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THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT 
Suspecting, after leaving Irieni, and approaching Mori Bay, that a rivet 
of considerable importance emptied into it, we paid particular attention to 
ovory indentation on its uneven coast ; but on arriving at a lofty though 
small island at the eastern extremity, and climbing to its summit ISOfixit 
above the lake, we saw that the river was small, and that Its course was 
from south of east. Observation Island was rich in plants, though only a 
few hundred yards in length. The wild pine-apple, mimosas, acacia, thorn, 
gum, vines, euphorbias, eschinomenæ, llianes, water-cane, and spear-grass 
nourished with a luxuriance quite astonishibg. As we passed Utiri, wo 
observed that the natives were much interested in our boat, and some 
fishermen whom we encountered fell into ecstasies of laughter when they 
saw the novel method we adopted for propelling her. They mocked us 
good-naturedly, and by their gestures seemed to express contempt for the 
method in question, as not being equal to paddling. The rudder and its 
uses also excited unusual astonishment, and when the sail was hoisted, they 
skurried away as though it were an object of terror. 
Alter leaving the hilly coast of Utiri, the lowlands of Shi rati and Mohruru 
rose into view, and the black mountain mass of Ugeyeya appeared to the 
eastward at the distance of about twenty miles. To the west of it, grim 
and lofty, loomed the island of Ugingo. Clusters of grey, rocky islets stud 
the lake along the coast of Shirati, while from the water’s edge, to a dis 
tance of five or six miles, an uninteresting plain, unenlivened by forest or 
verdure, slopes slowly up to where the land breaks into groups and masses 
of irregular hills. This continues to the mouth of a river which the natives 
call Gori, and which terminates the country of Ururi. On the right bank of 
the river begins mountainous Ugeyeya, the south-western extremity of which 
runs out into the lake like a promontory. 
Gori is an important and powerful river during the rainy season. It is 
said to rise in a north-easterly direction near Kavi. Far inland on the east, 
to a distance of twenty-five d.ays’ journey, the country is reported to be a 
continuous plain, dotted with low hills and containing water only in pools. 
About fifteen days’ journey from the lake, the natives also report a region 
wherein are “ low hills which discharge smoke and sometimes fire from their 
tops.” This district is called Susa, and is a portion of the Masai Land. All 
concurred in stating that no stream runs north, but that all waters for at 
least twenty days’ journey enter the lake. Beyond that distance lies a small 
lake which discharges a stream eastward—supposed by me to be the Pangani. 
On the 21st of March we were passing under the lee—for the wind blew 
then from the north-east, off the land—of the dark headlands of Goshi, which 
at first rise steeply from the lake 900 feet and, later, receding from the lake, 
attain a height of from 2000 to 3000 feet. On our left towered the tall, 
tree-clad island of Ugingo, extending far to the north-west. Thin blue 
columns of smoke rising from the depths of its woods announced the pre*