Chapter II[. 
and endeavouring to cheer up his spirits with the hope of 
overtaking them. By 8.30 the porters had their loads on their 
heads, and started on their way in a long file, with deafening- 
shouts, on the wide and even road to Kampala. The caravan 
THE NATIVE PATH. 
numbered about 400 individuals, and the vanguard was nearly 
out of sight by the time that the Prince and the other members 
of the expedition started in their turn. 
Soon after leaving- Entebbe the road enters under the 
majestic vaults of a tropical forest. The distance from Entebbe 
to Fort Portal is about 180 miles, with an ascent of some 
1,165 feet. This ascent may be regarded as falling into four 
sections belonging to separate river systems. The first of these 
collects the waters which flow southward into the River Katongo, 
a tributary of the Victoria Nyanza. Lake Isolt belongs to this 
section. The second and third basins contain the affluents of the 
70 
