The old legend that the sacred river Nile had its source in Heaven may have originated from the reports brought back by traders that one of its most important tributaries flowed down from a mountain that seemed to reach into Heaven. The Baganda call the mountain “Gambalugula lufumba ebiri,” which means “the leaf that cooks the clouds.” This has reference to their custom of cooking all their food in banana leaves. Their imagination regards the mountains as a big leaf which holds the clouds over the boiling springs that bubble up from the base of the mountain, the mists that sweep down the mountain sides is the stream from the “cooking pot.” Ruwenzori does not consist of one single snow peak like Kilimanjaro and Kenia, but vast fields of intercepted snow and ice extend for over twenty miles North and South. The late Sir Henry Stanley heard of its existence in 1875, but not until his second visit to its locality in 1887 did he obtain a complete view of the snows. Since that date several have tried to reach the glaciers, but only three expeditions had been successful up to the time of our ascent. Others had proved unfortunate in the time of year, for it is impossible to accomplish the task in the wet season. Mountain sickness, and pneumonia among the carriers had compelled others to turn back from the attempt. Until 1904 no one had tried to reach the snows from the Western side of the mountain range. From the east several had unsuccessfully endeavoured to discover a route to higher altitudes, but the one along the course of the Mubuku River was the only one that had proved practicable. During our visit to Mboga we were very fortunate to obtain continual views of the snow peaks, and we were convinced that an ascent from that side of the mountains would prove more resultful. This has been conclusively confirmed since by a recent explorer, Dr. David, who reached a point 16,000 feet high; that is, 1,200 feet higher than anyone previously. To scale Ruwenzori’s highest point must remain an impossible task. No one could endure the penetrating cold for the period of time required to master the prolonged and precipitous heights. Besides a complete Alpine outfit being required, tent and food would be compulsory, and no native would undertake the transport of these things beyond the lowest glacier point, and even if this difficulty could be overcome, camping space might be sought for in vain. Judging from the angle at which my bed was placed at one camp, I can picture an over ambitious adventurer, having pitched his tent within 3,000 feet of the summit, suddenly finding himself and his belongings toboganning down over the glaciers at lightning speed, only stopping to find himself landed in a freezing morass. [Illustration: A PEEP AT THE SNOWS.]