330 Wanderings in Eastern Africa. 
ledge to himself ; he seemed willing to tell us all he 
knew, and a little in addition. But on the whole I 
felt he was a reliable authority. 
Before leaving Kisigau I may give a summary of 
what I learned of it and its people during my three 
days' stay there. Of Kisigau itself I need not, after 
the attempt I have already made to describe it, say 
much. The Wanika call it Kadiaro. Rising abruptly 
as it does from the plain to such a height, and stand- 
ing in solitary dignity, it is necessarily a very conspi- 
cuous object in this part of the country. It is one 
vast mast of solid granite. As I approached it from 
the east, its fine dome, supported by perpendicular 
cliffs, reminded me of St. Paul's Cathedral, only it is a 
much grander object than that wonderful edifice. It 
afiords its people a natural fortress, impregnable and 
almost unassailable. Its occupants dwell secure from 
the assaults of man, or at least from those varieties of 
the genus homo who reside in Africa. It surprises 
me, however, that any human beings can reconcile 
tliemselves to such a home. The labour of ascending 
and descending must be very severe. But, as old 
Katumu said to me, " What are we to do } it is our 
only refuge from the Masai." It is necessity which 
has driven the people to occupy it. Kisigau com- 
prises the following districts : Are, Rukanga, Jora, 
Bungule, Kirongue, and Kiteze. There are other 
minor divisions, and almost every kraal has a distinct 
name. Kisigau, with Ndara, Mbololo, and Bura, 
forms an almost perfect right-angled triangle, Ndara 
being only slightly west of due north from Kisigau, 
and Bura lying due west of Ndara. These mountains 
combined constitute the Taita-land. 
