CHAPTER V 



July 26. — We here left all the donkeys, our own and 

 Vanderweyer's (together with our surplus effects), in 

 homa until our return from Natron, and started off with 

 men only. The guides were on time at 6 :oo, and before 

 we had gone a mile three others had joined us. One 

 beautiful little savage had in our honour donned a 

 horrible greasy old patched khaki suit eight sizes too 

 large for him. He had been once to Moschi, he proudly 

 explained. He certainly looked like a scarecrow. The 

 other three, they told us, would not expect wages but 

 would go along for meat. 



We rode our mules for two hours then sent them back. 

 This, although we did not know it, was our last ride 

 on those unfortunate animals. In all we have used 

 the mules only about twenty-five miles. The rest of 

 the time the country has been too rough, or we have 

 had to scout afoot. 



Marched along the base of high mountains, to the 

 left, on a plateau of high grass and thin scrub. Far to 

 the south, over the edge of the world, we could see 

 immense craters. They were forty or fifty miles away 

 and glittered as though with snow, each rising by itself 

 from the plain. 



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