The Kilima-Njaro Expedition by Harry Johnston

After a most disturbed night, owing to the howling of the natives, who were celebrating their chief's return by vigorous dancing, I set to work early to pack and prepare for my second ascent of the mountain. It was very hot that morning, and what with the fatigue and worry of distributing the loads and serving out "posho" (food allowance), I felt quite knocked up. The Sultan made many difficulties about furnishing me with guides, but as I showed resolutely that I intended to go either with or without them, he gave in, and sent me four men, clamorous ravens that they were. These latter shrieked and disputed about the amount of cloth due to them, and at length I abruptly turned two away. About half-past one we started, and left the precincts of the Sultan's "court" with little regret. After crossing one fine river and walking through a smiling and fertile country, we began to ascend some thousand feet above the level of Maraṅu, and passed along intricate lanes of dracena and by banana groves flourishing at a height of about 5500 feet. After a further ascent of a few hundred feet, cultivation came to an end, and we entered a heathy district, with pleasant grassy knolls and many streams of running water, finally encamping for the night beside a lovely fern-choked brook at 6500 feet, the whole ascent having proved very gradual.

The following day we quitted our camping-place at about half-past seven, and walked on, with occasional rests, for about two hours, when we found ourselves in dense forest, at an elevation of 7000 feet. Here we stopped and breakfasted. The scenery was pretty much the same as on the Moši road, which was described in Chapter XI. Short, gnarled trees, uplands thickly covered with moss and ferns, and teeming with parasitic begonias, bearing sweet-scented white flowers; many tree-ferns and few signs of animal life, save occasional tracks of elephants or the scattered feathers of a touraco-dark blue with red pinions. At half-past eleven we started again, and journeyed on till nearly three. We had then reached an elevation of 9000 feet, and had passed for some distance through a region clear of forest, and merely covered with open grass. At our camping-place, however, we entered the woodland again, and here, fortunately, found a little stream of water. Indeed, on the road between the mountain and Maraṅu water was much more abundant than on the Moši track. I caught a small chameleon and several beetles in this place. The next day we left this camp at eight o'clock, and journeyed eastward for about two hours, searching for a good site whereon to make my settlement, which must be close to water, and not too high up, so that my shivering followers might not suffer unreasonably from cold. I selected an admirable spot on a grassy knoll rising above the river of Kilema, which takes its source near the east of Kimawenzi. The altitude of this site was nearly 10,000 feet. It was about four miles in a direct line from Kimawenzi, and about seven from Kibô.