162 A SAIL UPON THE ALBERT LAKE.

station, Wadelai, and I received letters from there in two and a half days. The route is as follows:—Fatiko to Jebel Nurvira (Jebel-el-Ajuz), five to six hours; Jebel Nurvira to Fagak, six hours; and from there to the river, two and a half to three hours.

5. A SAIL UPON THE ALBERT LAKE (1885).

(A Letter to Dr. Felkin.)

THE NILE ABOVE WADELAI—THE LAKE—A WOODING-STATION—WATER-FOWL—MAHAGI AND ITS NEW ISLAND—KABREGA’S AUTHORITY ON THE WEST BANK—A STORMY PASSAGE—EROSIVE ORIGIN OF THE LAKE—KIBIRO AND ITS BRINE SPRINGS—FISHERMEN—A NATURALIST’S RAMBLES—RETURN TO THE NORTH.

A FEW miles south of Wadelai the river (Bahr-el-Jebel), which hitherto has been flowing between two parallel ranges of hills in a bed only one-third of a mile wide, suddenly expands to a breadth of nearly two and a half miles. This broad expanse of water is studded with numerous small islands formed of reeds and papyrus, and its shallow bays, even in seasons of high water, harbour herds of hippopotami. Cautiously the steamer glided over the shallows, permitting us to view numbers of pelicans swimming about and pursuing their business of fishing, and groups of black heron-like Anastomus standing in small companies knee-deep in the water. Owing to a plentiful supply of good dry wood, the AKhedive was able to steam at high pressure, and so we soon reached the landing-stage of Fabongo, from which place the road for Anfina’s village branches away. The village of Fabongo, which is inhabited by Aluri, hes a short distance back from the river. The landscape along the river to the south is not specially interesting, if we except the majestic river itself, which is the best part of the scene. The western bank is bordered by a chain of hills, which is for the most part thinly wooded, and which, whilst generally hiding from sight a second range behind it that runs down to the lake, yet allows © its summits to be visible from time to time. Here and there occurs a solitary doléb palm, but candelabra euphorbias and tall bushes of the Calotropis procera are plentiful. The eastern