MY FIRST SETTLEMENT ON KILIMA NJARO. 119 
real, for the ledge was firmly buttressed underneath by 
the strong roots of the forest-trees clinging to the rock. 
As we skirted this great ravine we arrived at a point 
where it narrowed, and where the difference between 
valley and hill was less. Here the little rivulet, which 
farther on its course lay a thousand feet below, was on 
a level with the path, and here it was made to give 
birth by careful damming to artificial canals, which 
started away on either side to irrigate the terraced hill- 
plantations with their sluggish flow. Where we crossed 
the pretty stream was in a shady hollow. It had 
expanded to a shimmering pool; large sycamore fig- 
trees with spatulate leaves rose above its banks. Tall 
arums, with pale yellow flower-sheaths, and untidy 
Isolepis grasses, whose heads of streaming filaments 
looked like green mops, studded its flattened banks, and 
we jumped in a few seconds from stone to stone across 
its shallow flow, crossing at the same time both 
stream and valley, and finding ourselves commencing 
the ascent of the opposite hill, and, but that we 
now had the widening gorge between us, seemingly 
retracing our steps to Mandara’s town. His little bee¬ 
hive huts, on which we had hitherto turned our backs, 
now reappeared behind the shoulder of the opposite hill, 
but when our climb was done lay more than a thousand 
feet below us. Here we had reached our destination. 
There are numberless spurs or buttresses of the 
parent-mountain on the southern side of Kilima¬ 
njaro. Some are bold, serrated, and abrupt; some 
are rounded and nearly flattened on the top. On one 
of these Mandara’s residence is placed, on another, of 
more imposing height, I was about to build ; and there 
are yet others, and others, and others, stretching out 
westward and eastward into the great plain below. 
