Through the Wilderness, 3 1 7 
The weather was cloudy. The head of Kisigau was 
enveloped in mists, and the mountain was in view 
during the whole march. 
We encamped on the north-east side of the 
Rukinga about half an hour before sunset. We made 
a fence of thorns as a protection against wild animals. 
It was then thought advisable to fire our guns, lest 
the smoke of our fires being seen from the Kisigau, 
we should be taken for some hostile party, and so 
bring the people down upon us. 
The next morning, before "jocund day" had shown 
his face, we were astir, and at six a.m. were in motion. 
The way led round the north of Rukinga. It was 
as tedious as a walk round the shore of a bay. It 
seemed as though we should never leave these hills 
behind us. In two hours we came to a rock on the 
right of the path, called Muakasi, from which I obtained 
another good view of the country. The Rukinga was 
now on my left, and of course shut out the view south- 
ward. Between it and Kisigau lay outstretched the 
open, level country already mentioned ; Kisigau, still 
due west, shone grandly in the light of the morning 
sun. Its top was enveloped in a turban of snow- 
white clouds ; below this cloudy covering perpendi- 
cular cliffs, streaked with black and grey, fell some 
hundreds of feet ; whence, in half-rocky^ half-verdant 
steeps, the hill rushed down to the level of the plain. 
From this spot the country gradually declined to the 
base of Kisigau. The path was lined with pit-falls, 
dug to entrap animals as they issue from their 
mountain retreats in search of food and prey. The 
grass had been burned throughout the whole district, 
the work, no doubt, of the Kisigau hunting-parties. 
