Life at Kisigau. 
329 
At nine a.m. we left this side of the mountain. It 
was too late to think of making a full day's march, 
so we contented ourselves by walking round the 
mount to Rukanga on the west side of it, and resolved 
to make the most of next day. The south-west side 
presented an amphitheatre as grand, if not grander, 
than that looking towards the south. The north side 
terminates in two detached rocks of stupendous 
magnitude, the first of which is called Rukanga and 
the other Are. From Are the land declines to the 
ridge which runs on to Kilakila and Maungu, The 
baobab of this region seems to differ in species from 
that of the coast. It is smaller, the branches are 
less spreading and more numerous, and the foliage 
is more dense. The calabash (monkey bread) it 
bears is smaller than that of the coast, while the 
seeds it contains are larger, and the flesh upon them 
lighter in colour. In shape the tree is a perfect cone. 
We reached Rukanga at noon, and camped, or 
rather bivouacked, for we did not pitch tents. The 
goat was killed, and all the pots were set a boiling. 
Muachania wished to inspect the goat's entrails for 
information regarding our journey, but I forbade it. 
He thought me somewhat of a bigot, and intolerant 
withal. Why," said he, you Wazungu have your 
book, the Wajomba have theirs (the Koran), and we 
have ours. Each prefers his own ; why should you 
forbid me the use of mine.^" He declared his to be 
an infallible prognosticator of all events, but I did not 
debate the matter with him. 
Muachania proved to be quite a character. He 
knew everything about that part of the country, and 
a good deal besides, and he did not keep his know- 
