Bukora to try and obtain some information of the Headquarters, the runners had been met with a few marches from Bukora, and Tracy and I had consequently hastened forward with all speed. The united columns now commenced the return journey to Save. Manimani was reached on December 5, and here I gave my men a rest, and followed one day behind Headquarters, who reached the lower Save boma on December 12 by marching straight across from Dabasien along the shorter route, which was now dry. This, I fear, is only a very short and bald outline of the doings of the Headquarter Column, who experienced such difficulties and so much anxiety regarding the uncertainty of what the mutineers might attempt, to which also was added the possibility of trouble with the Sudanese in Latuka, if not an encounter with the Dervishes themselves. Much new and unknown country had been successfully explored and mapped, thus adding greatly to the previous imperfect geographical knowledge of the regions traversed. Loggouren and Tarangole were the only places which had before been visited by white men from the Nile; but the districts lying between Save and those places were unknown to geography until mapped by Macdonald. The geographical results of his exploratory work have already been to some extent laid before the Royal Geographical Society, so it is unnecessary for me to enumerate the new physical features discovered by him. I must now ask the reader to accompany my column in our travels to the north of Lake Rudolf. CHAPTER XII SAVE TO LAKE RUDOLF WITH THE RUDOLF COLUMN BEFORE leaving the lower Save boma for Ngaboto, owing to the paucity of transport at my disposal, it was found necessary to establish a small food depot three marches on ahead. With this object some fifty loads of flour were despatched on July 26 to a point agreed upon, and, a guard being left with it, the remainder of the men returned by double marches to Save, where they arrived on the 30th. The next day was spent in making final preparations for the start, and on August 1 Ferguson and I commenced the journey to Ngaboto. The start, as usual, was full of incident-it always is after a long halt. Anticipating trouble with our fresh Karamojo donkeys, 'Reveille' went at 4 a.m., and loading up and striking of camp was at once begun. Some of the donkeys were quiet enough, and placidly allowed their loads and saddles to be placed on their backs, and then proceeded to browse until we were ready to start. Others refused even to allow themselves to be caught inside their enclosure -surrounded by a thorn fence-threw 4-feet 'leps' in the most approved fashion over the zeriba, and careered away across country. Others, again, when loaded, fairly skimmed over the ground, treating the 130-pound loads on their backs as though they were mere napkins. Away they went at headlong speed, kicking and plunging in all directions, until they had either successfully freed themselves of their loads or were brought up short against a more sedate com panion amongst the herd; or, again, had so hopelessly tied themselves up into knots with loads and saddle that any further efforts on their part threatened to result in a broken neck. That sobered them, and I reflected, with some gratification, that they would be a bit more sobered still before they had seen the job through. One does not appreciate donkey stalking at that hour of the morning, however satisfied one may have felt at the extraordinary energy displayed by one's humble four-footed carriers. These proceedings generally terminate sooner or later, and we were really off by 6.30 a.m., reaching our old camping-ground on the Mugoret stream some four or five hours later, in spite of having two swollen streams to cross. Next day we reached the Kisimchanga River, which, as well as the Lukom, a stream met shortly before it, was in heavy flood, and we had great difficulty with the camels and donkeys. We now left our old track of the previous year, and struck north-east to the food depot, which had been formed on the bank of a stream. During the march we fell in with a party conducting thirty-five donkeys, which were being sent back from Ngaboto to Save by Tracy. Their arrival was most opportune, as now, instead of loading the men up with eight days' rations, as I had intended, I was able to issue less and carry the balance stored on these donkeys. In his letter Tracy informed me that he still had 250 loads of food at Ngaboto, and that Bright had recently been south to Marich and brought up the steel boat, which had been placed under the care of the Wa-Suk at that place when the post had been withdrawn. We had now reached firm gravelly soil along the foot of a low rocky ridge, from which conical peaks spring at intervals, and which forms the water-parting between streams flowing into Lake Rudolf and those which join the Nile. We still continued in a north-easterly direction next day near the ridge, traversing undulating grass country fairly thickly covered with |