152 In the Heart of Africa 



I was able to read off the barometer, or the time, without the 

 aid of any lantern." The eruptions were always alike in char- 

 acter, and consisted of an immense mass of aqueous vapour, no 

 discharges of lava making themselves apparent. 



Some of the eruptions observed by Kirschstein were surveyed 

 at the same time by Lieutenant Wiese with the photo-theodolite, 

 from a greater distance. The pictures measured later with the 

 stereo-comparator showed that in one case (the eruption of the 

 17th November) the vaporous pine-like formation measured no 

 less than nine kilometres in height, whilst it attained a breadth 

 of nearly nineteen kilometres in the uppermost fan-shaped 

 parts. These figures assist one to form an idea of the im- 

 mense area occupied by these gaseous vaporous masses during 

 an eruption. 



It may be deemed worthy of mention that Kirschstein, who 

 ascended Namlagira before, during, and after the eruption, four 

 times in all, also ventured to effect a descent to the crater of this 

 active volcano for the purpose of elucidating manifold and 

 diverse geological questions. With regard to this decidedly 

 daring experiment he shall speak for himself: 



" I essayed the descent," reports Kirschstein, " in clear 

 weather on the 5th of December with a few specially picked 

 followers on whose trustworthiness and cool-headedness I 

 thought I could implicitly rely. Quite suddenly in the middle 

 of the crater we were enveloped in a dense mist and a fine 

 drizzling rain. The fog was so thick that we could hardly see 

 five paces in front of us, let alone discern the edges of the smok- 

 ing jaws of the volcano. One false step and we should have 

 vanished irrevocably for all eternity in the sinister yawning depths. 

 At the best there was the danger of being lost in the dense fog. In 

 these circumstances I decided to await a change of weather on 

 the spot itself. For two hours we waited, glued to the same 

 position. Then, suddenly, there came a dull rumbling from 

 under our feet like subterraneous thunder. First gently, re- 

 sembling thunder at a distance. Then again. Finally swell- 

 ing distinctly from minute to minute. . . . Cold sweat bathed 



