2 
In the Heart of Africa 
territory which had hitherto contributed but little of zoological 
interest to the national museums. 
Accompanied by Count Gunther Pfeil and Captain von Jena, 
together with Laboratory Director Knuth and my servant, I 
made my way to Mombasa via Naples, and from there by the 
English railway to Lake Victoria. After an exciting journey 
across the lake, to an accompaniment of thunderstorms and gales, 
in a fragile English steam-launch, which offered but little 
resistance to the elements, we arrived at the small military outpost 
of Schirati, where we were heartily welcomed by the commander, 
Captain Goring. From there we broke off in the direction of 
Ikoma, and after roaming for months through the district watered 
by the Rivers Orangi and Boledi, which abounded in game and 
had scarcely been trodden by man, we felt a greater interest 
than ever in this protectorate of ours. 
It was here that I first met the energetic leader of my last 
expedition, Lieutenant von Wiese and Kaiserswaldau, who had 
been entrusted with the very responsible duty of defending the 
outpost station of Olgoss against the attacks of the Masai. 
In conjunction with him, in Berlin, a year later, I planned 
the scheme of the expedition which I have endeavoured to 
describe in the following chapters and which should be of some 
value for the systematic and scientific exploration of unknown 
stretches of country, a scheme which, certainly, was subjected 
to a good many variations, until it assumed its final and concrete 
shape. 
The original intention of reaching the source of the Nile from 
Lake Tschad presented so many difficulties that it had to be 
abandoned as impracticable. Instead, after prolonged consulta¬ 
tion with our most famous specialists and scientists. Professors 
Brauer, Matschie, von Luschau, Waldener, Engler and Branca, 
I determined to march via Lake Victoria to Ruanda, and also to 
visit the district between Lake Kiwu and Lake Albert, whence, 
travelling westwards, we should reach the basins of the Rivers 
Ituri-Aruwimi and Uelle. 
When first I made my plans known to the various scientific 
