336 



TO KENIA 



western edge one precipitous and rocky peak caps the moun- 

 tain mass, standing, however, in no relation to the huge block 

 above which it rises. On the north-east of this peak there is 

 a rounded snow-capped summit. The gradient of the western 

 slopes of Mount Kenia is very slight, whilst on the east it is so 

 gentle as to be almost imperceptible, so that there the masses 

 of snow extend far southwards, and give the impression of a 

 grand and lofty glacier-covered plateau. Although we were 

 disappointed in the general appearance of this mighty African 

 mountain, it exercised an irresistible fascination upon us, as 

 the goal of the present stage of our journey, especially upon 

 me, as I was now reduced to a perfect skeleton, and nothing but 

 constant excitement kept me going at all. 



Quite unmolested, we reached on September 28 a wide 

 stream called Masiyoya, and the next day a rushing brook of 

 the same name some 50 to 60 feet wide by about 3 feet deep. 

 The trunk of a tree formed a good bridge over Masiyoya No. 1, 

 but we had to wade through No. 2. The crowds of natives 

 who accompanied us were friendly enough, and many of them 

 had no weapons, but we could see that their behaviour was 

 dictated from motives of policy, not by any liking for us ; but 

 perhaps, indeed, they were thinking of all they had suffered at 

 the hands of Dr. Fischer's people. All paths leading past 

 villages were carefully guarded, and the plantations were in 

 many cases protected with rows of stakes stuck in the ground 

 along the edge, whilst we were roughly ordered to keep the track. 



I should like to remark here that there is altogether a 

 wrong impression abroad as to the proper treatment by a 

 traveller of hostile natives. In districts where might makes 

 right, and retaliation is the custom of the country, submission 

 and forbearance are looked upon as signs of fear and weakness, 

 and to employ force is the only means of producing the neces- 

 sary impression. The oft-repeated assertion that the forcible 



