Through Ruanda to Lake Kiwu 67 
manner rises suddenly over South Mpororo, and the marginal 
heights to the west of Lake Kiwu and Lake Albert Edward 
break off equally abruptly towards the lakes. 
“We had now to descend the south-west slope of Katan- 
daganja, face to face with the peak of Ssekera, which rose up 
before us like a colossal cone. At its foot the road wound round 
another mountain mass, on the southern side of which we pro¬ 
posed to camp. The guide and a number of the carriers having 
pushed further ahead, however, we crossed one brook more, which 
was sparkling with clear crystal water, and pitched our tents on 
the opposite side on the slope of a hill. From a scenic point of 
view this camp had a greater charm than any we had hitherto 
fixed upon. Below us was the valley with the little brook; all 
around us lay innumerable gentle hill slopes and ridges leading 
to a noble green mountain mass; to the right, in the background 
of the picture, the summit of Ssekera, which from this spot looked 
like a broad, massive colossus—with the hills covered with a 
luxurious carpet of dark green brake fern, from which small pea- 
fields stood out in sharp contrast in emerald green splotches 
round the last scattered settlements at the entrance to the forest. 
“ Brake fern ? Certainly ; exactly similar to that which grows 
everywhere in Germany. We had already met several very 
pleasant homely species among Flora’s children—blackberries, 
clovers {Trifolium simense and usamharense)^ willow-herb {Efi- 
lohium)y a dog’s tongue and sky-blue forget-me-nots {cyno- 
glossum), a cock’s head {Plantago falmato Hook /.), very similar 
to our big cock’s head {PL major)^ etc. These plants showed us 
that we had gained that region of mountain flora which evinces 
such striking uniformity on all the high tablelands of tropical 
Africa, from Abyssinia and Kilimandscharo to the far-off 
Cameroon Mountains in the west. 
“ This mountain flora seems as it were to cap the vegetation of 
the steppes and the tropical forest. The bracken was richly 
interspersed with flowering herbaceous plants and shrubs, and 
the whole scene was full of charm for the botanist. One growth, 
however, would have awakened the interest of the veriest dullard 
