88. MBINDA CEMETERY 350 89. AT REST: MY QUARTERS AT KABINDA BY THE SEA. (_From a photograph_) 362 90. EXPEDITION AT KABINDA. (_From a photograph_) 363 [Illustration: UJIJI, LOOKING NORTH FROM THE MARKET-PLACE. VIEWED FROM THE ROOF OF OUR TEMBÉ AT UJIJI. (_From a photograph by the Author._) ] THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT. —————— CHAPTER I. Ujiji, its scenery, residents, markets, and vicinity—Arab rivals—The circumnavigation of the Tanganika—Commander Cameron and the outflowing Lukuga—The encroaching waters—The legend of the Lake—Evening. _June._—The best view of Ujiji is to be obtained from the flat roof of one of the Arab tembés or houses. A photograph which I took of the view north from my tembé, which fronted the market-place, embraced the square and conical huts of the Wangwana, Wanyamwezi, and Arab slaves, the Guinea palms from the golden-coloured nuts of which the Wajiji obtain the palm-oil, the banana and plantain groves, with here and there a graceful papaw-tree rising amongst them, and, beyond, the dark green woods which line the shore and are preserved for shade by the fishermen. South of the market-place are the tembés of the Arabs, solid, spacious, flat-roofed structures, built of clay, with broad, cool verandahs fronting the public roads. Palms and papaws, pomegranates and plantains, raise graceful branch and frond above them, in pleasing contrast to the grey-brown walls, enclosures and houses. The port of Ujiji is divided into two districts—Ugoy, occupied by the Arabs, and Kawelé, inhabited by the Wangwana, slaves, and natives. The market-place is in Ugoy, in an open space which has been lately contracted to about 1200 square yards. In 1871 it was nearly 3000 square yards. On the beach before the market-place are drawn up the huge Arab canoes, which, purchased in Goma on the western shore, have had their gunwales raised up with heavy teak planking. The largest canoe, belonging to Sheikh Abdullah bin Suliman, is 48 feet long, 9 feet in the beam, and 5 feet high, with a poop for the Nakhuda (captain), and a small forecastle. Sheikh Abdullah, by assuming the air of an opulent shipowner, has offended the vanity of the governor, Muini Kheri, who owns nine canoes. Abdullah christened his “big ship” by some very proud name; the governor nicknamed it the _Lazy_. The Arabs and Wajiji, by the way, all give names to their canoes. The hum and bustle of the market-place, filled with a miscellaneous concourse of representatives from many tribes, woke me up at early dawn. Curious to see the first marketplace we had come to since leaving Kagehyi, I dressed myself and sauntered amongst the buyers and sellers and idlers. [Illustration: A NATIVE OF RUA WHO WAS A VISITOR AT UJIJI.]