380 Wanderings in Eastern Africa. 
heard of ? It could not be seen from this point ; and 
in the evening, when Mandara took me to a place 
where he said it would be visible, it was found to be 
enveloped in clouds. I saw it many times afterwards 
from that spot; and for the sake of presenting a 
complete view of this interesting phenomenon, I will 
endeavour to describe here the whole mountain as it 
was seen under most favourable circumstances. It 
must be remembered that I was already more than 
two thousand feet above the base of the mountain, my 
position by the compass being due south of the dome. 
Between myself and its snowy heights was much 
beautiful scenery. I looked over a vast extent of 
rising land which it was impossible for the eye to 
take in except by portions at a time. First, there 
was the cultivated, inhabited, and tropical portion 
beginning at my feet. There were hills upon hills 
covered with the most luxuriant vegetation; ex- 
tensive growths of plantains, open tracks laid out 
in square beds, and planted with masombo, vikwa 
(both esculent roots, like potatoes), sweet potatoes, 
pulse, etc.; moving fields of sugar-cane, waving 
woods, and verdant lawns. Above this region rose 
mountains upon mountains of dark forest ; loftier 
still, heights on heights of grassy hills ; beyond these 
what appeared to be barren, rocky steeps ; and then 
came the region of perpetual snow, the mountain 
culminating in two towering elevations ; on the 
one hand, in the shining dome, called by the natives 
Kibo, and on the other, in the rugged, dark, and 
dappled peak or crag called Kimawenzi, a saddle- 
like ridge of several miles' extent, dividing the two 
summits. At the snow line on the west of Kibo the 
