d by the _vis inertiae_ of
the more slowly moving river, and, both united, pass on to form the
great inundation of the year in Lower Egypt. The Blue River brings down
the heavier portion of the Nile deposit, while the White River comes
down with the black finely divided matter from thousands of square miles
of forest in Manyuema, which probably gave the Nile its name, and is in
fact the real fertilizing ingredient in the mud that is annually left.
Some of the rivers in Manyuema, as the Luia and Machila, are of inky
blackness, and make the whole main stream of a very Nilotic hue. An
acquaintance with these dark flowing rivers, and scores of rills of
water tinged as dark as strong tea, was all my reward for plunging
through the terrible Manyuema mud or "glaur."

_26th December, 1872._--Along among the usual low tree-covered hills of
red and yellow and green schists--paths wet and slippery. Came to the
Lofubu, fifteen yards broad and very deep, water clear, flowing
north-west to join Luena or Kisaka, as the Lopopussi goes west too into
Lofubu it becomes large as we saw. We crossed by a bridge, and the
donkey swam with men on each side of him. We came to three villages on
the other side with many iron furnaces. Wet and drizzling weather made
us stop soon. A herd of buffaloes, scared by our party, rushed off and
broke the trees in their hurry, otherwise there is no game or marks of
game visible.

_27th December, 1872._--Leave the villages on the Lofubu. A cascade
comes down on our left. The country undulating deeply, the hills, rising
at times 300 to 400 feet, are covered with stunted wood. There is much
of the common bracken fern and hart's-tongue. We cross one rivulet
running to the Lofubu, and camp by a blacksmith's rill in the jungle. No
rain fell to-day for a wonder, but the lower tier of clouds still drifts
past from N.W.

I killed a Naia Hadje snake seven feet long here, he reared up before me
and turned to fight. The under north-west stratum of clouds is composed
of fluffy cottony masses, the edges spread out as if on an electrical
machine--the upper or south-east is of broad fields like striated cat's
hair. The N.W. flies quickly, the S.E. slowly away where the others come
from. No observations have been possible through most of this month.
People assert that the new moon will bring drier weather, and the clouds
are preparing to change the N.W. lower stratum into S.E., ditto, ditto,
and the N.W. will be the upper