THE GENERAL MATTHEWS CHAIN 



63 



stage of our Guaso Nyiro trip, so that we had now before us 

 the continuation of the same system which had appeared then 

 as a crescent on the north. 



The mountain system consists of several separate chains 

 of from about 8,000 to 9,000 feet absolute altitude, running 

 generally parallel with the Loroghi range. Our guide divided 

 the mountains into five parts : Mount JSTyiro, and the Saddim, 

 Doto, Murkeben, and Lengiyu chains. Side by side with the 

 last named rises a remarkable mountain known as Ngarroni, 

 which I had noticed when I was on the Guaso Nyiro. The 

 district between the Loroghi chain and the various mountain 

 masses enumerated above was flat at the base of the former, 

 but dotted at irregular distances with hills from about 300 to 

 900 feet high near the latter. The landscape was also of fairly 

 uniform flatness in the direction of Mounts Nyiro and Ngarroni. 

 The ravine-like valley in which we had wandered for the last 

 two days ran on close to our left in an easterly direction to the 

 lower-lying districts, where the further course of the stream 

 was marked by the fresh green foliage of the trees on its 

 banks. In other gorges and declivities there were a few 

 bushes, but the bare gleaming rock cropped up here, there, 

 and everywhere. 



We now marched across tlie plateau in an easterly direction, 

 passing quantities of game, chiefly buffaloes and rhinoceroses, 

 which made off" at our approach. One of the latter, a female, 

 which had a young one with her, suddenly dashed out of the 

 bush at Count Teleki, who had barely time to fire. She fell 

 dead at his feet, however. The division of the meat made a 

 long halt necessary, of which we were glad, as we had of course 

 a vast mass of new topographical information to classify. We 

 wound up our work by naming the newly discovered moun- 

 tains the General Matthews chain, in honour of our friend 

 General Lloyd Matthews, who had done so much to help 



