352 Wanderings in Eastern Africa. 
from the snow-mountain, if not from its snows, 
through Useri. Its banks are adorned with fine trees, 
beautifully festooned with creepers and flecked with 
flowers. The muali, a giant endogen of the palm 
family, sending out its enormous fronds to a distance 
of thirty feet, attracted my attention, and as I had 
never seen it before, I may also say my wonder and 
admiration. It grows plentifully on the island of 
Pemba. It bears a small and very beautiful cone which 
is edible, but is not used for food except in time of 
famine. The natives make pretty snuff'-boxes of it. I 
also noticed the mkindu, or brab, which in the distance 
might almost be taken for the cocoa-nut palm. The 
mtunguya, elsewhere a mere marble, grows here to the 
size of an orange. 
But we must away to camp. After a two hours 
walk through such scenery as I have endeavoured to 
describe, we reached an open spot. It had a few 
large elm- like trees upon it, and was surrounded by 
others of various kinds, forming in appearance an im- 
penetrable mass of the richest foliage. Here literally 
^'embosomed in the grove" we were told we might 
camp ; and, as it was evening, our tent was pitched 
without delay. 
