Evening star., 1924-09-07

At Njabtonjo We went ashore. Past
the deep crater lake of Ruabikalis
the path led upward through dense
underground to the place OF the
eruption, which is situated between
Rushayo and Kumaza, and which is
called Nzuru by the natives.
1t looks like a little bit Of inferno
itself. Where before there was a plain
and also a dense virgin forest there
is now a fairly high mountain. and
from it a river Of lava about a kilo-
metre broad, and only recently con-
gealed, pours out toward the lake and
has partly filed the Mbusi Bay below.
Like an enormous abscess the earth
has burst and flung out its aching con-
tents. This happened on December 21,
1912.
Fantastically shaped lava blocks
have been thrown about topsy-turvy
or lie heaped up one upon another.
Everything is reddish-br or sooty
black, sterile. dead. Like snowf1akes
metallic layers gleam now and then
amidst all the dark mass. The tree
stumps are still standing in many
places, charred with a casing of lava
round them. and a few dry unburnt
trunks lie in the middle of the field.
The frontier between life and death
is very sharply marked. The devasta-
over the forest giants, leaving every
thing that was outside the edge un-
touched. The black ground absorbs
the suns rays so that the heat Is in
sufferable. Sharp points tear open the
shoes pitilessly il you try to walk out
on to the lava, and the soles burn. In
some places, especially round the top,
the ashes are still yards thick. And
we sank down to the knees when we
L
X -
0NE has an unpleasant sensation
~ that this is what the earth must
have looked like once in the gray,
primeval time when it first became
rigid-black, lifeless, uninhabitable.
And one feels happy that one has not
to take possession Of 1t as it was then.
Years have passed since Nzuru was
created. But even today the natives
speak Of that terrible night when all
the evil spirits came up out Of hell and
shook their straw mats so that the
| fun was whirled all over the earth and
men at Rutshuru, at distance OF
three days journey, could read in their
magic books as If it had been midday.
The journey home from this earthly
inferno shall never forget. The
canoes had been sent round to the
mouth Of the Mbusi Bay which we
only reached at sunset. Then fol-
lowed four-hour boat journey
| through the darkness of the night. II
had been blowing hard at midday, sc
that the waves on the lake were still
running high and splashed over the
| low gunwale Of the canoe when we
started, but when we had gone about
| halfway the breeze and the water
quieted down.
From having lain like a tremendous
silver coin collecting to itself all the
| last light Of the day while the already
dark and threatening mountains
| mounted guards on every side. Kivu
now looked like single gaping empti.
ness which seemed to stretch into the
infinite The shores had vanished, but
the firefiies THAT danced over them
pointed the way and did duty AZ
friendly lighthouses.
| In the zenith Orion's belt drew its
straight line Of light and over the sterr
of the canoe Jupiter was hanging, big
as a small moon. Now and then 6
baboon chartered from its branch or 8
toad croaked in a hollow and husk!
voice.
The water Tapped sleepily round
| the bows and the rowers now pad