ON THE WAY TO MOUNT MERU 135 



little dogs. We also saw a good many ostriches and gazelles, 

 and made our first acquaintance with the handsome antelope 

 named after Thomson the Gazella Thomsoni. It was of course 

 impossible to do much hunting on the bare steppe, where there 

 was no shelter to be had ; but Count Teleki managed to bring 

 down, from a distance of three or four hundred paces, three 

 gnu-antelopes, one zebra, and one Gazella Thomsoni. The 

 ostriches seemed to know by instinct how to keep well out of 

 range. 



At about eleven o'clock eight old moruu caught us up, and 

 advised us respectfully to change the direction of our march, 

 or we should meet the armed morans we had started early to 

 avoid ; and under their guidance we bore at once north-west- 

 ward, across a barren plain strewn with blocks of lava, and 

 with here and there ponds of clear gleaming rainwater, beside 

 one of which we camped at mid-day, as it was pouring again. 



We were now already at the foot of Mount Meru, the height 

 of which is estimated by Dr. 0. Kersten, who triangulated it, as 

 14,638 feet ; but it was so completely enveloped in clouds, mist, 

 and rain, that not a sign of it could we see. In spite of the 

 wet weather, Count Teleki and I were in capital health ; but 

 many of the men had various complaints of the bowels, partly, 

 probably, owing to the damp, and partly to eating too much 

 meat. Our Somal suffered much, for they were nearly all 

 down at once with fever and dysentery, accompanied with 

 eruptions. This, with our very limited knowledge of medicine, 

 of course made us very anxious. And though our Masai 

 friends had pointed out to us the direction in which lay the 

 settlement of the Wameru, or dwellers on Mount Meru, none 

 of our people had the least idea of the way. Luckily, however, 

 we hit upon the right path, and till we came to the beginning 

 of the ascent we followed it without mistake ; but here we got 

 confused amongst the many animal tracks, and stopped in a 



