298 
THE KILIMA-NJAU 0 EXPEDITION. 
sparsely inhabited, is well fitted for European settle¬ 
ments. 
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The vicinity of Lake Jipe is much frequented by 
herds of game and its waters are teeming with big 
fish, principally siluroids and cyprinoids. Hippo¬ 
potami and crocodiles are plentiful. Numbers of 
water-birds haunt the reedy shores—storks, egrets, 
pelicans, spur-winged plovers, ducks, and Egyptian 
geese. The country round this lake is a first-rate 
district for sport, but hunters should camp near the 
River Lumi, for the water of Jipe is disgusting, and only 
drinkable after it has been well boiled and skimmed. 
As there is no current through the lake—for the river 
that flows in, turns round and flows out again— 
and as this stagnant pond lies exposed to the con¬ 
tinual rays of an ardent sun, and harbours, moreover, 
large numbers of hippopotami, who make the lake 
like their tank at the Zoological Gardens, the water 
drawn from it is a filthy fluid, warm, green, and slimy. 
My men drank of it in large quantities, nevertheless, 
without harm, but for myself I had it boiled and 
boiled for hours, and the green scum or froth taken 
off. I was obliged to avail myself of this liquid, as 
after leaving the lake we should be obliged to travel 
for thirty-five miles without water. 
From the southern borders of Jipe we obtained our 
last view of Kilima-njaro. The craterous shape of 
the larger peak, Kibo, was very apparent. It was 
towards the close of a peaceful afternoon, just as I 
was turning to quit the lake, that I had my farewell 
glimpse of this king of African mountains. The sky 
had become a very pale blue with the descending sun. 
The whole upper part of Kilima-njaro, with its double 
peaks, was on view. Soft grey clouds slept on the 
