d not allow him to proceed further south. He directed his
course northward, towards the part out of which the Nile was supposed to
flow.

The difficulties of the journey were not yet over. The first day's
voyage was delightful, the lake calm, the scenery lovely. At times the
mountains on the west coast were not discernible, and the lake appeared
of indefinite width. Sometimes they passed directly under precipitous
cliffs of fifteen hundred feet in height, rising abruptly out of the
water, while from the deep clefts in the rocks evergreens of every tint
appeared, and wherever a rivulet burst forth it was shaded by the
graceful and feathery wild date. Numbers of hippopotami were sporting
in the water, and crocodiles were numerous on every sandy beach.

Next night, however, the boatmen deserted, but, not to be defeated,
Baker induced his own people to take to the paddles. He fitted a paddle
to his own boat, to act as a rudder, but the men in the larger boat
neglected to do as he had directed them.

A tremendous storm of rain came down while he was at work. His own
canoe, however, being ready, he started. He was about to cross from one
headland to another, when he saw the larger canoe spinning round and
round, the crew having no notion of guiding her. Fortunately it was
calm, and, on reaching the shore, he induced several natives to serve as
his crew, while others went off in their own boats to assist the large
canoe.

He now commenced crossing a deep bay, fully four miles wide. He had
gained the centre when a tremendous storm came on, and enormous waves
rolled in over the lake. The canoe laboured heavily and occasionally
shipped water, which was quickly bailed out. Had this not been done,
the canoe would inevitably have been swamped. Down came the rain in
torrents, while the wind swept over the surface with terrific force,
nothing being discernible except the high cliffs looming in the
distance. The boatmen paddled energetically, and at last a beach was
seen ahead. A wave struck the canoe, washing over her. Just then the
men jumped out, and, though they were rolled over, they succeeded in
hauling the boat up the beach.

The shore of the lake, as they paddled along it, was thinly inhabited,
and the people very inhospitable, till they reached the town of
Eppigoya. Even here the inhabitants refused to sell any of their goats,
though they willingly parted with fowls at a small price.

At each village th