The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume IX, No. 4 [‎191v] (53/172)

370 TWO
bows
YEARS’ TRAVEL IN UGANDA, UNYORO, AND ON THE UPPER NILE,
of the boat, frequently invoked Allah after this, and comforted
himself with a long pipe.
The further we went from Wadelai, the
more friendly the natives seemed to become. They are continually
fitting among themselves, and lead a precarious existence. Beyond
Bora, an old Egyptian fort on the right bank, the river is very broad-
about H mile-though the actual channel through the sud is only
about 500 yards in width. There is a large village at Umgwe, under
a chief called Abu Suma. The banks between here and Dufile seemed
well populated, though the country did not look very inviting. Villages
were hidden away among the high rocks and boulders on small hills
close to the river, and there was a certain amount of mtama and dhurra
cultivation. We could see the high hills behind Dufile in the distance,
and late in the afternoon of January 14 we reached the old fort, situated
close to the water’s edge at a bend of the river on the left bank. The
parapet and ditch were still very distinct, and there weie some mud-
brick houses, some lemon and cotton trees, the only signs remaining of
the Egyptian occupation. It was a relief to get on shore, after sitting
cramped up on one’s tent and baggage, together with a maxim gun, in
the stern for no less than ten or twelve hours. We also felt the heat
very much after the climate of the Lake districts.
I believe we were the first white men to have reached Dufile, since
the abandonment of the place in November, 1888. We walked across
from a village called Karas to a bend of the river below the head of the
rapids. Here the river was only about 40 yards broad, the banks wooded,
and strewn with enormous boulders of rock. The river makes a great
bend where it forces its way through the hills, and shortly afterwards
dashes down over the Fola cataracts, where, of course, navigation is
impossible. The Madi natives are a fine, strong-looking race, and with
them we met a representative of Abu Sulla, an important chief living
one day’s march below Dufile, on the right bank. He was dressed in
white cloth, which was probably obtained from the Arabs or Mahdists
to the north.
Our return journey to the Albert Nyanza was rather tedious, owing
to the strong stream. Near Unigwe we saw hartebeest and some other
antelope with short curved horns. There were plenty of water-buck, and
an enormous quantity of hippos, especially just above the rapids, where
we at first mistook them for rocks. On the eastern shore, up to the
Victoria Nile, we could see a fine open grass plain, with scattered bushes,
along which some stately giraffe were walking, also some Senegal harte
beest and other antelope. It is difficult to make out the entrance of the
Victoria Nile, and there is always a mirage on the horizon. There is a
good deal of sud, and many floating islands at the mouth of it. On a
second journey on Lake Albert, I visited the fort at Mswa and the west
coast up to Mahagi. The lake seems certainly unhealthy to people
coming from the high ground, and on returning to Fort Hoima, the