bs had no relations with
us. This little point settled, off started Kachuchu in his usual merry
manner, whilst I took a look at the hills, to see their geological
formation, and found them much as before, based on streaky clay
sandstones, with the slight addition of pure blue shales, and above
sections of quartzose sandstone lying in flags, as well as other
metamorphic and igneous rocks scattered about.

Moving on the next morning over hill and dale, we came to the junction
of two roads, where Irungu, with his drummers, fifers and amazon
followers, took one way to Kufro, followed by the men carrying
Suwarora's hongo, and we led off on the other, directed to the palace.
The hill-tops in many places were breasted with dykes of pure white
quartz, just as we had seen in Usui, only that here their direction
tended more to the north. It was most curious to contemplate, seeing
that the chief substance of the hills was a pure blue, or otherwise
streaky clay sandstone, which must have been formed when the land was
low, but has now been elevated, making these hills the axis of the
centre of the continent, and therefore probably the oldest of all.

When within a few miles of the palace we were ordered to stop and wait
for Kachuchu's return; but no sooner put up in a plaintain grove, where
pombe was brewing, and our men were all taking a suck at it, than the
worthy arrived to call us on the same instant, as the king was most
anxious to see us. The love of good beer of course made our men all
too tired to march again; so I sent off Bombay with Nasib to make our
excuses, and in the evening found them returning with a huge pot of
pombe and some royal tobacco, which Rumanika sent with a notice that he
intended it exclusively for our own use, for though there was abundance
for my men, there was nothing so good as what came from the palace;
the royal tobacco was as sweet and strong as honey-dew, and the beer so
strong it required a strong man to drink it.

After breakfast next morning, we crossed the hill-spur called
Waeranhanje, the grassy tops of which were 5500 feet above the sea.
Descending a little, we came suddenly in view of what appeared to us
a rich clump of trees, in S. lat. 1 deg. 42' 42", and E. long. 31 deg. 1' 49";
and, 500 feet below it, we saw a beautiful sheet of water lying snugly
within the folds of the hills. We were not altogether unprepared for it,
as Musa of old had described it, and Bombay, on his return yesterd