CHAPTER V 
LAKE KIWU AND ITS ISLANDS 
Our first view of Lake Kiwu, on the way to Ischangi, after a 
series of exhausting marches through Ruanda and the Rugege 
Forest filled us with enthusiasm. The sight of a vast expanse 
of water after long travels by land and on foot has ever since 
the days of Xenophon impressed the traveller with a sense of 
freedom, and something of the joy of his 10,000 Greeks when 
they cried “ The sea! The sea! ” was experienced by us as Lake 
Kiwu came into view. Kandt’s description of its beautiful 
situation, its splendid scenery and grand climate, coupled with 
the tales of German officers who had been there, had prepared 
us and given us a foretaste of the treat in store for us. For 
weeks we had spoken and dreamt of it. Lake Kiwu was our 
first important goal, where we all hoped to achieve scientific 
success. The first thing that we saw was the largest of its little 
inlets, and named “ Mecklenburg Creek ” by Kandt. Hilltops 
and summits lay around covered with banana groves, pea and 
bean plantations, bearing witness to the industry of the Wahutu 
people, who live densely massed together there. Light mists 
hung over the surface of the lake, concealing the more distant 
islands. The rays of the sun scintillated here and there on 
gently rippling wavelets, and the roseate tints of the morning 
sky, the fresh green of the banks on the lake, and the emerald, 
gleaming water made a lovely picture. 
Lake Kiwu is the last discovered of the large Central African 
lakes. Vague rumours of its existence, it is true, date back to 
the sixth decade of last century. They are accredited to the 
Arabs who traded in slaves and ivory to Tanganjika and with 
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