UZONGOBA AND THE NYANZA. 255 travelling down to Usukuma in canoes, and I found, on looking over some papers of Lieutenant Smith after his death, that he too had observed it. It is probably caused by the action of the wind, which for the greater part of the year blows from the S.E., on the long, narrow stretch of water extending from the head of Speke Gulf to the end of the island of Ukerewe. There is also a slight current through the Kugezi Straits, which separate Ukerewe from the mainland, setting in a southerly direction, thus keeping the channel open.

Storms are frequent on the Nyanza, occurring principally in the months of March, April and May, and September, October and November. They frequently come on with 'extreme suddenness, and make navigation very dangerous, especially at night. The squalls, however, are often very limited in area, and it is sometimes possible (as I have proved on more than one occasion) to sail out of their path if they are carefully watched. Waterspouts sometimes accompany them, and I have seen as many as three at the same moment in mid-lake, all within a comparatively short distance of my boat. In the shallow waters of the coast of Uddu, a heavy surf is often raised by these storms, sweeping over 200 miles of open water, and great care has to be exercised in approaching the land under these circumstances. The prevailing wind is from the S.E., and blows freshly, as a rule, during the earlier