VIII 



TRAVELS m EASTERN AFRICA 



343 



after a stay of some months in Africa ; and to this 

 fact I attribute the indifference with which I treated 

 the affair. My mind was filled with the necessity of 

 reaching water, and sending back succour to the men 

 who had gone out of their heads for the want of it; 

 so, after a few exclamations of relief, and a hearty 

 laugh over the adventure, I pressed on with my boys 

 to our goal. 



Two hours after we reached our old camp on the 

 side of the crater, all my men turned up except the 

 two who were out of their minds, and one of their 

 fellows who had remained behind to watch over 

 them. 



On the trail to the crater I had noticed footprints ; 

 consequently I expected to meet natives. I knew 

 that not only the Embe visited that place for the 

 purpose of getting the sulphate of magnesium, but 

 also all the other tribes of the Jombeni range, and 

 there was a degree of likelihood that we should meet 

 a party of our old friends, the Wamsara. 



Immediately upon the arrival of my men, we 

 entered the chasm which led to the interior of the 

 crater. The moon was sufficiently high to light us 

 on our way, and I shall not soon forget the weird 

 effect produced by its light, as we slowly and with 

 difficulty wended our way over the stony bottom of 

 the rift in the crater, whose walls rose high on both 

 sides, and by their jagged outlines gave the effect of 

 some mediaeval ruin. When suddenly we reached 

 the end of the rift, and the deep extent of the vast 

 crater was exposed to view, illumined to its utmost 

 bounds by the rays of the moon, the effect was almost 



