MY FIRST SETTLEMENT ON KILIMA NJARO. 127 
sky of clear, pale gold, deepening into orange just close 
to the horizon. Over this hangs in the upper heaven 
a thin sheet of greyish purple cloud, semi-opaque, semi¬ 
transparent, letting a little of the warm ground show 
through, sharp edged, and so disposed at a slight angle 
as to appear like the border of a dusky curtain pre¬ 
pared to drop over the scene. This foil enhances the 
vivid glory of the golden belt which stretches across 
the skv. Then out of a serrated horizon of unim- 
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portant peaks and cones rises the clear, dark blue 
pyramid of Meru, its outline just a little tampered with 
by Nature, so that it may not be rendered too formal. 
The summit is slightlv flattened, and on the right side 
a jagged notch breaks the uniformity of its long 
northern slope. The accidental effect of colour is as 
beautiful as anything. Seen by this light there is no 
subtle interweaving of tints. The whole mass of Meru 
is one clear tone of dark grey-blue, and the brilliant 
band of sky behind is an unvaried positive gold. Just 
to break the almost decorative look the formal contrast 
bears, there is one faint, delicate smear of cloud 
stretching right across the upper half of mountain and 
sky. Meru is cut off from the middle distance by a 
long, undulating, purple line marking the farthest 
westward spur of Kilima-njaro. The centre of the 
picture is a rich, dusky-green plain, interwoven with 
lines of purple and brown to mark the distant clumps 
of forest bordering the river-course. In the more 
distant foreground stretch out the nearer buttresses of 
Kilima-njaro, long lines of hillocks, crested with occa¬ 
sional umbrageous trees, but more often clothed with 
banana groves of pale, pure green. These interwoven 
lines of hill stretch upwards from the vague obscurity 
of the middle distance till they culminate in the great 
