NGLAND--JOINS CAPTAIN BURTON IN AN EXPEDITION TO
THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON--SETS OUT FOR BOMBAY, AND AFTERWARDS TO
ZANZIBAR--ENGAGE SHEIKH SAID AND THEIR ESCORT--CROSS TO KAOLE--ARRIVE AT
CAZE, AND RECEIVED BY THE ARAB MERCHANTS--PORTERS DESERT--ILLNESS OF
CAPTAIN BURTON, AND CARRIED TO ZIMBILI--SETS OUT WITH FRESH PORTERS--A
SIGHT OF THE TANGANYIKA LAKE--THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON--NEARLY BLIND--
UP THE LAKE TO UJIJI--ARRIVE AT KAWELE--THEIR JOURNEY ON THE LAKE
CONTINUED--AN ALARM--CAMP AT NIGHT--SHELLS--A STORM--ARRIVE AT SULTAN
CASANGA'S TERRITORY--THE PEOPLE--ARRIVE AT THE FISH MARKET OF KABIZIA--A
SINGA--CROSS TO KASENGE--RECEPTION--THE CHIEF DESCRIBED--THE RESULTS OF
SLAVERY--HEARS OF A LARGE RIVER--CANNOT OBTAIN A BOAT--RETURNS TO
UJIJI--SETS OUT TO EXPLORE A RIVER THAT FALLS INTO THE LAKE--TRICKS OF
THE PADDLERS--RETURNS TO UJIJI--HELP ARRIVES--RETURNS TO CAZE--SETS OUT
TO EXPLORE THE COUNTRY IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE NYANZA LAKE--TRICKS
OF HIS ESCORT--VILLAGES DESCRIBED--DETAINED BY A SULTANA--THE RECEPTION
SHE GIVES SPEKE--ILLNESS IN THE CARAVAN--INON--LEAVING ISAMIRO, THE
NYANZA APPEARS IN SIGHT--THE SCENE--HE CALLED THE LAKE VICTORIA NYANZA--
DESCENDS TO MUANZA--THE SOURCE OF THE NILE!--RETURN JOURNEY, AND ARRIVES
AT CAZE--ARRIVES WITH CAPTAIN BURTON IN ENGLAND.

Captain, then Lieutenant, John Hanning Speke, the son of a gentleman of
property in England, was an officer in the Indian army, and had taken
part under Lord Gough in the great battles of Ramnugger, Chillianwalla,
and others. He had, at intervals during leave, travelled in the
Himalaya Mountains, as well as through other parts of India and in
Thibet, for the purpose of collecting specimens of the fauna of those
regions to form a museum in his father's house. While thus occupied, he
formed the design of traversing Africa as soon as he could obtain
furlough, visiting the Mountains of the Moon and descending the Nile
with the same object in view.

At the end of ten years' service, on obtaining furlough, hearing that an
expedition was to be sent by the Indian Government, under the command of
Lieutenant Burton, to explore the Somali country, a large tract lying
due south of Aden, and separated from the Arabian coast by the Gulf of
Aden, he offered his services, and was accepted. Two other Indian
officers, Lieutenants Stroyan and Heme, also joined the expedition.

The Somali are Mahommedans, descendants of Arabs who have intermarried
with negroes.