ld consent to lead him up in the cold heights of the mountain to
show him the places that filled the native imagination with such fear
and superstitious dread.

There was one place, Askar said, where the water boiled out of the
ground far, far up in the mountain heights, and any native who looked at
it fell dead. Askar said he went up and looked at it through the
glasses, and then ran away.

All this queer information came out at one of our evening camp-fire
_shauris_. The great central camp-fire of a _safari_ is usually in front
of the tents of the _msungu_, or white people, and around it in the
evening the _msungu_ discuss the adventures of the day and the plans for
the morrow. Each night Abdi, the _neapara_ or head-man, comes up to get
his instructions for the next morning, and soon afterward Abdullah, the
cook, appears and waits for his orders for the breakfast hour.

Abdullah is the color of night, and no one ever sees him approach or go
away. He simply appears and often stands only a few feet away before any
one is aware of his presence. And even after he speaks, one sees only a
row of white teeth looming up five feet above the ground. If any
important matters are to be adjusted it is usually at the camp-fire that
the things are settled. If punishment is to be meted out to a
transgressor, it is there that the trial is held and judgment rendered.

Well, on, this night as we sat talking by the camp-fire, Abdi, our
head-man, suddenly appeared and squatted down. Soon after up came Askar,
who also squatted down, and we knew that we were in for some unusual
sort of a _shauri_. It was then that Askar told of the strange mystery
of the mountain.

[Photograph: Curious as to Our Home Life]

[Photograph: On the Rim of the Crater]

[Photograph: A Birthday Dinner]

"Askar says," spoke Abdi, interpreting Askar's imperfect English, "that
up in the mountain there is a big door and a great cave. He went up with
a Frenchman, and the guides refused to go. Then the Frenchman threatened
to kill them if they would not go. They were frightened, because all the
natives die who go to the big door and see the boiling fountain through
the door. Askar say all the natives ran away, but the Frenchman go on."

"Did Askar see the door?"

"Askar says he see the door and he see the fountain through some
glasses. Then he ran away."

[Drawing: _Camp in the Forest_]

"Can Askar take us up to the cave and the big door?"

There was then