Journey to Kilima Njaro : the Start, 299 
some breaks in it for the outlet of rivers, at least for 
the Uvui and the Sabaki, as far as to the interior of 
Ukambani. The descent varies from fifty to several 
hundred feet. At the place where we stood there 
must have been a fall of from 250 to 300 feet. Ndun- 
guni divides the country occupied by the northern 
Wanika from the wilderness lying between Unika 
and Taita. The Wanika of Duruma and Geriama are 
extending themselves beyond this boundary; though, 
from the nature of the country, it is impossible that 
this should take place to any large extent. The 
district of Ndunguni itself affords pretty good arable 
land and respectable pasturage, but to the west of it 
all is sheer wilderness. 
The top of the Ndungu afforded us a splendid view 
of the country to the west, south-west, and north- 
west, the whole, as far as the eye could reach, being 
laid open in one vast panorama. The plantations 
and grassy plots wore a rather sered appearance, but 
fine dark woods of great extent, contrasting with the 
golden tinge of autumn, made up a scene of consider- 
able beauty. The west was too cloudy for us to see 
the Taita mountains. The land on that side, as far as 
it could be seen, rose till it quite attained to the level 
on which we stood. The descent of the Ndungu 
was made over outcropping beds of sandstone of a 
close fine texture, such as the natives delight to make 
their hones of. We leave it to geologists to account for 
this remarkable subsidence of the earth's crust. 
Our friend of the way took us to his own village, 
which was at no great distance from the bottom of the 
Ndungu, within a dense stockade of acacia, euphobia, 
and tangled thorns of many kinds. It is called 
