122 
THE KILIMA NJARO EXPEDITION 
day of our arrival, so that, until we had got all our 
goods safely stored, there might be no temptation to 
steal. Consequently my attention was undistracted, 
and totally given to the examination of my new sur¬ 
roundings. 
The site of my first settlement on Kilima-njaro lay 
about two miles to the north-east of the capital of 
Mosi (in latitude 3° 17' 30" S., and longitude 37° 25' 
E.), on the brow of a fine hill nearly 5000 feet above 
the sea; but, of course, not much elevated above the 
surrounding country. On either side yawned a deep 
ravine, with a stream flowing through in its depths ; 
but at the back the hill, which was only one of the 
many spurs of the mountain-side, joined the parent 
mass, and might thus be easily approached without 
much serious climbing. It would have been a splen¬ 
did site for a city, and, indeed—who knows ?—may be 
some day. I sometimes amuse myself by thinking 
that when—as it must be sooner or later—-Kilima¬ 
njaro is colonized by a superior race, and fair cities 
spring up on its breezy heights, some of them may 
arise from the original sites of my various stations, 
and when they look back with complacency on their 
prosperous career and some aspiring archivist starts to 
write their history from its earliest commencement, 
my insignificance may be rescued from utter oblivion 
as the first inhabitant and the pristine architect of 
their foundation. Perhaps in the city museum may 
be preserved some curious relics of my stay—a cham¬ 
pagne-bottle, a petroleum-tin, or an empty jar that 
once contained arsenical soap; and in the municipal 
library, perhaps even a copy of this book may be 
found, in which the passages descriptive of the city’s 
ancient site may be eagerly discussed and quoted. In 
