Page:Works of Jules Verne - Parke - Vol 1.djvu/236

 "Really?"

"Now, from this northern extremity runs a stream which ought to flow into the Nile, if it be not the Nile itself."

"That is extremely interesting."

"Now place the other point of that compass on this extremity of the lake"

"It is done," said Ferguson.

"How many degrees do you make it between the points?"

"Scarcely two."

"Do you know how far that is, Dick?"

"Haven't an idea!"

"It is but 120 miles; a mere nothing."

"Well, scarcely nothing, Samuel."

"Now, do you know what is actually taking place at this moment?"

"No, upon my life, I don't.

"Well, the Geographical Society considers it very important that this lake, discovered by Speke, should be explored. Under its direction, Lieutenant, now Captain, Speke has joined with Captain Grant of the Indian Army; they have been put at the head of a numerous caravan, and with ample funds. They have been commissioned to go up the lake, and to return as far as Gondokoro. They have been subsidized to the amount of £5,000, and the Governor of the Cape has placed Hottentot soldiers under their orders. They left Zanzibar at the end of October, 1860. During this time, John Petherick, H. M. Consul at Karthoum, has received from the Foreign Office about £700. He has orders to provide a steamer, and, with a plentiful supply of provisions, to proceed to Gondokoro, there to await the arrival of Captain Speke’s party, and to assist them if necessary."

"That is a well-conceived plan," said Kennedy.

"You can now perceive that we have no time to lose if we would participate in this expedition. And that is not all; while they are marching on foot to discover the sources of the Nile, other travelers are bravely penetrating into the very heart of Africa."

"On foot?" exclaimed Kennedy incredulously.

"Yes," replied the doctor, without noticing the insinuation. "Doctor Krapf proposes to push towards the west