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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



the Lombard Plain, but it lasted only for 

 a moment before it was blotted out again. 

 Then there came a clearing on the other 

 side towards the north and west, and 

 we saw that we had missed the real top 

 of our mountain, King Edward Peak 

 (15,988 feet), which rose perhaps 150 

 feet higher than the point that we had 

 reached and was connected with ours by 

 an arete of snow. It was disappointing 

 to have missed it, but it was too late then 

 to go further. Towards the northwest 

 was a big snow-peak about 400 feet 

 higher than ours, forming a big western 

 buttress of the range; and further away, 

 apparently three or four miles to the 

 northwest, appeared two beautiful sharp- 

 pointed snow-peaks, which seemed to be 

 about 1,000 feet higher than our peak 

 and must be unquestionably the highest 

 peaks in the range. 



Our estimate of their heights proved 

 to be approximately correct. The Duke 

 of Abruzzi found their heights to be 

 16,815 feet (Margherita Peak) and 16,749 

 feet (Queen Alexandra Peak). The 

 peaks were seen rising out of a dense 

 bank of clouds which lay between us and 

 them, so that it was impossible to tell in 

 what way they were connected with the 

 other peaks of the range. All too soon 

 the clouds enveloped us again more 

 densely than before, and it was fully 

 time to start back towards Bujongolo. 

 Thanks to our trail of "everlasting" 

 flowers, we lost no time in the descent, 

 and we staggered into camp just as dark- 

 ness set in, after one of the most tiring 

 days I have ever experienced. 



The attempts that we made to pene- 

 trate into the heart of the range were 

 hopelessly handicapped by lack of means 

 and equipment. We were not in any 

 sense a climbing party, and our excur- 

 sions were made during the course of 

 other occupations. 



Now that the peaks and glaciers of 

 Ruwenzori have been explored and 

 named (some of them for the third and 

 fourth time) by the Duke of Abruzzi and 

 others, it is unlikely that the range will 

 often be visited. Tourists who go to 

 Lake Victoria will think twice before 

 they venture on a three weeks' march 



across country; and, if that be not 

 enough, the atrocious climate and the 

 chance of seeing nothing when you get 

 there because of the fog and rain will 

 keep away all but the most enthusiastic 

 and determined mountaineers. 



COLLECTING SPECIMENS 



Our party camped for four months 

 on the east slope of Ruwenzori, making 

 natural history collections for the British 

 Museum. The natives soon discovered 

 that they could make an appreciable ad- 

 dition to their incomes by hunting and 

 bringing in beasts of various sorts. Hy- 

 raxes, gigantic rats, bats, mice, worms, 

 beetles, chameleons, and snakes came 

 pouring in when once it was found that 

 there were people mad enough to pay for 

 such follies. The care with which they 

 secured the captive beasts and the air 

 of mystery and importance with which 

 they produced them were always a source 

 of amusement. 



If it could by any means be avoided, 

 they would never hold a beast in their 

 hands, but always bind a string of ba-^ 

 nana fiber round its neck and attach that 

 to a stick, or else they wrapped the crea- 

 ture in elaborate parcels of banana leaves, 

 which they opened with a great display 

 of caution and pretense of fear. The mo- 

 ment of unpacking the parcel was always 

 an exciting one, as you never could tell 

 what might be produced ; a mouse might 

 make a sudden dash for liberty, or a 

 swarm of beetles or crabs come scurrying 

 out, or a few chameleons would come 

 strolling out, looking fearfully bored, or 

 half a dozen bats would flap out into the 

 sunshine. 



THE CHIMPANZEES 



There were a great many chimpanzees 

 in the forest; their "nests," light plat- 

 forms of sticks built in the forks of high 

 trees, were frequently found, and often 

 at night one would hear their cries near 

 the camp; it was a most melancholy 

 sound, like the wailing of children in 

 distress. They are shy animals and are 

 not very often seen, but on one occasion 

 we had an excellent view of a small 

 family party, a baby with its two pa- 



