Sovereign mountain, thy brothers give welcome: Mont Blanc, in the roar of his mad avalanches, Hails thy accession; superb Orizaba, Belted with beech and ensandalled with palm; Chimborazo, the lord of the regions of noonday;— Mingle their sounds in magnificent chorus. They, the baptized and the crownèd of ages, Watch-towers of continents, altars of Earth, Welcome thee now to their mighty assembly. · · · · · None has a claim to the honours of story, Or the superior splendours of song, Greater than thou, in thy mystery mantled— Thou the sole monarch of African mountains. Take, then, a name, and be filled with existence, Yea, be exultant in sovereign glory, While from the hand of the wandering poet Drops the first garland of song at thy feet. · · · · · “KILIMA-NJARO,” a poem by BAYARD TAYLOR, _circa_ 1855. PREFACE. As the Kilima-njaro Expedition was initiated and supported by two of the most important among our British Scientific Societies, it may perhaps seem excusable that I, who was its appointed leader, should venture to lay the general results of this enterprise before the public. I do so only in the sincere desire to contribute, however feebly, to the mounting sum of our knowledge of Africa—that continent, which I look upon as the New World of the nineteenth century. I cannot conclude these few prefatory lines without most heartily thanking every friend or chance acquaintance who by word or deed facilitated my task. It is pleasant to look back upon this expedition as having been provocative of nothing but kindness. While the names of certain of my benefactors are mentioned elsewhere in the pages of this work in juxtaposition with their good deeds, I think this the most fitting place in which to record my special sense of obligation to Philip Lutley Sclater, Esq., Ph. D., Sec. Zoological Society; Edward L. Lawson, Esq.; Edwin Arnold, Esq., C.S.I.; Carmichael Thomas, Esq.; and, with all his faults, Mandara, Chief of Moši; who, though he once threatened to cut off my head, nevertheless in his brighter moods supplied me with much valuable information. H. H. JOHNSTON. LONDON, _November, 1885_. NOTE TO THE READER. In the orthography of most African words and proper names in this book, especially in those which are written for the first time, I have followed what seems to me the simplest and most satisfactory phonetic system—that of Dr. Lepsius’ standard alphabet. As this may be new to some of my readers, I may mention here that the vowels are generally pronounced as in Italian, viz.:— a = ah; e = eh; i = ee; o = oh; ô = aw; u = oo. In diphthongs, the sound of each vowel may be distinctly heard, as ai = ah-ee; ou = oh-oo.