IV 



TRAVELS m EASTER IV AFRICA 



149 



phase of the character of the Zanzibar! — carelessness. 

 My Soudanese and Somah set to work, and soon had 

 their weapons in very good condition. But at least 

 half of the porters ate the melted fat given them, and 

 threw away the rags, yet were much surprised and 

 pained upon learning my displeasure. 



On leaving Chabba the next day, we ascended a small 

 ridge, from which we got a beautiful view of the contour 

 of the northern side of Mount Kenya. Viewed from the 

 north, this mountain presents the appearance of a vast 

 pyramid, whose sides slope gradually to the plain. On 

 the eastern slope, near the apex, the regularity of outline 

 is interrupted by a rounded, knob-like projection. The 

 snow-capped peak gleams white against the blue sky. 

 Extending to a distance of twenty miles from the base 

 on the northern side, there runs a range of hills which 

 form a narrow ridge. This ridge gradually slopes away 

 until it ends in the plain near the Guaso Nyiro. From 

 its supposed resemblance to a queue, in which fashion 

 the Masai warriors wear their hair, these people have 

 called the range Donyo Loldeikan (Queue Mountains). 



Motio assured us that between Mount Chabba and 

 the country of the Wamsara we should find a river, 

 which, having its source in the Jombeni range, flowed 

 into the Guaso Nyiro. He told us we should reach 

 this river early in the afternoon ; so we carried no 

 water on this march. 



In the neicjhbourhood of Chabba the formation of 

 the soil was gneiss, but a few miles beyond, our way 

 was once more over lava-strewn plains. \Wc marched 

 steadily from seven o'clock in the morning until after 

 sunset, but found no water. I then pitched camp, and 



