43 O Wanderings in Eastern Africa. 
I had not gone far, however, before I came to a 
tremendous gulf, dropping almost sheer down between 
myself and the patch of snow to which I hoped I 
was making my way. This gulf was all that now 
remained between myself and it, but what an all ! 
The snow was on a level with my eye, but my arm 
was too short to reach it. My heart sank, but before 
I had time fairly to scan the position my eyes rested 
upon snow at my very feet ! There it lay upon the 
* rocks below me in shining masses, looking like newly 
washed and sleeping sheep ! Hurrah ! I cannot 
describe the sensations that thrilled my heart at that 
moment. Hurrah ! I thought of Tofiki. Returning 
a short distance, I called to him at the top of my 
voice, and in a little while he made his appearance, 
looking horrified. What had I seen } Strengthless as 
he was, my cries went through him like an arrow, 
and gave him new vigour. He expected to find me 
in the hands of some monster, about to be tossed 
into some abysmal depth ! Reaching the spot where 
I had seen the snow, he exclaimed, " There is snow ! 
What more do you want, Buana?" "Nothing,'' I 
observed; ''but we must carry some of it away." It 
was frozen as hard as the rock itself, but with the 
spiked end of the spear I carried, I broke off several 
large masses. Tofiki put them into his blanket, slung 
them over his shoulders, and away we went down hill 
in triumph ! I made the more haste as my head was 
so giddy that I was afraid of swooning ; Tofiki, too, 
looked wild and strange ; and besides this, as noon 
was approaching, the mists would soon come sweeping 
up the mountain and make it difficult for us to find 
our party. As it was, we followed down our foot- 
