should not be lost to the glory of England and the Society of
which he was President; and said to me, "Speke, we must send you
there again." I was then officially directed, much against my
own inclination, to lecture at the Royal Geographical Society on
the geography of Africa, which I had, as the sole surveyor of the
second expedition, laid down on our maps.[FN#4] A council of the
Geographical Society was now convened to ascertain what projects
I had in view for making good my discovery by connecting the lake
with the Nile, as also what assistance I should want for that
purpose.

Some thought my best plan would be to go up the Nile, which
seemed to them the natural course to pursue, especially as the
Nile was said, though nobody believed it, to have been navigated
by expeditions sent out by Mehemet Ali, Viceroy of Egypt, up to
3§ 22ï north latitude. To this I objected, as so many had tried
it and failed, from reasons which had not transpired; and, at the
same time, I said that if they would give me œ5000 down at once,
I would return to Zanzibar at the end of the year, March to Kaze
again, and make the necessary investigations of the Victoria
lake. Although, in addition to the journey to the source of the
river, I also proposed spending three years in the country,
looking up tributaries, inspecting watersheds, navigating the
lake, and making collections on all branches of natural history,
yet œ5000 was thought by the Geographical Society too large a sum
to expect from the Government; so I accepted the half, saying
that, whatever the expedition might cost, I would make good the
rest, as, under any circumstances, I would complete what I had
begun, or die in the attempt.