170 A SAIL UPON THE ALBERT LAKE.

in the heaving waves than did the majority of my people on them. In such places, the light green waters of the lake, owing to the refraction of the sunlight on the glittering silvery scales of the fish, assumed an almost bluish-green hue. The fish were, indeed, so numerous that in less than a quarter of an hour we counted six shoals, doubtless divisions all belonging to one mighty host. On our left we saw the mountain chain of the eastern shore enveloped in mist. Due east we observed some flat strips of sand, sparsely overgrown with reeds, but whether they belonged to an island or to the mainland we were unable to determine in the mist. At length we approached so close to the shore that we got within sight of a long row of hills lying before the mountain range, and presently, also, we saw the foreshore here and there between them and the lake. The lake-side appeared to be bare, green patches, most likely of rushes and reeds, occurring but seldom. The land had a desolate and inhospitable appearance, and seemed to be totally uninhabited. Pursuing a course nearly parallel to the shore, we came, shortly before noon, so close in to it that we could easily distinguish the features of the hillsides.

These hills are high, and green at the foot. Their more elevated parts support a sparse vegetation, but arboreal flora ceases almost entirely, which is perhaps attributable to denudation of the superficial humus by water. In spots, however, where foldings and corners allow an accumulation of humus to take place, and where the moisture can be retained, there exists a richer vegetation, and often even patches of forest. The summits of the hills are mostly either rounded domes or broad flat ridges. Sharp pinnacles are nowhere visible. <A superficial examination of the northern portion of the chain shows plainly that the entire region at the foot of the hills right away to Magtingo has been formed by the lake and the rivers. The low ground between the hills and the lake extends northwards in the form of a triangle, and consists entirely of alluvial matter. The range runs due north, and is connected immediately with the isolated hills of Kirdto and Masindi, which I consider to be the remains of a former chain that has been broken down by atmospheric agency.

As for the lake, I attribute its origin solely to erosion. I