THROUGH THE HEART OF AFRICA 



409 



Nortli of Lake Kivu is a region of volcanoen. two of 

 which are still active. From reports from the natives 

 Mr Grogan believes that one of the latter was formed 

 during a terrific eruption only two years before his 

 arrival. The main stream of lava flowed for a dis- 

 tance of 30 miles, engulfing the forest with which the 

 valley was clothed, in many places piling up the lava 

 and ash to a height of 30 feet. "The natives in- 

 formed me," Mr Grogan states, " that whole herds of 

 elephants were destroyed. I myself saw the bones of 

 one that had been forced np to the top of the edge 

 of the stream." 



"In the plain to the north of Kivu, in the pass 

 between the two blocks of volcanoes and on the slopes 

 to the north, owing to the porous nature of the ground, 

 there is no water ; yet in spite of this there is an enor- 

 mous population, the necessary water being obtained 

 by tapping the stems of the banana palms. The moist- 

 ure is retained by the gromid, and consequently the 

 forests that clothe the slopes of the volcanoes are 

 wildly luxuriant and impenetrable to everything but 

 the elephant. AVhen hunting and following close on 

 the tracks of an elephant we had to cut our way with 

 a native axe, without which no one moves a yard. 

 For hundreds of yards at a time one never touched 

 the ground, but was climbing along the prostrate tree 

 trunks and denser growth, which, of course, the ele- 

 phant would take in its stride. More desperate work 

 or more dangerous hunting it would be impossible to 

 conceive." 



In the neighborhood of these same volcanoes a curi- 

 ous tyj)e of mankind was observed, tall, with long 

 arms, pendent ])aunch, and the short legs of the ai)e. 



" Wlien exploring with a small number of followers 

 I observed some ape-like creatures leering at me from 

 behind banana palms, and with considerable difiiculty 

 my Ruanda guide induced one of them to come and 

 be inspected ; he was a tall man, with long arms, pen- 

 • lent paunch, and short legs of the ape. At first he 

 was terribly alarmed, but soon gained confidence, and 

 when I asked him ab(jut elephant and other game he 

 gave me most realistic representations of them and of 

 how they should be attacked. I failed to exactly de- 

 fine their social status, Vjut from the contempt in wiiicli 

 tliey were held by the Waruanda their local caste nuist 

 be very low. The stamp of the brute was so strong on 



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