ADVENTUEE WITH A LEOPARD 



89 



whole extent of the valley was now spread out before us ; on 

 the west rose rugged mountains, gradually increasing in height, 

 for the Kisingo range is succeeded by that of Ugweno. And 

 near the base of tlie latter, in the wide plain stretching away 

 to the east, we could see Lake Jipe, which looked like a 

 narrow gleaming streak of light, far above which lowered a 

 dark unchanging shadow, encircled by greyish-white clouds. 

 This was Kimawenzi, with its rugged buttresses and pinnacles, 

 the lower of the two peaks of Kilimanjaro ; but unfortunately 

 the ice-crowned peak of Kibo, which rises considerably higher 

 than Kimawenzi, was hidden now. 



"We started along the valley at the base of the Kwa Mdimu 

 mountains, camping at about four o'clock in the afternoon near 

 a dried-up rainwater pool. 



On this day's march Count Teleki had started earlier than 

 the caravan, so as to do some hunting. Besides a successful 

 double shot at two Mpala antelopes, he had an interesting- 

 adventure with a leopard. He had seen one in the high 

 grass, but it disappeared too quickly for him to fire at it. 

 At the same moment he heard a growling near l3y, and saw 

 some animal approaching him through the long grass. 

 'Thinking it was a wild boar, or something of that kind, he 

 changed his rifle for a gun and fired, little dreaming of 

 what he had done. There was a rolling over and over in the 

 grass, and then he saw the paws of a great leopard. Quickly 

 the rifle was seized again ; but the danger was past, the animal 

 was quite dead. 



Late in the afternoon Kibo also became visible, and the 

 beautifully serrated line of the saddle connecting the two 

 peaks of Kilimanjaro was also fully revealed. The setting- 

 sun touched them for a time wdth glory ; then a thick mantle 

 of white cloud shrouded the rugged form of Kimawenzi, 

 leaving only the snow-clad dome of Kibo rising up in solitary 



