808 THROUGH ANGOLA 



80 (extremes 50 to 90), at the ports of Ben- 

 guella, Lobito, and Catumbella, and the low rain- 

 fall (under 10 inches), is such as to render all 

 habitable by Europeans, and one of them (Lobito), 

 which is free of mosquitoes, even healthy. 



The land rapidly rises, and at Bimbe and the 

 Lengue Gorge (my lion camp) the Primary 

 rocks (mainly gneiss, biotite, and hornblende) 

 appear, and a coarse conglomerate occurs, in- 

 cluding gneiss and granite elements. 



The second plateau, about 30 miles along the 

 railway, which here reaches a height of nearly 

 3000 feet, is an arid country with numerous 

 granite outcrops, forming picturesque tors ; and 

 this waterless belt of granite, gneiss, and biotite 

 schists continues to Catengue, 70 miles from the 

 sea, and 1700 feet above it, with temperatures of 

 61 to 90 (extreme of 40 to 105), and a rainfall 

 of 11 inches. 



Before reaching Cubal station (height 2800 

 feet, temperature 63 to 88), the country becomes 

 more wooded (rainfall 40 inches), and is suitable 

 for agriculture, being more level and less rocky. 

 About the 160th milestone, 12 miles beyond Ganda 

 station (elevation 3500 feet, temperature 64 to 

 82, rainfall 50 inches), a geological change occurs, 

 and a ferruginous sandstone is met with near the 

 Oendolongo hills, which consist of stratified rocks 

 including sandstone, rhyolite tufts, and quartzite, 

 overlying what are probably volcanic rocks. 



The granite formation, with its picturesque 

 outcrops, still continues till past Cuma (4500 feet, 

 temperature 57 to 84, rainfall 50 inches). An- 



