Chapter Vili. 



another of the blocks heaped at the foot of the chfF. The 

 porters found an easier way a httle further down through 

 the senecios and hehchrysums between the second and third 

 lakelets. 



Thus skirting along the glacier they presently reached 

 the top of the lofty buttress, which runs w^estward from 

 Mt. Speke, dividing the two valleys which are to the west of 

 the Stuhlmann and Cavalli Passes. A spur of rock rises from 

 the very ridge, forming a helvedere 14,744 feet high, from 

 which they were able to observe the way which lay before 



them. 



Unfortunately the weather was already changing, and 

 detached drifts of mist, which had been gathering here and 

 there, now began rapidly to collect and melt into one another. 

 They saw quite clearly from this point a conical rocky peak 

 risino- from one of the western buttresses of Mt. Emin — a 

 sort of " little Matterhorn," which may possibly have been one 

 of the '' twin cones " towards which Stairs was steering on 

 his expedition to the north-west of the chain. 



To reacli the foot of Mt. Emin it was necessary to cross 

 the head of the great valley which runs down to the west of 

 the Cavalli Pass and cross another and smaller spur which 

 runs into this valley from Mt. Speke. Hence they continued 

 skirting the mountains at the foot of the Grant Glacier, which 

 seems to have shrunk even more than the others. On reaching 

 the top of this spur, they proceeded to descend, skirting the 

 slope towards the Cavalli Pass, taking advantage of a provi- 

 dential ledge which squeezed a narrow way between smooth 

 steep slabs of rock which would otherwise have been impassable. 

 This ledge was covered with a dense thicket of helichrysum, 

 through which the guides cut a patii. The valley was crossed 



24U 



