96 
In the Heart of Africa 
Since then a decade has passed away, and these animals appear, 
in the meantime, to have increased considerably. The numbers 
we saw hanging in the branches of the trees might be reckoned 
in thousands. Like the sea-birds on a northern island, or like 
the plums on the trees in a good fruit year, we found the flying- 
foxes here, and, like a host of gnats, they rose up in the air, 
alarmed by our shots, flew screeching loudly round our heads, 
and in a little time settled down once more in their former resting 
places. Their movements in flying are measured, similar to those 
of the seamew. In the evening, on returning to our tents from 
our tour round the island, we observed the flying-foxes at a great 
elevation flying towards the distant KTwidschwi. It was probably 
hunger that drove them thither. Mugarura would hardly be 
likely to produce a sufficient fruit supply (chiefly wild figs) to 
maintain so vast a number. 
The island is not inhabited—that is to say, not continuously. 
We found a few Watussi there, of a low order, with their cattle 
—about twenty oxen. They slept in small scanty huts, which 
one could see were but for temporary use. Probably the cattle 
are taken there to graze at the beginning of the rainy season. 
An open stretch of water about two miles wide divides 
Mugarura from the smaller island of Wau, which lies to the 
westward and is also uninhabited. It takes two hours to cross, 
and even this short interval of time is sufficient sometimes, on 
fickle Lake Kiwu, to place boats in really dangerous situations. 
More than one visitor to Lake Kiwu has experienced this. Kandt, 
who saw more of the lake than anyone else, relates that whilst 
returning from Wau he met with stormy weather, and that it was 
only with the greatest difficulty that he succeeded in bringing his 
boat, half-full of water, into a harbour of safety on the shores 
of Mugarura. For these reasons we hurried when we left the 
island. This proved fortunate for us, for, in about an hour from 
our leaving, the sky, which had been quite bright at first, clouded 
over, and storm-heavy clouds, broken by brimstone-yellow 
patches, hung over the mountains of Ruanda. Short, sharp and 
violent squalls swept over the surface of the lake, and wave 
