182 RUWENZOKI AND ITS SNOWS 



finely — not in heavy drops — but every day. Eain often turns to hail, 

 sleet, or snow at 13,000 feet. 



From Bihunga, the last permanent habitation of man in the Mubuko 

 Valley (the exact altitude of which was 6,858 feet *), we ascended along a 

 native path to a camping-place underneath a huge rock at the head of the 

 left branch of tlie Mubuko Valley. The altitude here by boiling-point was 

 9,702 feet.f This was the first of the extraordinary series of rock shelters 

 whicli served as camping-places to Em'opeans and natives ascending the 

 mountain by means of the Mubuko Valley. The camping-places consist 

 of small areas of absolutely dry soil under an over-reaching cliff of micaceous 

 rock. Two yards, three yards, four yards away from the shelter of the 

 overhanging ledge the ground is an impassable bog. Immediately under 

 the arch it is bone-dry. However convenient, I doubt if there is permanent 

 safety under these rock shelters, since it would seem as though from time 

 to time fragments of micaceous rocks detached themselves from the over- 

 hanging roof. In this way these cliffs are probably crumbling away by 

 degrees at their base, infiltration of water from the bogs above no doubt 

 being the cause. PVom this second camp, which was called by the natives 

 Kichuchu, we had a most arduous climb, sometimes dragging our bodies 

 up the bed of a small torrent, and being nearly drowned in the process. 

 For miles we walked, as I have already said, along slippery tree-trunks, 

 often unable to see through the crevices any solid ground beneath us. 



At length we reached the edge of the upper valley of the Mubuko 

 River, and found for a couple of miles or more a charming tract of fiat 

 country like a beautiful swampy garden. Here, too, we found the largest 

 of these rock-camps under huge, overhanging cliffs. This other camp was 

 called by the natives Buamba, which really means " up above," ^'the height" 

 par excellence. The altitude of Baamba camp was 11,447 feet.i The 

 next day we climbed for a little under two hoars, and reached the last of 

 the rock shelters at an altitude of ahout 12,500 feet. From or near here 

 we obtained suddenly a splendid view of the snows of Ruwenzori. Looking 

 up the main Mubuko Valley, we saw a fine panorama of snow-fields and 

 glaciers ; but westwards appeared to be the highest point of Kuvvenzori, a 

 huge black knob rising out of the snow-fields of unruffled purity and dazzling 

 white. From the last of the rock shelters we directed our steps towards 

 where the ascent of the snow-range seemed most practicable, namely, the 

 Mubuko glacier. The altitude of the base of this glacier was 13,191 

 feet.g We found it was impossible to climb higher in this direction 



* Water boiled at 200"1° Fahr. ; temperature, 58°. 



t Water boiled at 195"1'' Fahr.; tem])erature, 52°. 



X ^^'ater boiled at 192'2° Fahr. ; temperature, 47°. 



§ Water boiled at 189'3° Fahr. ; temjjerature, 47°. 



