Nyam-nyam country, as far as the district of Janda, he observed such West African forms as _Artocarpus_ and _Anthocleista_, but he states that the valley of the Mountain Nile throughout its whole length, as far south as Lake Albert, is characterised by steppe vegetation, as is also the entire eastern region of the Nile basin. CHAPTER XXIII STANLEY DISCOVERS THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON AND LAKE ALBERT EDWARD.--THE END OF EMIN Two sets of circumstances now hindered further exploration of the Nile basin,--the revolt of the Mahdi, with the disasters that followed at Khartum; and the persecution of the Christians followed by civil war in Uganda. Emin Pasha was left to govern Equatoria for four years, cut off from all communication with Egypt. Dr. Junker, arriving with his collections and journals in 1886, aroused a great wave of enthusiasm in England and Germany. Stanley at once offered to lead a relief expedition to the Equatorial provinces of the Nile. The great prestige of this remarkable man made it impossible for any other candidate to enter the field in England. Many, however, were in favour of entrusting the expedition to Thomson, who believed in the practicability of conducting it by a direct route from Mombasa to Mount Elgon, and so across to the Nile. Whether he would have succeeded is a moot question, owing to the fierceness of the Nile tribes between Elgon and Gondokoro, and the jealousy and suspicion of Uganda and Unyoro; for the King of Uganda, having had his fears aroused as to European aggression, had already caused Bishop Hannington to be murdered for repeating Thomson’s journey to Busoga. Stanley was precluded from following the old Unyamwezi route, owing to German jealousy. He decided, therefore, to strike at the Upper Nile by way of the Congo, and so found himself struggling through the dense forests of the Congo basin between the navigable waters of the Aruwimi and the cliffs of Lake Albert. This wonderful journey, which he took for the relief of Emin Pasha, resulted in the discovery of the real Mountains of the Moon [Ruwenzori], the complete course of the Semliki River, Lake Albert Edward, and the southwesternmost gulf of the Victoria Nyanza. Stanley added a great deal to our knowledge of the Congo Pygmies, who in this direction stray over into the Nile watershed; but his grand discovery on this occasion was Ruwenzori. On May 24, 1888, about five miles from Nsabe, on the grassy mountains to the southwest of Lake Albert Nyanza,