Gorilla Hunting 



it was a lion ; anywhere else it was anything from a muga 

 to an aquatic animal, but few natives, curiously enough, 

 perhaps one in a thousand, knew it for what it was, and those 

 that knew held it in superstitious dread. 



On reaching Kisenji I found that several cases had occurred 

 amongst the native population of cerebro-spinal meningitis, 

 a common disease amongst the Ruanda and Urundi natives. 

 To combat the spreading of this disease, disinfection of the 

 lungs and throat was being carried out by the medical depart- 

 ment. This took place every morning near the compounds 

 and had to be attended by all native servants, our own 

 included. 



Before the war the Germans at Kisenji were in possession 

 of a small gasoline launch. This they sunk, together with 

 many drums of petrol in the lake near by, when they evacuated 

 the place in 1916. Having been salved the launch is now in the 

 possession of the Belgians, and together with a motor- 

 barge is the only mechanically driven vessel on the lake. 

 I believe, however, that another barge is now in course of 

 construction. 



The Petrolctte, as it was called, was very kindly put 

 at my disposal by Commandant Hollants and so, wishing to 

 pay a visit to the scene of the 1912 eruption, in the north- 

 west comer of Lake Kivu, I set out one fine morning with 

 the engineer and two White Fathers for Bobandana, at the 

 south end of Mbusi Bay. We had already passed the high 

 cliff and bare lava-beds that mark the narrowed channel 

 into the bay, and had examined from a distance with our 

 glasses the newly formed volcano, when our engine went on 

 strike. It appeared that since the engine's two years' im- 

 mersion in the lake it often did this when it felt hke it, 



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