THE MARTI PLATEAU 



hazy and indistinct. The Uaso Nyiro, I discovered, 

 flows through a broad, shallow valley of which Marti 

 forms the northern edge, and which is bounded on the 

 south by a low line of hills. About twenty miles to 

 the west I could just make out some more hills, which, 

 the guide informed me, we should pass on our way to 

 Archer's Post. At this corner of the plateau, which 

 forms the summit of the most earterly spur of Marti, 

 I took observations for local time and latitude, and 

 completed the sketch that I had been working on ; I 

 then went on and rapidly explored the tableland to 

 the north-west. Kilima-ya-Mesa,^ as Marti is called 

 by Swahili-speaking natives, is the only mountain 

 deserving the name between this place and the Indian 

 Ocean, and forms an unmistakable landmark. 



The river which flows towards it from the south- 

 east, turns east, closely following its base, and then, 

 having left it behind, north-east. It is volcanic in 

 origin and rises abruptly from the river bank to a 

 height of 1607 feet, or 603 above the surrounding 

 country. The summit, as I have mentioned before, 

 consists of a plateau higher on the eastern edge and 

 roughly oval in shape, the long axis of which runs due 

 east and west, and is about eighteen miles in diameter. 

 The whole is covered with dense scrub growing from 

 a rich, soft soil, and there were many small pools of 

 rain-water hidden away in the bush. I noticed the 

 spoor of greater and lesser kudu and rhino while 

 crossing the plateau, but saw no game. It was late 

 before I had finished my work and reached the ford 

 once more. The river was crossed without incident, 

 and camp was safely reached shortly after dark. 



^ Table Mountain. 

 246 



