The record-union., 1899-08-11


ers." Altogether the valley from south
to north is about five miles long. In
front of the southern entrance the rocks
fall off to the west. some hills skirtine
the main mountain On the eastern
side they bend to the southeast in a
very picturesque semicircle, which has
it's continue ton in the south and to-
wards the southwest. almost forming
a circle. The end of this circle is
called by the natives Mususi Mountain,
and at it's foot, the great kraal Inja-
ka-Fura is situated. It is nearing one
of the hills, parallel to the western
ridge, only leaving room for the broad
bed of the Muira River. and so almost
closing the escarpment round the wide
mould south of Mount Peters. On the
hill opposite Inja-ka-F'ura and the
Msusi Mountain we found one of the
old ruins of which our report speaks
The whole mountain mass OF Fura may
have an extension of $3.50 English
square miles. We had not camped
more than twenty-four hours in the
Fura Valley when we succeeded In get.
ing some further evidence that we were
really on the right spot. Some people
came to offer work, and when Mr..
Puzey, who speaks the language of
the country well. asked them whence
they came, they answered from Inja-
Sapa.
To Inja-Sapa, then, we went the next
morning. It is large native kraal
in dense primeval forest, about half
a days journey from the river at it's
southern entrance into the mountain.
We asked the people about Massapa,
and were answered that Massapa and
Inja-Sapa are the same, that people
call it Massapa or Inja-Sapa, just as
they like. So we had identified one Of
the chief names of our old map and
report, and most likely the very spot
on which, some centuries ago. the old
Portuguese fort stood That we did
not find remains Of this fort is not to
be wondered at. The fort was I'M
doubtedly built of wood. Besides, we
should have had to explore the dense
forest around the kraal for traces. of
a Portuguese settlement, which We
could not do yet. Inja-Sapa lies about
five hours march south of the present
Portuguese fort of Tambara.
The decisive discovery for our ex-
ploration in this country was made by
Mr.. Puzey on April Goth. I had re-
quested him to go to Inja -F'ura to set
| tie certain matters with the chief. He
returned at noon, and reported that
he had seen the ruins the report speaks
| of. They are situated, as I have al
ready mentioned, on the hill which
runs parallel to Mount Peters, and
| look down, upon the circular valley
| formed above. The ruin is about two
miles distant from 1nja-ka-Fura. l
went to the ruin in the afternoon with
Herr Gramann and we assembled it,
| undoubtedly the first whites who ever
did so for centuries, as Mr.. Puzey had
only looked at it from the bottom.
Through a dense underground, over
vast debris, we had to make our way.
After half an hours exertions we stood
on the platform of the hill, and had
look over the beautiful country at
our feet through which the Muira
River bends in wide windings. On the
| platform we noticed what took at
once for the remains Of an ancient
ground wall following the edge of the
ridge. Then we went down halfway
again over the masses of stones and
debris, and we. stood in a courtyard
before an ancient Cyclopean wall,
partly fallen to pieces, partly rising
up from twelve feet to fifteen feet In
hight. In a mighty circles it runs
round the slope of the hill to the right
and left, forming with the hill behind
the courtyard 4 spoke of. 1t appeared
that on our way up hill over masses
of small stones and boulders we had
climbed over a part where the wall
was broken to pieces by old age and
African elementary powers. With
feeling of awe / stood in the midst Of
these remains of ancient, very ancient,
human activity.
On the next day I had a descent road
cut to the top1 of the hill and down
again to the wall, and now we could
study our find with more ease. The
results, in short, are the following: We
discovered toward the center of the
top another ground wall which had
| undoubtedly been a part of the build
ing, maybe a temple, maybe a store
house. This wall had been worked
into the natural rock, which here forms
sort of fiat floor. The stones of the
ground wall, samples of which I have
sent to London, are heart-shaped and
are worked with a pick, so that the
description in our old report saying the
stones were not worked with a pick
apparently only applies to the outer
walls Perhaps the author never took
the trouble to visit one of the ruins.
l laid bare part of this ground wall
on the top, but gave up further dig
cling because 1 was afraid that my
clumsy workmen might do harm to
the remains. They have, indeed, al
ready destroyed part of the ground
wall The stones of the wall are
pseudomorph sandstone, while the rock
into which they are worked is QuartZitic
slate. The whole of the ruin is built
after the general ancient Semitic pat
tern. The Cyclopean wall skirts the
hill about halfway between the bot
tom and the top; on the top of the
buildings, the boarding place and likely
the temple were standing. The re-
mains of a ground wall along the edge
of the top lead me to believe that
second wall formerly ran round the
platform itself To explore the ruin
properly it will be necessary to send
a scientific expedition with a proper
outfit for such excavations. The debris
has to be removed and this l am sure,
will take considerable time. Why the
old conquerors chose this spot for their
fort is easy to see. The Muira touches
the bottom of the hill, so water was
handy. A second river we have dis
covered at the back of the ruin. From
the top they had an outlook over the
wide plain before them, while they
had the bulk of the Fura massive at
their back. From their fort they COM