FROM LAKE ALBERT TO MURCHISON FALLS.
Ten miles from Magungo the river suddenly narrowed, till it was but two
hundred and fifty yards broad. The great level tracks of rush banks
gradually disappeared as they entered a channel shut in by high banks on
either side. The hills here were heavily timbered.
Even here the current was so sluggish as to indicate no perceptible
stream. A heavy fog soon covered the river. Gradually it lifted. As
Baker watched it slowly rise from the water, he noticed the little,
floating, green water plants perceptibly moving to the west. Looking
more closely, he saw that their progress, though slow, was certainly
towards Albert Nyanza.
[Illustration: CROCODILES ON THE BANKS OF THE NILE.]
They were about eighteen miles from Magungo when they perceived this
very slight current in the river. Proceeding on their journey, they
found the river gradually narrowing to a width of but one hundred and
eighty yards. As they ceased paddling the roar of the water could be
distinctly heard. After two hours of hard pulling, during which the
velocity of the water was noticeably increasing and the roar of the fall
became extremely loud, they reached a few deserted fishing huts. These
were situated at a convenient little bend in the river.
At this point crocodiles were noticed in immense numbers. They lay
closely packed together, like timber logs in a lumber region. Upon one
bank twenty-seven of the ugly reptiles lay basking in the sunlight.
Every nook and turn in the bank disclosed crowds of them lurking in the
stream, their hideous jaws just showing on the surface of the water.
The banks on either side, which had gradually been growing steeper, now
became decidedly bolder and more rugged. The roar of the fall grew more
fearful, and as they rounded the corner of the stream a magnificent view
burst upon them. On either side of the river beautifully wooded cliffs
rose precipitously to a height of some three hundred feet. Here and
there picturesque rocks jutted out from among the green foliage. The
river, abruptly contracted from its grand proportions into a narrow
stream, rushed madly through a gap cleft in the rock before them.
Through a gorge scarcely fifty feet in width it poured its waters with a
furious rush and roar, as it plunged with one gigantic leap into a dark
abyss lying one hundred and twenty feet below.
To quote from Baker's journal: "The fall of the water was snow-white,
which had a superb effect as it contrasted with the dark cliffs that
walled the river, while the graceful palms of the tropics and wild
plantains perfected the beauty of the view. This was the greatest
waterfall of the Nile, and in honor of the distinguished president of
the Royal Geographical Society, I named it the Murchison Falls, as the
most important object throughout the entire course of the river."
The canoes of the little party endeavored to approach the falls, but
when about three hundred yards from them the strong current and the
terrific whirlpools prevented any nearer view.
At their left a sand bank was literally covered with crocodiles. They
seemed to have no fear of the canoe till it approached within twenty
yards of them, when they slowly and lazily crept out of the water. A
huge hippopotamus charged the canoe, and struck the bottom of it with
such tremendous force as nearly to throw the crew out of it. Proud of
his achievement, the ugly monster raised his head to look at his strange
enemy, then sank rapidly in the stream.
The canoe now drifted rapidly down to a landing at a small deserted
fishing village, and the little party bade adieu to the lake and river
which had interested them so much in Central Africa.
If we look at the map of Africa, we shall find that the great lakes,
which form such an important physical feature of the continent, are
located chiefly in the southern and eastern sections of it, but are
distributed overall the great drainage systems. Let us take a little
review of the lake system.
Both lakes of the Nile basin, the Victoria and Albert Nyanza lakes, are
really great fresh-water seas.
If the present estimate of this great extent should ultimately prove to
be fairly correct, they are the rivals even of the great American lakes
in being the greatest expanse of fresh water on the face of the globe.
In 1889, a great lake lying three hundred miles northeast of the
Victoria Nyanza was discovered. It has been named Lake Rudolf. It is
about one hundred and sixty two miles long and over twenty miles wide.
The principal lakes of the Congo basin are Lake Bangweolo, or Bemba, one
hundred and fifty miles long from east to west, and Lake Moero, having a
length of sixty miles. There are several lakes of this basin still
unvisited. They are said to be of vast extent and to lie two thousand
feet above the level of the sea.
Lake Nyassa belongs to the Zambesi basin. It covers an area of nearly
nine thousand miles in this great river basin. Lake Shirwa, on the
plateau southeast of Lake Nyassa, is enclosed by mountains. It has an
elevation of two thousand feet above the sea. Its water is brackish and
has no outlet. Lake Tanganyika occupies an area of more than ten
thousand square miles. A broad channel unites it with Lake Liemba, in
the south. No outlet was for many years discovered for Tanganyika. It is
probably a continental lake; for its waters are not perfectly fresh, and
its drainage is very small.
Lake Tchad is the greatest lake of the continental system of North
Africa. It consists of a shallow lagoon of very variable extent.
Numerous islands dot its surface. Its waters are fresh and clear, and
the overflow is carried off by the Bahr-el-Gazal to the northeast. Lake
N'gami is in the southern continental system. It corresponds to Lake
Tchad of the northern system. It is a shallow, reedy lagoon. Its extent
varies according to the seasons. Its surplus water is carried by the
Zuga River off to the eastward. Within the areas of continental
drainage, salt lakes occur frequently. Assal Lake, in Abyssinia, is the
most remarkable of these salt lakes.