4o6 Wanderings in Eastern Africa. 
gigantic kind, with a thick undergrowth of smaller 
trees, saplings, creepers, and plants innumerable, which 
would make it quite impassable but for the existence 
of the elephant, whose paths traverse it, within certain 
limits, in all directions. It is probably as old as the 
creation, and it wears an aspect of great antiquity. 
Upwards from the roots — trunks, branches, twigs, 
leaves, creepers, bush-ropes — all are moss-covered and 
moss-hung, forming an impenetrable covering scarcely 
admitting a single sunbeam. Yet flowers exhibiting 
all the colours of the rainbow peeped at us from all 
sides below. 
Through this forest we pressed our way forward 
and upward, without much complaining from any one 
till noon. Up, up, up we toiled till we reached the 
region of the clouds. Now, enveloped in cold, heavy, 
drizzhng mist, a "change came over the spirit of 
our dream;" the porters hung behind; they com- 
plained of benumbed hands and feet, at which they 
looked piteously as if they thought the demon of the 
forest had already taken possession of them ; pre- 
saging tears began to fall," and even Mange muttered 
that " hundreds of dollars would not bring him to such 
a place again." 
About noon the elephants' paths failed us, and we 
had to cut our way through the forest. Axes, short- 
swords, knives, were all called into requisition, and we 
made but poor progress. At about two p.m. we reached 
a stream tumbling down in a torrent over immense 
rocks within a bed some half-dozen yards wide. 
Above this matters became worse than ever; the fog 
grew denser ; Marondo could not see his way ; and 
we had not the sHghtest trace of a path. Still we 
