816 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
and one for his master, departed, assuring me 
that I should not meet with any more opposition 
in Kaarta — but of this I had my doubts. 
We moved forward at half after three on the 
evening of the 4th to the ene., along the foot of 
the mountains which enclose the valley of San- 
jarra on the south and east, and at half after five 
entered a gully or ravine formed by those moun- 
tains : this led us to the sse. along the then dry 
bed of a considerable torrent for an hour, when 
we arrived at the junction of two mountains, 
where an extremely steep and rugged path was 
to be ascended, and which we with much diffi- 
culty and fatigue effected within an hour : it was 
without exception the most difficult path I had 
ever travelled. The mountains, notwithstanding 
their apparent sterility, are covered with shrubs, 
and in some places present the most wildly 
grotesque appearance : strata of a kind of slate, 
shew themselves in the ravine, the bottom of 
which is covered with large stones, which from 
their circular form appear to have been rolled 
along by the force of the torrents. We had 
scarcely reached the summit when it became 
dark, and bore every appearance of approaching 
rain, which obliged us to halt for the night in 
the woods. 
We were on foot at four o'clock on the morning 
