220 TIIEOUGII TURKANA AND SUK 



quite recently ejected scoriifi and lava, upon wliicli we came so 

 suddenly that we involuntarily arrested our steps. So very 

 recent was this mass of ejected volcanic matter that we could 

 only approach it in trembling, but it was already quite cold. 

 It extended from tlie smoking volcano to the shore of the lake, 

 and must therefore be traversed to get to the crater. But, as 

 we soon found, this was a very hazardous matter. The pitch- 

 black stream of lava, which resembled in its windings a turbid 

 and sluggish flood, concealed a perfect labyrinth of pitfalls 

 with brittle walls of from some thirteen to sixteen feet in cir- 

 cumference. The upper covering of many of these holes was 

 in many places torn asunder, revealing the inside, bristling with 

 stalagmite-like spikes and edges as sharp as knives. To fall 

 into one of these holes would be fatal, and we were very soon 

 compelled to retrace our steps. The lava did, in fact, give way 

 beneath Kharscho, who had come with us, just as he jumped 

 from the edge of the stream to the sand below, a distance of 

 some ten feet. It was evident that we could not get to the 

 crater, so we had to content ourselves Avith a general survey 

 of this volcanic district. Presently we came upon an isolated 

 acacia, which had stood just at the edge of the stream of lava, 

 and had been scorched by it to a height of some six feet. The 

 still perfect crown of brandies, leaves, and thorns lay hard by, 

 looking as if it had but just fallen. In very dry districts such 

 as these decay does not set in for several years. There were 

 several little paths, which had once led down to the lake and 

 were now partly buried beneath the lava, which looked as if 

 they had been used but the day before. The glare from the 

 sun reflected from the black lava was terrible. 



Our circumstances would not admit of our remaining here 

 long, and we started again the next morning, pushing on by a 

 terrible route over sharp-edged debris and amongst a chaos 

 of rugged rocks, coming once more upon the remains of 



