302 IN AFRICA 



Only one time during the several weeks that we 

 were in sight of it was its summit capped with snow. 

 A few species of small animals live in the crater, 

 but no human beings. At night ice formed in the 

 little pools where we camped and a furious wind, 

 biting cold, swept down from the peaks and eddied 

 out of the great gap where the Turkwel flows. 



To all of our safari it was a welcome hour when 

 we struck camp, preparatory to leaving the crater 

 for the lower levels. The guides said there were 

 only two ways out one by the Turkwel gorge and 

 the other by the route up which w r e came. The for- 

 mer might lead us far from any sources of food 

 supplies, which by that time were becoming impera- 

 tively necessary, and the latter was undesirable un- 

 less as a last resort. After some deliberation we 

 resolved to climb over the eastern rim and strike for 

 the Nzoia River. No one had ever been known to 

 take this course, but we felt that we could cut our 

 way out and make trails sufficient to follow. 



The guides refused to go, because by doing so 

 they would enter a district where they might en- 

 counter tribes that were hostile to their own. On 

 one side of this mountain there was a bitter tribal 

 war even then under way. So we cheerfully said 

 good-by to the Elgonyi guides and slowly climbed 

 the rock rim and started for the unknown. 



For two days we climbed downward, sometimes 

 along ancient elephant trails and sometimes along 

 the sheep trails made by the flocks of mountain 

 tribes. Several times we came upon deserted Wan- 



