 
Slowly the breeze waftecl the dull and heavy mists 
away until the sun appeared, and bit by bit the luxu- 
riantly v r ooded banks rose up solemn and sad. Finally 
the grey river was seen, and at 9 a.m. its face gleamed 
with the brightness of a mirror. 
