Ruwenzori certainly has not left one point of its snows unfortified against intruders. Having taken possession of the most unconscionable heights, all sorts of subtle man-traps have been laid up the mountain’s sides, and even if an attempt is made to merely stand on the threshold of its domain an almost impassible rock barrier guards the portal, just as the adventurer imagines all difficulties have been passed. But that realm of ice allures one on to dare much, and so while two ropes were thrown down from above the forbidding rocks, one was hastily tied round the body and with the other we slowly climbed up hand over hand. Twice we attempted this performance, and twice we succeeded in mastering the situation, and then—we stood face to face with one of Ruwenzori’s glaciers. It was in the shape of a huge, open mouth, and as it slowly pushed its way down into the valley, the tongue collected the few fragments rubbed off the rocks and taken up from the soil, but the cave itself was one spotless mass of dazzling white. We had decided to dismiss any idea of prolonging our stay at this altitude, realizing the terrible suffering that this involved among the porters in previous expeditions, so, instead of using any of the precious time in attempting to reach a higher point, which seemed futile without Alpine implements, we explored the Muluku glacier cave, from which flows that remarkable river that carries its cool, life-giving stream into the scorching plain till it loses itself in the Albert Edward Lake. Only one of our personal boys had succeeded in facing out the difficulties of the climb. While standing on the ice with us, he took out from his pocket a little tin pot, which he filled with ice. He explained it was a present for his wife. Afterwards, when we had descended to camp, he took it out to show the other boys, and, although disgusted beyond measure at the trick nature had played him, he consoled himself by taking the water to his wife to explain to her how it was once a stone. Scrambling up on to the glacier, we looked beyond over miles and miles of ice that for hundreds of years God—the Creator—alone had been beholding. Although we were standing nearly 14,000ft. above sea-level, the highest peak, that rose as a white dome above its companions, appeared miles above us. It was difficult to judge of its approximate height, as so many other points intervened, but it could not have been much less than 20,000ft. [Illustration: BACK FROM THE SNOWS: BAKONJO PORTERS.] Having climbed above cloud-land, there was nothing to break the reflex in the ice of the deep sapphire sky, and as the sun poured down its white heat, the whole world around glittered and sparkled with iridescent hues.