ISO In the Heart of Africa 



were not without fear of the tents collapsing. Finally, how- 

 ever, we sat down to do full justice to a smoking dish of Bust 

 (goat-flesh), and to discuss the various incidents of a very event- 

 ful day. 



As Wiese, Raven and I had to push on farther north in 

 order to establish friendly relations with the Belgian officers 

 who were awaiting us at Rutschuru, we bade good-bye to Kirsch- 

 stein and Grauer, the latter of whom contemplated returning to 

 Kiwu, whilst Kirschstein prepared to devote himself to the 

 special task of investigating the geological conditions of the 

 volcanoes, a matter for which I had granted him a few months' 

 time. 



During a period of over half a year of strenuous activity, 

 during which he successively ascended all the eight mountain 

 summits, Kirschstein thoroughly explored the Virunga volcanoes 

 and elucidated the conditions of their subsoil and their tectonic 

 and geological formation. I trust that this, the first expert 

 geological investigation of the practically inexhaustibly rich and 

 interesting field of the volcanic region at Lake Kiwu, may yield 

 some valuable new material for professional colleagues at home. 



Although we were not privileged ourselves to see anything 

 in the way of a notable eruption during our stay at Namlagira, 

 Kirschstein, who vv'as compelled by his researches to remain 

 several weeks longer, had the good fortune to witness at close 

 quarters quite a number of outbreaks from this volcano. I 

 append a brief description of one such event in his own words : 



" I was awakened, whilst lying in bed early one morning, by 

 a singular uproar which sounded something like the crashing of 

 breakers on a distant shore. I tore aside the tent hangings and 

 feasted my eyes on the magnificent view of an eruption of Nam- 

 lagira. Surging and swelling violently, and sounding something 

 like the variable roar of an immense, invisible furnace, white 

 clouds of steaming vapour, resembling monstrous cauliflower 

 heads in appearance, issued continuously from the crater, form- 

 ing over our heads a mighty pine-like canopy, spread out like a 

 fan at the top. It seemed to grow in the clear morning air to 



