The Eastern Congo 



of the hide and skeleton.* Under this decidedly heavy load 

 twelve niggers struggled and thus heavily laden we slowly 

 reached the tents. 



The days that followed were engaged in making an ex- 

 cursion to the Visoke volcano and the ascent of the twin peaks 

 of Mikeno and Karisimbi, between which I had my camp. 

 Senecios, lobelias, heathers and other Alpine plants are to be 

 found growing in profusion at an elevation of about ii,ooo 

 feet on both these volcanoes. At one place just below the 

 bare cone of Karisimbi, senecios take the place of nearly all 

 other vegetation. 



These various excursions had now completed my entomo- 

 logical work, which proved to be rather disappointing owing 

 to the disgusting weather that had again set in. The cold 

 and wet made it impossible for me to keep warm night or 

 day. Fortunately one evening before I broke camp the 

 clouds had drifted away, revealing the splendid spectacle, 

 hidden till now, of the red storm-tossed cloud-masses hanging 

 above the amber smoke-column of Namlagira, and behind 

 it all the sun setting in a haze of golden splendour. 



My work completed, I now packed up my belongings and 

 again retraced my steps by way of Njundo to my temporary 

 home at Kisenji, where the gorilla proved of the greatest 

 interest to both white and black. The skin always attracted 

 a great deal of attention wherever I had it out to dry, the 

 crowd of natives examining it outside my tent often becoming 

 positively embarrassing. It was put down to be anything 

 between a hyena and a lion, according to the tribe we were 

 living amongst. In the Ituri forest, where lions are unknown, 



* Note. — My camp followers, although pretty hungry at the time, refused 

 to eat the meat of the gorilla. 



88 



