XVIII THE CRATERS OF THE RIFT VALLEY 237 
situated south of the Equator (37*20 E. long.). It is a 
denuded volcano with several peaks, extensive valleys, 
many lakes, thick forests, and numerous glaciers. 
It seems extraordinary to us, who visit British East 
Africa to-day, that this magnificent mountain was un¬ 
known to Europeans sixty years ago. The missionary 
Krapf saw Kegnia, or Kenia, December 3rd, 1849, but his 
reports were not sufficiently convincing to European 
geographers. Joseph Thomson wrote a brief but 
admirable description of Kenia, and recognised its 
volcanic nature in 1883. He also pointed out that 
almost the only times at which it is to be seen are the 
early morning and evening. Everyone who has seen 
this mountain in the afternoon free from cloud must 
feel with Thomson that it is “ entrancing, awe-inspiring.” 
Kenia has since been visited and explored by a number 
of able scientific men, including Count Teleki (1889), 
Gregory (1893), and Mackinder (1899). 
The discovery of each of these glacier-capped moun¬ 
tains in the equatorial zone of East Africa has an air of 
romance : Kilimanjaro was unknown to Europeans until 
the missionary Kebmann saw its silver-crowned summit. 
May 11th, 1848. The natives told Kebmann that the 
silver-like stuff, when brought down in bottles, turned to 
water. The news of the discovery of a snow-covered 
mountain under the equator was received with incredu¬ 
lity by geographers until Thomson’s observations were 
published (1883). 
Krapf saw Kenia, as already mentioned, in 1849, and 
the mighty mass of Ruwenzori filled Stanley with aston¬ 
ishment when he saw its snow-clad peaks suddenly issue 
from their cloudy obscurity (1888). He saw them three 
days in succession. It is important to realise that the 
traveller may be in the vicinity of these lofty mountains 
for many days without being aware of their existence. 
So far as Kuwenzori is concerned, we must remember that 
Stanley had a thousand men within easy visual distance 
of this mountain for seventy-two days, and no one 
