A SECOND ASCENT. 
261 
10,000 feet. It was about four miles in a direct line 
from Kimawenzi, and about seven from Kibo. 
Directly my choice was made, so that no time might 
be lost, the men set to work at once cutting down the 
giant ericas (heaths), and using their trunks for 
building-poles and their dry heather for tha-tch, while 
the coarse grass that here covered the ground was 
reaped, and also employed for roofing the huts and 
making snug beds on the ground. With such rapidity 
did the men work that before nightfall on the day of 
our arrival some fifteen cosy huts had been nearly 
completed, and a rough kind of kitchen had been 
made for my behoof. For my own lodging the tent 
had to serve, as I was not yet confident as to the 
rain-proof character of the heather huts. That night 
they were to be roughly tried. 
I had taken to my bed early in the afternoon, 
having severely hurt my knee, falling over sharp rocks 
in the stream-valley; but I could see through the 
tent door clouds of fearful portent rolling up over the 
upper slopes of the hidden mountain. In the early 
night growls of thunder began to be heard, together 
with lurid quiverings of lightning, which shimmered 
through the awful complete darkness. Big drops fell 
one by one with thuds like pellets on the tightly- 
stretched covering of the tent. Then, suddenly, a 
bellow of thunder, so deafeningly loud that one’s ears 
were stunned for a moment, burst from the storm 
right over our heads, seemingly, and echoed from all 
the ravines and hollows of the mountain side. Flash 
after flash of lightning revealed the whole scene in 
momentary brilliancy, and then the few desultory 
drops of rain changed into a soaking downpour. I 
called my two personal servants and my cook into the 
