LAKE BALBAL 



157 



of the extinct volcano, the west-north-west and east-south-west 

 sides of which had been torn asunder in some terrible out- 

 break, destroying the circular form of the cone, one side, the 

 south-west being 14,640 feet high, whilst the northern is but 

 12,100 feet. As with Kilimanjaro, it is only from the south 

 side of Mount Meru that any streams flow, so that the northern 

 side is uninhabited. 



There are a good many elephants on Mount Meru, and as 

 their appearance always created great excitement in the native 

 settlements, we were sure to be told of it ; but we only saw one, 

 and that was amongst grass as high as a man. We could hear 

 the animal moving about close to us well enough, but we could 

 only see him by climbing trees, and after a long, fruitless chase 

 we had to give him up. The natives with us displayed great 

 skill in following the game, but they spoilt it all by the 

 cowardice with which they rushed to trees on the slightest 

 danger. On this hunting expedition we came upon a pretty little 

 triangular crater lake, called by the natives Balbal, two sides 

 being about 2,600 feet long and the third about 1,600 feet only. 

 The short side of the triangle has a low-lying sandy shore, whilst 

 the perpendicular banks of the other portions are from 30 to 

 100 feet high, and are clothed with luxuriant green vegetation. 

 There is no apparent outlet or inlet to this lake ; the water is 

 clear, transparent, of a deep blue colour, and, even near the level 

 portion of the shore, of great depth. The surface was covered 

 with countless water-lilies, and numerous water-birds haunted 

 its shores, chiefly of the duck family. The sides of the cone- 

 shaped hill overlooking Lake Balbal, which has a general but 

 gentle inclination southwards, are clothed with short steppe 

 grass. 



During our stay on the mountain the people of Arusha-wa- 

 ju often honoured us with a visit, and their leibon himself 

 came several times. He remembered the German traveller. 



