TO THE CAMEROON MOUNTAINS. 11 
Victoria. We then emptied a bottle of champagne in honour of 
the day, and again separated, I to descend to our resting-place, 
and Consul Burton to climb Mount Albert. When he returned, 
I learned that he had found crevices from which smoke was issuing. 
On the next day I again climbed Mount Victoria (alt. by Consul 
Burton's thermometer 13,270 ft.), and then went to Mount Albert 
and fetched the thermometer. I found the max. temp. 55°, the 
min. 27°, and the temperature, at the time of my return, 35°. I 
then visited the chinks to ascertain the temperature in them, which 
I found to be dower than outside: no smoke was issuing from them. 
From this I set out to Mount Hooker, at the base of which I boiled 
the thermometer (alt. 10,856 ft.), and then ascended and repeated 
the operation at the top (alt. 12,271 ft.), and returned. 
While the north-east side of the latter mountain is covered with 
the very pretty grass Deschampsia cespitosa, which forms masses 
of 2-3 feet diameter and 2 feet high, I found the south-west side 
entirely clothed with Hypericum, Ericinella, Cytisus, and Heli- 
chrysum chrysocoma. 
On the way to Mount Isabel I was enveloped in such thick clouds 
that I could only see one or two steps in advance, which made the 
road, which in fine weather is difficult, very disagreeable, as one 
could not see the many holes until upon the margin of them. 
When I had reached Mount Isabel the weather cleared, and I set 
off to the principal encampment, where Consul Burton informed 
me that there had been a heavy shower of hail during the day ; 
heavy rain had also fallen at the camp, and wetted most of the 
things we had left. 
At noon on the 31st of January, Consul Burton and his people 
left for Victoria. The weather considerably improved ; and a hur- 
ricane, which blew down some old trees near the camp, was the 
only noteworthy incident of the day. 
On the following day I was busily engaged in collecting the 
pretty Brucea antidysenterica, sheltered in a hollow from the 
strong wind, when I suddenly observed a native close by, who, 
without seeing me, had unwittingly dropped upon me. When 
I addressed him, he stretched out his head, and after a few 
minutes pronounced the word “tobacco.” I called to him to 
come nearer, which he was unwilling to do; and when I went to- 
wards him, I saw that he trembled with fright. He was a head 
taller than I, and nearly twice as stout, without any clothes except 
a small piece of thin cloth about his loins; he had a cutlass and 
