ON THE KDIKS OF MASHONALAND. 541 



it is 13 feet thick on the summit, with a batter of one foot in six ; it is 

 30 feet high in parts, and the flat causeway on the top was decorated on 

 the outside edge bj a succession of small ronnd towers — seven in all we 

 made out — about 3 feet in diameter, alternating with tall monoliths ; 

 a most peculiar and unique form of decoration. 



To open out the approach to this fortress town was a work of con- 

 siderable time and labour. It is exceedingly intricate, protected at every 

 turn with traverses and ambuscades, and then commences at the bottom 

 of the precipice a flight of steps, leading up. The ai'chitects have availed 

 themselves of a narrow slit in the granite boulder, up which the steps 

 led, the passage being exceedingly narrow ; then the path divided into 

 two, one path turning abruptly to the right, and at the turning a pretty 

 little bit of wall with the stones placed pointways for about a yard 

 relieved the monotony ; then it led along a narrow ledge over the preci- 

 pice, and in spite of the impossibility of attack at such a point it is never- 

 theless protected by traverses even here ; in fact, the redundancy of 

 fortification all over this naountain, the useless repetition of walls over a 

 precipice itself inaccessible, the cat-e with which every hole in the boulders 

 through which an arrow could pass is closed, prove that the occupants 

 were in constant dread of attack, and lived like a garrison in the heart 

 of an enemy's country. 



At the summit of the mountain are huge boulders about 50 feet high ; 

 immediately below the highest is a curious little plateau which had 

 been decorated by the ancient occupiers : it is approached by narrow 

 passages and steps on either side and a curious passage through the wall 

 below covered with huge beams of granite to support the superincumbent 

 weight. The steps on one side were made of the same strong cement, 

 and the wall to the left was decorated with the same design of stones 

 placed edgeways for six rows that we had at the angle of the approach. 

 The little plateau itself was adorned with huge monoliths and decorated 

 beams of soapstone, the patterns on which were chiefly of a geometric 

 character, and one of which was 13 feet in height. Here, too, we un- 

 earthed many crushing stones of diorite and a curious stone with lines 

 carried round it with great regularity ; we found another similar one 

 in the temple itself. 



The large semicircular space below this was a dense jungle when we 

 started to work, consisting of nettles of extraordinary pricking powers 

 and other obnoxious plants which our natives cleared away ; but here, 

 again, were evident signs of fairly recent Kaffir habitation, beneath which 

 further relics may be found, but our time and resources would not per- 

 mit us to conclude this work. However, Mr. Cecil Rhodes has kindly 

 consented to have the work carried on, so there is every hope of further 

 material coming to hand. The view from this spot is magnificent over 

 the Livouri and Bessa Mountains, and situated as it is far above the 

 level of the marshy ground it would be healthy and habitable during 

 all seasons of the year. 



Time will not now permit me to enter into details concerning all 

 the intricacies of this fortress ; its narrow gullies protected for no con- 

 ceivable reason with walls and traverses ; its huge granite boalders with 

 every slit through which an ariow could pass carefully walled up ; but 

 a glance at the plan will show its chief points better than any descrip- 

 tion by words can give. 



The corner of the fortress which yielded our principal finds is now 



