OUR JOURNEY UP THE NIGER AND BENUE 47 



observations ; nothing seemed to lie before us but a vast 

 expanse of bush, with no point to the northward except the 

 one ridge of Serikin Kudu, where my brother went on April 

 23 and put up a subtense of lights to which angles were taken. 

 From his report it was clear that nothing could be done from 

 that ridge, as before him lay only line after line of forest- 

 clad hills with no distinguishing point, and we began to fear 

 that we should be compelled to give up all idea of connect- 

 ing Ibi with the northern country, except by astronomical 

 determinations, since a rigorous traverse would have taken 

 far too long. However, one day after very heavy rain, to our 

 great delight my brother reported the appearance in the dis- 

 tance of a dim outline, which we knew could be no other 

 than that of the Murchison Range. I can imagine his great 

 joy at the discovery after days of disappointment, which I 

 think he expressed well when he said he then realised that 

 the psalmist must have been a geographer who sang : " I 

 will lift mine eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my 

 help." 



