chap. x\/. j THE LAKE DECLARED TO BE THE SEA. 333 
good order, and the tout ensemble of the hut showed 
that the owner was a sportsman. 
The harpoons for hippopotami were precisely the 
same pattern as those used by the Hamran Arabs on 
the Taka frontier of Abyssinia, having a narrow blade 
of three-quarters of an inch in width, with only one 
barb. The rope fitted to the harpoon was beautifully 
made of plantain fibre, and the float was a huge piece 
of ambatch-wood about fifteen inches in diameter. 
They speared the hippopotamus from canoes, and these 
large floats were necessary to be easily distinguished 
in the rough waters of the lake. 
My men were perfectly astounded at the appearance 
of the lake. The journey had been so long, and “ hope 
deferred” had so completely sickened their hearts, that 
they had long since disbelieved in the existence of the 
lake, and they were persuaded that I was leading 
them to the sea. They now looked at the lake with 
amazement—two of them had already seen the sea at 
Alexandria, and they unhesitatingly declared that this 
was the sea, but that it was not salt. 
Yacovia was a miserable place, and the soil was so 
impregnated with salt, that no cultivation was possible. 
Salt was the natural product of the country, and 
the population were employed in its manufacture, 
which constituted the business of the lake shores— 
being exchanged for supplies from the interior. I 
went to examine the pits : these were about six feet 
deep, from which was dug a black sandy mud that 
was placed in large earthenware jars ; these were sup¬ 
ported upon frames, and mixed with water, which 
filtering rapidly through small holes in the bottom 
was received in jars beneath : this water was again 
used with fresh mud until it became a strong brine, 
when it was boiled and evaporated. The salt was 
white, but very bitter. I imagine that it has been 
formed by the decay of aquatic plants that have been 
washed ashore by the waves; decomposing, they 
have formed a mud deposit, and much potash is 
