Kilima Njaro — Second Attempt. 423 
were far above the region of the clouds. Down rolled 
the mountain from our feet till all was hidden, and 
the eye rested upon illimitable fields of snowy clouds, 
exhibiting all manner of fantastic shapes, marching 
in grand array, performing wondrous evolutions, un- 
folding, expanding, changing their forms and position 
in endless variety, and displaying the most fascinating 
charms., 
Turning our backs upon this, we resumed our 
climbing, which, relieved though it was by a slight 
descent now and again, was toilsome work, and made 
large demands upon our lungs. Sadi fell far behind, 
being almost beaten, and unable to carry even his 
own gun. Height after height was ascended, with 
occasional pauses, till we reached another vegetable 
region — one of heath, varied with detached clumps of 
a wiry kind of grass, many plants with frosty-looking 
leaves and exceedingly pretty flowers ; higher, the 
steeps were covered with out-cropping rocks, not of 
granite and felspar, of which all the surrounding 
mountains are composed, but of pudding-stone or 
conglomerate, and grey, compact laminated rocks. 
At noon we halted upon a rocky ridge directly 
before the snowy Kibo, in full view of Kimawenzi, 
and apparently very near to the " eternal snows." 
The sun poured his vertical beams upon us, yet the 
air was so cold and the wind so bleak that the men 
shivered. Setting up the thermometer upon the point 
of a spear, the mercury descended in half an hour 
from 70° (I had carried the thermometer in my pocket) 
to 57°, and in another half hour to 50°, and this in the 
full blaze of the noonday sun. 
I was struck with the exceeding dryness of the 
