With Flashlight and Rifle ^ 



on the sea of flames as a " friendly element " ! For 

 example, the herds of baboons troubled themselves but 

 little with the conflagrations ; and 1 can quite believe 

 that in prehistoric times the anthropoid apes were able 

 to make friends with fire. 



This must have been so in the vicinity of volcanoes, 

 when, more frequently than nowadays, they belched forth 

 from the inmost recesses of the earth their burning ashes 

 and glowing flames. Captain von Beringe observed 

 gorillas in the neighbourhood of the barren slopes of 

 the Kirunga volcano, and I know that the " soko," 

 or chimpanzee, makes its home preferably in similar 

 desert spots. 



Even within the period during which they have been 

 under the control of man, these fires have destroyed the 

 forests throughout large districts of East Africa, and 

 doubtless many harmful animals and germs of disease 

 therewith. The Government made efforts to prevent 

 them, but the steps taken in this direction were in- 

 effectual. To my mind, Professor Volkens under-estimates 

 the havoc wrought by these conflagrations,, which have 

 much the same results in the tropics as they have in 

 Europe. 



W T ith a little foresight the traveller has nothing 

 to fear from the fire. When he sees it approaching 

 he has but to ignite the grass all round his camp in 

 advance, so that when the ^great flames arrive they may 

 find no fuel. 



Once, through imprudence, I was caught in one of 

 these fires and nearly suffocated. Owing to the smoke 



640 



