XII 
LAKE RUDOLPH 
269 
coming up, so that I might have had the pleasure of meeting 
a European in this far and lonely desert. 
In reply to my inquiries about elephants, I was told that 
I should meet with some farther on, when approaching the 
northern extremity of Bassu, where Reshiat was situated, which 
they declared they had visited. Thus I seemed to be getting 
at length within reach of the rather mysterious country which 
was our present goal, and I had every reason to feel thankful 
that all was so propitious ; for we seemed to have overcome 
the greatest difficulties of the journey. The going was now 
first-rate, the ground level, with hardly any stones. The hills 
had fallen back, and were now a considerable distance off to 
the eastward, a wide plain bordering the lake. Here and there 
were belts of mimosa bush, generally about dry watercourses ; 
and in front, beyond a large bay, was a hilly headland which 
I took to be the one which Teleki and Von Hohnel cut across, 
as shown by their map. This map was very useful, and 
enabled me, though without instruments, to tell approximately 
what part of the lake I had reached. 
Arid and barren though the country still was, there was a little 
more vegetation than farther south, in the shape of sparse and 
withered grass and a few stunted thorn bushes Scattered here 
and there, rendering it more suitable to game ; and as a con¬ 
sequence I noticed a good deal of zebra spoor of both the large 
and small species, also a few fresh rhino tracks as well as a new 
“ scrape ” or two, while gazelles seemed more numerous than 
hitherto. During the day’s march I had bagged several geese 
with my rook rifle, so that my own larder was well supplied ; 
but my men had not had much meat lately, so I determined to 
make an effort to obtain a good supply that afternoon. 
My experience is, as the result of many years of observation 
in Africa, that meat is a most important addition to the food 
of porters on the march. Its value in keeping them strong, 
healthy, and contented is inestimable ; and I think a conclusive 
proof of this is that I hardly ever had a case of even trivial 
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