98 UGANDA AND THE EGYPTIAN SOUDAN.

CHAPTER V.

LIFE IN UGANDA.

THE morning of the 25th of June rose bright and sunny, with a strong breeze blowing from the south-east. A good supply of fresh meat, fowls, sweet potatoes and flour was put on board the Daisy, and a perfect stack of firewood. All were on board, including two of the Waganda sent by Mtesa to act as pilots, and, by half-past nine, the boat was pushed off, the sails hoisted, the flag unfurled, and we had started on our voyage across the unknown waters. The breeze blew fresh, and, with all sail set, we flew through the water, past villages, banana groves, hills and capes. The island of Ckerewe was soon passed, and in less than an hour we were off the strait that separates it from Ukura. Smith wished to land on this island to take bearings in order to fix its position, and we ran along within a short distance of the shore to look for a suitable landingplace. The general appearance of the island was bleak and barren ; there were large tracts of dry brown grass, through which wandered a few