i6 In the Heart of Africa 



side of the Europeans, and the main body at the head of the 

 carrier column, the rear of which was again brought up by two 

 Askari and at least two Europeans. 



And then with flags flying and songs sung by the carriers, 

 accompanied for a time by the rhythmical beating of sticks 

 against the cases, the huge caravan set out on the march. 



Even at this stage all our Europeans were not ready for the 

 march. Lieutenant Weiss and Kirschstein, the geologist, were still 

 absent. They had asked for a few days' leave of absence for 

 the purpose of adjusting instruments, a matter which was better 

 undertaken at Bukoba. Before any expedition sets out it is 

 essential that all instruments should be subjected to a supreme 

 final test as to their accuracy, as they are liable to suffer in 

 transit by sea and rail. Weiss, therefore, very properly, laid 

 stress upon their undergoing a final examination. Apart from 

 this he utilised the opportunity to take astronomical time and date 

 computations. Bukoba was excellently situated for such work, 

 as its exact position had been very accurately determined by the 

 trigonometrical survey of the Anglo-German boundary expedi- 

 tion. Weiss decided, therefore, to calculate the longitudinal 

 measurements by the aid of his seven chronometers. 



Dr. Czekanowski had already marched off to Marienberg. 

 Early in the morning of the i8th of June we came upon a 

 cave picture near Buanja, which had shortly before been dis- 

 covered by the Mission Brothers. The walls of the cave were 

 covered with strange paintings which formed an interesting record 

 of primeval man's ideas of art. 



One industrial feature of the province is the manufacture 

 of material for wearing apparel out of bark. The woof is 

 fabricated from the bark of the lumbue tree, and is often of 

 considerable length. These stuffs, which attain an almost trans- 

 parent fineness of texture through being beaten with wooden 

 hammers, are figured with patterns, for which purpose a mixture 

 of clay dissolved in water is used, and are then dried in the sun. 

 At Buanja Dr. Czekanowski fell in with us again. He had 

 already been very active and obtained possession of a consider- 



