we had brought from Latooka had been drowned by
the rain ; thus my Mahommedan followers refused to
eat them, as their throats had not been cut. Not being
so scrupulous, and wonderfully hungry in the cold
rain, Mrs. Baker and I converted them into a stew,
and then took refuge, wet and miserable, under our
untanned ox-hides until the following morning. Although
an ox-hide is not waterproof, it will keep out a
considerable amount of wet; but when thoroughly
saturated, it is about as comfortable as any other wet
leather, with the additional charm of an exceedingly
disagreeable raw smell, very attractive to hyenas. The
night being dark, several men thus lost their leather
bags that they had left upon the rock.
At 6 a .m ., having passed a most uncomfortable night,
we started, and after a march of about two miles I was
made extremely anxious for the donkeys, by being assured
that it was necessary to ascend a most precipitous
i
granite hill, at least seven hundred feet high, that rose
exactly before us, and upon the very summit of which
was perched a large village. There was no help by
means of porters ; we led our horses with difficulty up
the steep face of the rock—fortunately they had never
been shod, thus their firm hoofs obtained a hold where
an iron shoe would have slipped; and after extreme
difficulty and a most tedious struggle, we found our
party all assembled on the flat summit. From this
elevated point we had a superb view of the surrounding
country, and I took the compass bearing of the Latooka
mountain Gebel Lafeet, N. 45° E. The natives of the
village that we had now reached had nothing to sell
but a few beans, therefore without further delay we
commenced the descent upon the opposite side, and at
2.40 p .m . we reached the base, the horses and donkeys
having scrambled over the great blocks of stone with
the greatest labour. At the foot of the hill the country
was park-like and well wooded, although there was no
very large timber. Here the grass was two feet high
and growing rapidly, while at Latooka all was barren.
Halted at 5.20 p .m . on the banks of a small running
stream, a tributary to the Kanleti. The night being
fine we slept well; and the «.ext morning at 6 a .m . we
commenced the most lovely march that I have ever
made in Africa. Winding through the very bosom of
the mountains, well covered with forest until the bare
granite peaks towered above all vegetation to the height
of about 5,000 feet, we continued through narrow
valleys bordered by abrupt spurs of the mountains
from 1,500 to 2,000 feet high.. On the peak of each
was a village; evidently these impregnable positions
were chosen for security. At length the great ascent
was to be made, and for two hours we toiled up a steep