In the Heart of Africa 
198 
were inspected, and wages and stores distributed. Before the 
signal for supper at 7 o’clock, the Europeans were in the habit 
of meeting in the house belonging to the Chef de posie to take 
a free and easy glass together. The evening often concluded 
with an excellent gramophone concert, which usually took place 
in glorious moonlight on the open square in front of the houses. 
The homely sound awakened many memories of the past, and 
caused our thoughts to wander away to those who were enjoying 
the conventional “ pleasures ” and festivities of the winter season 
in more or less stimulating society. How little I envied them! 
How much happier I was with the task I had imposed on myself! 
How rejoiced I felt at the thought of effecting something really 
definite, in filling in gaps of science, by opening up new fields, 
and by the investigations of my fellow-workers! I felt I was 
away from the vacuity of everyday life. 
Towering aloft to the east of Beni are the prodigious masses 
of the Ruwenzori chain of mountains. A view of the mighty 
glacier which covers the summit is, however, rarely enjoyed. I 
had only one opportunity to gaze at it. It occurred at daybreak, 
and as the sun rose above the horizon the glacial ice caught up 
its rays and broke them into a gorgeous and scintillating display 
of colour. As though Nature were ashamed, however, of this 
puckish play of its favourite, she softly drew down a covering 
veil again, making it even denser, until the contour of the moun¬ 
tains was mysteriously obscured from the gaze of the beholder. 
We owed it to the increasing downpours of rain that we occasion¬ 
ally caught glimpses of the mountain. Torrential showers had 
been the order of the day for the past week. 
As we sat at breakfast on the 17th of January, a hailstorm 
suddenly swept down with devastating force, upsetting the tents, 
bending the young trees almost to the ground, shaving the 
tops of the pafaia^^ hurling boughs and branches to the earth 
* The papaia, or Melon tree, bears greenish, round-shaped fruit, about as large 
as a coco-nut, the palatable yellow inside of which is scooped out with a spoon and 
counts as a particular delicacy. 
